An Attendee Uses Her Smartphone In Front Of A Fiant Microsoft Xbox Sign At The 2014 Electronic Entertainment Expo, Known as E3, in Los Angeles
An attendee uses her smartphone in front of a giant Microsoft Xbox sign at the 2014 Electronic Entertainment Expo, known as E3, in Los Angeles, California June 11, 2014. Reuters/Kevork Djansezian

Turtle Rock's new shooter, "Evolve," is right on the cusp of release, and they've shared details of a massive day-one patch that players will have to download before they can get a taste of the monster-sized multiplayer action on offer. The patch notes, released on the official "Evolve" website, cover a lot of ground, from bug fixes to balancing tweaks and load time optimisations.

In the lead up to release, "Evolve" has been extensively tested by the public, first with an alpha test in October 2014, and most recently with a beta test in January this year. Feedback gleaned from these tests have allowed Turtle Rock time to squash bugs, one of the primary focuses of the patch.

Also on the docket are a wide range of balancing tweaks. Again, thanks to the extensive testing, Turtle Rock are adjusting the Hunters and Monsters based on feedback from gamers. The team highlighted the Wraith as one monster in particular that they benefited from from the vast amounts of data gathered during testing. Turtle Rock will also be optimising their engine extensively in order to improve performance, connectivity and load times.

As noted by VG24/7 in their coverage, the team has also reworked the Elite skins for Hunters and Monsters, once again based on feedback from the community. The day-one patch will also add the ability to connect with the game's companion app, "Evolve Hunters' Quest." The app is a match-three style puzzle-combat game which ties into the main game and is freely available on iOS, Android and Windows Phone.

Since "Evolve" is primarily an online game, the 3GB patch is pretty much mandatory. Kotaku reports that the single-player campaign in "Evolve" sees gamers matched with 4 other A.I. computer-controlled bots and stitches a number of maps together to form a story. While it may be possible to play this mode without the patch applied, it will be impossible to jump online and take part in the game's multiplayer.

Gamers have been somewhat sceptical of "Evolve" as a value offering, mainly because of just how heavily weighted the game is toward multiplayer gameplay. However, critical response has been generally positive; Polygon rated the game an 8/10 in their review, stating that even though the game does have its issues, it innovates enough to be worth it.

"New territory always presents new problems, and 'Evolve' doesn't always solve them. But it distinguishes itself from the pack of multiplayer options out there with the flair of something truly different," said the website in its review.

Gamers will have to decide for themselves whether the game offers enough to justify its US$60 price tag. At the very least, it offers a different take on the relatively standard multiplayer action offered by games such as "Call of Duty" and "Battlefield." "Evolve" launches on Feb. 10 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.

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Evolve Cinematic Trailer (PS4/Xbox One) (Credit: YouTube/GamesHQMedia)