WeView Verdict: Evolve

I’m somewhat surprised by the lack of support for Evolve. The build up to this game made it seem like it was going to be a reasonably big game, yet not only does no one really seem to like it, no one even really seems to have spent much time with it.

Amongst those who completely disregarded the game was JustTaylorNow, who said their time with the beta was “enough to persuade me not to buy the full game”. While the game’s core “idea on paper sounded brilliant”, the beta turned out to be “all over the place and not clear”. They also attacked the game’s graphics, and left things by saying shouldn’t “even get [Evolve] for free”. Ouch.

Severn2j also wasn’t all that impressed, although their view was based more on general perception than any time with the game. While they’re not a fan of games that rely heavily on online multiplayer, it was in fact the game’s heavy use of launch DLC that put them off. They complained that they were left feeling they weren’t “getting the full game, unless I paid for the super-monster-apocalypse version (or whatever it was called) that cost something like £70”, and the way the game’s content was “so obviously chopped up and sold back in pieces that it put me right off buying it at all”. I think that’s a very fair criticism really.

There were, fortunately, a couple of you who actually played the game. Lieutenant Fatman was one, although they were no more positive about the game. While they did feel that “chasing a monster down and calling out to each other where it is” was “quite fun” when playing with friends, they were concerned that games played with strangers would fall apart. Fatman pointed out that if “people don’t work together properly you are pretty much doomed to fail”, which has the potential to be a real issue when playing with people you don’t know.

Fatman also took a similar stance to Severn2j on the game’s DLC plan, although both Lokidoki and DirtyHabit pointed out that the game’s DLC isn’t quite as bad as it seems on first look. Although Evolve does have a lot of DLC, DirtyHabit pointed out that “it was all skins” with “no bearing on the gameplay at all”.

Lokidoki confirmed this, saying that “No monsters, no hunters, no weapons, no abilities were cut out or locked in the disc”, and that some of the day one skins are given out for completing various challenges. However, Lokidoki did point out the the “DLC prices are ludicrous”, particularly given what you’re getting.

DirtyHabit had a few points beyond their DLC talk, and they were actually somewhat positive about the game, saying they “hammered it for about a month”. However, even this positive view quickly switched to negativity, complaining that other players “seemed to have no concept of what support or medic classes do other than run around watching other people die”.

Probably the most positive view came from Starman, who praised the way that “Taking down the monster and winning” feels like a significant achievement. They also enjoyed the way that the hunters and their abilities “do have a genuinely different role to play”, which helps to keep the game feeling fresh.

Overall things weren’t great for Evolve, even with only a few voting. There was a single vote for Sale It, while the remaining two went to Avoid It. It seems like Evolve really did come up way short of expectations.

We’ll be taking a look at The Order: 1886 in tomorrow’s WeView, and as always you can vote for next week’s WeView below.