Evolve Reviews
Evolve convolutes its simple idea with too many mechanics, dulling what should have been a great experience.
Evolve broke my heart.
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.
Though its long-term ability to survive has yet to be seen, in the short run that this first-person shooter has been out in the wild, it's already proven itself as a beast of a different color, and one that certainly will provide thrills and the joy of the hunt for anyone looking to stare right back at it.
It's not without quirks, but Turtle Rock's new alien-themed shooter makes for a refreshingly innovative entry in the lopsided shooter genus
As an overall game, it offers a basic shooter with a nice gimmick, and I do think you can gather some friends together to get an afternoon's worth of laughs out of it. I don't believe there's enough mileage to have those laughs regularly, though, and certainly not enough to where I'd recommend rushing out and getting it so soon after launch.
All the cool guns, graphics and Goliaths merely gussy up an age-old children's game.
In emphasizing level progression, skill growth, and unlockable characters, Turtle Rock smothers Evolve's premise.
We're still in the early days of Evolve. There are still free characters, weapons and abilities to unlock for most of us. While the lack of a real story mode may upset some, most people who purchase this game are doing so for the multiplayer, plain and simple. On that front, Evolve impresses when things go as planned. Get a group together, work as a cohesive unit, and have fun blasting those ugly aliens to hell and back. Or play as a Monster, alone but oh so badass. Evolve has a hint of greatness, but a lack of content at launch and a jarring amount of premium launch and planned DLC hold it back. What we have here is an evolution of the Left 4 Dead formula, not a revolution.
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.
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.
If you're prepared to embrace its intimate teamwork requirements then Evolve supplies a rewarding multiplayer experience.
In sporadic bursts, Evolve can be outstanding. But its design depends upon uniting players of idealistically equivalent skill levels, and it struggles to consistently do so. The game's gated progression system is superfluous and, at times, actively harmful to positive team-play.
Evolve offers an excellent mix of competitive and cooperative gameplay but it is buried behind a muddled progression system and lengthy matchmaking / loading times.
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.
If you have a solid group of five you can count on to play with at all times, Evolve might be worth a look. With some balancing, I could even see Evolve becoming quite popular among the hardcore e-sports types. For the rest of us who just want to jump in and have some fun, I'd recommend looking elsewhere.
With its balanced class-based, teamwork orientated gameplay, great graphics and slick mechanics that keep you playing into the wee hours of the night, Evolve itches that competitive urge and feels a lot more evolved that your standard, run-of-the-mill shooter.
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.
