Hellgate: London – we hardly knew ye.

As an MMO you were announced with much pomp and circumstance, a FPS – brawler set in a dystopian cyperpunk London where demons arose to turn the Britain metropolis into a romper-room for the nefarious powers.

Alas, it was not to be.

While I and my fellow gamers rejoiced in the freshly wrought game and the manner in which you presented it, something was amiss. I did not begrudge the amount of time it cut into my World of Warcraft. If anything, I celebrated it. WoW had become a stale, flaccid diversion. Hellgate looked promising. Hellgate looked provocative.

Hellgate looked devilishly good.

Unfortunately those in charge of your better angels forswore your development, and while 50 managers shouted and berated five techies working hours that would exhaust an Egyptian slave, the game foundered under the immense strain that was the creative ego. In the end, the game was besieged by a very different set of devils – those in management, ensconced in ivory towers.

The signs were easy to see if you were an avid player. Glitches increased, content updates were lackluster, and servers went down more often then my ex for a nickel of blow.

And that’s the shame, really. Because it was an artfully wrought intellectual property, a game forged with ingenious ideas that thrilled the imagination and enraptured the senses, for this was – or would have been – proof that there are other MMO’s available that do not require elves, tights, and reliving the worst moments spent at a Renaissance Pleasure Fair.

For nothing else Hellgate: London, I salute you and your stalwart team of grunt devs and techies for your mindful application of one’s and zero’s to make a game that challenged a genre beholden to a single motif that stood apart from the clones that now besiege our credit cards.

You were ahead of your time and died much, much too young. You will be missed.

Unfortunately, the launch of Hellgate: London in Asia didn’t start well and it has taken a turn for the worse. Crashing problems wreaked havoc on the servers early, and all attempts to patch the issues failed. This left the Hellgate team with only one option, a complete character wipe. Apparently some areas of the world have easier access to hell than others.

Official statement can be found below.

[Urgent News] Implementation of Patch0
10/11/2007

Gamers,
Thank you for your patience while we worked to upload Patch0 onto our local servers. For the past two weeks, IAHGames and our partners have worked overnight almost everyday as they attempted to implement Patch0 onto our existing servers.

In the end, it has been determined that there is no way to implement Patch0 onto our Hellgate: London servers without also discarding relevant player data.

Because of this, when Patch0 is installed on Tuesday, there will be a complete character wipe.

|We understand this event is frustrating for you, and we are sorry for the problems in implementing Patch0. As compensation, we are providing all gamers who purchased both the Standard and Collector’s Edition Box Sets 4 weeks of free subscription benefits. Each box already includes 30 days of free subscription benefits, meaning all of you will be entitled to 60 days of free subscription when the service becomes active around the end of the year.

IAHGames and our partners have taken this event very seriously, and yesterday our CEO and Deputy CEO flew to Seoul to discuss the issue with the CEO of HanbitSoft. As a result of the meeting, HanbitSoft has graciously agreed support IAH Games’ decision to provide free subscription time as compensation. HanbitSoft and Flagship Studios have also agreed to provide all further patches on par with US patching time lines, to ensure the SEA version of Hellgate: London stays up-to-date.

The implementation of Patch0 and subsequent character wipe will occur at 1200hrs(GMT+8) on Monday, November 12. After the Patch is implemented, a comprehensive test will be run to ensure there are no further problems. The process will take about 8 hours.

We would like to repeat we are sorry for the delay and the frustration it may have caused you. Please accept the game time as compensation, and thank you for your support until this point.

Sincerely,
Team HGL

Source: Kotaku

Hello, my name is Josh, and I’m an addict. The American Medical Association recently dismissed video game addiction by brushing it under the “further study needed” carpet. Had the proceedings gone the other way, gamers could have been diagnosed with a disease and treated accordingly.

Lucky thing the good doctors over at the AMA never got their hands on Hellgate, or I might be sitting in a shrink’s office instead of writing this review. Yeah, it’s that addicting.

Randomized dungeons were something that Hellgate’s developer Flagship was betting the farm on. The game would fail if it didn’t work, but I’m happy to report that they hit a home run.

When embarking on the admittedly mundane side quests, you are often required to go through instances more than once. While all that backtracking sounds like a flaw, it really isn’t when the area you just went through is completely different. There might be a blown-up tank in a snowy city street one time around, while the next may hold a different street with an epic boss staring you right in the face.

