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Dear Ex-Diablo 2 Vets...
Netzoko
Member Posts: 1,271
I want you to be perfectly honest with me....
Does HellGate:London give that same magic feel that Diablo 2 once did?
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Comments
Errr that would be a yes ! this game Rocks big time !
This is Diablo 3 in all but name 
you might want to check out a few other forum posts before running out to buy this @#$%.
I uninstalled the hellgate demo after 30 mins , diablo2 i still play to this day,
wait for diablo3 , let blizz do their magic. (hopefully)
Well, heard that most of the D2 devs left Blizz and worked on HG.
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The game is better than diablo 2 but not as good as diablo 1.
Short answer: Yes.
Long answer: Been playing it till level 15... Starting with level 10 things do get a lot faster. You get almost hypnotically drawn into "just one more level, just one more run..." The game does rock
The gameplay is Diablo-like. Where in "normal" RPGs and FPSs you get a handful of mobs here you have waves - once you realize how overpowered you are in comparison to a single mob you stop measuring your steps and just plow forward to see how many you can take on and survive (a good soundtrack - 50's rock'n'roll in my case
- does wonders for the atmosphere)... until you run into a boss when the real fun starts.
Level variety: well the game's colors are on the gloomy darkish side to be honest (maybe a bit too much, i'd love some brightly lit surreal levels, future expansions maybe.. Far Cry did a good job of creating the feeling of menace in a tropical paradise setting) and some trepeating tiles may get on your nerves. However as of lvl 15 I've seen some pretty impressive "different" levels - the British Museum, an abandoned park full of zombies and a huge battle between NPCs and masses of mobs (similar to Act5 in D2 but much faster!)
As for bugginess - I havent seen anything serious (if at all). There must be something we're missing here since some people are bashing the game heavily on account of this. Dunno, it may be Vista problems or differences between EU and US versions/servers.. I am playing on a strong rig on Win XP and EU server without a subscription (yet
)
All the magic left Blizzard with Blizzard North. WoW 's steady decline after release (Bliz North left shortly before that) is a case in point.
Flagship Studios was founded (and is now run) by Blizzard North guys who had to change the name of their studio after leaving.
As for Diablo 3 itself, Mythos is the second game from FSS (beta atm) which is to be (hopefully) free to play. According to FSS this will be the official sequel to Diablo 2... or as official it can get since Blizzard leeches hold the rights to "Diablo" name.
Go to www.mythos.com and sign up for beta. Ppl playing it are still under NDA but they do tend to glow with a self-satisfied smugness which can only bode well for the game.
Well, heard that most of the D2 devs left Blizz and worked on HG.
Not most all of them. Blizzard North no longer exists. The developers that worked at Blizzard North were a development company and made Diablo 1 before Blizzard even bought them out. Blizzard then purchased that company and renamed it Blizzard North. When the Blizzard North guys quit Blizzard cancelled some previously unannounced projects that Blizzard North was working on. The rumor is that one of these was Diablo 3 or a Diablo MMO.I seriously doubt we will EVER see another Diablo game from Blizzard, as Blizzard North was the entire team behind the series.
Currently playing:
LOTRO & WoW (not much WoW though because Mines of Moria rocks!!!!)
Looking Foward too:
Bioware games (Dragon Age & Star Wars The Old Republic)
The HGL single player demo is vastly different than the beta/retail game. Anyone that bases their opinion on the game based on the demo is simply getting the shaft.
They messed up by making the demo so limiting.
Is it like diablo? It's got that addicitve one more level / one more quest / a few more items quality to it FOR SURE!
I have to agree with this post. It may not be exactly the same as Diablo 2, but it's got the same spirit.
Yes, let blizz do their magic. Wait, blizz doesn't have the crew who made diablo or diablo 2 anymore.
Yeah, this game is truly the spiritual successor to diablo2. It is a great feel, and has the fast paced action you look for in an action rpg.
The entire time i've been playing this game... I've been either marveling over the beauty of this game, because it is amazingly detailed, or I've been looking and saying... this IS Diablo3....
It definitly has the feeling of, one more quest, one more item, one more monster, etc. It takes you away from the feeling that MMO's have sunk you into, of only 1 monster at a time, and back to Diablo where you want to see how many you can kill at the same time.
