Hellgate: London satisfies Diablo cravings

By Robin Torres
Every time Blizzard sneezes, I think Diablo 3 is coming, but now that I have tasted a little of Hellgate: London, my Diablo needs have been satisfied. Yes, it's buggy, but if you tried to get on Battle.Net for Diablo 2 updates when it was first released, you ran into huge issues for a few days there, too.

Other than the lore, what do you look for in a Diablo game?

  • Demons? Check.
  • Undead? Check.
  • Basic combat archetypes? More to choose from without an expansion.
  • Intuitive and innovative UI? Check. Check. (Though the spousal unit disagrees.)
  • Cutting edge graphics? Check.
  • Story quests and side quests? Again, more to choose from out of the starting gate.
  • Grid inventory screen for creative item arranging? Check.
  • Single player and online multiplayer options? Checky McCheckerstein.

It is obvious that the core creators of the Diablo series created Hellgate: London by the very familiar gameplay, look and feel of the game. There are differences of course. Hellgate: London is a 3D world that pushes the current technology. It is set in an alternate future of Earth instead of a fantasy D&D derivation, making the setting and in-game technology vastly different from the Diablo world.

If and when Diablo 3 is released, I will be there with bells on. Until then, I will be happily questing for people who live in subway stations and helping make London safe for the living, while still remembering the dead.

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