630°

CliffyB Defends Too Human from Critics

After so much hype and so many years in development, many were surprised by the lackluster critical reception for Silicon Knights' Too Human. Count among the surprised Epic Games' Cliff "Don't call me CliffyB anymore" Bleszinski, who defended the game from its harshest critics in a recent Giant Bomb reader review.

Bleszinski says he found the game more engrossing than either BioShock or Call of Duty 4, pouring 16 straight hours into it on his first sit down and readying for a second playthrough after a 42-hour quest. While admitting that the story "isn't God's gift to writing," Bleszinski still insists it compares favorably to a lot of other video games. His main beef, though, is with critics who derided the game's combat as too simple simply because they weren't willing to delve into what Bleszinski sees as some complex strategic depth. "It will require some attention to learn," he warns, "If this is too much to ask, do not fret. There is always the Wii." Ouch!
BIoodmask - contributor
Published: 474 days 19 hours ago | News | Xbox 360 | Industry News
 
 

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MAR-TYR-DOM - 474 days 19 hours ago
1 - alright
"Bleszinski says he found the game more engrossing than either BioShock or Call of Duty 4,..."
I stopped reading there, and i suggest you all should too.
This guy has too much of M$ money up his a$$. Its seems more and more that he is paid to say stupid things like this!
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Shane Kim - 474 days 18 hours ago
1.1 -
At this rate he'll be taking over my job.
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Idonthatejustcreate - 474 days 18 hours ago
1.2 -
Yeah im with most of you on this one. I smell bullshit from a mile away...

I would have thought that he was sincere if he had said that the game is far from perfect but still very good and that he thought that it's ALMOST as engrossing as Cod4 or Bioshock.

Saying it's MORE engrossing than Cod4 or Bioshock is a flat out lie and if I would be saying something like that I would have either gotten blackmailed to it or paid out my A$$ for it.
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El_Colombiano - 474 days 18 hours ago
1.3 -
Shane Kim, you made me spill my drink way too close to my keyboard! Funny sh*t man!
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Silver360 - 474 days 18 hours ago
1.4 - Then read the rest
of what he wrote before commenting. If you want to disagree with him at least do it from a position of knowledge.

Edit: Someone disagreed with me. I think that means they like to just run their mouth without knowledge. An all to common an affliction these days.
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CaptainHowdy - 474 days 16 hours ago
1.5 - cliffy's a douche
we all know this... bioshock and cod4 are not in the same league...maybe in HIS opinion....but what about Gears of War??? or Gears of War 2?? Give me a break! It's a circle jerk...come on fanboys...."jump in"; Kevin Peraira Denis Dyak and Cliffy are already there.
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Adropacrich2 - 474 days 16 hours ago
1.6 -
Bioshock bored me sh!tless after the first incredible opening hour or so

After playing Too Human to the end i had an urge to do it all again so i guess there is definitely something about this game for those that enjoyed it

It's a bit rough for sure in places but that combat is very satisfying to the point that i actually think it's more fun than Gaiden2 - but only if you click with it
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The Lazy One - 474 days 15 hours ago
1.7 - @Idonthatejustcreate
the first paragraph of his review is as follows

"This game has flaws, but I feel they are far out weighed by its innovation and attention to detail. I sat down to play this game four days after it came out. I had bought it the day I was leaving town. The morning after I got back, I fired it up. I put 16 hours into it in one day. I couldn't stop playing. I haven't done that in quite some time. Call of Duty 4 or Bioshock couldn't hold my interest for that long. This game is not all about loot. It is a major factor and done well, but this game is not a one trick pony."

I strongly suggest reading it, because you can definitely tell he actually played the game a good amount.
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XboxOZ360 - 474 days 6 hours ago
1.8 -
The guy's a gamer first and foremost and says it how it is, he always has, and it has gotten him into hot water plenty of times, not only from MS, but internally as well.

I'd trust his word on something, rather than some hic off the net who's probably given the game about an hours try and thrown it away.

One thing developers get crucified for these days is trying something new or "different" Yet, at the same time, gamers are demanding, not requesting, but demanding "innovation" and new ways to play games and different content.

So when developers give it to them, they complain-n-moan that it's too hard, or different, and why the heck did you break something that was already working.

It's called advancement, and all new things take time to master. But in today's world of instant gratification, especially with the last two generations of gamers, patience and time just are not in their vocabulary - at all.

So he's right when he said they need to learn a new, deeper way of playing a game . . trouble is, those two generations of gamers want everything, but don't want to have to work for it either. Bad luck kiddies, you have to work for it, like it - or not.

Bleszinski has much more going for him game design and experience wise than 90% of the people on this forum/site. So suck it up, and try listening for a change.

