User Reviews (1 - 11 of 90)

Show these reviews first:

Highest Rated
Lowest Rated Newest
Oldest Most Helpful
Least Helpful

DIABLO - THE AWAKENING

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: September 01, 2008
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 disappointing aftertaste I am afraid.

Don't get me wrong, this is a good game. However, 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 unatural . 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), 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 no freezes or crashes 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: £26 is NOT all you will have to pay (yes, even if you opt not to subscribe for the unrestricted gameplay).

All in all, 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 Freemasons and Templar Knights 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?

Incredibly Fun

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: February 26, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I've been playing PC games for at least 20 hours a week since 1992. Nowadays, practically every game that comes out is some cookie-cutter version of Halo. Hellgate London is not only a highly innovative game that breaks many molds, it is one of the most fun games I've ever played.

It is the kind of game that seems simple at first, but if you invest some time into it, you start to discover great depth to the mechanics.

I love action in games, and I love RPG character-building. Hellgate excels at both of these, more than any game that has come out in the last 7 years.

The gameplay is really well designed. There are multitudes of choices for you to make as you build your character, and each requires a different strategic approach to fighting the monsters.

There are about 30 different monster types in the game, and each one is very different in behavior and in the way they can damage you. Some monsters ambush you from the sky, some materialize in hordes around you, some try to flank and shoot at you, some just charge you like a bull.

The game's level randomizer combines these monsters together in many different configurations. As long as you are playing at an appropriately challenging difficulty level, the combat is always exciting.

The game can be played single-player, but it is best played with friends. In a group, you can combine squad tactics and trade around your gear with your buddies.

There is a subscription model, but buying the initial game gives you unlimited access to the main game arc. You can play it for free for as long as you want, or subscribe to gain access to expansion content. If you don't want to subscribe, you can play for free, forever, even with your subscriber friends. Any way you slice it, this game is a great buy.

Hellgate: London

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: March 27, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I enjoyed playing this game in single player mode right up until the final battle. At that point the game developed a glitch and I can't find tech support help to resolve it. I checked it'd forums and see a number of people have a similar problem. I'm sorry, but for $50, I expect to be able have a good killfest right up to the end.

Disappointing

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: September 01, 2008
Author: Amazon User

This game was developed by the team that brought us Diablo II. Unfortunately, it is a supposed MMO that feels way too much like Diablo II, and not necessarily in a good way. For being an MMO, there is really no reason to group as none of the classes really brings anything useful to other players. There is no healing or buffing that you expect out of an MMO, just mostly a hack and slash game much like Diablo II on Battle.net. The big difference is that this game gets very repetitive and tedious after a short while and just eats away at any enjoyment you may have had early on in the game. There is absolutely nothing new brought into this game and it starts to feel stale. Being an MMO, you would expect there to be added content and continuing development of the various classes, but being a free-to-play MMO, the lack of development shows.

Hellgate London: Just plain fun

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 1
Date: March 19, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Keep in mind the reasons behind the bad ratings below:
1) Early versions of the game
The game had a lackluster release and the vast majority of issues have been fixed. Not only is the game less bug prone, it has added content and mechanics that make it a blast.

2) Weak systems
Their systems didn't meet the minimum requirements OR they had issues with installation. You can't judge a game's content if you've NEVER PLAYED IT.

This game is great. It's not an MMO. Judging it in that context is inane. It's a fast paced RPG meets FPS multiplayer experience. It is perfect for getting a group of friends together and having fun.

I'm not going to go into deep detail, but HGL is well worth picking up. As of mid-March 08, this game is more streamlined and far superior to its original form at retail launch. I've gotten about 15 friends to pick it up and not ONE of them has been disappointed.

If you're on the fence, go for it and pick up this title.

Not exactly Diablo III

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 5
Date: November 06, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I bought this game over the weekend so I've only been playing it for a few days. So far it's a good game, much better than the demo and Beta test were. The main feature I don't like is the "WASD" console style controls, I much prefer the "point and click" interface. Rather than comparing it to "Diablo" or "Diablo II LOD" i find myself comparing it to "Guild Wars", "Oblivion" and "KOTR". I've had some crashes and glitchies, crash to desktop and freeze-ups but by installing the game's version of DirectX it seems to be working much better but NOT perfect. It is a lot of fun to play when you're in the sewers for example you DO have a sense of being in a sewer. A lot of the destructible objects remind me of the Agea Phys-X effects we saw in "Silverfall", fuel cylinders explode, wooden skids shatter into toothpicks etc. The maps and areas so far encountered are small so you can sit and play for an hour or two completing a quest, you're not stuck for hours on end trying to find a waypoint in an endless area. The Quest tracking system works nicely, you don't have to fumble around trying to figure out what region you're supposed to go to or what you're supposed to do to complete the quest, it tells you: "Stricken Gardens, kill 16 beasties" then when you've done that it tells you: 'Go to Loreli Approach, speak to DumDum" to collect your reward. Note, I changed the quest info for that example so this is NOT a spoiler. I dunno that this game is worth the $[...] i paid for it but at $[...] I think it's a good value. Unfortunately it's still NOT what I'd like "Diablo III" to look and feel like. But it's fun to play.

Good but not great

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 4
Date: November 22, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Not a bad game, but certainly not going to win game of the year. The main problem facing this game, is that it was released 2-3 months too soon. Memory leaks, network issues for anyone not on the west coast, poor and occasionally rude support, and a patcher that works for some, but not for others.

If the main selling point of your game is the online aspect, and you are trying to convince people to pay a monthly fee, having a patcher that actually functions would seem to me to be pretty vital. Granted there are work arounds on the forums that work for some, it's sad when your having to rely on patches submitted by your fellow players rather than the company responsible for the game.

It's not all bad though
The Good- It is a fun game when it's not crashing, or giving you disconnects. Not a deep kind of fun, but just pure action. You do feel like a hero in a post apocalyptic world, and the modding system is intriguing.

I would actually recommend getting this game, but wait for a couple of months for them to get it ready for human consumption. Despite its problems, I am having fun.

edit 12/3/07
Game has been out over a month and major bugs are still in. Invisible party members, broken patcher and constant disconnects. These are pretty game breaking for an online game. I wish I could change the number of stars I gave this game, things are getting absurd.

Totally addicted!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: February 08, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I have been playing this game non-stop since I bought it. It is fun to play alone or with a group of friends! Just make sure your computer exceeds the minimum requirements by a bunch. This thing is a resource hog...but worth it. It does give you several options to lower the frame rate a bunch for less powerful computers. Great feature!!!

Excellent Game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: August 30, 2008
Author: Amazon User

This is an excellent action/RPG game. Graphics, game-play, and controls are very nice. I am running this on an older XP and all is well. Very fun and recommended.

fun game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: September 03, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I've been playing this game on and off since it was released. I like it quite a bit. It's pretty easy to play so if you don't have a ton of time to invest in a game like WOW this is a great game to consider. You can play for an hour or so and still feel like you've made some progress. The classes are pretty interesting as are the things you fight. I honestly don't know why people give this game such a poor review. I found it very entertaining.

Review Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Next 

Actions