Finally, the online co-op mode is very engaging and allows players to team up with a buddy or acquaintance; having another powerful champion of ODIN at your side makes the game much more tactically sound. After all, the grunts that surround you during the single-player campaign are, for the most part, pretty useless and quite whiny.

Additionally, playing co-op with various people allows you to trade for items. This will undoubtedly become a crucial component to acquiring complete item sets in a timely manner. The only mild downside concerning multiplayer is that the game is only coded to accommodate two players at a time. It would be awesome to go through the levels with four, eight, or even sixteen brawlers, going toe-to-toe with the legions of machines and Hel's undead minions.

Unfortunately, the game isn't without its share of problems. For starters, players will be oft troubled by the hands-off approach to camera control. Because both analog sticks are being utilized for combat, camera control is relegated to the LB button, which has a centering, third-person effect. For the most part, letting the game manage the camera provides for a cinematic experience that lets the player simply concentrate on doing battle, but when you're backtracking or during frantic boss battles it can be a real pain. As a result, you'll have to constantly re-center the camera while evading attacks, as the camera inexplicably tries to sweep around your hero, not letting you see where you're headed. Camera views should have been a lot tighter to maximize the experience.

Furthermore, as smooth and engaging as combat is, it soon becomes tiresome. That's because there are only a few different enemies you'll face. Encounters typically include getting waylaid by a horde of one-hit underlings, doing away with their shielded leader, and progressing through several more of these fights until you reach a boss. Players will find eventually get bored fighting through the host of Goblins, Dark Elves, Trolls, and Undead that level to your ability. As such, fights always feel the same. It all gets pretty monotonous after a while.

The boss battles provide a welcomed respite to the formulaic combat. However, they can be frustrating and are dulled by cheap deaths and less-than-epic visuals. A good example of this is in the GRNDL encounter. In one of the opening cutscenes, GRNDL barges into a mead hall to slake his thirst with the blood of hapless humans. Disappointingly, there's not an ounce of blood or gore to help the experience hit home. Then, after much chaos and an appropriate struggle, Baldur confronts GRNDL and cleanly sheers off the mechanical beast's arm with style and ruthless panache. But during the in-game standoff, players aren't able to take down the monster limb by limb. Weapons just bounce off the brute and you see the creature's health meter slowly drop. The game, in general, suffers from unimpressive showers of sparks and a lack of over-the-top animations. Consequently, this is a game that is hampered by its Teen rating. I wished the crew at Silicon Knights would have gone for a much more visceral approach. By adding blood, gore, and limp-lopping goodness rather than taking on wave after wave of featureless synthetics that vaporize in a heap after mildly dispatching them, the game would have been far more entertaining.

Thankfully, the overall presentation of the title is quite good. You’ll never deal with loading screens, the framerate runs remarkably well, the combat animations are smooth, and the voice acting is very professional despite the yawn-inducing dialogue. Also, the musical themes are dark and forbidding, conveying the appropriate feel to the title. Out of combat, Baldur runs a bit stiffly, but he is half robot, so I guess it’s only natural. The level design is very linear except for a few secrets uncovered by Cyberspace wells strewn throughout the game that serve as non-combat encounters to break up battle sequences. The overall crisp look of the title does a nice job of keeping the excitement alive.

Too Human is a good game that will provide most players with a lot of entertainment. Fans of both action tiles and RPGs will find a lot to like, but know that the game doesn't nail either genre perfectly. However, loads of challenging (though repetitive) enemies, tons of customization options, an obscene amount of collectibles, and an enjoyable co-op mode make the game a pleasurable experience. Hopefully the sequels, foretold by the ending in Too Human and detailed in our one-on-one interview with Dennis Dyack, will take advantage of the game's highlights and correct some of its faults. As it stands, the game is a fun, solid title that doesn't quite live up to expectations.

By Jonathan Marx
CCC Editor / News Director

Game Features:

Thrilling action-RPG gameplay. Unlike some games that may force players to choose between two genres, "Too Human" combines all the creative economy features and social experiences of a typical RPG, such as collecting loot and leveling up, while maintaining the excitement of an action game.

Explosive melee and firearms combat. It will take more than brawn and raw strength to supplant the machine hordes. Using a sophisticated blend of seamless melee and high-tech weapons combat, players have the power to vanquish foes near and far.

The birth of an icon. Fight as Baldur, a powerful cybernetic god battling his way through enemy armies to become one of gaming's renowned iconic heroes. From weaponry and armor to combat techniques and combos, players can fully customize Baldur to become the best possible hero.

Advanced cinematic presentation. Characters and environments come to life with amazing visual fidelity. Experience the full excitement of combat through a dynamically driven presentation system that portrays the combat with cinematic quality.

New level of accessibility through intuitive combat. Perform Baldur's elaborate and complex combat maneuvers, and chain together rapid-fire attacks and combos with ease.

Conquer the world of "Too Human" alone or with friends in advanced, online two-player co-op gameplay through the Xbox LIVE service.

Modern take on classical Norse mythology. In a world ruined by centuries of war, "Too Human" chronicles the epic story of Baldur, favored son of ODIN and one of a group of humanity's protector, the Aesir.

Screen Resolution: Up to 1080p (Full HDTV, Widescreen).