The more we play the game, however, the more it begins to feel like the very randomness that makes the game compelling and addictive also adds to the aforementioned empty-calories analogy. Randomized loot robs the game of some of its personality because there's no "uber-loot" to quest for or an orderly progression of powerful equipment that keeps pace with the player's development. As a result, there's a lot less satisfaction with killing big bosses or getting each individual loot drop when most of it will be garbage. The randomized floor plans preclude a real sense of "place." The player travels through London districts with fascinating names like "Cheapside" and "Mansion House," but upon entering them find yet another collection of generic sewers, maintenance tunnels or randomized streets with eight different copies of the same roofless English pub. The difference is even starker during the far more enjoyable set-piece story battles that take place in places like Piccadilly Circus or the Tower of London. Since they never change, the designers went all out and create a real feeling that, yes, the player is fighting in the ruins of London.

There's more to explore in Hellgate: London, of course -- we've only been able to play the single-player campaign so far -- but with each level we pass through and every identical demon battle, the constant diet of Doritos is starting to wear thin. Perhaps multiplayer will offer more charms, but as of this writing, the servers just went online. Based on our experience in the beta, multiplayer looks like more of the same because the nature of the combat doesn't seem to be conducive to the kind of fun teamwork to be found in a standard MMO or even a team-based shooter. The developers are promising to add all kinds of new content to the game for subscribers, but at launch, subscription benefits are restricted to a few minor things like additional item storage and a hardcore mode that restricts a character to one life. It's roughly the gaming equivalent of going from nacho cheese to spicy nacho cheese. We'll have our full review of Hellgate: London review in a couple of days; check back later today as we kick off our special Hellgate: London blog, chronicling our team's play-testing of the multiplayer.

Subscriptions are temporarily unavailable due to technical issues. You are still able to create accounts and all players will be able to subscribe as soon as this is resolved. For users who have had difficulties subscribing, we are investigating these issues and will attempt to resolve them as soon as possible.

We apologize for the confusion.

We're aware that some retailers have started selling Hellgate: London a day early. While the game had shipped to stores, they were not supposed to start selling copies until Wednesday, October 31st. This means that while some people have been able to get their hands on the game a day early, they aren't able to get onto the multiplayer servers. This is because we are not starting service until Halloween. We apologize for any inconvenience and frustration that has been caused trigger-happy stores. When the servers go live, we'll make sure to post a notice on http://www.hellgatelondon.com and http://www.flagshipstudios.com so that there is no confusion.


Thanks for your support of the game and we'll see you online very soon!

Just a quick reminder to everyone that this Wednesday at 3:00PM PST, Xfire will be hosting a live chat with all of you, and some of us. You can view the details on Xfire's site here.

We'll also be giving away a bunch of prizes, from free copies of the game to a Weta statue, so it's in your best interest to join the chat. Xfire is free and awesome, so really, you have no good reason not to be there. Talk to you soon!

As we're in the final hours before Hellgate: London ships off to all of you, we're doing a few more final tests to re-re--RE-check that our online systems will be as happy as you are. Expect to seem some sporadic downtime throughout the course of the day.


Also, just so you all know for sure, Hellgate IS coming out tomorrow. In fact, we just got some boxed copies in the office. Check the pic below.

US Retail, baby!

Some of the first content for subscribers will launch on Halloween with the game. While it won't be a huge thing, players who've paid will be able to find a handful of quests associated with the holiday including trick or treat missions where they can find candy that will do anything from influence stats to acting merely as eye-candy by adding flames or a ghostly appearance to your character. One special piece of loot can also be found around the game called the Burning Skull Helm that will serve as armor but is also shaped like a demon's head and is on fire constantly.

Immediately following the Halloween event ending on the 4th of November is a Guy Fox Day event starting on the 5th of November since it's a British holiday and the game takes place in London. The event will focus around explosives and some events designed around the Gunpowder Conspiracy Plot and some special gear like the Fox Flame Guards which will add some more flaming gloves to your character if you're lucky enough to find them.

Other additions include quests for subscribers to find pets like the Zombot that comes in the form of a recipe that when the parts are combined forms a little pet that's half dead person and half robot. It won't fight for you, but he'll keep you company in the small downtime between the parts where you're fighting for your life.

Some of the new areas planned into the future include areas a little outside of London. These "wilderness areas" are all about open air to get people away from the cities. One of the zones shown in concept art was Stonehenge, which in the world of Hellgate has turned out to be a pretty mighty place of power. While Hell has done a pretty decent job trying to destroy it, the structures still stand and the triptychs actually serve as portals to other areas.

Multiplayer Updates - All Players

We are continuing to push both new multiplayer features and bug fixes to the Beta. Things that may or may not be in during their review time (depending on when they do it), but will be in by launch are:

Buddy Lists

Much better and easier ways to organize your friends!

Guilds

While only subscribers can start one, anyone can join a guild. Special name colors and tags on characters show their affiliation.

Buddy and Guild Chat

Special chat channels so you can keep your conversations clear.

Bigger Levels in Nightmare Mode

These increase the time players get to spend in each area, giving the game a more expansive feel at higher difficulty levels.

PVP

Players can both duel and elect to enter free-for-all PvP Mode. To duel, a player invites the person they wish to duel into a group, and heads into an adventuring area. Duelers, then right-click on the portrait of the person they wish to duel and select the Duel option from the displayed list. Dueling can only take place outside of Underground hubs.

Players can also choose to enter into PvP mode which means they can be attacked and harmed outside of Underground hubs by anyone else that has chosen to enter PvP mode. That is, those in PvP mode, must always be ready for PvP. This is a way to have wide-ranging free-for-alls, or create your own "friendly-fire" way of playing the game.

Tuned Game Progression

Level and monster progression is more thematic in nature. While this does not affect the overarching layout of the world map, it does make each act feel more defined and focused.

Gossip

We've added loads of additional details on the people and places in the game through various NPCs in the world. This definitely helps make the stations feel more alive and provides players with more of the back-story.

More Quest Information

Quest NPCs do a better job of getting you prepared to know what you're fighting and why. The overall story flows much better, the named demons that are encountered are given more story weight, and players gain a much better sense of overall direction.

NPC Tweaks

The vocal responses given by NPCs have been tuned so that they tend more towards the serious and "normal", reserving the twisted commentary for specific player characters or in rare moments for the general populace.

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 Hallow's, 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 Hallow's 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 Stash

Each character's storage locker is doubled in size with an extra 6x8 section, making the hoarding of all sorts of goodies that much easier. Packrats rejoice!


Founder's Perks

Name Color
Forum Icon
More to come... (this will be an on-going area, as well)

Hellgate™:London © Flagship Studios, Inc. All rights reserved. Flagship Studios and Hellgate are Trademarks of Flagship Studios, Inc. throughout the world. All rights reserved.