2K plans have announced plans to largely end Evolve, the 4v1 monster-hunting first-person shooter from Left 4 Dead creators Turtle Rock Studios, though it will remain playable in a way. Evolve first launched in February 2015, then relaunched as the free-to-play Evolve Stage 2 in July 2016. 2K plan to shut down Evolve Stage 2 in September, though people who bought the original will be able to play 'Legacy Evolve' - without dedicated servers. This is one of those whimperends you'll hear poets going on about.
]]>Left 4 Dead and Evolve creators Turtle Rock Studios have announced a new co-op first-person shooter. Ish. A bit. They've announced they're making one. The mysterious game will be fantasy-ish and, y'know, you'll shoot enemies with your pals and oh, it'll be free-to-play. While Evolve switched to free-to-play a year after launching but this new game will be designed as F2P from the start, which should work out better for it - and us. We shouldn't expect this new game until 2018 at the earliest but I'm glad to know they're still doing their co-op thing.
]]>Yesterday was the very last day Turtle Rock will work on Evolve [official site]. The servers will still run but no future updates are planned. Despite a relaunch as free-to-play in July, it looks like it simply wasn't popular enough to justify the cost of them working more on the 4v1 monsterhunting FPS. It wasn't their call to make - that'd be publishers 2K - and so it goes.
]]>Evolve [official site] went free-to-play earlier this month, breathing new life into Turtle Rock Studios' 4 vs. 1 monster hunter. Riding that renewed wave of enthusiasm, Turtle Rock has added a new version of the hunter Griffin ripped straight from an '80s scifi flick—Electro Griffin.
]]>Phew, finally we get some new names in the Steam top 10 (previous weeks here'n'that), after the chokehold of the Steam Summer Sale is loosened. I did not expect that number 1, but I really did not expect that number 10.
]]>Evolve [official site], the first-person multiplayer action game of monsters vs hunters, is now free to play. Originally launched back in February of last year, the game, from Left 4 Dead creators Turtle Rock, is an asymmetrical shooter/stalker, in which players take on the role of either members of a four-person hunter squad or one of several monsters. The switch to free-to-play comes after what the Turtle Rock co-founders describe as "the DLC shitstorm" and a mixed reception. The free-to-play version launches later today and full details of the transition are below.
]]>Whether you want to be a monster or murder them this weekend, video games have you covered. Evolve [official site] and Killing Floor 2 [official site] are both holding free trial weekends on Steam right now, giving you until 9pm UK time on Sunday to play the full versions of the first-person shooters. As is customary, both of the games are on sale too, if you turn out to want them for ever and ever and ever until entropy tears Steam apart particle by particle and we all become nothing.
]]>Fresh out of the Evolve [official site] employment program for shooty dudes and aliens is Turtle Rock Studio's new Trapper class hunter, a term that in Evolve-speak refers to one of the four characters whose aim it is to slaughter the monster baddie. Meet Jack, a guy who refers to himself as The Jackal and likewise looks like he's just slipped out from Mad Max casting. It's some really neat character design.
]]>Like the great playable beasts found within the game, Evolve [official site] is transforming into its second form. A second season pass's worth of DLC has been revealed, consisting of four additional hunters and one horrifying-looking monster. The first of these hunters is Lennox, the first female member of the Assault class, who fights in a battle suit she built out of scrap.
]]>Rumblings in the towers of Take-Two have gotten me wondering about the status of the BioShock franchise. GameSpot are reporting the publisher's CEO and potential movie villain Strauss Zelnick calling the series "really important" to Take-Two at a recent conference. According to Zelnick, it's so far sold a whopping 25 million units, 11 million of which were BioShock Infinite.
Zelnick has previously referred to this as one of Take-Two's "permanent" franchises, alongside Grand Theft Auto, Red Dead Redemption, Civilization and Borderlands. But things have so far been quiet. No future full-releases have been publicly confirmed for the series - Zelnick notes he has no announcements to make of BioShock's whereabouts. Likewise, Irrational Games are but a memory. Ken Levine is working on something about blocks or something.
]]>Two free maps, to be precise.
The Broken Hill Mine and Broken Hill Foundry maps introduce two totally unique environments: Mining caves below the planet’s surface and a fully industrial setting that has you sprinting down factory corridors.
Maybe you're running around as one of Evolve's [official site] big beasties, smashing your friends and shouting RAWWWWWRRRR out of the window to let people know you mean business. Maybe you're having a great time and can't wait to stomp around in a mining cave or a factory. But on the off-chance that you're not already enjoying Evolve, two new maps probably won't tempt you to join the hunt, eh?
]]>Please note this is the last instalment of a multi-part Wot I Think (done that way as we didn’t have pre-release code) and may seem a little bamboozling out of that context. Previous instalments - one and two.
