It's been a long, long time coming, but Silicon Knights' almost decade-in-development hack-and-slasher Too Human is finally almost upon us, with the Aussie release date slated for August 28. We've just received final code for the game here at GS AU, and before GameSpot's full review pops up next week, we thought we'd give you a quick guide on the five character classes available to you in this Norse-inspired game.

　　This is Baldur. He's a god. Seriously.

　　Firstly, a recap--Too Human puts you in the heavy leather boots of Baldur, a cybernetically enhanced Norse god whose duty is to protect humanity from an encroachment of vicious machines. The game is part frenetic melee brawler/part RPG--it's a brawler in that you'll constantly be faced with plenty of enemies, with the 360's trigger buttons used to fire weapons and the right analog stick used to initiate melee attacks; and its an RPG in that you'll have to guide your character's progress and skills as he levels up, not to mention the fact that the game boasts a weapon and armour drop rate reminiscent of Diablo.

　　The first decision you'll need to make after starting up the game is what class you want your particular version of Baldur to be. As in any RPG, each class has its own set of strengths, weaknesses, and proficiencies, with Too Human boasting five to choose from. The stock-standard jack-of-all-trades is the Champion, who has an initial three points allocated to his hit points, melee, ballistic, and armour ratings (with each rating having a maximum of five points each). The Champion class also starts with Air Combat and Critical Strikes proficiencies, making it a balanced but somewhat plain choice for your Too Human adventures.

　　Next up is the tank variant, the Defender class. As you'll imply from the name, Defenders start out with the highest hit points and armour ratings, but it kinda sucks when it comes to melee and ballistic skills. Starting proficiencies include Defensive Toughness (naturally) and Hammer and Shield. Commando is a good choice for people who prefer solving problems with guns rather than swords thanks to this class' focus on mines, demolitions, and rifles. The ballistics rating for Commandos start out with the maximum five points, while hit points, melee, and armour ratings are all rather poor.

　　The final two classes are Too Human's most interesting. The Bio Engineer is apparently a master of cybernetics--a feat which translates on the field as the ability to regenerate lost health. Better still, this ability is also transferred to any squad members who happen to be fighting alongside a Bio Engineer Baldur. The regeneration speed isn't significant, although you can improve it as your character progresses in levels. The Bio Engineer also starts out with maximum hit points rating, although everything else is below average.

　　The final class--and by far our favourite--is the Berserker. Berserkers are close-combat specialists, and starts out with the ability to dual-wield melee weapons such as swords. Melee rating for this class is maxed out at five points, but he's poor when it comes to ballistics, hit points, and armour. Commandos are great fun to play, as they're the one who'll be able to dish out the flashiest punishment to your enemies in early levels.

　　Juggling attacks in mid-air is easy, particularly with the Berserker class.

　　When it comes to gameplay, there's initially very little to distinguish the different classes, but that quickly changes as you progress through the game and enemies become tougher. The Commando's ability to wear down enemies from a distance using rifles--in particular--will become quite useful, as does the Bio Engineer's constant (if somewhat slow) regeneration abilities. We'll deliver our final thoughts of Too Human soon, so stay tuned to GameSpot for more updates.