This Talent Tree is kinda limited.... but what it does... is that it makes you THINK about what to put your skills into. In Diablo2... there were skills you just WOULD NEVER max out on.... Improved Leap anyone? In HGL, every talent can be useful, and you realize that at the very beginning of the game. So you have to choose, and specialize.
I like how they modernized the game, and have magic etc, in it as well... it's pulled off perfectly.
Yes, same feeling of emptiness with an intensive shaking of your right hand fingers.
REALITY CHECK
I never played diablo and didn't hear about this game until about 2 days before release, and so far it's really great. I haven't grouped but single player is really fun, fast and can be intense even on my really old x600 radeon powered computer. Only thing I wish was that there was more grouping and respecs. Respecs some think are lame but I'd like to only have to level up 6 characters rather than who knows how many. Maybe they will let subscribers respec
But I digress...
The game is great for me anyways. The atmosphere the game gives off is awesome, with higher graphics I'm sure it'd be even better. First time in some dungeons it reminded me a little of Resident Evil, hope they keep that up. With people subscribing it gives them a reason to keep improving the game, so it should clear up some of the problems that people bring up.
Mythos is the real sequel to Diablo 2, but it still shares the same engine as HGL.
Whenever Mythos is finished it will be a great game.
The large battle between NPCs and mobs you mentioned is called Mellinium Battle, and is definitely the point in the game (it's in Act 2) where I knew I was completely, and utterly hooked.
To answer the OP's question, I'm not too sure if this game gives the SAME magic feeling that D2 did. It's a different game. But it DOES definitely give a magic feeling. It's easily the most fun i've had since D2.
Does this game bring back the magic of Diablo 2, you bet your ass it does. It has been years since I talked s*** to the npcs in a game. Yet, when I got bone spear on my evoker I know I was hooked when I was all like:
'come on baby that's right single file now bam, ha ha ha ha!'
If you're an evoker you know what I'm talking about.
Honestly, no, it doesn't. I'm an avid fan of this game and was of Diablo 2, but they're incredibly different from one another. In Diablo 2, you have very little control of how you fight with your character. Hellgate gives you a LOT of control. The combat is much more fun and intense in Hellgate, but unfortunately, you don't have as many choices in skills...
Another thing worth mentioning is that I played Diablo 2 to collect loot. I'd make runs on several bosses and throw all shiny uniques into mules. Hellgate hasn't yet given me the feel that I should collect some rare items... maybe that's due to me only being level 16 or so, or maybe the game itself has less focus on shiny uniques. Hellgate is just fun due to its insane combat and the incredible control it gives you over how you play your character.
Well, that's my take on it :P
Yes it does.
I agree with the people who writes HG has the same feeling as D2 had.
The biggest positive thing that D2 didn't have, is that they will keep about 40% of the development team to futher improve/expand the game and fight cheaters.
This of course is why they made an optional subscription plan, which I gladly pay.
Something we all missed in Diablo 2....
Bah, I was going to write an essay here but instead I will only tell you that I played D2 for several years for 15-18h per day, I ate D2, breathed D2 and I crapped D2, and most certainly destroyed my life over D2.
And my answer is a clear No.
There, I was honest :]
Diablo II was well-polished. HGL has an awkward story, interface, and overall feel.
The combat in HGL is irresponsible, quirky, and tends to disobey the rules of gaming (exploding fuckers that sneak up behind you, snipers that you must memorize, etc). If you can see through the special effects you will notice a complete lack of tactics. WoW has already perfected what HGL is trying to do, which is scary.
Diablo II was so fun you could play it single player.
EA was pushing for a Halloween release though they probably should of waited till Christmas. This made the game miss out on some key features more then likely but Flagship Studios will more then likely add these key features just give it some time. the actual combat mechanics are a lot funner then D2 imo. Theres been 2 Special Holiday events accessable to all levels in 1 week. I'm expecting this to surpass D2 once its polished.
Yeah well I've played diablo2 nearly since it came out..
Hellgate london gives me some similiar feelings like diablo series did (Since it has same people involved who made them) .. but it just doesnt feel the right thing.. (diablo3
*)
Well I kinda like Hellgate london but yet I'd love to see diablo3 .. just.. please.. ANNOUNCE IT!
Mythos feels like a tesgame for HGL, they made mythos to test everything that HGL has, the way instances and everything work, im guessing mythos will die quick if its ever gonna be released^^