I had the good fortune to be one of a lucky few to be chosen to attend the Evolve preview on Saturday at 2K Games Asia's office, here in Singapore. There were 12 winners in a mini-contest that 2K Games Asia held and each of the winners were allowed to bring a friend so that's 24 lucky people from Singapore who 'were the first in Asia to get a chance to play Evolve'.
In an awesome decision by 2K, the 24 fans were split into 3 sessions of 3 hours each, so there were only 8 fans at each session. So, all of us got a full hands-on session on the game.
With a bit of luck and some persuasion, I managed to get the same session as another pair of friends. So that was real great. This is after-all, a co-op game!
So, together with another 4 fans, our session started.. We were first treated to a introduction video on what the game was about, the 4 classes and the monster, Goliath himself. The video also answered a couple of questions that I had before the event.
The game mode that have been shown so far, in game-play videos, is Hunt. And for my question.. there's going to be more game modes, included in the game, as well as more Monsters and Maps!
Afterwhich, it was game time! With over 2 hours of hands-on time, I had the opportunity to try all the different classes, except for the Assault class.
So here's my thoughts. Do note that these are just my first impressions from the limited time I had of each class.
I started off with Hank the Support Class. Like the name suggests, he's there to support the rest. Armed with a Shield Gun, I had to target my allies, when they were under attack, to give them temporary invincibility.
His AOE skill is a Cloaking Device which will allow himself and his allies to go invisible for a short while. Great for emergencies or for reviving my allies.
The Support Class has his own offensive weapons as well. A Laser Gun and Orbital Barrage, which looks like the single most powerful weapon in the game. Time it right and it will do enough damage to make your entire team cheer you!
I moved on to the Medic Class next as Val. Similar to Hank, she plays the role of support too. She can heal allies who are low on health with her MedGun, or use the Healing Burst to heal everyone around her.
On the offensive, she has a Tranquilizer Gun, which slows down the Monster and highlights it on the map for the rest of her allies to see. Use the Anti-Material Gun to create weak spots on The Monster for the rest to target.
As the healer in the team, you will need to keep alive or the rest of the team goes down. Similar to the Support Class, you will need to stay out of the Monster's way, preferably on high-ground.
Lastly, I tried the Trapper Class (Griffin). From the looks of it, he has to be in the front-line to chase down the Monster. The pressure is on the Trapper to lead the team and find the Monster with equipment like the Sound Spikes. Plant them strategically and it will trigger when the Monster is near it, giving away it's position.
Once you find the hunt, you can trap it in a Mobile Arena where a dome will be deployed to enclose the Monster and you the Hunters, to prevent the Monster from escaping.
That's when you unleash the Submachine Gun for Damage or the Harpoon Gun to restrict the Monster's movement.
The Harpoon is a little tricky to aim but get it hooked and you really can give your team the advantage. The Monster can break it off though but that few seconds does make a difference.
The Trapper does look the toughest to master as he's the 'leader' of the team. A skilled Trapper will be vital in taking down the Monster effectively.
I didn't get the chance to play Markov the Assault Class but I watched the 2K staff play this character when they took over the controllers, to give us an idea on how an experienced team might play.
Assault players are the ones doing the most damage. With good support from the rest, this guy should be pummeling into a Monster like Goliath. At short range, he can use the Lightning Gun and at medium to long range, the Assault Rifle should serve him better. He has his own Personal Shield to give him some defense.
Lastly, he can also plant Arc Mines, which can also give away the Monster's position, while causing damage.
The team will need to ensure that he's able to do as much damage as possible.
Team-work and Coordination is going to be very vital in hunting down and taking down the Monster. Headsets are going to be a must to plan attacks and to work as a team. However, there are pointers that you can use to lead your allies if need be.
As of now, my favourite looks to be the Support Class. I have always preferred being the support in a team and I enjoyed my time as Hank.
Then, it was time to switch the roles. The 4 of us had been playing together as the Hunters to no success, so we were itching to play as The Goliath.
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