Step into the world of Too Human, the third-person epic action game from renowned Canadian developer Silicon Knights. As the cybernetic god Baldur, players are thrust into the midst of an ongoing battle that threatens the existence of mankind. An ancient machine presence has forced the god’s hand, and now Baldur is charged with defending humanity from an onslaught of monstrous war machines bent on the eradication of human life.

That little piece above sure does sound exciting, doesn’t it? Well if you like RPG’s, but wish they weren’t so slow paced. Or if you like epic action games, but wish they weren’t so mindless. In either case Too Human might be worth looking into. I’m one of those people who have been suckered into the Too Human sordid love affair. On the one hand I’m not sure Silicon Knights can deliver what we’re hoping for, and on the other the game looks flawless in screens and videos. This week the game is being shown off at GDC, and so far things are looking even better than before.

Too Human is an RPG style game with the heart of Diablo. And for anyone who likes to throw around tons of enemies (up to 70 at a time in this game) there should be no shortage of fun. The real problem with this style of game is the enemies are often stupid AI programs that just walk around. And there are a few spots in the trailer below that shows Baldur surrounded by enemies during a battle, and they’re not doing all that much whilst he plays stickball with their skulls.

When everything is all said and done, Silicon Knights has to deliver the gameplay for Too Human. The melee combat sounds fascinating and oddly simple. You use the right analog stick to make Baldur slide towards an enemy, attack him and then slide to the next enemy. The analogy given by Microsoft is treating the system as ”playing ping-pong.” As you move from enemy to enemy you get faster and build up a combo meter. After a while you can unleash a super move, but you’ll be back to the original slow combat speed.

Too Human is shaping up to be the title I have been waiting for. The game is expected to ship sometime in 2008. Or maybe it’ll be delayed another 10 years…you never know.

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