Evolve Alpha Impressions

I pretty excited when I got the alpha code for Evolve on Thursday. This is one of the games I've been waiting for since so many have either been a disappointment or not what I expected. I've been waiting for an online game that relied on teamwork since Left 4 dead, so since is by the same team that did it, it only increased my interest.

Combat:
Loving it! I really like the fact that if you have one weak link in your team you are completely screwed. I know that some may find this to be a turn off, but it makes the game more interesting and fun for myself. When you have a team that actually works together and knows how to communicate you can dominate that monster. However, one match I had a support character that decided that protecting the medic while it was getting by the Goliath wasn't priority number 1. I don't blame this on the game though because there needs to be a way to cripple the hunters and this monster knew what he was doing.

Speaking of the monster I was nervous on my first playthrough. You start off so small and usually spend more than half your time running from the other hunters. But once you actually evolve to your third stage it is time to fuck shit up. I've noticed many like to keep fighting until they just die, but learning when to flee is a good strategy as well.
It is a shame we only get to play for three days, so for people like myself who don’t have as much time, we won’t get to unlock all the 2nd level characters. I’ve only seen the Kraken once, when fighting against it, and it seems like an interesting monster to play. We were destroyed by it by a far better player.

Graphics:
I wouldn’t say they are anything that make me go “awwww,” but they certainly aren’t bad. The two maps that played are very similar being gloomy with no real light, swamps, and in an industrial area. I’m hoping for more variety in future maps. I do like how the monster can break through walls or other surroundings like trees or rocks can be broken down.

Issues:
First, I’m on PC, so I can’t give an experience with the consoles. I’ve been dropped twice from about twenty games, so I wouldn’t really call that an issue, at least for myself. I understand this is an alpha so I’m sure it should improve, but you never know. I’ve heard plenty of people complain and others say they’ve had zero issues, so the experience is very different for everyone, which is expected from any video game.