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A great, little game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 8
Date: October 17, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Sure, it's no Final Fantasy- but it's a bargain bin title by now, and that's exactly where this game should have started in the first place. Great graphics, a fun story, and excellent creativity, all wrapped up in a tiny little package that's perfect when you can get it cheap.

I was a fan of Evolution from its Dreamcast days, when it joined a few other titles (Grandia, Skies of Arcadia) in setting the tone for a new kind of RPG that has since (sadly) all but vanished. Cute characters and interesting story elements are used in an excellently done 3d world- and things are left intentionally cartoony just to add to the fun. I kept catching myself thinking I needed a bowl of popcorn to fully enjoy some of the moments- you just feel like you're being sucked into an amazing cinematic joyride from time to time.

But enough ranting- Join our hero Mag Launcher and his weapon of choice, which is basically a giant extending hand he keeps in a backpack. Journey into (randomly generated!) dungeons and collect treasure, defeat enemies, and take down the bosses that lord over every dungeon. Mag's butler joins you on your adventures, as well as a cast of females ranging from some of this world's greatest explorers to the quiet healing-magic-type girl you grew up with.

It's a pretty cheesy storyline (save the girl, save the day), but it's executed so well. The characters are likable, the situations fun, and the adventures are pretty epic.

Just make sure you're not expecting too much (as said, it's no Final Fantasy), and you'll have a blast. The Evolution series of games are nice, cute, short (I defeated one version in one setting) games that will leave you wondering when you'll be able to catch the next installment. It's the same sort of "X" factor that reminds you of oldschool stories like Flash Gordon and the series that once inspired Star Wars- you just always want to see more.

Overall: It's a nice, quick romp through a colorful world that'll leave you satisfied- if you know what you're getting. It's perfect for kids and people who've never tried an RPG before, or long-time RPG fans who just want a break from the "serious" RPGs where you're likely to waste days or weeks of gameplay on subquests.

I just wish the folks who cranked out Evolution could get together and make more of these games, or maybe one long game to get a fuller experience out of this world. Please- developers, if you're reading this- MAKE MORE EVOLUTION!!! If you see one of these titles in the bargain / used bins at your local game store, I just can't reccomend them highly enough.

Great RPG

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: May 31, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Overall, this is an exellent game. There are many enemies and dungeons in this game. The bosses are huge and awesome, and the FMV's are simply fantastic. There is also a very comeling story, and that is pretty much the most important part about an RPG.
So get this game, you'll be playing for hours having a lot of fun with a great game for a low price.

Maze madness has its smiles

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: December 29, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Evolution Worlds is a great game. Be persistant. You won't like the begining. Other than a small battle, it's almost fifteen straight minutes of dialoge! But when you get to control the character, called Mag Launcher, things get fun. There's only a few other downsides. On a quest you can't save until you find a save spot. Luckly you can temporalily save when you reach another floor. Then of course there's the matter of finding your way around. Beware extream case of the word:Boring. However that is made up for by voiceovers for almost all dialoge. All in all, you should give this game a chance.

Not for serious gamers, but...

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: March 16, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This game is NOT for a serious gamer. Those who revel in complicated control pad combinations and intricate movements will be very bored. For a person who simply likes games, and likes to play through a game without suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome, and who still enjoys a good story will love this title.

The premise:
Mag Launcher's family is full of adventurers, but when his father disappears, he must take on the family mantle, and repay the debts his family has acquired. While searching for treasures in local ruins, he also seeks the ultimate Cyframe, Evolutia! But his father sends a companion for him to travel with and look after -- but the stranger has a secret... Mag also meets Pepper Box and Chain (sorry, forgot her last name...), and may invite one of them on his adventures through the underground ruins, or he may ask his family butler, Gre Nade, to join him (A party may contain no more than 3 characters).

This game is full of colorful characters who may (or may not) accompany him through various dungeons, battling monsters in turn-based combat, and collecting treasures, some of which go to the museum, and some of which he may keep, use, or sell to repay his family's debt. The only downside is that (so far -- I'm not done playing yet) there is lots of conversation that you cannot pass by, although you can use the 'B' button to speed through it. It's time consuming, and can be annoying after a while, but the rest of the game is worth sitting through it. It's actually the only reason I gave this 4 stars instead of 5!

Also, this is a GREAT game for young children who are just learning to play this type of game. There is, however, a line or two that you may want your child to skip (something about a can of whoop-a**...), so be cautious.

So, if you just got the 'Cube, and want a fun game to try it out on before you move up to the more complex titles, you should definitely try this out.

Silly and Fun

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: January 15, 2003
Author: Amazon User

If you are having a hard time waiting for all the new RPG's to come out for the cube, you might take a look at this one...

Eveolution Worlds is actually 2 games in 1. And oddly enough the second one is better than the first (even though techinically it's 1 game.) confused? let me explain. There were 2 evolution worlds for the Dreamcast. They were made into this version for the cube. It's easy to see the difference since the first half of the game and the second half are totally unrelated to eachother and that the gameplay suddenly becomes more user friendly.

The gameplay is pretty fun, the controles are easy to understand and simple to use. The strategy for fighting is easy to learn but hard to master correctly which makse for a nice challenge. One of the nifty features is that the mazes you go into (depending on which one it is, mind you) will change randomly every time you play.

You are Mag Launcher of the Launcher adventurer family. Your duty is to explore "ruins" and aquire hard to find artifacts. It's a simple premisis, but it gets interesting fast.

