Too Human: Top 8 Title Update/DLC Requests

The reviews are in and the fans have spoken. If you can say the dust has settled now that the game's been out for a week, then yes, I guess the brouhaha is essentially behind us. Players who are taken with the game, present company included, are quietly enjoying what is likely to become the most critically savaged one-million plus seller this console generation. The skeptics will have moved on to other pursuits, perhaps compiling a "Best Of" mashup of Denis Dyak video clips for posterity sake?

Too Human has easily eaten up over 20 hours of my personal time since its release last Wednesday. Like with a certain brand of India pale ale, those who like Too Human, like the hell out of it. It's a divisive game for sure and that's to be expected for a game that's stewed in development hell for so long, it's become the stuff of legends or myths. Compounding the extended development cycle has been the dev studio's very outspoken president, Mr. Denis Dyak, who has never met a mic or camera he didn't like. His unquestionable passion for his game has both helped and hindered the public's perception of TH, although I'm inclined to feel that there was a not long ago, maybe around the time the last GDC ended, when Dyak could have zipped up and just let the demo and the final release truly speak for itself.

But I'm focusing on the mundane, the superficial and superfluous. This is just gaming press and Internet drama cranked up to 11 when all you really have at the end of the day, is one humdinger of an addictive Diablo clone... for the Xbox 360. Finally. Fuckin' finally.

I'm loving this game. It's fast becoming my favourite title for the 360. And you know what? The game is rather chock-full of glaring flaws and design oversights. I have a few ideas, sort of a wishlist, for what I'd like to see addressed in the inevitable title update and DLC. I'll begin with the bug fixes:

Title Update fixes



1. Graphical Glitches: Minor stuff, like Valkyrie feet sinking into the ground and floating bodies. Smoothing out the cutscene animations would be nice but I realize that may be too large of an undertaking.



2. God-Awful Menu SFX and Sound Loops: the Equipment and Stats menu screens make my ears bleed. 'Nuff said.



3. Sound Options: This omission puzzles me to no end.



4. Advanced Online Matchmaking: Let me search for games based on other players' levels and include a message for the type of game that I am hosting, such as doing a level run or playing to get an Achievement.



5. Coat of Polish: This is harder to put my finger on. Menu navigation needs to move faster. I also really wish there were notifications for completing rune quests and finding the last piece of an armour set. Show me the most recent batch of loot that I've picked up in the Equipment screen, sorted from most powerful on down. Little things like this...


And on the DLC side of things:


6. Expand the Number of Players in Co-op: If not 4, then at least experiment with 3. Even playing 2-player, I've noticed that the action can reach intense levels and kill poaching can be a small issue. With 4 amped-up Level 50s sliding around, I'm sure that would present some design issues... readily fixed by scaling up the difficulty of enemies but, how would the frame rates and net code be affected? With Denis Dyak slyly hinting at the possibility of increased co-op fun, it's likey not as big a design problem as some make it out to be. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.



7. New Enemy Types: A new critter doesn't even have to be that unique. Do a nastier variation of the trolls or driders or goblins. Do a minor palette swap but give them a cool new ability to combat.



8. Bonus Challenge Areas OR a New Stage to Beat: I would love to continue Baldur's adventures just a little bit longer before warping back to the Hall of Heroes and having to do it all over again. A fifth bonus act doesn't have to be that fleshed out or large... just make it memorable and fulfilling for players to fight through.

Read The Full Story...

Podcast Spotlight: GFW Radio

I love this podcast. Jeff Green and the 1UP PC crew bring the funny in so many different ways each week. It's a shame their print magazine didn't survive Ziff-Davis' cost cutting. Not for want of trying: I loved the GFW magazine when it was Computer Gaming World, a publication that, as sad as it sounds, helped me get through high school. GFW magazine had it's heart in the right place and would have thrived were it not for the steadying decline of PC gaming and Microsoft's own lackluster initiatives to boost PCs as an attractive gaming platform.

I'll wipe some tears away for CGW another day, but for now, I want to raise a toast to some quality podcasting. If the GFW Radio podcast is to be the sole remnant of the CGW/GFW legacy, then I say that's a fine way to go out, friends.