This variety is compounded by the fact that combat is visceral and fast-paced. You could be dual-wielding grenade launchers one minute, then with a flick of an F key, looking down the scope of a sniper rifle picking enemies off from a distance. After playing all the classes, I seriously recommend picking Marksman. This is where the game truly shines above the competition.

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The Neo Punk art style really lends itself well to the dark haunted streets of London. Think of Unreal Tournament’s neon lights mixed with Gears of War’s dark environments. While they’re unique and often contain some of those coveted “wow” moments, the aesthetics don’t always work.

For instance, putting Nvidia, Flagship, and Dark Horse advertisements in the centralized hub towns just doesn’t feel right. In-game advertisements have been a source of contention for many gamers over the past year. However, when handled tactfully (see Rainbow Six: Vegas) I think it can work.

I don’t care if I see an actual Pizza Hut ad instead of a generic Pizza billboard. If anything, I think it can add to the immersion. However, using the same four billboards across the game in almost all the hub towns doesn’t seem to do anything except increase developer royalties. They needed to treat this very tactfully. That said, it may be indicative of the fact that Flagship is partnered with EA on Hellgate’s ads.

Besides the product placement, Hellgate is a very loot-centric game. The loot scales from four different echelons – normal, uncommon, rare, and unique. Looting gear from each dungeon’s randomized bosses adds a whole new level of replayability rivaled only by Diablo. Also, after you complete the game you can replay the whole thing with an elite character, scaling monster difficulty and rewards much higher.

The downside of this is you have to subscribe to Flagship’s monthly service. The gist of the subscription plan is that players will gain access to larger storage compartments, guild creation privileges, and holiday-themed events and quests. If you’re at all interested in subscribing, make sure to check out the chart listed here.

The gameplay in Hellgate can sometimes change in a blink of an eye. For instance, a quest sends you out to rescue fallen soldiers, but when you get there, you assume command of them via a real time strategy interface.

You never know what tricks the lead developer at Flagship, Mr. Bill Roper, has up his sleeve. The man has one of the most coveted gaming pedigrees in the industry, having worked on such titles as Starcraft, World of Warcraft, and Diablo. It’s safe to say he’s learned a few things over the years, and his ideas have finally come to fruition with Hellgate.

A few launch bugs mar an otherwise amazing game. Crashing to desktop, disappearing characters, subscription service servers shutting down, and jumping monsters that like to rubber band, to name a few.

It’s important to note that I haven’t run into any of these problems except the rubber banding monsters. It didn’t take away from my overall gaming experience, as it happened about four times in a span of about twenty hours.

These kind of bugs seem to be a disconcerting reality with any game of this scale. Gamers who played during the WoW launch may remember what it was like trying to open the auction house, not to mention actually play the game with the servers constantly shutting down.

With top-down, hack-and-slash Diablo clones making a comeback (we’re looking at you, Titan Quest), it’s nice to see the minds behind the original put a different spin on things. Hellgate offers what precious few games these days do–replayability.

The state of the industry is such that developers don’t want you playing any one game for too long. They want to hook you on the next IP they are working on, or the sequel to the game you just played. For what it’s worth Flagship seems to be in this for the long haul. I know I am.

Is this review over now? I could have gotten, like, five Shulgoth runs in by now. Man, the things I do for you guys.

Here at Ripten, we’re nothing if not festive. As the weather turns cold and the pumpkins light up, we take a look at some games that are sure to scare the crap out of you this holiday season. Read on… if you dare! Muwahahaha!

Seriously though, we usually try to incorporate content for all types of people, even the faint of heart. But for you scaredy-cats, read no further. Just go back to watching the Discovery channel.

#10 – Bioshock
Get out the candy corn and your plasmids, it’s time for some Big Daddy ass-whoopin! Bioshock swept us off our feet this summer with stunning visuals and a unique blend of gameplay and narrative.

2k Games received overwhelming praise from gamers and critics alike. However, it was never acclaimed as a horror game, even though the narrow corridors of Rapture held more than one claustrophobic, bloody fright.

#9 – Hellgate London
There are few men I trust more than Flagship’s Mr. Bill Roper to deliver a stellar game. Hellgate promises to be nothing less. Featuring fast paced combat, randomized dungeon layouts, and of course, what every Halloween game needs– lots and lots of zombies!

