Evolution 2

"Evolution did not evolve."

This game is not nearly as good as Evolution 1. I wouldn't call it bad, but it isn't good, either.

GAMEPLAY - The gameplay is basically the same, but the ruins are no longer random-generated. This means two major things. First off, you have to move from set of ruins to the next. In order. This is extremely linear and you have no choice where you go. Also, this means the enemy levels are predetermined. Ick. Level up, level up, level up.... And get this: there is a random-generated ruin you can go into, but you earn very little experience there. You do earn lots of TP, which is used to learn new moves. You need to go to the ruins to level up, but there you earn very little TP. This means you must spend twice the time leveling up.

STORY - Did you play through Evolution 1? Well, don't expect a new story! This game uses the same basic story with new characters and minor revisions.

GRAPHICS - The graphics are greatly improved over Evolution 1. No longer is everything fuzzy. The battle effects are also better. Nothing super-amazing, but quite nice.

SOUND - Again, the music in this game is so wonderful that I question just why a soundtrack isn't being sold! Listen to this game and you'll see what I mean. It's out of this world. Sound effects are normal, but the voices are very good. The whole story of the game has Japanese voice-overs. There are quite high quality, and the battle cries have been improved as well.

REPLAY VALUE - They tried too hard in this category. There's too much to do for this to be enjoyable twice. They make you just level up long enough to play through Evolution twice! Level up, level up, level up.... No...more....

BUY OR RENT - The simple answer to this question is no. If you adore Evolution 1 or like spending hours apon hours leveling up, the consider renting it.

BOTTOM LINE - There are improvements over Evolution, but the forced level-ups kills all enjoyment. Go with Evolution, Skies of Arcadia, or Grandia II, unless you have an obsession with leveling up.

SCORES
Gameplay - 8.6
Graphics - 8.4
Sound - 9.5
Replay value - 4.2
Overall - 6.3

I don't average scores.
Tens are as near perfection.
Nines are excellent.
Eights are good.
Sevens are average.
Sixes and below aren't worth you time.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 04/18/01, Updated 06/27/03