bigdaddygamebot  on Too Human

September 6, 2008, 9:41 am

Too Human – Too Hyped? – The Verdict

Too Human – Too Hyped? – The Verdict

Generally when you say something had too much hype, it usually means it didn’t turn out as good as promised.

In this case, when I say Too Human was “too hyped”, I simply mean that there was way, way, WAY too much media surrounding the title. So much so that it polarized a significant number of the “enthusiast crowd” into being soldiers of hate that had nothing but negative things to say about it, or they were zealots proclaiming Too Human as the second coming of Christ…but in video game form.

I’m right in the middle.

Too Human is a solid game, with an addictive premise, all wrapped up in a very interesting and satisfying “cyber-viking” motif.

So let’s start with “The Bad” first and then I’ll try to end the review on a positive note.

The camera CAN be a problem, up until you are instructed with how to change the perspective with the d-pad and are then give seven or eight possible camera views. I generally have my camera set to ISO which is a three/quarter isometric view similar to Diablo but prettier.

People that want to complain about the camera are the same tits that complain about the camera in Resident Evil games. The camera is light years better than the camera in Ninja Gaiden II and that game is a pure twitch-action oriented game. Calling Too Human an action game would be a mistake…because it isn’t.

And don’t think you can ask me to put Too Human in a genre. It’s a strange one. It’s not easy to pin down.

The controls CAN be a problem until you realize that Too Human is not like every other game you’ve ever played. This can be an irritating point for a number of people that like all of their games to be popped out of the same cookie cutter. These people are a demographic in the gaming community that seem to be growing at an alarming rate and they prefer to have games that lack innovation and don’t challenge them in the ways of needing to adapt to a novel approach when it comes to combat.

bigdaddygamebot  on Gears of War

September 5, 2008, 6:30 pm

Gears of War - The Verdict

This game is why I bought an Xbox 360. Buying a console one year after launch still is no guarantee that you are going to be getting your money's worth but in this case, I was completely satisfied.

I want to get the "bad" out of the way first seeing that it's a relatively short list.

The colours. Despite the fact that the graphics are very impressive, Epic went with what feels like a limited colour palette. The greys, browns and various shades in between definitely give you the feeling that you are playing in a broken, shattered, hopeless world and lends a certain amount of substance to the landscape you're battling through. I feel it was a design choice by Epic to make the scenery feel more...epic? For me, it's a case that the graphics are SO good and SO detailed I found myself wanting more and more so it's possible that the colour palette isn't really a problem at all and I'm being overly demanding.

Online VS. It baffles me that after Bungie released Halo 2 and did such an exemplary job of creating a matchmaking system, other companies STILL release a bullshit matchmaking system. Gears of War's matchmaking system is as bare bones as it gets and it's entirely possible that someone who has played ten games total will be going up against someone that has played one hundred games. Of course the latter person destroys the former person doing a fine job of discouraging that person. Bungie has figured it out. Society has figured out how to map the human genome. A game developer should be able to come up with a decent matchmaking system that pairs up people by similar skill level. in fact; it should be mandatory for all online games.

The story and the dialogue. The writer needs to hang their head in shame. When I play a video game I'm not expecting the next great masterpiece. If I want that, I'll read a book. It would be nice if a game with the production values of Gears of War was able to put together a story that was better than something you might find in Playboy Channel special. The story is terrible and although it doesn't detract from the excellent experience of the gameplay, it certainly doesn't add anything to the total package and is definitely a squandered opportunity.

With all of that said, the game is still fantastic. Fantastic graphics are not necessary to make a game fantastic but in this case...wow. The graphics are great and only the most discerning of players will come up with things to complain about. There are beautiful and visceral moments that really can't be explained and should only be experienced by actually playing through the game.

If you haven't played this yet and you have an Xbox 360. Play this game.

Epic did something great by moving away from first person and putting the emphasis on utilizing cover during combat. The combat plays out like nothing else available on the market and does a remarkable job of making standard issue shoot outs feel fresh and unique. When using cover, a player has a number of different options available depending on where they are and what their current surroundings consist of. I could give a comprehensive blow by blow as to which button does which action but I'll simply put that the controls are clean, uncluttered and easy to learn without limiting options regarding control for the player.

The co-op gameplay that they have included in the game is excellent and only leaves you wanting more. Although it was their first attempt and not expertly executed; the co-op experience (either split-screen on the same t.v. or over Xbox Live) is a great deal of fun and shows tonnes of potential. I had run out of ammo. Fumbled the reload and was taking cover and praying the gun would reload in time in order to defend against a charging enemy that wants to knock my skull off my shoulders. The enemy climbed over the cover I was using and was about beat me down when it's head exploded and I heard a quiet.

"Got 'im"

in my headset. My nephew that I was playing co-op with managed to save my ass with a well timed sniper shot. Moments like this happen often enough in the co-op experience that you really do feel like you're part of a team fighting against a common enemy as opposed to just two guys playing the same game at the same time on the same level. It's not perfect, but it definitely delivers on another "next gen" experience. True co-op against the game itself. It's loads of fun.

Finally, the online play. As much as I hate the lack of a solid matchmaking system, the online play is a great deal of fun. Quick and dirty battles of four vs four in a number of expertly crafted maps makes for some exciting and enjoyable contests of skill.

All in all, for a new type of gameplay and a new I.P., Epic did a solid job on Gears of War and I'm definitely looking forward to future installments to the series.