Product Details
 | Hellgate: London |
| List Price: | $19.99 |
| Price: | $6.66 |
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Product Description
Hellgate: London PC DVDProduct Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #3875 in Video Games
- Brand: Electronic Arts
- Released on: 2007-10-30
- ESRB Rating: Mature
- Platforms: Windows Vista, Windows XP
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: .75" h x 5.00" w x 7.50" l, .20 pounds
Features
- Explore post-apocalyptic London: from ancient ruins buried beneath city streets to shattered cathedrals to the last remnants of humanity bunkered in the Underground
- Infinite Replayability: Dynamically generated levels, chance events, and massive quantities of randomly created items
- Have it your way: Three unique factions with their own visual and gameplay style
- Beyond RPG: Experience new layers to the traditional hack-and-slash formula
- Hell Never Looked Better: Delivers a true, DX10 experience, while being fully scalable for optimal performance on older PCs
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
It’s
2038, and London lies in ruins...
From Flagship Studios –
creators of the award-winning Diablo® series and the fathers of the
action role playing genre – comes HellGate: London, the next benchmark
in the evolution of the RPG genre.
Combining the depth of
traditional RPGs with the frenetic, visceral feel of first-person
shooters, HellGate: London offers infinite replayability with
dynamically created levels, monsters, items and events that gives each
player their own unique hack-and-slash experience.
A
post-apocalyptic London has been overrun by hordes of terrifying demons,
leaving the city desolate and scorched by hellfire. Those who were
unlucky enough to survive now gather in the only sanctuary left, the
Underground, banding together in order to gain a foothold against the
minions of darkness and ultimately save the bloodline of humanity.
It is no surprise that these sole survivors come from three of
society’s most elite factions, each of whom are masters of a robust
number of skills and weapons essential to demon-thrashing.
The
Templar, a secret society preserving the rites of the original Knights
Templar, mix futuristic technology with ancient artifacts to create
powerful weapons and armor perfect for short-ranged and melee attacks.
The Cabalists are students of the dark arts and edges of science which
often leaves them standing right on the line between good and evil.
Their mystifying spells make them suited for mid-range combat.
The Hunters are mysterious, highly trained ex-military operatives who
lay waste to their foes with hyper-advanced weapons that blend
theoretical science and the latest in technology – and their bullets can
come from almost any distance.
HellGate: London delivers an
amazing gaming experience to PC gamers of all types – delivering the
eye-popping DX10 visuals demanded by the hardcore, and scaling to ensure
the masses of casual RPG players can still get the best performance on
older PCs.
Key Features
- The RPG Authority – Flagship Studios was founded by the core creators of Diablo, one of the biggest PC gaming franchises in history with over 13 million units sold worldwide – they are the first, last and only voice in the world of action RPGs.
- Beyond RPG – Experience new layers to the traditional hack-and-slash forumla by experiencing the action RPG from the first-person perspective and through nontraditional character classes and playstyles.
- Have it your way - Three unique factions with their own visual and gameplay style, offering something for every type of gamer, whether they prefer the longer-range blasts of the Hunter or want to get up close and personal with the Templar.
- Infinite Replayability – Dynamically generated levels, chance events and massive quantities of randomly created items makes for infinite replayability -- no two experiences will ever be the same and every game will be it’s own unique event.
- Mad Skills – Each faction has three character classes that contain a wide variety of skills and spells that are fully customizable.
- London Calling – Explore post-apocalyptic London, even darker and gloomier than usual. From shattered cathedrals and landmarks to the ancient ruins buried beneath the shell of a once-great city, players will need to scour all of London in search of the unknown.
- Misery Loves Company – Don’t be a glory hog – fight online. Gather with friends or recruit strangers in Underground stations and venture out into mean streets of London together to erase the Demonic threat.
- Hell Never Looked Better – HellGate: London features all of the latest next-generation technology to deliver a true, DX10 experience, while being fully scalable for optimal performance on older PCs.
- The RPG Authority – Flagship Studios was founded by the core creators of Diablo, one of the biggest PC gaming franchises in history with over 13 million units sold worldwide – they are the first, last and only voice in the world of action RPGs.
- Beyond RPG – Experience new layers to the traditional hack-and-slash forumla by experiencing the action RPG from the first-person perspective and through nontraditional character classes and playstyles.
- Have it your way - Three unique factions with their own visual and gameplay style, offering something for every type of gamer, whether they prefer the longer-range blasts of the Hunter or want to get up close and personal with the Templar.
- Infinite Replayability – Dynamically generated levels, chance events and massive quantities of randomly created items makes for infinite replayability -- no two experiences will ever be the same and every game will be it’s own unique event.
