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Amazing Game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 17 / 27
Date: October 31, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I have to say this is one of the best games I have played in quite awhile and has some very addictive gameplay. I played the beta version for four weeks getting up to lvl 20+ multiple times with different classes and then hopped on last night once the servers came up and it is still the same great game I played before. Patch 0 looks like it is working fairly well although I did crash once for an unknown reason. The graphics are excellent albeit a little dull as you go through tunnel after tunnel (the game mainly takes place in sewer systems and subway tunnels from what I have seen so far although there are city/park areas as well as a museum) but the controls and response is very good. You can play in FPS mode or the more traditional RPG/MMO third person mode depending on which class you choose. Some classes do both views, some only do third person. Both views work well although I tend to use third person because I can see what is going on around me more and I hate it when demons sneak up on me. There are three game play options, offline, free online and then the subscription online. I feel the subscription will be worth it since I am not playing any other MMOs currently. There are some added benefits you get with the monthly fee: content updates, more character slots, bigger inventory, access to elite items, new missions and quests, holiday events...and more. However, it is not critical to pay right now for the monthly access, I believe. You still get to play with those that do pay so you all get to experience the current game content together but when the content updates start to come other players that pay will get to go to those and you will not.

This Is One Of The Funnest Games I Have Ever Played!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 13
Date: November 01, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I started playing Hellgate: London and I couldn't stop. This game is very addictive. The replay value of this game is just amazing. Everytime you play the game, the game will play out differently.

The game takes place in London, England in the year 2038. Demons from Hell have taken over London and they live above ground. The last remmants of humanity live underground in subway stations. The levels you go through are always different and the monsters and creatures you fight against are always different.

Right now, I'm playing a character called Blademaster and I'm having so much fun playing that character. You can play six different characters in the game. You actually give your character a name and you make your character look the way you want it to look before you start playing the game. Blademaster is an expert using different swords and shields. You can also use one sword in each hand or a pistol in one hand and a sword in the other hand. You can also use a grappling hook to bring a demon next to you with one hand and kill the creature with a sword with the other hand. You make the choice of how to fight the demons throughout the game.

It was so cool to fight against demons called Blood Zombies and I actually used my sword to cut one Blood Zombie right in half. Well the bottom half of the Blood Zombie's body kept coming at me. It was just the hips and the legs coming after me. I couldn't believe it. Another time I chopped off the head to a Blood Zombie and the body kept coming after me with no head attached. There are these jumping demons that look like mean looking dogs and they will try to land on top of you. Well I actually use my sword to kill them while they are up in the air above me. It so cool to see them fall down dead around you.

The graphics in this game are really good. I don't why people are saying the graphics aren't very good in other reviews because I think they're great. Also the demo to the game is only 5% of the full game. The different levels and demons in the demo are nothing compared to what is in the full version game. The full version game is huge. The game reminds me a lot of Diablo and Diablo II. I loved those games and I love this game. This game is definitely a five star game. I highly recommend getting this game. Hellgate: London is so much fun to play.

What more could you want?

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: November 22, 2007
Author: Amazon User

For some reason, a lot of gamers want each and every game to take huge steps foward,to inovate the way we play and percieve games. Of course that is impossible,but Hellgate london does manages to bring in some new and interseting ideas although there not gigantic steps foward that many gamers expected from the game.Hell-gate, combines the customization and skill sets of MMO's with the exictment and fast paced action of first person shooters.This is the game's strongest feature, because the two types of gameplay combined are extremly fun. On the MMO section,the custimazation of your weapons and armor is incredible, you can add attachments to your gun such as:Sniper scopes,larger magazines,additional barrels,etc and implement your armor with special items to improve your defense.The skill sets use a special feature were you have a base skill set of about ten spells and all of the other spells add and improve them,while adding a twist for example: if one of your abilities was a sniper mode the following skill would be add a shield that covered you while you were in the sniper mode.This way skills never become obsolete.On the fps section, the game requires fairly quick reflexces and aim so it dosen't all depend on your stats which is nice.Each enemie you face has certain weaknesses and ablities so there is a bit of strategy but if your a run and gun player you will still be able to get through the game.All in all, Hellgate London isn't extremly innovative but it has good gameplay(which is even better online),a variety of enemies(with some epic boss battles),and a wealth of custimazation.So what more could you want?

