Reviews / previews
Evolva being developed by Computer Artworks and published by Interplay's 14 Degree East division is going to take the idea of genetic control to the next level. The player will be the commander of four Genome Warriors. These warriors will literally grab genetic traits from the enemy. So if an enemy has a nice claw your warrior will be able to grab that ability and use it. The graphics are outstanding, especially if you have a GeForce card from Nvidia, because they are going to optimize for that card allowing characters to have up to 80,000 polygons. That's right 80,000, basically ten times more polygons than most high end stuff now. There will be 12 action-based levels in the game. Interplay says it's scheduled for a mid to late Q2 release.
-- Jason Samuel / GamePro
In the future, humanity has discovered that a parasitical lifeform has landed on a planet at the edge of the known universe. It replicates rapidly, and destroys all native lifeforms. You have been sent to rid the planet of this parasitical menace. Being a member of the elite force known as the Evolva, your weapon-of-choice is the genohunter: a bipedal organism capable of absorbing genetic code, and instantly mutating itself to suit particular needs.
In Evolva, you have four genohunters at your disposal, each maximized slightly for speed, power, agility (dodging) or intelligence (accuracy). You are given a series of objectives for each of a dozen levels, which invariably involve destroying tons of parasitical guardians and belligerent planetary lifeforms. As is true with other shooter games, your weapons, abilities, and opponents improve as you go up in levels.
When your genohunters absorb newly encountered native life, they can mutate into a selection of more advanced forms. These are standard game boosters, such as jumping, increased defenses and speed, along with a variety of new weapons skills, such as electricity, spores-really a biological rocket launcher-and arguably the only original touch in the lot, mucus. (That's right: flammable snot. It flambs your enemies and slows them down at the same time.)
The four-member team is one of Evolva's distinctions. You control one genohunter (via F1-F4) and can direct the others to follow or split up. Unlike Darkstone, your computer-controlled team members are capable of sensing nearby enemies, and attacking on their own volition (They even choose the best weapon for a selected enemy.). On the debit side, they possess no knowledge of how jumping can save their genetically modified butts when surrounded by parasitic attackers. Pathing, though, is excellent. If you issue a follow command from a distance, AI-controlled genohunters will find their way over the 3D environment with more ease than units manage in most 2D-based RTS games.
There's a great deal of expertly handled color splashed liberally over Evolva's rock formations, flora, fauna, and effects (lightning, fire, water ripples, etc). But after a while you start to notice that Evolva's colors are frequently used to disguise a lack of texture and crude polygonal fill through much of its landscapes.
Evolva's designers claim to present a "fully interactive environment," but that's not the case. Many plants are just for show, and untouchable. The occasional rock walls are destroyed in brief, animated sequences, after which you'll observe no boulders or rubble. The levels themselves are competently designed but very linear, allowing you to progress from objective to objective usually by a single route.
In multiplayer mode, Evolva supports networked (TCP/IP) connections and HEAT.NET with nine potential deathmatch maps for up to eight players. You can't design your own maps, unfortunately.
Evolva has its distinctive elements-good team AI and great pathing, a wonderful variety of exotic creatures, and a novel application of color over a 3D terrain. But much of the game is simply traditional shooter material with an alien overlay. I kept hoping for something more creative, given the 3D possibilities-perhaps abilities that included flight. Evolva doesn't disappoint, but it doesn't raise much enthusiasm, either.-- Barry Brenesal / GamePro
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