Ark: Survival Evolved Game Preview

Ark: Survival Evolved Game Preview

Where to start with this game? straight from the off I felt like I was playing a 1st person version of Runescape, you first have to decide whether or not you want to host a lobby with the capacity of 70 players, or you can join a pre populated lobby full of players hunting and surviving on the island known as Ark.

The concept of the game is really cool, you have semi decent creation options although the graphics are a little lack luster and at times blocky, especially when in combat. The lighting for the island works really well and really gives that feeling you’re on a deserted island.

You have a choice to select a male or female survivor but their race is predetermined which is a shame, there is no options like you have in other games similar to this. The cover art portrays survivors with weapons riding dinosaurs…what could be better? Well the constant pop ups of “you’re too hot you need shade” or “you’re too cold you need to warm up” like pick one please. I know this is the beginning of the game but at least give me some pointers lads. I also found that if you eat too many berries in a quick amount of time you get dehydrated and need water which is really cool but you need to be aware of your surrounding at all times.

The HUD is a little concerning as well small icons in the bottom of the screen that are a light blue really don’t stand out to the eyes so I found myself missing what was happening to my health and stamina, you can also

Touched on before the graphics are decent but it really made me feel like the game was built for the Xbox 360 than the Xbox One, the blocky look on the characters was poor but the foliage on the ground really did do it for me the weather conditions make this stand out so much and for a game preview it scary as to what it can do. The concept of surviving the island and uncovering what and why you’re there for is a really exciting story to play out it’s just a shame that the rest of the game lets it down, the island is vast and living which is amazing, you can chop down trees break down rocks to build your settlements which can then be sourced to forge your tribes and hunt.

Now this all sounds like a bit of Fallout 4 for me but it seems both games have the same problem…creating settlements is ball ache, the controls really are clunky when this is approached. Like you collect all your material but the way you go about creating and also the finished article is just meh…all your settlements will look like boxes on a beach hence the resemblance to minecraft but i will say this is just tip of the iceberg, at the early stages your settlements will look like a four wall room on the beach but as you play more and more and create better settlements the finished article will be worth the wait. I’ve seen players settlements look like castles on mountain tops.

I understand that game is still in development and the graphics may get a well deserved tidy up but they need to have some context to one the character and two the story needs more life for it to breathe into a really worthwhile game now when i say the graphics are poor i mean the character visuals and the dinosaurs, the FPS rate is really poor and has been slated online which is a shame…but it can only get better surely?

If i was to compare it to anything i’d say it is Runescape mixed with Minecraft with Far Cry 3 sprinkled on top.

It’s rumoured to cost around £35 upon release and if they’re shipping this Ark then i’d pass but a new and updated one i’d definitely consider it as a purchase, they have until June which the estimated release to get this game up to par.

Tribes are a really cool concept in Ark, you can build settlements with them and also go hunting together but there are more flaws here, like you send all of your items in a locked chest but wait for it…your tribe can all access them and steal them as well as other fighting players. This is a real bug that needs to be fixed as players with sit there tapping away collecting wood and stone to name a few and boom gone. I did however find a group or survivors that kept me warm and also gave me food…nice lads but then they abandoned me and i was killed by a Titanboa (a huge snake).

The more you move the more tired you get and the need of water is needed, it really has that survival instinct feeling which is really cool but at the start it really is annoying, you don’t know whether to cool down or hunt to eat. One thing i will say…I AM NOT EQUIP TO SURVIVE ON A STRANDED ISLAND!

Ark’s island is filled with wildlife from dinosaurs to livestock all there for you to hunt or like the dinosaurs tame and ride into battle/hunt with, there are two ways of doing this. Passive tame which you feed them and after a while they will trust you or the forced way where you beat them unconscious and then slowly build up your trust by healing them.

One thing I will say is that when you finally realise the control system and understand the crafting it really does become a fun game to play. I found out after about 2 hours of game play that the Y button picks up stones and berries which really come in handy, once you can craft a pickaxe from wood, stone and thatch you will go through trees like a knife through butter. The combat is god awful however which is a shame.

The inventory does need a bit of work where the skill system was a pain as I kept leveling up on the wrong perk which led to my survivor being very weak, the levelling system is good as you’re rewarded for exploring and also the main aspect of the game SURVIVING.

At first glance I really did not like this game but given a few upgrades and more friends to play with it will evolve into a really cool and fun game to play.

The biggest flaw in this game for me was that there was no tutorial luckily there is the help option in the pause menu where the Xbox then snaps to the game manual but with a game like this it really should have a tutorial to get you started but i understand why they have done this. They have done this to literally put you on an island the there you go player…Survive.