Hellgate: London

"It has its faults, but the Addiction is there."

Gameplay: 6/10

I'm not going to lie, the gameplay, as it stands right now is somewhat flawed. The game was released before all the major bugs were sorted out. Patch 0 of the game was filled with minor bugs, and even a few major, game-breaking ones. However, it's become apparent through the release of Patch 0.1 that these bugs *ARE* being worked on, and gamebreaking bugs have been fixed, although new annoying bugs have arrived with the new patch.

Mechanically, the gameplay is very sound. It takes the old Roguelike formula, found in games like Diablo 2, Titan's Quest, and that old ASCII gem Nethack, and intermeshes it with the even more fast-paced and action-packed First Person Shooter feel, a la Half-Life. Damage is still entirely stat-dependent as one would expect from an Action/RPG, but stats are not quite typical. For example, Accuracy, rather than determining whether or not you hit, now determines your critical hit damage, and if you're using a gun, your cone of fire. More points in accuracy means a smaller cone of fire and more bullets hitting at a farther range.

The game, dubbed a spiritual successor to Diablo 2, does not quite carry the same feel as the Diablo series, but it does take the spirit from the online portion of Diablo 2 and apply it. The online gameplay is very item-driven. You'll always want the best piece of loot you can find. You'll always want to try a new character build, and perhaps twink your new baby with the best items you've hoarded up to that point. The game itself is very addicting, even despite its flaws and bugs. One minute you may ragequit due to a random crash...the next minute you'll be reopening the game because you've just got to gain ::one more level:: or finish ::one more quest::

The Subscription portion of the game adds on to this addiction even more with themed events. There's always something to go farm. It's not quite a grinding farm, as you can do your farming while questing, as well, but with themed event items dropping, you've always got some sort of item to go find.


Sounds/Music: 9/10.

Simply put, the sound is beautiful. The music is genius. Everything fits. The atmospheric music, the chuddachudda of the guns, and even the words of the NPCs. (Especially Arlo. When you get the game, check out Oxford Circus Station to hear what I mean. You'll laugh for hours.) You may wonder why I leave this as a 9 if I enjoy the sounds so much. It's simple. Several sounds of the NPCs are recycled through the game, as if Flagship just didn't have the time to finish it. It makes it feel incomplete.


Storyline and Quests: 8/10.

The story is essentially unnoticeable. It's nothing ground-breaking. But at the same time, it also translates very smoothly into gameplay. You almost don't feel as though you're following a single plot through the game. Your character meshes so well into the story, you begin to feel important. The story is by no means an epic tale of good versus evil. (Although you do slay a lot of demons...)

Many of the storyline quests are very fun, and designed to reduce the tedium of your standard Action/RPG or even MMORPG fetchquests or hunting quests. For example, in one quest, you take command of a small squad of Hunters and command them through the instance in order to slay a boss. It feels very much like the old Super Nintendo game, Cannon Fodder, and is very nostalgic. One other quest sends you into the mind of Techsmith 314, where you fight his inner psyche, including the Id, SuperEgo, and Ego of 314. Another has you man a turret to gun down the giant Exospector ships you see throughout the game. It's all quite fun and a welcome break from "Go Kill X Monster in Y Dungeon" that you see in sidequests. The Subscription portion of the game adds Event Quests, but it's not entirely known what these will entail


Graphics: 7/10.

Nothing awe-inspiring. Some of the textures are a bit bulky. That said, the graphics do give the game the dark atmosphere a game set in apocalyptic London would beg for, and overall, add to the atmosphere of the game. Part of the game's lack of awe-inspiring graphics are due to the game's goal to allow machines up to 4 years old to run the game, rather than require the newest and greatest machines in order to play. Nothing seems entirely out of place. Even the in-game advertisements are made to fit the game very well and mesh perfectly into the Stations' environments.

One major gripe is that the game's environments seem overly recycled. Sewer, Access Ducts, Station, Hellrift, Gothic Church, Town, Subway Pipes, it gets redundant. Fortunately, you'll be paying more attention to your inventory screen and the health bar above your target monster's heads than you will the area in which you're fighting!


Replayability: 10/10.

Well, once the bugs are fixed that is. But given that the QA team is working around the clock to fix bugs, as well as produce new content, this game will have a long lifespan. It's the addictive Action/RPG style gameplay you crave. Item-hunting, Monster-slaying, and Skillbuilding all day. It may seem different from your First Person Perspective, but it's still in tact and gives the game its addictive, "One more Level" feel.

With six character classes, each having over 20 skills, there's always a new skill build to try. Beat the game? Start over, beat it as something else. Subscribing will also net you additional classes in the future, for even more character builds to try out and added replayability.

In addition, subscribing will add more quests, items, monsters, gameplay modes, and will give access to in-game events, giving even more reason to keep playing. A game of this style never really ends, so it's not quite REplayability...more along the lines of continual playability.


Miscellany:

One of the biggest questions revolving around the game involves its Subscription. Trust me, the added content is worth it. The Guy Fawkes' Event taking place the week of November 5th, for example, gives characters items with which they can use the Marksman class' grenade skill. These items are expendable thrown explosions, similar to throwing potions from Diablo 2. You can also use them to bake potatoes! The additional subscription benefits...extra character slots, extra stash space, et cetera, are also worth it. Three characters will not suit the average player of this game. Its addictive gameplay in which you will always want to try a new character build will leave you wanting if you settle for just three character slots. The item-hoarding in the game will leave you frustrated without the extra stash space.

Also, the first person mode. Very well done. Engineers and Marksmen who choose not to spam the heck out of their skills will feel very much like they're playing a First Person Shooter. Heck, even the Summoner and Evoker can feel like they're playing First Person Shooters, but with very odd guns, like Hive Guns...or whatever spell your Evoker is casting.

Multiplayer Hellgate: London is something you may want to make sure you know someone in-game before logging on. The chat system is somewhat counterintuitive and unpolished and can be quite confusing to new players. Those venturing into Multiplayer alone may find themselves playing a Single Player game with more populated stations.


Overall: 7/10.

Hellgate: London is a game you'll definitely want to pick up for fast-paced, addicting Action/RPG gameplay if you're a powergamer.

If you prefer more casual games, Hellgate: London may offer you a fun, quirky diversion during your allotted gameplay time. It's the kind of game you can pick up for 15 minutes and still achieve something before logging off.

Right now, the game is fun and addictive, just as one would expect from an item-driven Action/RPG hailed as the Spiritual Successor to Diablo 2. The only reason for the seemingly low score is the constant problem with bugs in the game. Once these get worked out, the game will work itself back up to the 9/10 its style of gameplay deserves.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 11/07/07

Game Release: Hellgate: London (Collector's Edition) (US, 10/31/07)