(11 votes, average: 3.55 / 5)
Loading...Evolve Stage 2
Evolve Stage 2 is a free-to-play sci-fi themed 3D asymmetric PvP shooter. The game features 4v1 gameplay where one player assumes the role of a rampaging monster while the other four hunt him down.
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Publisher: 2K Games Playerbase: Shut Down Type: Sci-Fi Shooter Release Date: July 7, 2016 Pros: +Unique asymmetric gameplay. +Great graphics. +Fast-paced team-focused gameplay. +Entertaining voice-overs. Cons: -Characters unlocked through grinding. -Only one game mode. -Poor compensation for players who bought Evolve. |
Evolve Stage 2 Overview
Choose to be the hunter or be the hunted in Evolve Stage 2, a 3D asymmetric PvP shooter from the makers of the Left 4 Dead series. Choose your role as one of four hunters: Assault, Trapper, Medic, or Support, and work together with your team to hunt down and kill the ultimate prey: a huge rampaging monster which just happens to be controlled by another player. Play as the monster and use your speed and strength to survive, evolve, get stronger, and ultimately kill the humans or shut down their generators to win the match. Run, jump, rocket, and barrel through a variety of maps and biomes inhabited by hostile flora and fauna that will be out to get you regardless of whether you’re a hunter or a monster. Earn keys from playing matches which you can use to customize your characters, both monsters and hunters, according to your preference and playing style.
Evolve Stage 2 Key Features:
- 4vs1 Asymmetric PvP – play with other players to hunt down the monster, or play as the monster and turn the table on the hunters.
- Team-focused Gameplay – as a hunter, choose from four roles and work together with your team to bring down your prey.
- Play As A Monster – prove that you’re the dominant species by using an array of devastating skills and abilities to kill the humans before they kill you.
- Treacherous Environments – play in a variety of maps where everything is out to get you regardless of whether you’re playing as a hunter or as the monster.
- Perks and Customization – earn keys and level up to unlock perks, upgrades, and skins for both hunter and monster classes.
Evolve Stage 2 Screenshots
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Evolve Stage 2 Featured Video
Evolve Stage 2 Review
By, Marc Marasigan
A quick note to readers: I never played Evolve when it was buy-to-play and am writing this review based solely on its current iteration. I will, however, acknowledge the fact that players who previously bought the game seem to be on the losing side of the bargain when the developers decided to shift to a free-to-play model. Countless hours of gameplay spent leveling up characters and earning rare elite skins only to lose all progress and the rare skins banished to oblivion when the game was re-released. Unlocked characters, skins, and 3000 keys which can easily be earned in about an hour or two of playing, just doesn’t seem to be just compensation for all that wasted time and effort. Hopefully, the devs see the error of their ways. Now, on to the review.
Evolve Stage 2 is a free-to-play sci-fi themed 4v1 shooter set in the planet Shear sometime in the far future when humans have begun to colonize planets outside of our solar system. Efforts to colonize the planet are proving difficult due to attacks on established colonies by monstrous lifeforms. Players can either choose to play as a member of a four-man team of Hunters tasked with eliminating the threats to the colonies on planet Shear, or they can take on the role of Monster with the goal of eliminating the hunters or destroying the humans’ source of power on the planet.
Checking Out The Scenery
Graphics-wise, Evolve Stage 2 looks great with detailed environment textures, well-made character models, awesome lighting, and flashy effects. The overall theme of the game reminds me of Mass Effect with its high-powered weapons and alien landscapes. The background music and sound effects work well in immersing players into its action-packed gameplay. I especially love the constant banter between the Hunters. Not only does the voice-acting give players a bit of insight into their character’s lives but it also subtly reinforces the notion that chasing down a rampaging behemoth is just another normal day at work ,and had me cracking up a number of times.
Training Day
Even if you’ve played Evolve before, it’s probably a good idea to go through the training missions and earn some easy Silver Keys, the in-game currency, in the process. They can easily be accessed through the game’s main menu and offers training missions for both Hunters and Monsters. Players assume control of Markov, an assault class Hunter for Hunter training, and Goliath a dinosaur-like brute for the Monster training. Both missions go over the basics of gameplay and take less than five minutes to complete for FPS veterans. Newbies might take longer to finish but shouldn’t have any trouble since both tutorials are intuitive and the instructions are easy to follow. Players can also play a practice match against AI and earn Silver Keys, although at a reduced rate than live matches.
We’re Not Colonists… We’re the HUNTERS!
Evolve Stage 2 only has one game mode: Hunt. Two, if you count playing as a Hunter as one, and playing as the Monster as another. Three, if you count Ranked matches as a separate game mode. Now, I said earlier that I wouldn’t be making any comparisons, but the previous version had five different game modes so I’m hoping that more will be added in the future. As Hunters in Hunt Mode, players are tasked with, as you can probably guess, hunting down the Monster and preventing him/her from destroying the Power Relay, which they can only do when they reach Stage 3 of their evolution, or from killing or incapacitating every last member of the Hunter team.
