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Hellgate: London

Respecting the classics

Character classes are spread out among three factions – Hunters (ranged weapon specialists), Templars (traditional knights) and Cabalists (magic wielders). Each faction gets two classes. The Marksman class, for instance (a member of the Hunter faction), is closest to a traditional FPS protagonist, while an Evoker (a Cabalist class) is a classic spellcaster. Skill trees are present, of course. Unlike Diablo, which favored allocating skill points to a small number of skills, Hellgate encourages more uniformity in skill point distribution.

Even those who've played through Diablo's single-player campaign a dozen times have to admit that this mode is only entertaining for so long. To extend gameplay, the logical addition is multiplayer, and this is where the view gets a bit murky - Hellgate will feature both free and paid multiplayer components. First, the free component: according to Flagship Studios CEO Bill Roper, "Right out of the box, we wanted to give people everything they expected with Diablo II's multiplayer experience. [Players want] to get online free, meet up, and go through the single player campaign. That's really important to us." In other words, the free component includes matchmaking and some form of online co-op.

For some character classes, magic is the primary offensive tool

This is what you call 'Being in the middle of the action'

A (sort of) MMO

In a world of money-printing MMORPGs, it's difficult for a publisher to not offer a subscription service. Looking to cash in on the game's expected popularity, Hellgate will have a paid online plan as well. Dubbed the "Elite" plan, for $9.95 a month you'll have access to new content in the form of Elite-only areas on a regular basis, greater carrying capacity and more character slots. There are other niceties as well, such as extended support hours and no waiting in server queues.

Of course, to justify your investment in the subscription you'll want to stand out, and the special weapons and armor will ensure that your Elite character will stand out in a sea of cheapskates playing for free. For the PvP inclined, the Elite tier will have access to a full-on PvP mode (non-subscription players are restricted to limited PvP dueling).

Dual-wielding one of the unique weapon combinations

This guy needs a plan. Step One: attack!

Despite being part of Microsoft's Games for Windows initiative, Flagship Studios have (thankfully) opted to forgo MS's Live service and base multiplayer on their internally-developed hosting service, coined Ping0 [isn't that a funny penguin? - kiddy Ed]. This hosts character data, so you'll have access to your character from any network-connected machine. Elite and non-elite characters will mingle in shared zones, and may even join up in the same guilds, though Elites wield more power in the guild structure. But breaking with MMO tradition, Hellgate can be completed in its entirety by a solo player, though grouping up for co-op goodness.

Page 1: IntroductionPage 2: Gameplay OverviewPage 3: Story and Combat

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