Too Human Preview

Apart from slicing enemies and blasting them into oblivion, collecting loot presents another important element in the gameplay. Every gunned down or chopped up enemy leaves certain items behind - armor, weapons, blueprints, etc. Inspired by the Diablo 2 system, the value and rarity of each item is defined by color. Of course, the most powerful items aren't easy to find. You can sometimes collect blueprints and then offer a shit-load of cash to have these items crafted. Apparently, this is something you'll only be able to do between levels. Other items can be improved with runes, which are placed in empty slots. In short, it's an all too familiar system, used in classics like World of Warcraft, Diablo and even the recent 360 hit Mass Effect (which uses a similar principal for weapon upgrade).

There's more to the game than gathering loot. Most of your adventures will occur in a region known as Aesir. Mind you, a parallel plane simply referred to as cyberspace exists alongside the existing world. Venturing through cyberspace mostly denotes exploration and carrying out straightforward tasks in order to overcome obstacles in the "real world." So, if a door is locked in Aesir, you might have to travel to cyberspace and complete a specific task in order to open the door.

At this stage, we cannot say for sure if Too Human has what it takes to face the heavy competition. There's a grain of pessimism here, predominantly bearing in mind the game has been delayed way too often. Another disconcerting fact is that there's a surplus of titles out there attempting to revive the worn-out Diablo-esque gameplay mechanics. Recent efforts, such as the PC hack'n'slash Hellgate: London, proved unsuccessful.

Regardless, the developer's know-how, as seen in their earlier work such as Blood Omen and Eternal Darkness, and recent confirmations that the game is still on track, certainly boosted our confidence. While a precise date hasn't been disclosed, it was said that Too Human is on target for a 2008 release.