From gloomy cathedrals to ancient ruins, London lends itself very well as a scary backdrop for players to adventure in. After playing the beta for days, we can’t wait to get our hands on the final version of the game. Equally scary as the demons that infest the streets of London is how fast you get addicted to this game.

You won’t want to stop the mayhem, because a rare item might be one kill away. Flagship really nailed the whole carrot on a stick mentality that all of us remember so fondly from Diablo.

#8 – F.E.A.R.
Throw in some supersmart AI, mix in a little bullet-time, and sprinkle in a dash of the supernatural and you get Monolith’s multiplatform shooter FEAR. What more could you ask for? Hell, even the little girl from The Ring is in this game!

Fans of F.E.A.R won’t have to wait long to get there next fix. The game came out on PS3 earlier this year with a new gameplay mode, and the standalone expansion FEAR: Perseus Mandate hits store shelves the 6th of November.

#7 – The Suffering
Enter Abbott State Penitentiary, where Torque has been convicted and sentenced to death for killing his wife and two children. Torque claims that he blacked out when the murder occurred, and has no recollection of what happened (with a name like Torque, it’s a wonder no one believed him).

When an earthquake rocks the Prison, all Hell breaks loose and it’s up to you to get out of there. The Suffering also implements a light/dark side mechanic, prompting you to make moral decisions, the sum of which will determine the ending of the game. The Suffering easily takes the crown as the best psychological horror game we’ve played.

#6 – System Shock 2
System Shock 2 stands in a genre of its own. Fusing FPS mechanics with deep RPG style character development, SS2 doesn’t ram cheap monster closet thrills down your throat. Instead, it gets inside your head just to mess with you.

You wake up in a deserted space ship, the Van Buren, only to find the rest of the crew horribly killed or turned into monsters. Your character uncovers audio logs and bits of the story along the way.

It’s the subtle nature of the terror slowly welling up inside you that makes this game such a success. It’s no wonder Ken Levine has gone on record stating that Bioshock is the spiritual successor to System Shock.

#5 – Doom 3
As far as horror premises go, this one takes the cake. You’re a Mars security guard doing a routine patrol when all of a sudden a portal to Hell opens and everyone around you turns into damn dirty zombies.

Widely known as the game that kicked off the next-gen era, Doom 3 made PC gamers everywhere empty their pockets to beef up their systems. Doom isn’t just pretty– few games can match its level of immersion. Playing it with the lights out at night is one of the most memorable experiences I’ve had in gaming.

#4 – Alien vs. Predator 2
You can never have enough bug hunts! AvP2 is set on planet LV-426, the same dark, windy world where Aliens took place. Dynamic lighting and strong sound design set this game apart from the rest. You really get the sense that Aliens could be anywhere.

You can play the game through as any of the three species: Alien, Predator, or Human. We recommend you play through the Human campaign first, because the other species don’t seem to chat very often, leaving you hard-pressed to figure out what’s going on.

This game was strong enough to warrant an expansion pack called Primal Hunt which received mixed reviews. As a huge fan of the Aliens movies, AvP2 is one of my personal favorite games of all time.

#3 – Dementium: The Ward
It’s just you, some monsters, and a bonesaw. Even though the DS is not exactly known for its survival horror games, this first-person shooter sets a new standard for handheld dark and scary. There are creepy puzzles with the clues written in blood, skittering bugs that make a freaky chirping sound, and some massively mean bosses out to get you.

Releasing on Halloween, Dementium is a solid offering that tries to cram as much Silent Hill suspense and Doom 3 action into two little screens. Can you hear your heartbeat racing yet?

#2 – Resident Evil (Gamecube)
Resident Evil — Simply put, Resident Evil is the definition of the survival horror genre. Some may argue the original Playstation release of this game should get the recognition, however, which disc would you rather pop in?

We applaud the uniqueness and the effort that the original PSX game put forth. That said, the gorgeous visuals and enhanced gameplay in the Gamecube version make for a far better experience. In addition to the visuals, the enhanced version also features 10 different endings, as well as several new puzzles and plot twists.

RE4 might be a better action game, but RE1 is where the scares are. This is a must-own title for any fan of the horror genre.

#1 – Silent Hill 1 and 2

OK, so we cheated. Two games in the number one slot. But they’re so closely connected that they might as well be some kind of freaky conjoined Jack-O-Lantern.