One week later isn’t anything like enough to be definitive about any online shooter. No matter how few parts it might have will inherently shift and – oh, I’m so sorry – evolve over time, so I’m not going to pretend this is anything like a definitive judgement. It does, however, mark the likely end of my own time with Evolve [official site], at least until the DLC monsters arrive.
]]>Editor's note - we only received review code for Evolve [official site] yesterday. Rather than now wait a week or so to run a review, I'm posting a very short series of my thoughts as I think 'em, in the hope of providing more timely information to those who want it. Here's part 1 ICYMI.
I'm into the swing of things now, having tried out all the classes in PvP matches with randoms, and unlocked a couple of new characters. Before I get into that stuff though, let me tackle the singleplayer mode, such as it is, in case anyone online-phobic has been curious about that side of things.
]]>Turtle Rock's asymmetrical multiplayer shooter Evolve [official site] went live today, though its many and various DLC shenanigans mean I'm not entirely sure just how much of the game is on my hard drive right now. That's a dilemma for further down the line though: today, I just want to natter about how it's feeling a few hours in. We didn't get review code before release day, so any sort of definitive judgement lies further along your puny mortal timeline. Let's do this as we go along.
]]>Evolve [official site] is out tomorrow, meaning some of you might be looking for tips on how to get a head start in Turtle Rock's monster vs hunters asymmetric multiplayer game. To that end we've tracked down Phil Robb – Turtle Rock's creative director – for a briefing on how each of the game's player-controlled monsters work. Here are the fruits of our conversation.
This article focuses on the Monsters. If you're looking for Hunter tips you'll need our Hunter guide instead!
]]>Evolve [official site] is Turtle Rock's monster vs hunters asymmetric multiplayer title. Recently we've been more likely to talk about the game for its pre-order content shenanigans or its free-to-play progress promotion app but this time we're focusing in on how the game actually works. To that end we've tracked down Phil Robb – Turtle Rock's creative director – for a briefing on how each of the characters work. (This is entirely a selfless act and not just a way for Pip to get a tactical advantage over the rest of RPS, by the way.) Here are the fruits of our conversation:
This article focuses on the Hunters. If you're looking for monster tips you'll need our Monster guide which will be up soon.
]]>An in-depth gameplay video with two matches demonstrating the offline mode in Evolve [official site] has popped up. If you're curious about Evolve but aren't a big fan of games with a multiplayer focus, or are already gearing up for the game's release and are interested in how its offline mode works as a tool for practice and experimentation, feast your eyes on this beast.
]]>I really want to like Evolve (official site). I've dabbled a little in the beta, and while it doesn't have anything like the character or tension of Left 4 Dead, a whole lot about it felt good. I just can't say the same of what's happening outside the game. There's been too much focus on too much DLC before the game's even with us, and now it turns out there's a match-3 companion game for telephones, which will accelerate progress in the game proper. It's free, but you can pay real money to boost your progress in the mobile game. Which will then boost your progress in the main game. And. Well. No. God. Why.
Sometimes a guy just wants to hunt a monster/pretend to be a monster. Why can't it be that simple any more?
]]>Turtle Rock and 2K are currently on the receiving end of an Internet Frown due to their approach to DLC and pre-order gubbins in their impending humans vs monsters multiplayer shooter Evolve. They'd pared some pretty major stuff, including playable monsters, off into bonus payments, and as well as their various editions and DLC being simply confusing, there's been concern that the game experience might be harmed by such bestial partitioning.
Turtle Rock now claim otherwise, and that this isn't them cynically holding back finished content in the name of extra moolah.
]]>As I mentioned t'other day, I'm a wee bit psyched about Left 4 Dead maker Turtle Rock's upcoming 4v1 shooter Evolve, but an unhealthy excess of pre-orderballs is fast unpsyching me. Imagine if L4D had restricted the Boomer to a pre-order bonus, or you could only play as Zoey if you bought the Left 4 Dead: None Left Behind Deluxe Ultra Apocalypse Master Race Edition. It's so hard to think of a game as being fully-formed and entirely honest when big features are nickel'n'dimed. Thus, I'm worried about Evolve. The power to play as some of its various characters - including its 'biggest' monster - has been devolved into assorted and confusing special editions.
]]>A game going gold isn't particularly big news in this age of early access, unless you're someone who worked on it, or you're one of those not-at-all-fatiguing people who just have to start singing Spandau Ballet whenever a certain precious metal is mentioned, but I keep meaning to say something about Evolve. Here's an excuse to: Evolve, the 4v1 team shooter from original Left 4 Dead creators Turtle Rock, is gold. I'm not exactly a frequent flier to multiplayer land, but brief dabbling with Evolve's alpha late last year got me all excited.
