Hellgate London Demo

http://www.gamershell.com/download_21548.shtml

its up but i won't be home 'til 8 this evening so i'll probably have to wait 'til tomorrow to even play it, and confirm i won't be purchasing it. i hopes its well done though as i know lots who are looking forward to it.

My first impressions, based on but an hour of play:

The demo was underwhelming, even more so than I might have feared. It's
mildly entertaining at best, much less a Diablo dethroner. Unless the demo
is NOT indicative of the final product.

The environments are dreary and dull. The enemies are dreary and dull. The
skills SEEM dreary and dull, though I've only sampled the first few of them.
Skill variety doesn't seem to have been their priority. The effects, like
barrel explosions and weapon effects are dreary and dull. The death
animations (a high point of the Diablo series) are dreary and dull. The
quests are exceptionally dreary and dull and seem to have been done in MMO
style for some inexplicable reason. Collect 10 of this, kill 2 of that, etc.
No story seems present, but that might be a demo issue.

I would not go so far as to say the game is ugly, as it really isn't.
Actually, in some ways it's of a pretty high quality. It's more the case of
the artistic direction and the randomized levels being boring. They simply
scream cookie cutter and dull-ness. The main characters are nicely animated,
though, and combat has a decent feeling when playing the Blademaster.

Also, the demo wasn't completely lacking in challenge (as some rumors
indicated the beta was), as I was killed a couple of times by unique
monsters. Not a big issue, since I could respawn with full health for a
modest sum, but still, not a total push over.

I will not say the game has no potential, but the full game either has to be
a LOT more interesting, or they will have to do a lot more tweaking for this
to be any kind of TQ/D2 dethroner.

That said, I'm sure it will serve as a diversion for fans of the genre for a
while, and I wouldn't write it off if you're starving for something in the
genre with a twist. It was my own problem that I expected a genuine
contender for the next level of hack and slashing.

There is already a thread about this demo in the news section.

http://www.rpgwatch.com/forums/showt…9679#post49679

my mistake i often just keep the forums open at work and don't necessarily start from the front page. looks like this was the case and Dhurin posted it a lengthy 1/2 hour before me.

Just don't let it happen again.

Originally Posted by DArtagnan
I will not say the game has no potential, but the full game either has to be
a LOT more interesting, or they will have to do a lot more tweaking for this
to be any kind of TQ/D2 dethroner.

I don't believe there's any need for it to be a "TQ/D2 dethroner". It's nothing like those games at all, and isn't going to appeal to the same crowd.

Apologizes for posting the same message twice, but it seems important.

RED ALERT


Everyone whom has installed this or intends to buy the game, PLEASE Be Aware you are agreeing to having your personal information, collected and shared without any consent of use.
Additionally you computer is has been/will be infested with MALWARE.

This information is my best understanding at the moment and is NOT an legal definition, is only intended as interpretation after reading a portion of the EULA on Bluesnews.

3. Consent to Use of Data. You agree that EA, its affiliates, and each Related Party may collect, use, store and transmit technical and related information that identifies your computer, including without limitation your Internet Protocol address, operating system, application software and peripheral hardware, that may be gathered periodically to facilitate the provision of software updates, dynamically served content, product support and other services to you, including online play. EA and/or the Related Parties may also use this information in the aggregate and, in a form which does not personally identify you, to improve our products and services and we may share that aggregate data with our third party service providers.

I don't believe there's any need for it to be a "TQ/D2 dethroner". It's nothing like those games at all, and isn't going to appeal to the same crowd.

This isn't about need, but about my opinion.

However, I do believe it's VERY much the same kind of game and is meant to appeal to the same kind of gamers.

Your opinion is noted.


I thought the demo was pretty good, and I absolutely hated D2 and TQ.

Originally Posted by Acleacius
Apologizes for posting the same message twice, but it seems important.

RED ALERT


Everyone whom has installed this or intends to buy the game, PLEASE Be Aware you are agreeing to having your personal information, collected and shared without any consent of use.
Additionally you computer is has been/will be infested with MALWARE.

This information is my best understanding at the moment and is NOT an legal definition, is only intended as interpretation after reading a portion of the EULA on Bluesnews.

3. Consent to Use of Data. You agree that EA, its affiliates, and each Related Party may collect, use, store and transmit technical and related information that identifies your computer, including without limitation your Internet Protocol address, operating system, application software and peripheral hardware, that may be gathered periodically to facilitate the provision of software updates, dynamically served content, product support and other services to you, including online play. EA and/or the Related Parties may also use this information in the aggregate and, in a form which does not personally identify you, to improve our products and services and we may share that aggregate data with our third party service providers.

Please do more research before you post this kind of trash. There is no malware.

Quote from http://www.hellgatelondon.com/underg…la-explanation

We just made some big announcements about Hellgate: London, and it’s been great to see all of the excited comments regarding what we have in store for our players on day one and onward. On the flip side, we’ve also heard grumblings about the EULA that went out with our DX9 single-player demo.


We want to make something very clear. We are in no way scanning your computers for your personal information or taking any personal information without your knowledge. The only time that Flagship or Ping0 would collect your personally identifiable information is when you actually decide to give it to us. Examples are when you create an account for Hellgate: London online or when you provide us your personal information when you enter a contest. The language in the portion of the EULA that has been cited is actually fairly standardized language that is used in the vast majority of EULAs for recent on-line software. It was unfortunately also somewhat broad in scope and potentially ambiguous in nature in an attempt to keep the legalese at a minimum.


This catch-all statement was included so that we have the ability to determine if someone is using hacks, unauthorized mods or other abusive applications while playing the game which spoils the gameplay for everyone else. We also use this catch-all to protect other parties offering technical support, such as our online provider, Ping0. This is a completely legitimate function and other leaders in the MMO space do it in an effort to stop hackers and provide better technical support. In order to stop hacks and cheats, as well as attempts at outright fraud, we may need the ability to scan our player’s computers for applications running at the same time as our game. This paragraph was designed to be able to allow for such functionality. It is also important to point out that EA does not determine what we do in regards to online and offline for our game security.


Also, this has nothing specifically to do with advertisements. EA has nothing do with Massive or potential ad-serving in Hellgate: London. First and foremost, any in-game advertising that would be in Hellgate: London is there to simulate how London looks in the real-world. Ads that represent this have been in the entirety of the beta, and in fact, have been shown in the game for well over a year. The fact is that we did not agree to potentially have ads in the game just to make more money. If we did not work with Massive, we would have to get individual approvals from every single company that we want to feature in the Underground stations. This is simply too time consuming and it’s much better to have the experts to do it, allowing us time to focus on making Hellgate: London better and better while getting a realistic portrayal of London in the process.


Should we elect to serve ads, they must be approved by us, Flagship Studios. We would demand that they be in-context with the game world - aged, weathered, only shown in appropriate areas, just as the static posters you see in the Stations are now. We have no interest in putting giant, bright-white billboard in the middle of your battles or having you wield swords of Brand X Cola.


Finally, Hellgate: London and all of the online play and components are controlled by Flagship Studios and Ping0. We’re all gamers here, and we’re as sensitive to protecting our personal information as you are. This is why we have spent the past six months becoming a member of the ESRB Privacy Online certification program. This means that we’re meeting the most rigorous standards in the industry for protecting your privacy and the information that you provide us.


We hope this helps address the concerns of our community.


See you online!

Yeah, but that clarification was made four days after Acleacius raised the issue. It's also not a very impressive rebuttal.