Here There Be Monsters: Evolve

Written by: Adam "ManKorn" Korenman, CC2K Video Games Editor

Evolve has been on our radar for over a year, and now that it has finally landed, it asks some very big questions: Namely, can the multiplayer market take on a new style of gameplay?

The answer, we feel, is a resounding yes. 

Unlike the oversaturated kill-die-respawn market of online games, Evolve takes a new direction for online shooters. Yes, the weapons feel (for the most part) familiar, and some of the dialogue is downright nachos (cheesy, but good), but this game is FUN. 

Hunting down building-sized monstrosities is nerve-wracking, and always feels like a race against the clock. Each of the different team members brings vital skills to the table, and successful hunts rely on EVERYONE pulling their weight. I’ve only played for a few days, but all of my wins were based on teamwork and coordination. Every time the match went the other way, and I watched my fellow hunters get torn apart, it was because we fought without a plan.

Make no mistake, Evolve is not your standard team-based shooter. In TF2, you can get by with a single good player in a room full of newbies. In Evolve, that kind of every-man-for-himself mentality leads to swift deaths. 

And I’ve only just started to unlock the new characters. Each of the four classes (Assault, Tracker, Medic, Support) has three playable characters, with the others unlocking after you’ve taken the first team for a few spins. To say that each character plays different would be a shameful disservice. Each group of hunters feels like a different game, and you need to adapt your strategies if you want to survive. It is one of the best examples of balancing I’ve seen in a modern shooter.