@ The Lazy One :

Agreed, but unfortunately mate, that would require people actually reading something. You should know by now that many simply read a heading, the first line of text, and know everything there is to know about the article and the person without the need to read further . . good-god, you should know that by now . . (sarc btw ppl)

To others, so in other words - he's a gamer, designs games, has a life, but - does not have the right to comment on other games . . . get a life, of course he does, and in many cases, has a better understanding of what has gone into a game than many of us in here.

@ Silver360 :

No mate, it just means either they can't read past one line, or they hate anything to do with Gears, Microsoft, the Xbox 360 or simply want to be objectionable for no real apparent reason, other than being 100% childish. As having 11 disagree simply for stating the obvious rings of fanboyism big time.
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Idonthatejustcreate - 474 days ago
1.9 - /xbox defenceforce activate!
@The Lazy One and XboxOZ360 are you kidding me? Really?

If KZ2 came out and sucked big time and the CEO of Sony entertainment came out and said, "It's still a great game I liked it equally as much as Farcry 2 and LPB. It's much better than what everyone thinks. It's not a one trick pony!" How much do you think that is protecting your own product instead of telling the whole truth and nothing but the truth?

Cliffy knows that Too human has been build't on the Unreal3 engine so he can't say jack about the graphics or that it would be better with an different engine. Denis is the only one that have said that, and we all know that he blames everyone and everything else except for himself when the sh*t hit's the fan. It was big of Cliffy not to put Denis to shame and say that he can't design games when he said that thier "never using the unreal engine again". But honestly Cliffy B gets paid to say stuff like this and you must be equally bright as a sheep to think otherwise. Don't believe in everything you read guys.
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Nevers - 473 days 20 hours ago
1.10 - If you don't like the game
I really don't care !!!

(( o)^(o ))

but I'm having a infinitely difficult time puttin' the damn game down.

And that lil' a$$ Cliffy-B. was right... this time.
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Mr_Kuwabara - 474 days 19 hours ago
2 -
Wow Cliff, soon you'll be bending over when you talk about stuff.
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Raoh - 474 days 18 hours ago
3 -
LMFAO

again i ask when did game developers become puff daddy and suge knight

they belong in the studio, developing... not not doing a two step for the cameras
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whateveryousay - 474 days 18 hours ago
4 - Game is Sub- par
End of story.

Now can we please stop with these stories on the game already

@ person below

Did I SAY, I was law?. All I did was humbly ASK. If I was "law" I'd DEMAND.

Pay attention to what you read before you respond next time child
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GiantEnemyCrab - 474 days 18 hours ago
4.1 -
Yes, because whatever you think is the law right? Are you new to the world or something? Don't click on the articles if you aren't interested/don't want to see them.
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The gaming GOD - 474 days 18 hours ago
4.2 - Crab
"Don't click on the articles if you aren't interested/don't want to see them"

Remember that the next time you try to say news is lame
4.3 El_Colombiano | 474 days 18 hours ago - deleted by mod -
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GiantEnemyCrab - 474 days 17 hours ago
4.4 -
"Game is Sub- par
End of story. "

Sounds to me like you are declaring law there fetus.

"All I did was humbly ASK" Use a question mark then.
4.5 whateveryousay | 474 days 17 hours ago - deleted by mod -
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GiantEnemyCrab - 474 days 18 hours ago
5 -
Agreed with Cliffy that the game got shafted in the reviews. It is not a perfect game by any means but what is there is fun, the combat is fresh and the leveling system/loot makes it addicting. I wouldn't say I enjoyed it more than Bioshock or CoD4 but who is to say that Cliffy didn't?

Too many morons accusing him of being paid off by MS or just because Epic has an exclusive game on the 360 he is influenced. Maybe he just liked the game that much? I love that the people who are bashing his opinion probably never even played the game.
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kevanio09 - 474 days 18 hours ago
5.1 - Yeah he was totally paid by MS....
...However lets think for a minute. Don't silicon knights have a lawsuit against epic. So that makes me think that he's either sucking up or *gasp* being sincere.
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El_Colombiano - 474 days 18 hours ago
5.2 -
Dude you'd agree with Cliffy B if he declared himself God.
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Massive-Delusion - 474 days 18 hours ago
6 -
There is NO WAY Too Human is as good as Bioshock. Bioshock had everything: an engrossing story, innovative game-play, interesting characters and narrative and not to mention looking absolutely fantastic.
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elitewh0re - 474 days 18 hours ago
6.1 -
its funny what the word opinion means...
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Fox01 - 474 days 18 hours ago
6.2 - "There is NO WAY Too Human is as good as Bioshock...."
... yeah, and there's no was Pikmin's as good as MGS IV, or that Pokemon's as good as Gears...
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Fruit Loops - 474 days 18 hours ago
7 -
Well people have their own opinions so i respect that
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falviousuk - 474 days 18 hours ago
8 -
agree with cliffy. This is the first game that i have played for quite a while. Over 2 days i put in over 16 hours. I havent done that for any other game in years. Usually a few hours at a time is enough for me.
The game isnt perfect but it is a good game.
I also liked the story and cant wait to see the second installment after seeing what happened at the end of the first one.
However i disagree about it being better than bioshock and cod4. they are all good games in their own way.

