Talk about a fun game Hellgate London does it all and more for the die hard Diablo fans. Being a hardcore Diablo and Diablo 2 player I was looking forward to Hellgate London for a very long time. I was worried it would not run on my computer, but after testing out the game in beta, it seemed to run fine. In the end I was able to get a new computer so running the game would not be a problem. This turned into a problem as Directx10 was not quite 100% compatible with the game, so in the end I had to run the game in DX9.
The game is basically a first person shooter but with elements of an role-playing game like Diablo. The game is in full 3d and runs beautifully even at the highest settings. There is a single player and multi-player aspect to the game and I mainly focused on the multi-player aspect. You obviously need an internet connection to run the multi-player aspect. The game also tries to mimic the mmo type genre by adding in a pay per month feature, where you pay 10 dollars a month and get extra features.
Graphics:
The graphics in the game look incredible. Each creature has very unique features and really look like something that came out of hell. The details in each of the levels is also pretty incredible. This is supposed to be very post apocalyptic and it really looks it. You have the burned out buildings, the cars that have been burned to a crisp and even the weather effects give it the whole end of the world feeling. I am not going to say these are the best graphics out there, but they certainly are impressive for this type of game.
Sound:
The sound in the game is not one of the features that jump out at you at being the best, but for what is in the game the sound is decent. Its the voice acting by some of the NPC's in the game that really do give it that real life feeling. The sound from most of the creatures are unique, but it did not seem like anything that would really make you remember it.
Gameplay:
This is the meat and potatoes of the game. This is really where the game shines. You start out in a starting area and soon find your way to the first "town". This is where you will get quests and start on the main storyline. This is also where you can meet other people. The actual action is in a "instance" type area. Where it is unique to you and you wont see other players there unless you are grouped with them.
I played mainly as a summoner and it was the most fun I have had since a Necromancer in Diablo 2 You basically summon various types of elementals and have them do most of the killing for you. Something that I found annoying though you get used to it quickly is that you cannot use the mouse to click on your various skills. You have to use the numbers to use a variety of skills.
The basic idea of the game is you find various items and either wear em, sell em, trade em or disassemble them. The game can move pretty quickly even as you are soloing most of the content, but it can stop suddenly if you get to a particularly hard quest or area that you must get passed. The game also has some unique quests that have you doing things outside the traditional. As an example, late in the game you have a quest that has you taking control of a squad of men and completing a mission with them. The game basically transforms into an real-time strategy game.
With all these good things there are some drawbacks to the game. For example your normal inventory is way too small and you will be emptying it out quite often. Also the variety of levels that you go through gets old pretty quick and it ends up being the same old same old. Some of the characters I found to be way too weak and getting passed certain quests, became more annoying than fun.
I recommend this game to any true Diablo fan and even to those people that want a good new online game that is not World of Warcraft.
My Verdict: Playworthy!
Monday, December 03, 2007
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
The Phantom Hourglass
This first game I have decided to review is The Phantom Hourglass for the DS.
This is a great game for any true Zelda fan. I disliked Windwaker with a passion for its endless oceans and its non existent dungeons, but I decided to give this first Zelda to the DS a chance. I am glad I did. Not only is the game extremely fun to play, but most of what made Windwaker boring or annoying is non existent in this game.
Firstly, the graphics which is what most people talk about when they first open any game are really impressive for a handheld Zelda game. The cut scenes are well done and the isometric view of Link is the best I have seen for a handheld Zelda game. When Sailing the ocean the way the islands just jump out you when you get close makes you really say "WoW". I was really impressed by the graphics and hope future Zelda games look as good as The Phantom Hourglass looks on the DS.
Secondly, comes the sound which like any Zelda game has some of the best music. Now I wish there was more of the classic music, but for what is in the game it is real good. Now the only fault I could find with the audio (and this just might be my DS) is that sometimes the sound would be real loud and I would have to lower it or it would be real low and I would have to raise it. This kind of got annoying as I was traversing the open seas, but I got used to it and kept the volume below max.
