Hellgate: London has gone through one hell of a ride since being released in the Halloween of 2007. It has been released, cancelled, and re-released again. Whatever it was, it has created its own imprint in the role playing game landscape. This game was originally developed by the already defunct Flagship Studios and was constructed by the same people behind the wildly successful Diablo series.

Running in 3D using the developers’ proprietary graphics engine, you can control your character either in a first person or a third person perspective. The game takes place in London in the year 2038, when the city is trying to recover from the apocalypse. There are 6 characters to choose from: guardians, blademasters, summoners, evokers, marksmen, and engineers. These 6 characters are divided into 3 distinct factions: the Templars, the Cabalists, and the Hunters. Each character is capable of improving of up to Level 50. However, recent updates have made characters capable of improving beyond that. Completing all 5 acts of the single game mode unlocks 2 things: the nightmare mode featuring stronger enemies and more difficult obstacles, and the creation of elite characters. However, what makes this game special and much more fun to play is its online mode.

Going online allows you to play with other players online, wherein you can finish tasks together, fight each other, or just start a free for all type of riots. However, back in 2008, Flagship Studios encountered financial trouble and eventually became bankrupt. One of the penalties of this is that the license of this game was forfeited as collateral from the loans they have obtained from Comerica Bank. Due to this, the online functions of the game were officially closed by January 31, 2009. However, this is not the end of the story. HanbitSoft, the company better known for being the Korean distributor of Starcraft, was able to obtain the license of this game. They redeveloped it, and in December 2009, the game was re-released as Hellgate: Resurrection. This game featured a lot of updates, including new expansions and an updated level system. Then, the beta server for North America was released in June 30, 2011, completing the improbable resurrection.

The reviews for Hellgate: London is a mixed bag, to say the least. A lot of gamers actually love it. With a gameplay style comparable to Blizzard’s Diablo 2, it is one fast paced ride to hell and back. It is a hack and slash game extraordinaire. Those that are looking for a game that is simple to learn and simpler to enjoy, this is a game for you. However, this game was dogged with bugs, crashes, and other problems, ruining what’s supposed to be on paper a fun multiplayer experience. These problems aren’t completely eliminated even during the release of Resurrection.

For sure, Hellgate: London is never a perfect game, but perhaps it only adds up to the mystique of the overall game. Everyone has counted it out, and yet it stood up again. And even though the gameplay is flawed, it is still an immersing enough experience that it kept gamers coming back for more.

There was a time wherein Hellgate: London supposedly disappeared from the face of the “online universe” due to various issues. And all the gamers think that hay, perhaps it is all over now. Dead games just don’t come back to life all of a sudden. It’s just not possible. But then, it just resurfaced. Now being managed by a different company, it is now back online, with a vengeance. Just from this alone, you can probably guess that hey, there must be some interesting story going on about it. In fact, it is really an interesting story. It is a story of resurrection from gaming hell, perhaps apt because of the game’s overall theme.

First released in the Halloween of 2007, Hellgate: London has lived a crazy life ever since. This game was originally developed by Flagship Studios, a team consisting of some of the guys responsible for the legendary Diablo games created by Blizzard. Set in London in the year 2038, this game takes on a post-apocalyptic scene. Combating the Great Dark and everything else that comes in the way, this game is a fast-paced role playing game (RPG) with a hack and slash orientation of combat. Like Diablo, maps and enemies are randomly generated, greatly enhancing the game’s replay value. Battles are being waged in the war-torn streets of London as well as in dungeons. All these are captured in full 3D, using Flagship Studios’s own graphics engine. The roster of 6 characters can be viewed either on third person or first person perspectives as they continue to progress towards the Great Dark. There are 2 modes in which you can play the game: single player and multiplayer. Single player mode consists of 5 acts. Once you finished the single player mode, the nightmare difficulty mode (featuring stronger enemies) is unlocked, as well as creating new characters in elite mode. And then there’s the multiplayer mode. You can go online and play with other players worldwide. There is a lot of possibilities in this mode: you can go co-op and battle all demons in sight, go into PvP mode and fight other characters online, or just simply start a free for all and fight whoever is in sight.

Hellgate: London received mixed reviews from both gamers and critics alike. However, the game’s developer: Flagship Studios, encountered financial difficulties. This caused them to file for bankruptcy, and Comerica Bank, who provided financial assistance for Flagship Studios, seized the intellectual properties of the game as collateral. This caused online servers and websites to shut down operation starting January 31, 2009. For most people, they thought they have seen the last of this RPG. However, in November 2009, HanbitSoft, a Korea-based game developer, announced that they will release an updated version of the game. Entitled Hellgate: Resurrection, it removes the level cap (previously set at 50), new updates and expansions, and revived online gameplay. Thru the help of HanbitSoft’s US subsidiary, T3Fun, open beta testing of online play has been opened in June 30, 2011. It seemed very unlikely 2 years ago, but now resurrection has indeed happened.

Flagship Studios has developed an action role playing game (RPG) that has a dark fantasy theme. In October 31, 2007, they released this RPG, Hellgate: London. Involved in the production and development of this game are former members of Blizzard Entertainment, including some developers that were involved in their wildly successful Diablo series.

Hellgate: London was set in London in year 2038, wherein it has just recovered from the apocalypse. There are 6 characters in Hellgate to choose from split among 3 factions. The 3 factions are: the Templars who are composed of warriors who are aiming to destroy the Great Dark to save humanity, the Cabalists who are intending to use the powers of the Great Dark to control mankind’s fate, and the Hunters who are former military operatives trained to face any possible war or situation. The 2 character classes affiliated among the Templars in Hellgate are the guardians and blademasters. The 2 character classes affiliated among the Cabalists are the summoners and evokers. And the 2 character classes affiliated among the Hunters are the marksmen and engineers. Characters’ names and looks can be customized, and they can gain experience and improve up to level 50.

In Hellgate, these characters are operable in either third person or first person perspectives, exploring a devastated London infested with various demons, all these captured in 3D. In between the dungeons and battle zones, safe zones are located. In these safe zones, players can buy weapons, interact with other players, and select quests in order to complete quests. The game can be played 2 ways, the single player mode and the multiplayer mode featuring online play. Single player gameplay is split into 5 acts, in which you need to complete quests in order to finish these different acts. Completing the single player mode allows the creation of elite characters and the unlocking of the Nightmare mode featuring much stronger opponents. And then there’s the online mode. You can interact with other characters in different ways. You can cooperate and combat different enemies or other groups of players. In addition, you can make a duel against other players’ characters. This capability of PvP can transform this game into a riotous experience, and the gamers must be focused at all times to prevent being attacked and killed by some random player (except when in safe zones, of course).

2 expansion packs have been given to Hellgate: London throughout its production run with Flagship Studios: The Stonehenge Chronicles and The Abyss Chronicles. However, in August 2008, Flagship Studios have filed for bankruptcy. As a result, in January 31 2009, the online game servers have been shut down due to the fact that the intellectual properties of the game were taken over by Comerica Bank as collateral. However, HanbitSoft, a software distributor linked to Blizzard, took over the Hellgate license. The game was redeveloped, and the resulting game is Hellgate London: Resurrection. This incorporates features such as the removal of the level cap and the balance between classes was improved. This redesigned game is currently being played and a beta was just released in North America in June 30, 2011, signaling its return after 2 ½ years.