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One of the many games I was able to get considerable hands-on time with at the Electronic Entertainment Expo is the upcoming online co-op first-person shooter Evolve. The shooter, developed by Turtle Rock Studios, puts players in a group of bounty hunters against a formidable monster in a fairly sizable battle arena or multi-player map. But the catch? Gamers can also play as the monster in one, long extended boss battle.
There are five playable classes of characters in this game. Among the bounty hunters are the classes of trapper, support, medic and assault. The fifth class is the actual monster. The bounty hunters are there to trap and destroy the monster. The monster must consume wildlife in order to evolve to Class Three and take out the bounty hunters. The characters have their own special weapons, gadgets and abilities, and each has a unique playing style.
For the hands-on demo during my play through, I played as the female trapper character in my team against “The Kraken” monster. The trapper does not have the heaviest weapons, but her role in the fight is crucial. The trapper is armed with a trap device that can lay down spikes that will catch the monster and keep it in place for a brief period of time. The trapper also has a weapon that launches an energy field around the monster, which keeps it boxed in. A trapjaw alien creature, Daisy, is a companion alien beast who belongs to the trapper. Daisy has the ability to track down the monster’s scent or blood trail after it’s been wounded, so you will generally want to follow Daisy to seek out the monster. The gameplay really focuses on teamwork and alignment for this game. It is important to communicate with your team and stay on the same page. If you go off on your own and get killed by the monster or other alien beasts roaming around the map, you are dead meat. Supporting your wounded comrades with a health boost is also very important.
The bolt trap weapon for the trapper is actually quite cool. While the monster did evolve to his strongest stage, my team and I were able to corner him and box him into the energy field. So, it was man vs. monster for the final stand. The first-person shooter mechanics worked quite well. The controls were strong and responsive, and the gameplay was a lot of fun. The monster design of The Kraken looked incredibly awesome. The Kraken specifically is quite reminiscent of Cthulhu or a creature out of an H.P. Lovecraft novel.
The level designs for the maps are quite impressive. The maps are teaming with alien wildlife, some of whom are actually quite dangerous and will need to be dispatched. There were creatures in the map that resembled velociraptors, and you do not want them to get too close. The play style of the co-op battles are fun because they make you feel like you are a part of a ragtag group of big game monster hunters.
Evolve is due out on October 21, 2014.
cool read we will feature on SoVideoGaming.