Evolve Reviews
For all its promise of revolution, Evolve seems to consistently trip where its spiritual predecessor – Left 4 Dead – seemed to excel. The balancing is actually too good, causing it to fall apart when someone doesn't play correctly. The monster gameplay is pleasantly the best aspect, but feels undercooked anywhere else but Hunt mode. This is surely a game that'll only improve as its community stabilises, but right now it's hard to recommend unless you've got a group of willing friends.
Evolve is currently the best multiplayer experience I've had in a VERY long time.
If it bleeds you can kill it
Endless jogs through and hiding in forests and combat that wasn't satisfying for all its vagaries made Evolve palatable for me only in small doses. It was nothing I wanted to play for extended sessions.
In short: not quite the evolution in multiplayer gaming we hoped for. Get friends together or good all-round players and Evolve can be a blast, but anything less than that and you'll be bored in far too short a time.
Evolve captures the imagination of our childhood and brings it to life. It does so with a complete sense of being there, as much as can be had in a game. It's great, but perhaps a bit too expensive.
Evolve is a brilliant concept that, when matched with the right players, can be a lot of fun to partake in. The many unlocks and well-balanced characters build upon that at every step. That being said, simply finding random people that know how to properly strategize is hit or miss, at best. But when you do find the players, or pair up with friends, Evolve can produce some unforgettable excitement that is unlike any other multiplayer experience out there.
Under the right conditions, Evolve emerges from its chaotic approach as something sublime. But there are too many moments where I feel like a skinny 17-year-old kid hopelessly trying to guard LeBron.
Do yourself a favor and pick-up Evolve at some point; you won't regret it.
Evolve can be good fun. But between those moments of entertainment, the experience is often interrupted by unbalanced mechanics and matches that are over before they begin.
As it stands, it's a game that could really benefit from some additional content if it's to evolve into the next must-have multiplayer shooter.
If you're prepared to embrace its intimate teamwork requirements then Evolve supplies a rewarding multiplayer experience.
With the ability to play as a monster against a human team, Evolve offers something unique – and surely one of gaming's best-ever tribute acts. When you're fleeing from the hunters and get trapped in their containment field, swatting desperately while looking for an out, you think back to those Power Pills and how far we've come.
Evolve accomplished what it set out to do, and I am having a blast learning all the concepts it delivers. As long as I have friends to play with, it will continue to be in my rotation of games to play. My only concern is fatigue setting in with some players, and the base dwindling. This will kill the game, as playing solo is simply not the route to go.
Evolve can flourish when you have a team of dedicated friends ready to play, but those rare moments of brilliance spent fighting against the monster are simply outnumbered by the moments you spend fighting the actual game.
A solid multiplayer experience that's fun to play over and over again until you've mastered it.
Evolve is somewhat difficult to recommend outside of a fairly limited context. The core gameplay is great, but everything surrounding it is problematic. As Bob says in his second opinion, hunting a monster with a group of friends really is sublime. But its attempts to add value outside of that core mostly fall flat, and its lasting appeal is hurt by the inherently problematic nature of random co-op and the rather shallow pool of available monsters (unless you're willing to shell out the extra money for a Behemoth). It may have been beyond Turtle Rock's resources, but Evolve really could have used a single-player campaign. Without it, it feels unfortunately limited—a single great idea buried under matchmaking queues, unbalanced A.I., and underwhelming tertiary modes. It may eventually be a lot more; but for now, Evolve's weaknesses outweigh its strengths.
Don't underestimate how clever and how careful Evolve is, and just how many deeply different elements it genuinely manages to balance. But sadly that's not backed up by a huge amount of personality.
When the pieces come together as they're meant to, Evolve is satisfying in a bone-deep kind of way.
If you're looking for a good story-driven game, this probably isn't for you.