Yep, Hellgate is back. I had no idea anyone was clamoring for Hellgate to be back but there it is– open for beta testing and nearly ready to roll. The game is going to be free to play. Honestly I thought the idea for Hellgate: London was a good one.
It just wasn’t very good.
Here’s hoping the new developer can make it work.
You can download the beta client here.
Hellgate was not some AAA game that blew the socks off of everyone, and it was certainly plauged by its share of problems in the early days specifically due to it being rushed out unfinished, but that having been said, it was hardly a bad game. It had its pros and cons, and the fact that it was a more action based Diablo-style loot fest then simply a “click on the enemy and alternate between hitting different hotkeys” kind of game was really nice.
Did Flagship screw things up in more ways than was previously though possible? Absolutely. But the fact is that there are MUCH worse online action RPG’s that were a bit more deserving of that kind of backlash. Phantasy Star Universe is an excellent example of an absolutely terrible game that has been alive well beyond its expiration date. But you dont hear people talking about it that much.
Hellgate is an example of a game that was hated not because it was an awful game, but because it was only average and run by individuals with really bad business sense. It was hated specifically because people could hate it. I would liken it to the ongoing Duke Nukem situation, though in that case DNF is a bad game. Still, the fact is that people take pot shots at both because it was easy and safe. You didnt hear anyone coming to either games defense.
If you were one of the individuals that hated Hellgate because it screwed you out of a lot of money, then I feel genuinely bad for you.
If you hated Hellgate because you read reviews about it being average, then you bought into the hype and let that ruin a game you may have enjoyed quite a bit. Lets face it, action-y ORPG’s like Hellgate, as opposed to clickfest style games, are not exactly a dime a dozen, and the game wasn’t bad, it was just average.
I thought Hellgate: London was pretty fun despite it’s flaws, so I am going to have to check this out.
Fun story. Back in ’08 I applied for a content designer position at Flagship. Got the test, sent it back, then heard “We’ll be in touch shortly.” Three weeks later I read the news that Flagship was closing up. So… yeah. A shame too. I thought I had put together a nice quest content test piece.
Anyway, yeah, Flagship screwed the pooch for multiple reasons.