The latest episode was so good, I had to listen to it twice. Yes, I was incredibly bored at work as well, but the content of the podcast was simply too good to let it pass through just once. Often described as the "brodeo", the GFW Radio podcast is best defined by its all-male cast of 1UP PC gaming editors. Show are usually lead by former GFW magazine EIC, Jeff Green, who aside from being a hardened old vet, also possesses one of the most immature sense of humour this side of the age of 40. He's also got a hilariously shrill voice for podcasting.

The other members of the crew are also funny in their own way. Although he has a habit of dominating segments and seeming to enjoy the sound of his voice a bit too much, Sean Elliot always provides the laughs with his exagerrated impressions, voices and unique terminology. His "Heroes of the Web" segments are sorely missed and they just don't seem to do them very often any more. In these, Sean hunts down real gaming forum posts written by the most hard of the hardcore, and reads them aloud, funny voices and all, to hilarious effect.

Episodes tend to follow only the loosest of structure, which will frustrate listeners who are more accustomed to more organized podcasts like KOXM or the Major Nelson show. On the plus side, you'll be treated to side-splitting, inappropriate tangents such as furries, fan fic love and suckling Yoda's milk.

That the actual topic of PC gaming is so tangential actually helps the podcast keeps its flavour. PC gaming news hardly registers with me anymore, yet I can listent raptly as Jeff Green and co. discuss at length things like WoW addiction, Steam, software piracy and many other PC-centric items that I cannot really relate to. It helps that they're also flexible enough to talk about console games as it relates to PC gaming or their own personal gaming activities of the week.

I can't recommend this podcast enough. Ditch the amateurish, prattling podcasts spawned from blogs and resist the structured, toe-the-line quasi-pro broadcast nonsense of "official" podcasts. GFW Radio straddles the line perfectly between these extremes to deliver an experience that may not be relevant or concise or understandable, but will still keep you entertained.

Read The Full Story...

The "Waiting for Too Human" Playlist

Too Human has won me over. I ran hot and cold with the demo on my first playythrough but 1.5 replays later has made me a believer. I've come to terms with the apparent weaknesses with the game's design, put them aside and now eagerly anticipate what will surely be a phat loot-dropping extravaganza. The pre-order allure of unique armour sets I have resisted and now I'm counting on just picking it up at the local Future Shop on Day One.. or Two or Three. There's no big rush, seeing as I've got a pretty full dance card lately.

Mass Effect
I am having a surprising amount of fun using my fresh Shepard on a brand new playthrough. This time around, I've switched to a female Vanguard on Veteran difficulty and I'm exclusively using Ashley and Garrus for my ground team. My original purpose for playing through the story again was for Achievement-mining, of which I've secured a handful already. But my superficial intentions have been rewarded quite well, as I'm appreciating the character development and combat systems so much more this time around.

It's come to the point where I regret using a Soldier class on my first attempt with the game. I'll say it right now, the Soldier class is boring and cuts out a lot of the sublteties inherent in BioWare's elegant, if simple, RPG-action hybrid design. You can basically bulldoze your way through all the mission as a Soldier and there aren't really a whole lot of interesting skills to develop. Distribute your skill points into assault rifle and armour and go to town. I even continued using my original soldier Shepard on a Hardcore difficulty playthrough and it's still rather easy. Barring a few unlucky sniper or rocket hits, I'm invincible, and the game REALLY comes across as a third-rate 3rd-person shooter.

Things are a little different as a female Vanguard. First off, Shepard is so much sexier and the female voice talent is quite a bit more professional and unique than the stock macho male voice. Secondly, I'm actually using my skills and putting more thought into advancing skills and crafting my team. Since I'm not a pure fighter, enemy encounters are actually intense and in some cases quite difficult, since I'm constantly juggling skill recharges for all member of my team. The biotic skills, though a rather poor imitation of Star Wars force powers, are still very fun to use and work great in conjunction with the shotgun, which is surprisingly fun to use in comparison to the assault and sniper rifles.

So yeah, having loads of good times with this old game and really hope the second pack of DLC gets announced soon. Although I wasn't terrible impressed with Bring Down the Sky, it was still a much needed break from the insufferable, boilerplate design of all the core side missions.

