Evolution 2: Far-Off Promise
- August 04, 2000 00:00 AM PST
That�s right, boys and girls! It�s been almost a year since the launch of the Dreamcast and the disappointment of its initial RPG offering, Evolution. Guess what, though? Evolution 2 has arrived with very few improvements over its predecessor and, sadly enough, it�s still the best RPG for the system.
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Evolution Too
Mag Launcher, the best adventurer in Pannam Town, gets a chance to strut his stuff once again in this sequel. This time, however, Mag�s services are needed far from home, at the Society�s field museum in Museville. The details of his quest are unclear, and a whole lotta� mystery seems to surround it right from the start. Thankfully, Mag�s old buddies are more than willing to lend a hand�and their unique talents�in order to help Mag uncover what�s really behind the museum�s request for help. Butler/cook/father figure Gre Nade, foxy lady Pepper, the annoying little Chain, and sweet Linear are all back. As with the previous installment, Linear seems to be at the center of the mystery, only now she is being stalked by a less creepy foe named Yurka.
This time around, the Society provides Mag & Co. with a special randomly generated dungeon, called Tower of Despair, designed to develop the characters� special abilities by awarding high TP points after each battle. This eliminates the main flaw in the original, where players had to re-enter the same dungeon at least once in order to level up enough to face the boss.
One cool new feature is how appraisal items can be sold. You can sell off your stuff individually, but some items can be assembled into larger objects that fetch a much higher price.
Still Evolving
The new environments are far from being ground-breaking and hardly take advantage of the Dreamcast�s capabilities. Character design is decent enough while cut-scenes are slightly above average.
Controlwise, Evolution 2 couldn�t be simpler. Every spell, item, and attack can be accessed in a flash, including each character�s unique talents such as Linear�s ability to talk enemies into running away, and Gre�s pep talk which boosts Mag�s attack power. Where Evolution 2 fails miserably, is in the sound department. A boring score, silly sound effects during battles, and irritating and childish voice-overs will have players reaching for the mute button in no time.
Child�s Play
Evolution 2 establishes the series as being aimed at younger players who may find the complexities of the average RPG too challenging. It is definitely aimed at the short attention span crowd. Dreamcast owners are still waiting for someone to deliver a quality RPG, but fear not, several promising titles are slated for release in the next few months and one of them is bound to be a winner.