Great fun!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: January 07, 2008
Author: Amazon User

This game requires two-three patches/downloads to work on Vista...younger gamers might need a helping hand: You will likely need to download a Vista patch or two from Microsoft as well as a single-player update from the game company itself. It's all pretty straightforward for an adult. The game itself seems to have plenty of quests and cartoony violence.

DIABLO - THE AWAKENING

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 33 / 39
Date: November 03, 2007
Author: Amazon User

UNREAL was one of these games that mark an era. Huge, gorgeous scenery, atmospheric and fast - there was nothing like it for many years. When UNREAL II: THE AWAKENING came out I could not wait to get my hands on it - only to be hugely disappointed. The new game had been graphically improved yet the UNREAL character was replaced by a bland and generic FPS feeling.

The DIABLO series enjoyed a similar, well deserved, success. HELLGATE: LONDON was released by the creators of DIABLO - leaving a similar unsatisfied aftertaste I am afraid.

Don't get me wrong, this is a good game. However, a slight disappointment is inevitable for a game that tries to do everything: provide a 40-hour single-player FPS; double as an action-cRPG; and serve as a subscription-MMORPG (with at least two pay-grade classes: First & Standard) at the same time. Trying to please everybody, well, ends up falling short. They did put in a solid effort; however, in the end, both FPS and action-RPG fans will find the game lacking.

FPS-wise HELLGATE:LONDON is slow (by the way, the perspective is adjustable from FP to TP and back) and the character movement feels forced. The weapons are inventive and impressive. Monsters and demons appear all over (popping from places that surprise you) and are dynamically-generated - as are the maps, every time a new game is started (adding to the game's replayability). Yet the rhythms are nowhere near those of a true FPS. There are tight moments but no high-speed tension.
I guess that is the price of creating a single player game and aiming at the MMORPG market at the same time (trying to avoid lag-time).

As a cRPG, HELLGATE: LONDON fares somewhat better. It is not the first time, of course, to come upon a First Person cRPG (the classic ULTIMA series introduced this). Nevertheless, HELLGATE: LONDON manages to convey the DIABLO feeling from the FP perspective beautifully! The multitude of sold or looted items alone is staggering! Everything seems to be customizable and appears on the character. A nice touch is that unwanted items can be broken down to their raw materials - which can then be used in either crafting new items or enhancing existing items at a vendor. Thus, an item well beyond the one you are currently using can yield material capable of enhancing it. Similar to TITAN QUEST, creating unique items using a mold is also possible.
There are three factions: Templars (aka: Knights), Cabalists (aka: Mages) & Hunters (aka: Rogues), with numerous subclasses, all capped at level 50.

Graphically the game is crisp and clear but not cutting edge. The graphics are comparable to HL2 and QUAKE4 (3 year old games). The surfaces, the textures, the reflections and the weather effects are beautiful, and they are designed for BOTH DX9 and DX10! I cannot comment on DX10 (as I am running WinXP) however, for DX9 I have no complains - I encountered only some stuttering and the system demands are reasonable.

What is concerning is EA/FLAGSHIP's emerging intentions to charge for this game piece-meal. Since this is a heavily OnLine-oriented game, having the latest "installment" will be a necessity in order to survive and compete effectively.
The multiplayer offers a number of choices: free (with limited gameplay capabilities, such as leading a guild), Standard monthly fee (for additional content such as new areas, more classes, weapons,quests, and game modes) and First Class monthly fee (premium content). It may seem a good decision on boardroom papers, however, I doubt that this...cast system will sit good with the MMORPG crowd. Imagine building a character exactly as you want him for, say, six months, only to have him wiped by a rich n00by with premium weapons...Yeah, that will work miracles in building your fan-base...
So, for someone buying the game mostly for its multiplayer, be warned: $50 is NOT all you will have to pay (yes, even if you opt not to subscribe for the unrestricted gameplay).

All in all, A GOOD GAME, a solid effort to mix-and-match different genre that falls just short of its raised expectations.

PS:
There is a major storyline objection: presenting Templar Knights and Freemasons as the saviors of humanity is as absurd as describing Nazis as "cosmetic products manufacturers". Some things cannot be spinned I am afraid. Now, I did not take this into account in rating this game since no one is taught history by video games...is he?

Excellant Potential

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 6 / 8
Date: October 31, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This game is a lot of fun right away. You pick your class, and you start casting fireballs or shooting zombies in first person with aiming, just like Oblivion! Or, if you pick melee, you run around and slash the zombies, performing special moves. The game is made by the Lead Designer of Diablo I & II, and a lot of that excitement transfers over into Hellgate.