Soul Calibur 4
I was really digging this game but recently got very frustrated with it like I eventually do with all fighting games. The controls are pretty tight, but there are just so many moments where I think I've executed a move and it doesn't come out. And when you're trying to defeat The Apprentice on Arcade mode, that just equals a seething pit of white hot rage in my gut, causing me to curse like a mad sailor and abuse my poor controller. I'm taking a break from SC4 for fear that I will send my gamepad sailing out the window and into traffic one of these days.

Everything Else
Yeah, aside from Mass Effect it really is a mishmash of games. I was hooked on Oblivion for a while in July and managed to make some more progress with my sub-level 20 Crusader. The my birthday rolled around and I picked up a load of games that I briefly flirted with: Shadowrun is fun but very esoteric and I barely find time to meet up with a good group to play with; TMNT is a nice "cool off" game and great for Achievement farming; Burnout Paradise is surprisingly fun and I've managed to forgive it's somewhat wedged in open-world design philosophy. Some of the races are very difficult and the game's stubborn inability to not let you replay a race instantly has quickly put the game on my backburner list. Still, the Cagney came out last week and I'd be willing to give it another whirl when I tire of Mass Effect.

What else? Bionic Commando: Rearmed, of course. Havne't played too much of this yet. I was too tired to really appreciate the game when I downloaded late last night but I hope I'll be able to give it a fair shot tonight and post some impressions or a quasi review.

Read The Full Story...

Price Schemin' and Braid

I played the Braid demo today, sneaking it in between an obsessive play session with Soul Calibur 4 and my impending departure for work this afternoon.

I wholeheartedly recommend you try out the trial for Braid if you haven't already done so. The game's visual design is charming, surreal and more than a little artistic. The core gameplay, a clever rethinking of the standard 2D platformer, hooked me in initially with it's interesting time manipulation feature. Being able to rewind time at any moment makes the game incredibly forgiving, but forms also the crux upon which the games levels and puzzles are designed.

The only things that turned me off about Braid was the silly, overwrought writing and the price tag.

I think at any other time, I would have happily plunked down the Microsoft points for this game. What is the standard for new games these days? 800 points. I could imagine myself paying 800 points for Braid. However, XBLA titles have seen an upwards price drift in the last few months and I'm beginning to question the cynicism behind such a trend.

A couple of months ago I laid out my cash -- 1600 points, was it? -- for the Penny Arcade Adventures and I've barely touched it, let alone finish what is purported to be a mere 5-hour romp. The game is no doubt fun and has fairly high production values, in hindsight I just fail to see why the game justified a 2x price hike over the usual Arcade fare. It just seems to me that Microsoft's digital download service is headed in the direction of Canadian telcoms, where standard services rise in price inexplicably with no supporting improvement in the actual quality or quantity of service. Recently, the pricing structure for SMS messages was changed so that customers now pay a fee for receiving phone messages along with the usual fee for sending. Why? I never got to read any press releases on the subject, but I am sure a well-worded explanation was given to obfuscate the simple fact that telcoms were just interested in higher profit margins on what is franky a very a popular, ancilliary feature.

So getting back to why I decided not to purchase Braid... it's a fabulous piece of work by indie developer, Jonathan Blow and I wish him the best of luck with his debut XBLA release. I sort of let myself fall into the price hike trap with Penny Arcade, however, and I'm not about to let that happen again. I just feel that, on principle, the game is not deserving of a price hike, as good as it is, and this serves as a test bed for the Xbox team to calibrate their pricing and see how much more we are willing to pay for our Arcade games. And let's not be naive here. Braid, just as much as Penny Arcade Adventures, was a highly anticiplated game. It was written up in gaming blogs and showered heaps of critical praise months before release and those sort of good tidings give a company a lot more room to charge a premium price.

Maybe I will change my tune later on, when I find myself bored and without a stack of retail games to keep me occupied. I may remember Braid, think "what the heck" and plunk down my precious points. There are worse things in the world than over-paying $5 for a good piece of entertainment. But for now, I'm quite content to vote with my wallet and not contribute to the sales figures for this game. Greedy execs don't need any more encouraging if you ask me.

Read The Full Story...