]]>Evolve is from the makers of Left 4 Dead, and it's similar to its predecessor in that it offers asymmetric FPS multiplayer between four human soldiers and a player-controlled monster. The difference is that the monster is huge and evolving, and the different skillsets of the human characters need to be put to careful use if they're going to have any chance of succeeding.
We recently sent Angus Morrison to developers Turtle Rock Studios to have a play of some of Evolve's game modes and to talk to the team about what they've learned from MOBAs, what their intention is as far as esports goes, and how they suspect tactics will develop once the game is out in the wild. He returned clutching not just an article of words about the game, but a video - for those who like words and moving pictures. Fancy.
]]>I was sold on Evolve, convinced by a weekend spent game hunting in October’s Big Alpha. The player numbers seemed to suggest others felt similarly. This is it then, I thought: a high profile title has found approval in alpha and it’s a straight road to release.
However, there was dissent among pundits, forcing me to ponder why some players had rebounded from Evolve, confused by what they found. Turtle Rock have a long history with the Counter-Strike series and created Left 4 Dead. With those credentials, a similar first-person set-up of four friends chasing a fifth controlling a hairy monster should make for an instant connection with players. But there was a contingent who didn’t expect what Evolve was offering. And it turns out, after being dispatched to a Turtle Rock's studios to play it, neither did I.
]]>While I maintain that the best thing about Turtle Rock's asymmetrical co-op shooter is its fabulous logo, Evolve is also starting to grow on me as an idea. They've done everything they can to put me off with impressively terrible shoutcasted trailers, but the central idea of controlling a giant monster and killing my friends is very solid. Equally, ganging up on one-another is what we spend most of our time doing anyway. If that sounds familiar, you can now sign up for the mysteriously named Big Alpha that's running through Halloween. To get in you'll need one of the two codes below.
Evolve is the monster hunting co-op shooter from Turtle Rock, who were previously responsible for Left 4 Dead. In a big (perhaps) to prove that slow and steady does indeed win the race, TR have announced that the game will be emerging into view several months later than initially planned. October 21st was the precise date that everything was supposed to be ship-shape and ready to roar, but evolution cannot be rushed. It's end-point can, however, be fixed at another specific date in the future - this time it's February 10, 2015, which is the day before my birthday. Do I want to be eaten by beasties to celebrate the creakiness of my carcass? When I remember how much I enjoyed Left 4 Dead, I'm half-way convinced.
]]>Hunters, emerge from your hides and rejoice. A small window of opportunity remains open and if you manage to sidle your camouflaged bulk through to the other side, you'll be a fully-fledged Evolve alpha tester. A few caveats though - you'll need to sign up on a PC that can run the game, have a working Steam account and you must be situated in mainland North America. Presumably that's to do with server locations and timing issues rather than national favouritism. If you fit the criteria, enjoy your so-called Independence (Canadians, ignore that, you're alright with me) and sign up here, using the password 'happyhunting' and referral 'JoinTheHunt'.
]]>In an interview with Game Informer, DICE general manager Karl Magnus Troedsson stated that the beta process for future Battlefield titles may resemble an Early Access release. "We have nothing to announce, but we are having discussions when it comes to [early access]...It comes not from a business perspective, but more from a perspective of if it would help us have a stable launch of the game." The joke writes itself, of course, given the many complaints about Battlefield 4's various issues at launch. Is this just a branding exercise that aims to legitamise the unstable first months of a game's existence or would it be a useful learning experience for the developers. Probably a bit of both.
]]>Evolve is the next game from original Left 4 Dead developer Turtle Rock, and that alone should be enough to turn an eye or two or however many you happen to have. I was a giant firebreathing space mutant recently, so I can't judge. I got to go hands-on with Evolve's second batch of Hunters and gameplay options, and I came away with opinions. Powerful ones, beastly thoughts that couldn't be caged by mere words alone. So I made this video for you instead. Watch it below.
]]>I think my favourite thing about Evolve is its logo. It's intricately designed, simple genius. Those of you laughing, or perhaps suggesting that says more about the game than the logo, can all shush. Turtle Rock's Left 4 Monsters sits squarely in the middle of familiarity and originality for me, taking a co-op formula I appreciated and placing it in a more attractive sci-fi sphere. Changing from a long trek through swarms of undead to a single, flowing battle against one foe appeals more to me too. There's a new trailer with details on the latest four additions to the good guys and the newest map below.
]]>When you hear Evolve's premise, it's not exactly difficult to trace its lineage back to Left 4 Dead. Four vs one asymmetrical human vs monster competitive co-op? It's a markedly different experience from developer Turtle Rock's previous work (they collaborated with Valve) once you're on the hunt, but it's a natural, er, evolution of the undead phenom. Left 4 Dead's staying power, however, wasn't entirely homegrown. Valve and Turtle Rock gave it festering brains and an undying heart, but modders gave it legs. What about Evolve, though? I'm optimistic about what I've played, but I could definitely see it fading into obscurity without frequent support. Are mods a solution? Maybe, but not straight out the gate.