Also, the game is free to play *but* you can subscribe to get special benefits, too. The subscription is like a beautiful mix of WoW and Guildwars.

I was only in the beta for a week, and only got to level 20, but I'm hooked. If you think you like the "Cthulu" environment, enjoy RPGS, FPS, Action Games or MMOs, you should definately try out the demo and/or buy the game!

Hellgate London: A Review

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: December 18, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Pros: Hellgate nails what was so fun about Diablo and Diablo II, including one of the reasons that they are still played to this day. There is a feeling of almost infinite combinations and and how do I level this character. There is always the chance to find that next piece of assume loot just waiting on the next monster. It is the addictive nature of the collector in me that keeps me playing...

The other great thing about this game is that my wife and I can play for about 30 minutes, complete the quest and walk away from the online play or we can play after the kids go to bed until they get up the next morning (oops!). As older gameres w/ a family, we really appreciate the ability to be able to just stop after a short point of play.

Cons: A few missions leave the level building and put you into a couple of different type of games. While interesting in there own right (I did not mind them), they can be a WTF moment (my wife hates them). Among the ones we encountered was a Turret defense game and tactical squad based scenario.

Even at patch level .06 there are still some CTD (Crash To Desktop) issues that need be looked into, although the .06 patch has greatly improve the stability of the game. I understand that deadlines need to be met, but stability needs to be a priority especially when you have price model for premium content. This is my reason for a 4/5 rating.

Great Game. No future-history lesson.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: January 10, 2008
Author: Amazon User

This is a great all-around game that aims to please as many people as possible without sacrificing all the aspects of playability to the "game critic" gods like some of these reviews. At least with this game, I could imagine a sibling or other family member coming up to tell me about how they enjoyed it, rather than telling me how esoteric and therefore uninteresting it is.
I would have enjoyed a bit more complexity, but as the first version of what is sure to be an expanded game, this does well enough with simple, enjoyable quests. I did not buy this game for riddles from the Sphinx, or the Oracle at Delphi. That is what "Myst" is for.....

I recommend this game for most people. If you have better than average hardware, and some free time you want to enjoy with a game, get it. If you are a "video game snob" running out of sight hardware and no sense of reality, don't buy it. You would be much happier with Crysis. There are some glitches, like enemies traipsing through walls and such, and fighting dumb, but over all, nothing unfamiliar. Some of the enemies use tactics, albeit shallow, that provide a better challenge, and the higher I go, the harder they have fought.

BTW, I am running the game on a laptop, 1900x1440, 2.4 Ghz Core 2, nVidia 8700 GT with 4GB RAM with Vista Ultimate(64 bit). While I have to run it at DirectX 9 (due solely to the need, it seems, for more GPU memory even though I have 512mb), I set the parameters high, and it runs nearly flawless.

The Working Man's MMORPG

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: February 12, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Every RPG fan remembers Diablo and D2 with great fondness. It had a very fresh feel and addictive gameplay, coupled with crazy loot, to make a very good RPG. That was 12 years ago, now in 2008 we are presented with the rebirth of the Diablo era. However this is no Diablo. That being said it is a working man's game. A game you don't have to spend countless hours to try and get where everyone else is. It's a game for people who have to get up early in the morning, ad don't wan to explain to their boss that they stayed up all night trying to finish all the quests in Stranglethorn Vale. It's a game that almost has a take me or leave me feel. It won't grab you with its enormity like WoW does, but it does keep
that loot fiend inside of you happy. Nothing is cooler than killing a Legendary Goblin and watching it drop lots of loot.

The gameplay and overall feel of the game is very similar to that of its grandfather game. The skill tree is new along with character classes, but for the most part Diablo fans will feel right at home. Now when talking about the gameplay let me say first and foremost, singleplayer is a waste of time. There is no point and no reason to play on singleplayer, it doesn't give you any advantage or change of pace different then that of the mutiplayer. The only thing you will feel like is completely alone almost like a private server feels on games like WoW. This will in fact take away from the positives of the game. That being said multiplayer is as good as any others. Thats right I said it, it is just as good as WoW, City of Heroes, Guild Wars, Everquest, or EVE to name a few. This game does what it set out to do and it does it well. Because what Hellgate offers is unlike anything it's competetors can offer, fast and furious questing with great party features. I have leveled faster on Hellgate than any other game. Another aspect that I really like is the great party functionality. With great features such as Party Portal, you can teleport to any member of your party at anytime, even to places that are too high for your character. You also have online features that are standard in MMO's like PvP, Trading, Selling, Guilds, and parties.

