Hellgate: London
Diablo is back. "It's bigger, "badder", better and comes with a new name - Hellgate London. Hellgate is not for the faint-hearted because this time, the minions of Hell have overrun the streets. The only safe havens are pockets of the Underground subway where you, as one of the small group of defenders must gather to rearm, regroup and reclaim your homeland from the demons. The game comes in single player, free multiplayer and an optional (paid) multiplayer system. The last gives addition like more inventory slots, more areas to explore, the ability to create guilds and ongoing content updates. The world of Hellgate seems a lot bigger than the Diablo series but the key improvement is that it is now played out in a eautiful 3D environment instead of the previous top-down 2D. However, compared to World Of Warcraft (WOW), the environment in this game does not appear to be as vast or as diverse. Unlike WOW, you won't be spending time fishing, mining or checking out the scenic locations. Hellgate is all about non-stop, fast-paced combat - with the demons nipping at your heel at every turn. The monsters of Hellgate are a lot "badder" - they pounce at you from afar, dive from the sky, and appear out of the shadows. Some even regenerate on the fly. One of the most exciting fights that my level-seven Evoker experienced was the one at the British Museum where swarms of huge, ugly multi-appendaged fiends forced me into a corner and attacked me. I was literally pressing my keyboard and mouse non-stop as I unleashed gun shots, firestorm, spectral bolts, demon spikes while drinking health potions to stay alive in this two-minute fight. I survived, but only barely.
You can get to choose from six different classes, each of which has different play styles and strengths. The good old skills tree on which you have to place your limited skills points strategically is vastly improved, with many permutations that will keep even Einstein awake at night. My Evoker is a master of elemental magic, so I chose to specialise in fire and spectral damage over lightning and poison. If you like to make other people work for you, the Summoner is a great choice because he can conjure up an army of demons to do the grunt work. The Blademaster and Guardian are best for hack-and-slash lovers while the Marksmen and Engineer get the best guns and longest range in the game. What is really different about Hellgate is the action feels more like Counter-Strike than Diablo, since it is in 3D and you can choose to play in first-person perspective. There are very few games that can keep me playing for hours and hours without end these days. Hellgate is one of them.