- Mad Skills – Each faction has three character classes that contain a wide variety of skills and spells that are fully customizable.
- London Calling – Explore post-apocalyptic London, even darker and gloomier than usual. From shattered cathedrals and landmarks to the ancient ruins buried beneath the shell of a once-great city, players will need to scour all of London in search of the unknown.
- Misery Loves Company – Don’t be a glory hog – fight online. Gather with friends or recruit strangers in Underground stations and venture out into mean streets of London together to erase the Demonic threat.
- Hell Never Looked Better – HellGate: London features all of the latest next-generation technology to deliver a true, DX10 experience, while being fully scalable for optimal performance on older PCs.
Customer Reviews
Finally a good effort
If you don't want to read
this long review, let me simply say that Hellgate London is a good game,
and definitely worth the money.
But if you want to know a little
more...
Let me start off by just saying it... Diablo 2.
There
are few games out there that are of such a high quality that they
become the standard that others have to beat, that they become the thing
that is used to compare. Diablo 2 is such a game. It is the game of
which it is said with other games; `Diablo also had that' or `unlike
Diablo.'
So, here we are, Hellgate London; the game that wants to
take over from Diablo. Can it? Well, yes and no. Yes in the fact that
over the years there have been many Diablo clones, and none came close
to `the real stuff.' Hellgate does. Hellgate comes close and even
surpasses in some areas, like graphics. But then again, what would you
would expect from a new game that is trying to beat a, what, ten year
old game?
Also, one very interesting this is that I wouldn't
actually call Hellgate a clone of Diablo. A clone is a copy; more of the
same. While Hellgate is more of the next step. Yes, it has all the
things you expect and know from Diablo. Health potions have become
health injections, the identification scrolls have become single use
identifier units. Items are still color coded, and there are even mods
and weapons that can be compared to the weapons with sockets from
Diablo. But simply the fact that you are actually in a 3D world already
makes you surpass the 2D world. In Diablo you could see everything in a
circle around you. In Hellgate you only see what you look at. And if you
want to see what happens behind, or above you, you have to actually
turn around, or look up. While Hellgate is not the kind of game where
someone suddenly jumps out at you (save from the few monsters that
appear out of nothing, but do so with a very convenient warning sound,)
you actually have to walk to a corridor and look in to see what's
happening there and if there are monsters to be found.
I have
only tried one class until now, but in that class (the guardian) one
thing I really like is that you don't have to target every single enemy.
In Diablo you had to click on one enemy at a time to attack it (save
for some abilities like the strife shot for the Amazon, or the throwing
starts for the assassin.) In Hellgate you can simply click (doesn't even
have to be on an enemy) and hold down the mouse key and as long as the
enemies are inside your range you automatically attack the next one when
the first one dies. Note, the enemy has to be inside your sword range,
so you won't go running across the map automatically just because you
hit the attack key.
Hellgate also comes with Randomly generated
maps (apart from some key locations), so it does have a high replay
value and it's not that once you played the game you know every map
there is in the game.
In short Hellgate is a fun game that makes
you want to play just that little bit more.
Now, I did say that
there was a `no' part to it being able to replace Diablo. So here come
the more negative comments.
First, it is indeed a great game that
you want to keep playing. But with Diablo you wanted to play for hours,
and then some more. You could easily play it 8 hours straight. (At
least I could.) With Hellgate you play for an hour, maybe two, and then
you get bored. It is yet another zombie, yet another Imp, that you kill.
While that was pretty much the same with Diablo, there still is that
`something' missing that prevents you from getting bored. With Hellgate
you do get bored... but then again the game is still good enough that a
few hours later you find yourself restarting the game to play a little
more.
Missions are boring to the extreme, and some are down to
the stupid even. Mind you, there is some line in the main... eh... plot.
But the secondary missions. It really is all the same. Go there and
kill 5 of those. Go there and kill that monster. Go there and get me
that. In Diablo most of the missions were a continuation of the main
mission, and even the sub missions (the ones you could skip and still
end the game) had some tie to the main story. In Hellgate the only tie
is that the monsters are your enemy and you go and kills some more
monsters. Boring. Basically, the secondary missions have no value other
then to get you some rewards that you are (mostly) going to sell anyway,
and they get you to hack and slash some more and gain more experience.
On itself that extra hack and slash isn't bad, since basically that's
what you are playing the game for anyway. But the fact that there is no
true story behind that hack and slash does tie to what I said about
getting bored with it after some time. (Until you want to hack and slash
some more.)
The maps. (The kind that lets you know where you
are, not the kind you play on.)
