Hellgate London: Now featuring personalized ads!

[tombofsoldier]

Bloggy linkness (http://ve3d.ign.com/articles/news/34926/Hellgate-London-Includes-Adware)

The Software incorporates technology of Massive Incorporated ("Massive") that enables in-game advertising, and the display of other similar in-game objects, which are uploaded temporarily to your personal computer or game console and replaced during online game play. As part of this process, Massive may collect your Internet protocol address and other basic anonymous information...

I wonder if any restaurants are advertised, "Come dine tonight in HELLLL!"?

[Dr.Finger]

I've said it before and I'll say it again - games that include updating, personalized ads (like Massive) should have to disclose that fact on the front of the box .

[Nura]

And be sold at a discount imo. Especially when the game is already subscribtion based (ofcourse everybody wants the phat lewt when playing online!)

[Khash]

Is anyone actually gonna buy this game?

[ElectricMonk]

with the ads and subscription and general lack of polish this seems like it should be free.

[Grifter]

Below average game, monthly fee and ads that pull you out of the atmosphere of the game? Flagship Studios is just a giant ball of fail.

I have no problem at all with in game ads as long as it fits in the game world, I actually find it beneficial to the immersion factor but I doubt anyone is going to be going to a Burger King or whatever in a country over run with flesh eating demons from Hell, it's just retarded. If these guys had any respect whatsoever for their audience they would have at least given them the option of paying (wasting) a monthly fee OR having in game adds to support the "bonus" content.

Sorry, I just can't get over the fact that these ass hats are charging a monthly fee for what should be standard features in a game of this type, add the in game adds to that and I am dumbstruck.

[Deepsleeper]

Speaking of. Does anyone have a couple of beta invites left for this? I absolutely -loved- the demo, and frankly the ads don't irritate me at all.

[bean19]

I don't like this with the monthly fees. . . then again, you don't have to pay the monthly fee and you can still play online. There is also a Founder's Club thing where you can pay a huge amount ($150 or more, don't remember exactly) and have a life-time membership plus a different colored name in-game and on the forum.

Personally, I loved the demo and went and pre-ordered to get into the beta and play more. I haven't seen any intrusive ads in the game yet. . . and that is my big rule against game ads. If they are intrusive (see Fight Night Round 3) then I have a problem with them, if they are not, then I don't care.

[Heretic Machine]

Speaking of. Does anyone have a couple of beta invites left for this? I absolutely -loved- the demo, and frankly the ads don't irritate me at all.

Whatever you say, totally-not-working-for-Flagship Guy.

[DoubleUranium]

If I have to watch ads, it should be free like broadcast TV. Charge the true price of the game up front or make it free.

[Deadend]

I think I may have seen one of the ingame ads when I played the beta. It looked like a dingy poster on a wall that had been worn down some with aging. It did stand out slightly as the colors were slightly different from the rest of the wall.

If that was one of the changable ads that I saw... I consider them to be well done.

I guess I would be cool with ads in Hellgate so long as they stick to areas they belong (streets and subway stations) and math the rest of the world... IE not a pristine poster on a wall that is blast scored and burnt from hellfire.

[NeuroMan42]

I've said it before and I'll say it again - games that include updating, personalized ads (like Massive) should have to disclose that fact on the front of the box .

I agree... with a large STICKER saying "Ad Supported"... such money grubbing BS, we already paid $60+ dollars for the game.

If I have to watch ads, it should be free like broadcast TV. Charge the true price of the game up front or make it free.

Bingo number two... make say Orange box cost $24.95 with ads and $49.99 without. :)

Below average game, monthly fee and ads that pull you out of the atmosphere of the game? Flagship Studios is just a giant ball of fail.[/I]

I support this comment due to playing that aweful load of digital crap a few days ago.

[Johan]

After reading about the broadly-worded EULA on this one, I wouldn't touch it if they paid me.

[Zander]

Played the demo, completely underwhelmed. Seriously weird as hell clipping, uninspired gameplay, unstable executable. I knew something was wrong when I walked through a rock like it wasn't there and could see the grey world beyond the BSP.

If I didn't know I'd say this was some run-of-the-mill crappy Korean game that would go free after 6 months.

Has the drop system though, the one shining light. Everything else screamed "don't buy" to me.

[Deepsleeper]

Whatever you say, totally-not-working-for-Flagship Guy.

Because if someone isn't cynical, bitter as hell, and overwhelmingly negative about EVERY LITTLE THING they are a paid corporate shill. This is why I hate net culture.

[WhiteCrow]

At this point I think the only thing Flagship could do to screw up Hellgate: London more would be to make it a PS3 exclusive. Really, does anyone over there have any idea how bad this entire launch looks, especially in light of the demo being as poorly received as it has been?

[Kem0sabe]

Why should the customer have to pay full price for the game and be subjected to in game advertising as well?

These guys have to learn how to not be money grabbing b*tches.

[bKangy]

Not buying a game with this kind of datamining. Fuck them and their shitty title.