I wont talk about actual gameplay much because others have posted in depth reviews of that. But what I will say again that one of it's strongest points is that you won't waste time getting from point A-B. That to me was one of the most frustrating aspects of WoW. It makes you waste time on things unrelated to character developement. Hellgate is exactly 180 of WoW's speed. From the start to finish you will always be doing something.

Now to the negatives, and there are like any game negatives. First and foremost it is not a game, unless you are determined to meet an objective, that you can play for long periods of time. For someone like myself with a family and a demanding job this is actually a plus. In WoW I found myself over-extending myself. But for hardcore fans it will get old after an extended period of time. So you will want to put it down, but it will always call you back. Another minus is the setting in which Hellgate is located. In today's MMO's you can see some amazing settings, however Hellgate (as of now) has no truly amazing settings. A lot of your time is spent traveling through recycled level layouts and destroyed gloomy environments. This adds to the weariness of playing it for extended amounts of time. Also the NPC's in the game are generally bland and unengaging, butt there are some that will make you chuckle. And the last thing I should note is the abundance of loot. This is the staple of the game but I can't tell if it's good or bad. Sure everyone loves getting stuff all the time, but after awhile it seems almost excessive.

All in all Hellgate is truly one of the best MMO's I have played. It may never be as strong as WoW ( who can?) but it should hold its own ground. As new content has been released and new environments (Stonehenge) prove to make it more diverse, this game should be around for a long long time.

A bit, well, "meh"

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: January 15, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Hellgate: London was one of the most highly-anticipated games of 2007. Developed by the same people responsible for Diablo and Diablo II, it promised something that games in the similar genre could not: randomized levels in an online environment and instanced play where players could bring in a teammate after the group had already entered the instance. At the same time, the game's business model was never clearly defined. Always billed as "free," about a year ago, the developers mentioned that the high quality of service they would provide was normally associated with some sort of monthly fee. When pressed on the issue, the developers reiterated the game would be free for online play. The same kind of murky cloud surrounded key issues like guild support and the multiplayer experience.

Fast forward to release. Hellgate: London is a fine single-player game. The storyline is fairly basic and in fact is also predictable. This isn't a detraction, though, as the Diablo series also offered a very basic story that served as a framework for the real fun of killing things and gaining loot. In HGL, the London Underground serves as an extended dungeon crawl. The visceral experience of the fps is not to be underestimated. It's fun to shoot stuff. It's fun to blow up barrels. The game is filled with a lot of quests, and items are plentiful and interesting. In particular, the ability to salvage components useful for upgrading and crafting better weapons will appeal to people who want to make bigger and better guns.

The multiplayer aspect is problematic. The free version of the multiplayer game is very much like D2 in that it is merely a multiplayer version of the single player game. The subscription version does offer additional features, more quests, and the ability to create guilds (non-subscribers can join guilds). However, the multiplayer version is still buggy, even though nearly 3 months have passed since release. A broken chat system (since improved), poor guild support, a memory leak that produces game crashes, and significant lag in crowded outposts--all combine to undermine the social experiences that are the backbone of online gameplay.

Gameplay is often compared to that of Diablo II. This is both the strength and weakness of HGL. D2 fans will be familiar with the look of the interface and the inventory management. Health injectors are the HGL techie version of health potions. Components are the new rune words. Fighting monsters is little more complicated than a click-fest, though HGL monster AI is a bit smarter than that of D2's. For players who really love D2, still play it, and yearn for something like D2, this is a great game.

However, for those who remember D2 fondly but have moved to games like World of Warcraft, Guild Wars, EVE, RF Online, or are looking forward to Warhammer Online, Hellgate will seem, well, dated. The random level generation, which sounds so cool on paper, ends up disappointing. Yes, the levels are randomly generated, but they still look the same. Items are fun, but the inventory management shows none of the improvements in design made over the past 10 years. The game lacks the innovation, the fresh spin on the genre that the Diablo series achieved.

Overall, if you like and play Diablo II, you'll very much enjoy Hellgate: London. If you once had a D2 addiction, but moved on to play other games, you'll probably get the sense that you've been there, done that, and you expect more.

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