Hunters play in first person view and can choose from one of four classes: Assault, Trapper, Medic, and Support, each having specific roles in combat. Assaults dish out massive amounts of damage, Trappers locate and slow down the monster, Medics help keep the team alive, and Supports provide additional damage while also having Trapper and Medic-like abilities. Players can also choose different characters from each class, provided that they’ve unlocked them. Each character in a class has a slightly different skillset and playstyle but play similar roles. Caira, for example, is equipped with a healing grenade launcher, while Val, another medic, is equipped with a medgun. Being at a speed and strength disadvantage against any Monster one on one, players must rely on teamwork to bring down their prey.
Eat, Grow, KILL!
When playing as Monsters, players have a number of monstrous alien species to choose from, from the dino-like bruiser Goliath, to the stealthy ghost-like Wraith. Monsters play in third-person view which gives them better situational awareness and are also generally faster and stronger than the Hunters. This doesn’t mean, however, that players can just pounce on the Hunters as soon as the match starts. They are after all the hunters, and you they’re prey. While monsters do have a strength and speed advantage they are relatively weak at the start of the match and must eat indigenous wildlife in order to evolve and grow stronger. Eating also replenishes health and armor lost during combat.
Generally, the goal is to avoid confrontation until you reach Stage 3 of evolution at which point you’ll be practically unstoppable and can either opt to eliminate your pursuers or destroy the Power Relay. In the event that players get forced into combat as Monsters, usually by being “Domed” or trapped in a mobile arena, going in for the kill is usually better than avoiding damage since incapacitating a Hunter or receiving significant damage will reduce the time that the dome is deployed.
The “Keys” to Victory
Players earn Silver Keys whenever they join matches, regardless of whether they win or not. Additional keys can be earned by completing daily and hidden challenges such as reviving fallen teammates as Hunters, or killing a certain number of Hunters for Monsters. Silver Keys can be used to unlock and level up Perks, permanently unlock new characters, purchase cosmetic skins, and other goodies. Unfortunately for cash players, there is no premium currency or item shop and there has been no news as to whether the devs plan to implement one in the future.
Speaking of Perks, I’m not a big fan of Perks systems in any MMO game since it usually throws off the game’s balance. Evolve Stage 2’s matchmaking system, however, makes it so that players are matched according to their Perks and levels, unlike some asymmetric PvP games I know, *cough cough* Dead by Daylight. New players don’t have to worry about going up against a maxed-out character and getting owned every time. Going up against a newly returned veteran with mad skills, however, is an entirely different matter.
Final Verdict – Great
Evolve’s transition into the free-to-play market as Evolve Stage 2 has so far succeeded in reviving a game headed for its grave. The game is fun, action-packed, and entertaining. There’s something about playing a cat and mouse game where the mouse can suddenly bite back and tear the cats into itty-bitty pieces that I just love. The great graphics and highly-entertaining voice-acting serves as the icing on an already delicious cake. Overall, an excellent and highly recommended game. I’m just hoping that the devs don’t mess up their second chance at life.
Evolve Stage 2 Screenshots
Evolve Stage 2 Videos
Evolve Stage 2 Links
Evolve Stage 2 Official Site
Evolve Stage 2 Steam
Evolve Stage 2 Developer Site
Evolve Wikia
Evolve Stage 2 System Requirements
Minimum Requirements:
OS: Windows 7 64-bit
Processor: Core 2 Duo E6600 / Athlon 64 X2 6400
Memory: 4 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 / ATI Radeon HD 5770
DirectX: Version 11
Hard Drive: 50 GB of free space
Sound Card: DirectX Compliant Sound card
Recommended Requirements:
OS: Windows 7 64-bit
Processor: Core i7-920 / A8-3870K
Memory: 6 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670 / ATI Radeon R9 280
DirectX: Version 11
Hard Drive: 50 GB of free space
Sound Card: DirectX Compliant Sound card
Evolve Stage 2 Music & Soundtrack
Coming soon...
Evolve Stage 2 Additional Information
Developer: Turtle Rock Studios
Publisher: 2K Games
Distributor: Take-Two Interactive
Game Engine: CryEngine
B2P Release: February 11, 2015
F2P Open Beta Release: July 7, 2016
Shut Down: September 2018
Development History / Background:
Evolve Stage 2 is a free-to-play 3D asymmetric shooter developed by Turtle Rock Studios and published by 2K games. Turtle Rock Studios is known for the Left 4 Dead series of games. Evolve Stage 2 was initially released as a buy-to-play game on February 11, 2015 under the title Evolve. The game later transitioned to a free-to-play model due to its dwindling playerbase. Evolve was re-released on July 7, 2016 as Evolve Stage 2 and has received mixed reviews on Steam because of the move. On October 26, 2016 publisher 2k announced that Turtle Rock Studios ended development of Evolve Stage 2. No future updates are planned, but the servers will remain online. The game was shut down as of September 2018.