Silent Hill is as simple a name as one can give to a small American town. Just a simple, sleepy town with the occasional zombie nurse, skinless attack dog, and pyramid-headed monster.

In these games, silence lurks around every corner with a washed-out white color palette. Silent Hill 1 has you playing as a concerned father seeking his lost child, while the sequel is about a distraught husband seeking his dead wife. Both times you make a slow descent into madness as the town seeks to swallow you up.

Silent Hill 2 is the superior game, having improved upon the original in every way. It implemented very original characters while still staying true to the unique vibe of being alone in a desolate and horrifying environment. Gameplay is more focused on exploration and narrative than action.

There is something to be said about the way these games get under your skin. You can’t really pin it down– perhaps it’s the game’s stronger emphasis on character-related drama. In addition to the freaky environments, the story really adds a second layer of horror that few games can match.

When thinking about horror games, the Silent Hill series immediately pops into my head, with SH2 as my all time favorite. When I think about it the answer is simple: subtlety.

Games usually can’t afford to incorporate the same levels of subtlety seen in film and books. From the broken wheelchairs to the plates of food still on the tables, you really get a sense that something terrible happened here, and it happened quickly. The game never directly tells you what happened to the town, which really lets your imagination take over.

So put the disc in, switch the lights off, turn the volume up and get ready for some of the most intense scares gaming has to offer. Just don’t freak out too much when the trick-or-treaters ring the doorbell. Have a happy Halloween!

P.S. If scary stuff isn’t for you then please, be our guest and have a gander at this relaxing nature video…

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I would need at least three pages to list the all problems and shortcomings of Hellgate, however all that aside, I really liked this game! The aesthetics blew me away, and I can honestly say that I’ve never seen anything like it before on a PC. That said, I think the game may be slightly misrepresenting itself.

To start off with, Hellgate performs very poorly as a First Person Shooter, so I suggest that you mouse wheel out into third person right away, unless you want to experience the same boring gun animations and restricted view that I suffered through initially. Trust me, make the switch. After that, you will be faced with a sobering realization, this isn’t Gears of War. Hellgate is first and foremost an RPG, and if you look at it in the same vein as Neverwinter Nights and World of Warcraft, suddenly the combat seems far superior to anything you’ve ever experienced in a Roleplaying Game before.

Quests are pretty standard fare, slay X number of monsters, get this for me, give this to her, etc, etc. However, there is one noteworthy flaw in the quest design. Each time you want to advance the quest dialog, you have to click next. I don’t know why they couldn’t have just made the text scroll. You will find that it’s not only a nuisance, but it opens you up to a world of hurt. For example, a zombie can come running up behind you and start hacking away while you are caught up clicking through screen after screen of quest related dialogue. That being said, some of the dungeons in Hellgate London are unlike anything you have seen before in the RPG genre, as it’s quests send you sweeping through the snow covered streets of London, and into the dank mold ridden industrial complexes that surround.

In addition to the game’s epic environments, Flagship Studios really nailed the concept of twitch based combat. The actions feel very fluid, and random encounters will often ramp up to a chaotic fever pitch. Of course, none of this really comes as a surprise when you take into account that Bill Roper and the people who brought you Diablo 2 are on the job. Flagship was formed in 2003 after all the management from Blizzard North resigned due to a dispute with Blizzard Entertainment’s Parent company, Vivendi, and now it seems that the company’s future may ride almost solely on the success of Hellgate.

Click here to view the embedded video.

While Flagship did a great job handling the twitch combat, they did not fair so well in the enemy AI department. The monsters in Hellgate are stupid, if not broken, as they would miss their mark on more than one occasion, jumping right past me, getting caught in the environment, never to be seen again. This is particularly disconcerting due to the fact that Hellgate ships on October 31st. Speaking of stupid, the placement of in game advertising totally takes you out of the experience. Seeing Nvidia and Dark Horse posters right behind the main quest givers screams shameless promotion.

Problems loom ominously over Hellgate like storm clouds over London, however if technical difficulties are clouds, the addictive nature of collecting rare items and exploring randomized dungeons is this game’s sunlight. The replay value is virtually endless as every time you venture into an area it’s different than the time before. Bosses are also randomized throughout the dungeons, making it nearly impossible to know when you will encounter one, and when you do, it will likely scare the crap out.