lets just play the games and have fun
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Abash - 474 days 18 hours ago
9 - OMG, now that CliffyB said it was good
The game is freaking amazing, my God has spoken, and he has shown me that light. Thank you Cliffy Boob!!!

Seriously, the game is just as mediocre as when I rented it, and saying that it's more engrossing than CoD4 and BioShock is an insult to those fantastic developers. Stop kissing Microsoft-ass and get back to Gears 2 Cliffy
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TOO PAWNED - 474 days 18 hours ago
10 -
I guess gamesblow was right when he said that this guy will eventually work for MS, i see it begins here.
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cmrbe - 474 days 18 hours ago
11 - Better than Bioshock and COD4
which both won various game of the year awards?. Cliffy must be high when he said this.
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Silver360 - 474 days 18 hours ago
11.1 - read the article
he never said better. He just said he found Too Humans story line more engrossing. You people really don't read the whole article before commenting do you?
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Bathyj - 474 days 15 hours ago
11.2 -
Bleszinski says he found the game more engrossing than either BioShock or Call of Duty 4, pouring 16 straight hours into it on his first sit down and readying for a second playthrough after a 42-hour quest. While admitting that the story "isn't God's gift to writing," Bleszinski still insists it compares favorably to a lot of other video games.

Maybe you should practice what you preach Silver 360. He says NOTHING about an engrossing story. He admitts the story isn't that great. And that coming from a guy whose game had NO story other than "You were in jail, now you're not. Kill Aliens cos they'll kill you."
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Silver360 - 474 days 12 hours ago
11.3 - his words story in the top ten percent of video game stories
This game has flaws, but I feel they are far out weighed by its innovation and attention to detail. I sat down to play this game four days after it came out. I had bought it the day I was leaving town. The morning after I got back, I fired it up. I put 16 hours into it in one day. I couldn't stop playing. I haven't done that in quite some time. Call of Duty 4 or Bioshock couldn't hold my interest for that long. This game is not all about loot. It is a major factor and done well, but this game is not a one trick pony.

That being said, Too Human isn't God's gift to writing, but along side other videogames it is in the top ten percent. I've been playing games since the Comodore and I feel I have the wherewithal to make that claim. The characters, if somewhat cliche and archetypical, are varied and interesting. The physiological details in the characters are fascinating. As is common in fantasy fiction, the protagonist Baldur is the most uninteresting character of the bunch. The all American, all common, heart throb type. The Quarterback of the football team. But other than Baldur, I found myself mesmerized with Thor, the strong back, weak minded war-monger that is so cybernetically "juiced" that his eyes appear yellow as if stricken with jaundice; Loki, the Lucifer of Norse Mythology and the first to be "gifted" with the cybernetic enhancements of O.D.I.N that falls from grace and rebels against his brethren; Idunn, who is obsessed with her own intelligence and the superiority of cybernetics; and Heimdall, who acts so similarly to a company vice president I have had it is uncanny, not the brightest but wields the power and expects things to be done the wrong way by spite. There are more, but like I said, I've only played about 16 hours and will be updating this review.

you glossed over that part yourself in your criticism of my post
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kingme71 - 474 days 18 hours ago
12 -
I guess they aren't in crunch mode over at Epic for the release of GeoW2 if he has a cool 16-42 hours to kill. Either that or Cliffy B. isn't as important as he might imagine he is.
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joevfx - 474 days 18 hours ago
13 - bleszinski is a bit of a name dropper isnt he?
he jsut happens to pick best games to say that too human is more engrossing then them. Anyway. He did make an nice Wii jab though lol.
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Death - 474 days 18 hours ago
14 - Cliff is not wrong.
First off, the views he gives are his own personal opinion. You can't tell someone their opinion is wrong. The point he is making though is something worth repeating. The so-called reviews given by various fan sites and blogs are hurting the game industry. Games that would have been more favorably reviewed without the pressure from the many wannabe journalists are being passed over due to the crap posted on the net. An easy 9 out of 10 people that hate on this game alone have never even played it, yet they claim to know better than everyone else.