The mini map that shows what's in
your direct vicinity is good enough, but I truly hate the world map. The
world map is laid out like a metro/subway map. Now, there is a reason
for that, since a lot of the game plays there and you get from one place
to the other in subway tunnels. But still. When you bring up the world
map it basically only tells you where you are at the moment, and from it
you can't really see if you have to go north or south since just like
in a real subway map a place that is located to the north on the map
might be very well to your south depending on how you are standing (and
no, there is no compass.) While that is not a bad thing in the tunnels,
on a bigger area that is larger than what you see on your mini map you
can actually get lost because the world map only shows that you are in
`that' location. Thanks, I know that I'm at Piccadilly Circus, now
please tell me if I'm on the north or south side of it, and just where
the exit I came from is again. No, I much rather have the map you had in
Diablo, the one that you could have on constant as a semi-transparent
overlay. But even that you can't do with the world map. Well, you can
leave the world map on while you play, or you can put the mini-map as an
overlay, but both are not really transparent, and it still is only a
subway style map or limited range. Either way, overlay is not doable
really because it obstructs your view.
Another thing, and
eventually this too ties into the boring aspect, is that there is too
much gray. Now, I know that you are running around in a destroyed city
and cities tend to be gray. But still, I little more color would have
been nice. Every street looks the game because wherever you look you see
gray buildings and more gray buildings. It takes away variety and
quickly turns the areas that aren't subway tunnels into a repetitive
combination of gray buildings and boring monsters to kill.
And
lastly, two things that I'm neutral about at the moment of me writing
this.
First, the skills are set up very differently from Diablo.
With Diablo you basically had to pick a few skills and stick to it;
train them as high as possible. Otherwise you would end up being a weak
mediocre jack of all trades that would get killed time and again. In
Hellgate they turned that around 180 degrees. Here they actually want
you to spread your skill points over many skills. And to make you do so
you get a huge increase with the first skill point, but less with next
skills points. For instance. With the defender there is a skill that you
can use that makes you hit an enemy with 100% more damage (great
against tough monsters only since reuse is time delayed and you can't
use it al the time) The thing is, the first skill point gets you that
100% increase. But when you add a second skill point it only adds
another 10%, making it a total of 110% extra damage.
While I do
like this approach in general because it does allow you to use more
skills, I have now (level 11 player at the moment of this writing btw)
reached a point where I have noticed that in actual play I don't use
several skills. Now it would be nice if I could use my skill points in
the skills I do use and actually get a nice increase with it. Yet on the
other side, as I said, I'm not `that' far into the game and I don't
know yet what the increases will be. Maybe there are 20 levels, just
like Diablo, and then 10% increases would still eventually turn out to
be a massive 300% extra damage, if it keeps increasing in increments of
10%. Time will tell.
And lastly, a thing that I like and don't
like at the same time. The monsters in the game don't level up with you.
Monsters have been set to have a certain level in this or that part of
the game. In playing that turns out to be still around a realistic level
where monsters that are a little tougher do need a few more hits with
the sword, while the base level zombies are by now little more than a
nuisance and are cut down with the first sword swing. In a way I like
that because it makes you truly feel that you are getting better. In the
game Oblivion monsters do level up with you and at a point it just
makes the game unbelievable. Here you are someone that has trained to be
a master with the sword, cannot train any higher, yet still every
robber you come across is just as skilled as you. Come on. With Hellgate
that won't happen. Zombies that once needed 3 sword hits to be killed
are now mowed down with a sweep of the sword while I don't even really
slow down. Basically is shows me that I'm getting better, while at the
same time there are slowly but surely popping up other, tougher,
monsters that do keep me on my toes.
As I said, in general I like
that. But I just wish that they would do something about those low
level monsters. Streets are still filled with zombies, and now that I
can kill them in one blow they are really nothing more than nuisances
that distract me, at most. It would have been nice is they were replaced
by different monsters that are a little higher up. Not enough that
every monster is a master challenge, but enough to make you want to look
out and not let them come too close.
So, where does that leave
us?
Do I recommend to buy it? Yes. It IS a great game, and it by far
surpasses any Diablo clone created to date. But at the same time it
didn't succeed in replacing Diablo as `the game to beat.' It's not
Diablo, but it is definitely the best attempt by far. I would give it a
very close second place. And if you don't compare it to Diablo, and
simply want to know if it's a good game, then I would even call Hellgate
a great game.
H.W.
DIABLO - THE
AWAKENING
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 wanting.
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:
$[...] 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?
*****WARNING!!!
DO NOT BUY THIS GAME**************
It has been announced that
the online servers for the North American and European versions of this
game will be going offline after January 31, 2009. If you buy this game,
you will be left with nothing but a VERY unstable Single-Player
version. You have been warned!
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