Diablo 3

This post isn't really about "Diablo 3", which has, by now, become some kind of running gag among gamers worldwide. Just like the latest part of the "Duke Nukem" series, "Diablo 3" has been 'in production' for years - and by now nobody knows when and if the game is coming out. This post is about a game dubbed by some 'the new Diablo 3', because it promises to be pretty much what fans of the former two parts of "Diablo" are waiting for: action-packed role-playing gaming. The name of this game is "Hellgate: London".

As the name already suggests, the main enemies in the game are undead creatures and demons. And, unlike many other role-playing games released for PC and consoles, "Hellgate: London" is set in modern times, so the player can choose from a large variety both of modern and ancient weapons.

One short look at the ingame-scenes of the latest trailer I downloaded shows that "Hellgate: London" looks a lot like a modernized version of "Diablo". It has the same two bubbles set on the lower end of the screen "Diablo" has - even using the same colours for health (red) and mana (blue). Between them are the fields for quick-use items like weapons or health-packs. And, of course, the new game is completely in 3D - not much of a surprise either, the 2D-levels of "Diablo 2" were even outdated when the game came out. "Hellgate" looks pretty good, that much can be said.

And in that new trailer I've even seen a female close-combat warrior! That's an unusual thing in role-playing games which define class by using various main characters (as "Diablo" has from the very beginning, making the player choose between the muscle-packed male barbarian, the thinner, but also male mage and the female Amazon as a fighter with ranged weapons). The trailer shows both a female fighter that is obviously the modern equivalent of a mage and a female fighter with two katana going for close-quarter fights with the undead hordes. And, of course, there's the loads of male fighters from huge, armour-encased tanks (which is game-speak for close-quarter fighters that can take a lot of damage and thus pull the attacks on them so the ranged fighters like mages can attack the enemies without being taken down - which can happen quickly with a mage) right to the male equivalent to a make and the agile assassin (in the add-on of "Diablo 2" a female character, actually).

The trailer looks as if the game will have a very fast game-play, which is good. It also shows great graphics, which won't hurt either. But only time will tell if it can gain that many fans about the non-hardcore role-player, just as "Diablo" and its sequel did. Good graphics aren't everything, even to gamers.