]]>Left 4 Dead's Tank was terrifying for a while, grunting and crashing and smashing all over the place, before everyone realised you can simply set him ablaze then leg it. Something supposed to be so intimidating became a little pitiful, desperately chasing people around while his life ticked down. It's left me wary of L4D creators Turtle Rock's new multiplayer man vs. monster FPS Evolve, but a new gameplay trailer puts my mind at ease. I've been losing sleep over this. Tearing my hair out. Scratching at the walls until my nails tear off and I'm grinding bone.
The trailer shows an eight-minute round from all five players' perspectives (four humans of varying classes and the monster) and evidently the big fella's no slouch.
]]>Words about Evolve, Turtle Rock's forthcoming 4v1 co-op beast hunting game, are no good for you, eh? You animal. You monster. Well, have a carefully-edited and highly-stylised promotional video instead. A proper one though, not like yesterday's nonsense.
]]>Evolve is a 4v1 asymmetrical multiplayer co-op action game from Turtle Rock Studios, the main team behind the original Left 4 Dead. Picked up by 2K for an eyewatering sum at the THQ IP firesale, it's due for release later this year. A couple of weeks ago, I went to play it.
I'm shaking, which while a state I usually associate with over/under caffeination or discovering that there's been a distressingly cynical free to play remake of one of my most beloved games, is in this case a good thing. I'm shaking from built up and released tension, and from an infusion of adrenaline into my frail, pale form. I'm shaking because I became a monster, and because I won, and because I beat the real monsters.
]]>The Court Of Horace has ruled, and the decision is final - infinite even: teaser trailers can bugger off.
Trailers are adverts. Adverts are not precious jewels. Adverts are materials with a joint purpose - to convince people to buy your product, and to inform people about the product. The former is creepy and insidious and why we walk around like a race of sentient billboards with our Nike swooshes and names of jeans manufacturers on our t-shirts. The latter is vaguely useful, and the reason we post trailers on RPS - so you, the ASTONISHINGLY ATTRACTIVE reader, can learn more about a game you might care about. Teaser trailers fulfil none of these roles. As is adeptly proven by both Techland's latest for Dying Light that we showed you earlier, and frankly the worst, dumbest teaser I can ever recall seeing, for Evolve, which is below.
]]>2014 would seem to be the year in which the games industry has another crack at making primarily multiplayer shooting games work all over again. There've been a few false starts in the past, but Destiny and Titanfall are some super-big, super-fat attempts at achieveing enormous mass market success from shooters where narrative takes a backseat. Now Evolve joins the ranks of big games looking for a piece of glossy, next-generation COD-seasoned pie, and it comes from Turtle Rock Studios, those former Valve chums who did the heavy lifting on the original Left 4 Dead.
]]>You might be aware of Evolve, which has quietly been developing in closed beta up until today. It's a fairly neat piece of software for gamers: an open gaming platform with various functionality such as chat, VOIP, partying systems with integrated VPN, stats and achievement tracking, and so on. With the big companies trying to corner their bit of the PC market with their own digital download system and accompanying social doohickeys - Steam, Origin, Battle.net etc - this is one way to centralise your social gaming stuff while remaining independent of a publisher's platform. I mean, hell, I only use one IM chat client, and this serves much the same purpose. Evolve's mandate is to offer a system that exists alongside the diversity of PC games and digital distribution systems, offering the various systems you might want and it's a pretty good attempt at doing that. It even has screenshot and video recording in there. As an overlay it already offers a bit more functionality than Steam, especially with older games that can use VPN setups. It still needs a lot of work, but it's worth taking a look at the open beta, is what I am saying. Evolve have created a special RPS group sign up page here.
]]>UPDATE: Use this link to sign up to the beta, and there's an RPS group already in there, I believe.
For the past few months I've been playing around with an unreleased gaming application called Evolve. It's an interesting piece of software, rather like Steam without the digital distribution, and with a whole load of other functionality that is otherwise spread across different applications such as Hamachi, Raptor, and so on. Evolve is an attempt to merge all of that stuff into a single system that will encompass both LAN-bridging systems to play older games, and social networking systems to make it easier for people to play in larger groups. It's a website, a social network for gamers, and an overlay with stuff like an in-game browser. It has even more exciting features planned, too, as this interview reveals.
Impressed by what I'd seen, I decided to talk to founders Michael Amundson and Soren Dreijer and find out a bit more about where the Evolve project – which is about to launch publicly – is going.
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