The only downside is the "movie" modes. For newcomers bear in mind that if you can sit through the 15 minutes of dialogue for the opening it gets much better when you are free to controle the characters on your own. The voice acting is Fair and kinda silly sometimes. But 98% of the game is acted out so that's a plus!

There was only one other thing which is considred a fault. It can get very monotonous sometimes. You'll find yourself running to and fro trying to find the stairs to the next level of the ruins and being forced to fight every monster in your way. Granted that in an RPG you are suppose to fight alot of monsters, but this can get tedious, annoying and downright boring.

All in all, if you are desperate for an RPG and just can't wait, I'd recomend getting this one. It's good enough to hold you till the REALLY good stuff comes out. Otherwise you might want to just RENT it instead.

A Decent RPG

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: July 19, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This is one RPG that I can only give a "decent" to. It has a pretty good story line and has a good battle system, but I found the dungeons to be monotonous and just plain uninteresting. It did, however, keep my attention throughout the entire game. Therefore, I give it 3 stars.

Good game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: November 05, 2002
Author: Amazon User

The Dreamcast version of this game was a good game, if you enjoy this kind of thing. The point is not to wander around fighting stupid monsters, its to continue the story. After all, this is a role-playing game, so if your expecting to go blasting in from first person view, no i would not suggest this title for you, but if you want a good adventure and your willing to give it a chance, pick this one up. Oh, and if your wondering about why I gave this game a 5 for durability, it has a really good replay value, as the dungeons are randomly created and will always be diffrent.

I ust dont know

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 9 / 32
Date: October 15, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I have evolution for dreamcast and it realy is a bad game,But I dont know if its the same in the gamecube version,in the dreamcast version all you do is walk around in old dungeons fighting stupid monsters,and the camera views the character from the top.This game might be much better,it might have a better camera view and worlds you could do much more than just walk.The only thing that was good in the dreamcast version was the graphics.If you like slow games get this game but if your a hardcore gamer trust me and rent it first.

best game for new r.p.g. players

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 6
Date: May 05, 2005
Author: Amazon User

i got this game to play with my 4 yr old son who love video games. i knew from playing it on the dreamcast what to expect....it is a perfect r.p.g. for newbes. my son likes the game i am glad it is a game to start him on to learn how to play rpg's. iam a vet at rpg's. playing d&d in the late 80's on a board and drawn maps...anyways this game i reccommend to kids who dont understand the greatness of a true rpg..i.e. final fantasty for the nes. i know there isnt many rpgs on the gamecube. really no good ones anyways for mature gamers. again this is a great starter for begenniners. i also rec chocobos duongeon on the ps1 for kids to learn rpg's...i say if your buying this for your kid go for it . great price and good graffix and story. my 4 yr old cant read but the game says everything so he dont have to read the captions. the battle system is turned based...classic rpg style..and game play is real easy..i know it can get boring real fast but like i said its for kids between the age of 4-8. there is a lot off funny stuff in the game. for the price it is worth it, just remember it is for kindergardners thru 3 rd grade....hope this was understandable...my kid is yelling that he wants to play it now...so its hard to concentrate on typing...well let me put it on for him...one more thing i hope nintendo will put a real RPG on the gamecube before the next gen of consoles come out....

Evolution Worlds Review

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: August 18, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Gameplay

You play as the hero, Mag Launcher, a young boy who spends his time going on "adventures" for the Historical Society, all of which take place in dungeons. These dungeons are more or less, the same throughout the entire game. The developers threw in some treasure chests, enemies, (which can be avoided by running away from them) and randomly generated "traps" that are unavoidable and whose effects are short lived. The dungeons are filled with pointless twists and turns that take you in circles, where you reencounter the same boring enemies over and over again. Needless to say, it gets very repetitive, very quickly.

The camera angle for the is from a third person perspective, and can be changed from left to right by using the controller's respected L and R buttons, but even that is flawed; Unlike in Metroid Prime, you have to hold down the buttons until they click, which proves to be just another hassle.

There's not much in the field of strategy while fighting. Outside of a few special moves that can be learned, it all comes down to: "Do I have enough HP potions left?" The only good thing about the combat system is that it is very simple and easily understood by younger players.

You can avoid enemies with ease in this game, but experience points are good to have for harder enemies you encounter later. The mission you undergo for the Historical Society is split up between action and cut-scene sequences set up in a kiddy anime/semi-sexual manner. This is one of the few highlights of the game.

Graphics

The fact that Evolution Worlds' past as a Dreamcast title is painfully obvious, from the poor texturing, to the distancing in battle. If you can manage to forget about the main visual flaws, you'll see that the character animation is nice and cheerful, but still poor in quality. The color scheme is alive and vibrant, well suited for younger players. The cut-scenes are the best part of Evolution Worlds, but seem mediocre on the Gamecube. For the most part, the game's graphics are the second worst I've seen for the console, beaten only by Cubivore. The anime style graphics and fast movement seem to try for something original, but end up being nothing special.

Sound

The dialogue is somewhere between almost being serious, and almost being ridiculous. All of the talking between characters in the game is accompanied by full speech, and sounds so overly enthusiastic that I had to mute the TV! The in-game music is easily forgettable, and the sound effects are monotonous throughout the game.

Overall Score

Evolution Worlds basically boils down to something like this. It brings over an RPG from a system that was loaded with them, (Dreamcast) to a system that is starved of them. (Gamecube)Unless you absolutely must play an RPG, don't even bother wasting your time renting this unfulfilling game.

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