Lastly, and most importantly is the gameplay The Phantom Hourglass provides some of the most fun gameplay I have had since Twilight Princess. The whole touch screen makes for a real interactive experience. This Zelda just like previous Zeldas has same type of gameplay, where you go to a dungeon find an upgrade and use that upgrade on a boss. I found it easy to control link with the stylus and making him attack by just clicking on an enemy was even easier. The boss fights were probably the most fun because its the one part of the game where they took real advantage of both screens. One more real nice thing is that sailing is no longer the 10 minute boring experience it used to be. Though there is a lot of ocean, with Hourglass you just draw your route and it will take you there. Though you might encounter enemies along the way, your trusty cannon will make short work of any of them. I found this to be much better than the way they handled sailing in Windwaker.
Though the game was extremely fun, I did find some drawbacks in my Hourglass experience. One thing was the dungeons were more linear than ever. There is no longer a map or compass for dungeons, just keys to open doors. Most of the time you are just defeating enemies to open the next door in the area. Secondly when drawing with the stylus you have to be extra careful not to mess up. There are certain points in the game where you draw various signs on the touch screen, and if you get a minor thing wrong it screws it up. The last thing that I found to be a bit annoying even though it was not the worst thing in the world. When you open a new door you have to keep going through the cut scenes of the door opening, which gets annoying after the 5th time. Now I understand that this "cut scene" was probably put in for the beginner who might not know where to go or what to do. Still if there was some way to turn the shorter cut scenes off, it would have made my experience more enjoyable.
Its an extremely fun game and I recommend it to any DS owner or Zelda fan.
This is a great game for any true Zelda fan. I disliked Windwaker with a passion for its endless oceans and its non existent dungeons, but I decided to give this first Zelda to the DS a chance. I am glad I did. Not only is the game extremely fun to play, but most of what made Windwaker boring or annoying is non existent in this game.
Firstly, the graphics which is what most people talk about when they first open any game are really impressive for a handheld Zelda game. The cut scenes are well done and the isometric view of Link is the best I have seen for a handheld Zelda game. When Sailing the ocean the way the islands just jump out you when you get close makes you really say "WoW". I was really impressed by the graphics and hope future Zelda games look as good as The Phantom Hourglass looks on the DS.
Secondly, comes the sound which like any Zelda game has some of the best music. Now I wish there was more of the classic music, but for what is in the game it is real good. Now the only fault I could find with the audio (and this just might be my DS) is that sometimes the sound would be real loud and I would have to lower it or it would be real low and I would have to raise it. This kind of got annoying as I was traversing the open seas, but I got used to it and kept the volume below max.
Lastly, and most importantly is the gameplay The Phantom Hourglass provides some of the most fun gameplay I have had since Twilight Princess. The whole touch screen makes for a real interactive experience. This Zelda just like previous Zeldas has same type of gameplay, where you go to a dungeon find an upgrade and use that upgrade on a boss. I found it easy to control link with the stylus and making him attack by just clicking on an enemy was even easier. The boss fights were probably the most fun because its the one part of the game where they took real advantage of both screens. One more real nice thing is that sailing is no longer the 10 minute boring experience it used to be. Though there is a lot of ocean, with Hourglass you just draw your route and it will take you there. Though you might encounter enemies along the way, your trusty cannon will make short work of any of them. I found this to be much better than the way they handled sailing in Windwaker.
Though the game was extremely fun, I did find some drawbacks in my Hourglass experience. One thing was the dungeons were more linear than ever. There is no longer a map or compass for dungeons, just keys to open doors. Most of the time you are just defeating enemies to open the next door in the area. Secondly when drawing with the stylus you have to be extra careful not to mess up. There are certain points in the game where you draw various signs on the touch screen, and if you get a minor thing wrong it screws it up. The last thing that I found to be a bit annoying even though it was not the worst thing in the world. When you open a new door you have to keep going through the cut scenes of the door opening, which gets annoying after the 5th time. Now I understand that this "cut scene" was probably put in for the beginner who might not know where to go or what to do. Still if there was some way to turn the shorter cut scenes off, it would have made my experience more enjoyable.
Its an extremely fun game and I recommend it to any DS owner or Zelda fan.
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