*****Rovolutionary.....and EVOlutionary!!*****

User Rating: 9.2 | 46 Okunen Monogatari - Harukanaru Eden e SNES
In EVO, an action-RPG of sorts (although far more action than RPG), you start out as a fish in one of those eras they have - I think it's either Antediluvian or Precambrian. In either case, it's up to you to rack up enough EPs (evolution points) to enhance your body's offensive capabilities and defense mechanisms. You can beef yourself up with armor plates and other types of defense, or you can get cool things like lights that dangle from your head, which attract prey so you get more points. Pressing Select brings up a menu where you can invest in a facelift or a skin change, and usually you can switch back and forth between parts as the situation should warrant, although there are exceptions. For example, once you're a human, there's no turning back on that. Later on, you will be given opportunities to turn into specialized life forms such as birds and mermaids, adding to the fun and giving you a chance to branch out and see what nature has to offer.

Charles Darwin created quite a stir when he released his theory of evolution. That single event changed the way science thought forever. Text books were re-written (did they have text books back then?) and the whole science community took on a new perspective. Of course, this would also be the basis for a video game, and a darn good one at that.

Even though you may be a lowly fish at the outset of the game, the controls remain the same for all life forms. There are specialized buttons for biting, moving faster, and jumping, and you'll almost never have to worry about using two buttons at the same time. Controls and such are airtight. The music is sort of like what you'd hear on a ''Sounds of Nature'' CD that you get for five bucks at Target. However, it blends nicely into the background of each stage and is good for relaxing one's nerves. These are definitely some tunes to evolve to. You'll rarely find yourself muting the television when playing this. You wouldn't play the game just to hear it, but it is one of the nicer amenities this title has to offer.

The originality just shines through this game. It had evolving creatures way before Pokemon ever did, and even that didn't capture the coolness as well as this overlooked jewel did. You'll be sitting in front of a screen for hours tweaking your creature so that it has the gusto to go up against mammoths, tyrannosauruses, and killer bees, among other atrocities. Even if you're a Christian or a theist, you'll be able to sit down with this and have a good time. Don't worry about saving the princess or any of those other hackneyed stereotypes: just make sure you get home in time to populate the world.