Character progression is what you would expect from the makers of Diablo, not too complicated, with the ability to upgrade different skills via a grid like system similar to that of WoW. Hellgate also features a full scale weapon upgrade and modification mechanic. Players upgrade thier weapons with lootable mods strewn throughout the games vast landscape.

It will be interesting to see how the developers balance the new mods that will be distributed as subscription based content with the games built in lootable upgrades. Flagship has caught a lot of flack for splintering the market by charging a 9.95$ subscription fee for new content patches, however it seems that your characters progress won’t be hindered dramatically if you opt to play online without paying the additional fees.

***

Subscriber Features

Elite Mode
This is for those players that always feel a game is too easy. The demons are tougher, deal out more damage, move faster, travel in larger groups, and have more champions at the ready. Numerous tweaks to the overall balance and progression of the game make this an extremely challenging mode.

Hardcore
Hardcore mode takes away the various resurrection options. For the gamer that wants the ultimate test, try playing an Elite Hardcore character!

Themed Events and Items
Halloween (October 31 – November 4)

* Zombot – A special pet just for All Hallows’, this amalgam of meat and metal is sure to frighten and delight those players that are willing to put in the time to find all the necessary pieces in order to construct him.
*
* All Hallow’s Visage – A Unique Helm that has not only very special properties, but as well a look unlike any other helm in the game. Ghost Rider would be jealous!
* All Hallow’s Treats – Delicious and devious, these different candies do everything from temporarily boosting stats to temporarily altering the appearance of the devourer.
* All Hallows’ Quests – There is a pair of special quests available, including one that is repeatable for continuous fun.
* Nemo ~ Master of Festivities – This special NPC can first be found in Covent Garden Station to greet players and send them on their way with quests specifically crafted for the season.

Guild Creation
Buy purchasing a Guild Herald, a character can form a new guild. Characters can only be part of one guild at a time and should a Guild leader decide to abandon their post, they can pass leadership of the Guild to another subscribing guild member.

Achievements
These are long-term goals for players. The player starts with a few new goals in an Achievement Log. These can be as simple as slaying a certain amount of specific demons to something as difficult as completing quests without the benefit of armor! Players uncover new goals as they start to meet the requirements of that achievement. For example, after 50 zombies have been slain, an “Achievement Unlocked” message displays on the screen. Checking the Achievement Log shows how many zombies must be eradicated to complete the achievement. Rewards for completing achievements can be anything from reputation to tags on the player to special particle effects to items to special skills to – well, anything is possible!

Extra Character Slots
While everyone gets 3 character slots, subscribers can have a maximum of 24 characters.

Larger Stashu

Each character’s storage locker is doubled in size with an extra 6×8 section, making the hoarding of all sorts of goodies that much easier. Packrats rejoice!

Founder’s Perks

Name Color

FoForum Icon

More to come… (this will be an on-going area, as well)

posted from hellgatelondon.com

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The real test will be when the new content patches come out. What kind of items will subscribers get? Will they be more powerful than those found in the retail game? Time will tell, however with what little time I had with the game, I can tell you that I’m already addicted despite it’s sometimes glaring flaws.

It is that time of year again, and developers are ready to hit store shelves hard with games perfectly suited for the Halloween holiday. The creators of Diablo are getting in on the action as well, as they prepare to pry open hells gates, unleashing the fury within upon us all.

EA, Namco Bandai, and Flagship Studios have announced today that “Hellgate: London” has officially gone gold, and is on schedule for its PC exclusive release on October 31st in North America and November 2nd in Europe.

“This has been an amazing journey for us and we couldn’t be more proud of what we’ve accomplished,” said Flagship Studios CEO, Bill Roper. “We’re anxious to get Hellgate: London into gamers’ hands and we can’t wait to play right along with them.”

In addition to the games official release, gamers interested in getting in on the devilish action ahead of time can do so by downloading a singleplayer demo available tomorrow, Thursday, October 18th, via AOL’s GameDaily website exclusively. Other websites will be allowed to distribute the demo the following day, on October 19th.

According to the official press release direct from EA, the demo will grant access to two of the games six character types, “Blademaster, a master of swordplay and action-packed melee combat”, and “Marksman, a cool, calculating, long-ranged specialist.” Of course only a small portion of the game will be available, but with the game just 15 days away, it should be enough to hold you over till Halloween.

For more information about the game, visit the official website at www.hellgatelondon.com.