While I didn’t really follow any of the news for Hellgate: London (HGL) before it was released, a friend made mention of having an interest in it, so I figured I’d give it a try. The short version of the story is that in the future (2038), London has been invaded by hell. The only “safe” places are Underground stations, which were built by the Freemasons. So you hide out in the Underground stations, and when you leave them, you are in the demon infested London. What I really enjoy about this game is that it has an FPS side to it. While the game technically is an MMORPG (skills, leveling, story lines, etc), the fighting is FPS style. This makes it far more interesting than most MMORPG’s because you actually have to be involved with the battles. It leaves a lot less time to “zone out” while playing.
Among many of the new and different features of this game, is the single player mode. While you have to have the DVD in the drive (which is FUCKING RE TARTED in this day in age), you can play the game offline. This is one features I do appreciate (not that I use it much) because there are times you want to play, but aren’t/can’t be online (plane flight anyone?). The other nifty this is how they setup the subscription system, aka its optional. Oh yea, you get new content and other such goodies, but you don’t have to pay. Another simple features which makes the game more enjoyable is the pseudo-random nature of the levels (or non-station area’s). You can go into the same level several times and it will be a little bit different each time. There will be different monsters, you might start in a different location, different loot, even the maps are different (to an extent).
Lastly, why I enjoy this game: So far (and I’m only level 10) I haven’t needed to party. Oh yea, partying makes it easier — and there were some places I got stuck and died a number of times… but nothing has forced to party. Why is this great you ask? Because I like to solo. I like to play on my own schedule and not sit around for hours (FFXI) waiting for a party that may only play a single mission before it disbands (FFXI). I’m hoping the game stays this way, because as soon as I am forced to play in a party on a regular basis — I stop playing — I’ve had enough of that from other games. To be fair, I don’t think that will happen. The game does have an single player (aka offline) mode afterall.