Hellgate Guru

For the second plate of the five course dinner that is their Hellgate: London Week, 1UP.com has shared a three-page rundown of the game’s six classes along with 17 fresh screenshots of each faction in action, demonstrating how Hellgate: London ushers in “A New Era For Action RPGs”.

So it happened that ridding the streets, sewers, and the rest of London from demonic infestation also wiped away any misgivings about Hellgate’s ability to usher in a renaissance for action-RPGs. Our extended time allowed us to really dig in and realize that the game finally seems ready to present a coherent vision of itself, and that’s helped replace our concerns with respect for what appears to be a potential masterpiece from practiced masters of their craft. Where other games ham-handedly overplay inside jokes, or try to hard to interject funny moments, Hellgate effortlessly pulls them off…

…That comfortable confidence permeates every part of the game now. Without even noticing, you slip into it, and are playing like you’ve been doing it for years. And once ensnared, everything moves along so smoothly: leveling, introduction to new areas, acquisition of new gear and weapons, quest structure. It all interweaves into a complex web, but one you never get lost in or feel overwhelmed by. It strikes a remarkable balance of presenting a number of options and layers of depth, while keeping that immediacy of just being able to hop in and start taking out demons. Diablo fans will recognize the familiar pull…and for those who haven’t experienced it before, beware.

Now there’s some fine praise-singing.
– Scaper-X