The system is broke and we are to blame.

-Death
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cmrbe - 474 days 16 hours ago
14.1 - Yeah
kinda like HS and Uncharted eh?.
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Death - 474 days 15 hours ago
14.2 -
More like Heavenly Sword, Uncharted, Lair and a number of other games that didn't deserve the bashing they received from "gamers". The system has changed and it is flawed. When people avoid a game because of something they heard from people who never played it, there is a problem. Word of mouth is important for any form of entertainment. When uninformed people spread biased and unfair ratings on any game, the developer and even gamers who avoided a game they would have enjoyed suffer.

-Death
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dimeford - 474 days 18 hours ago
15 -
If he was saying "hey, it's a decent game, lay off", I'd buy that. But better than COD4 or BioShock? I'm not sure Dennis Dyack would even make that claim.
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MazzingerZ - 474 days 18 hours ago
16 -
If people only stopped using that PIC Cliffy would get less hate
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fadeawayjae - 474 days 18 hours ago
17 - he hating on bioshock and cod4
cuz they are shooters and fps
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dro - 474 days 18 hours ago
18 - did he just say
he found the game more engrossing than either BioShock or Call of Duty 4...im sorry but il rather have cod4 than too human... (-_-)
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ultimate920 - 474 days 18 hours ago
19 - F&%k you Cliffy B.
Nobody cares about you
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jmare - 474 days 18 hours ago
20 -
Wow, he went really in depth with that review and it seems like it all comes down to the same thing: The game IS good you just have to get it to like it. And if you don't you just don't get it. I do wonder though; if CliffyB and Denis Dyack are both douchebags and they teamed up to start a studio, would they call it SuperDouche Studios?

Edit: "As far as those who claim this game to be strictly for loot lovers and stat-stackers, I strongly disagree. The action elements in this game are richer than any hack-and-slasher I have ever played, you just have to learn how to exploit your options instead of treating it like every other hack-and-slasher or shooter you have played. This game is both, and the controls have been implemented admirably. Once you learn the controls and buff your character appropriately, the enemies off screen will not matter. A god knows where all the enemies are before he hits the fray and need only attack in its general direction and the camera will adjust accordingly. I am beginning to really like the camera because it is smarter than I am, or at least as far as the game is concerned. So in conclusion, I can't find any real complaints about my experience with Too Human 42 hours in, but I am looking at it with an open consideration of all that it has accomplished. I strongly recommend Too Human to anyone who has ever liked action, shooter, or Role Playing games, but warn them that it will require some attention to learn."

I think this quote kind of sums it up.
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titntin - 474 days 2 hours ago
20.1 -
You'd have to strongly suggest he's never played any other hack n slasher then.
Attention to learn? Theres a few combo's and a couple of extra customisable powers. The few options there are, would have been enough if there was any way of blocking. But there isn't, so the combat in this game is an endless serious of you trying to deliver as much damage as possible with no other options except a roll evade which is pretty useless as the opposition have you surrounded again before you can come out of the roll. Combo for all your worth hoping for a health orb until you die sums up the play - a block would have done wanders for combat startagey. Anyone arguing it has the combat finesse of NG2 is living in a dream world.

Don't get me wrong - I've a level 32 character going through the game for the second time and I DO appreciate what the game does offer, but trying to compare it to COD4 or Bioshock is folly, and makes me seriously doubt his ability to judge. I just hope Gears 2 is being shaped and formed more by the rest of the dev team than Cliffy...
21 dirtrider | 474 days 17 hours ago - User only got 1 bubble - Show
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LossTheEarthbreaker - 474 days 17 hours ago
22 -
The controls and advanced mechanics take practice and getting used to, but work well. The game is enjoyable. It's just not amazing.
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titntin - 474 days 1 hour ago
22.1 -
Care to explain the 'advanced mechanics' then?

I haven't spotted any advanced controls and I'm seriously wandering what you guys are refering to? Certianly theres very little to compare with the advanced combat in NG2 for instance, which is considerably more varied and skillful than this game?
23 dirtrider | 474 days 17 hours ago - deleted by mod -
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cheapndirty - 474 days 17 hours ago
24 - Read the manual?
Did anyone else read the manual or did you just "figure it out". I think I will get the game now. His review was very detailed and I happened to like the demo. I am skeptical about Cliffy getting a paycheck from Microsoft to write this review. Afterall, Unreal 3 came out on PS3 first so it seems EPIC plays both sides of the fence.

I heard Mass Effect was some awesome game, but am still not inclined to get it. Gosh, there are people out there that dislike the mighty Halo franchise. No game can be all things to all gamers.
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