[WhiteCrow]

Why should the customer have to pay full price for the game and be subjected to in game advertising as well?

These guys have to learn how to not be money grabbing b*tches.

If anything, it's a great counter to the people who have been saying all these years that most of Blizzard's talent and integrity left for Flagship. I'm not a fan of Blizzard's milking of WoW by any stretch of the imagination, but this is just insane.

Of course, EA is involved. Is it time to blame EA yet?

[gawaintheblind]

I am constantly astounded that new things that suck keep coming out for this game. Its like they're in some kind of horrible developer bizarro world.

This may become my new favorite train wreck.

[Shjinta]

They're fucking ads who fucking cares? you see them when you watch tv, live in an actual city, listen to the radio, and go to movies. You don't fucking complain about those? and If you do.. well get use to it, as time progresses, it's only going to get worse.

[Lima Beans]

fuck in game ads, seriously, even in sports games.

[bKangy]

They're fucking ads who fucking cares? you see them when you watch tv, live in an actual city, listen to the radio, and go to movies. You don't fucking complain about those? and If you do.. well get use to it, as time progresses, it's only going to get worse.

I don't want them in this passtime. They annoy me everywhere and I don't want fucking Pepsi ads stuck into my face while I'm trying to immerse myself in the hellish takeover of London town. This is how it starts, but the interactivity of games means I'll soon start having to use the Refreshing Vial of 7UP in order to regain HP, and then...

Fuck it, if gamers indulge them this one effort at mining your private data to sell them things, it'll just carry on. Stop it here.

[Scaryfaced]

Its sad, really. I have a feeling that I'm one of the few people who actually enjoyed the demo and still plan on giving this game a try come release. However, It's hard for me not to hate on the game with all the bad decisions coming out of Flagship over the last few months. The ingame ads aren't particularly obtrusive, in fact if they weren't repeatedly plastered all over the walls and I hadn't read about them them prior to playing, I probably wouldnt have even noticed in game ads. Still, the fact that they'd throw ads on top of a shotty, if not laughable subscription model and provide no benefit to the player just makes me not want to waste my money by supporting the studio.

I'm torn between being an ethical gamer, speaking with your wallet and all that jazz, and buying a game I honestly enjoy. I have a feeling HGL could be a new obsession for me, simple yet fun fast paced action with lots of monsters to obliterated while the loot system satisfies the equipment whore in me. It feels like Guild Wars but with gameplay that's actually fun. Still, I can't help but feel I'd just be feeding the machine and taking pay for play games in the wrong direction. Damn you, Flagship. Your ruining your own damn game for me.

[tombofsoldier]

If anything, it's a great counter to the people who have been saying all these years that most of Blizzard's talent and integrity left for Flagship. I'm not a fan of Blizzard's milking of WoW by any stretch of the imagination, but this is just insane.

Of course, EA is involved. Is it time to blame EA yet?

Actually I think EA took one look at the game and said to themselves "Hey, this game is shitty enough for us to have made it! Let's get in on it."

[tombofsoldier]

They're fucking ads who fucking cares? you see them when you watch tv, live in an actual city, listen to the radio, and go to movies. You don't fucking complain about those? and If you do.. well get use to it, as time progresses, it's only going to get worse.


Just because ads are everywhere doesn't mean people have to be happy about it.

[Lima Beans]

They're fucking ads who fucking cares? you see them when you watch tv, live in an actual city, listen to the radio, and go to movies. You don't fucking complain about those? and If you do.. well get use to it, as time progresses, it's only going to get worse.


Eh, I stopped watching most shows on tv, and wait for dvd, because of the ads. Ive switched to podcasts and sattelite radio to avoid ads. The increased ads at the movies annoy me, and encourage me to wait for dvd. And I feel like the heavy advertising in cities is pollution and support politicians who agree with me.

Just because we have a bad thing permuting our culture, doesnt mean we should shut the fuck up and get used to it and allow it to spread to everything. Some people care about making their communities, or even just their hobbies, better, and dont just want to shrug their shoulders when quality is eroded.

Fortunately, not much reason to fuss or spend much brainpower on this one, its very easy for us to vote with our wallets.

[Shadowstorm]

I submitted this two or three days ago and it's nowhere to be found.

[Grifter]

They're fucking ads who fucking cares? you see them when you watch tv, live in an actual city, listen to the radio, and go to movies. You don't fucking complain about those? and If you do.. well get use to it, as time progresses, it's only going to get worse.

All my TV shows are Tivo'ed or downloaded so no adds there, I don't listen to standard radio so no adds there, I don't consider previews at the theater adds and I don't drive around the city looking at billboards for fun.

Like most of us said we don't mind adds in and of themselves as long as they look like they belong or we get some benefit as well. To charge $50+ for the game plus a monthly fee plus the adds are what people have a problem with. I am also sure that if the game was far above the standards of what we expect this generation it wouldn't be that big of a deal but it's not, the game is average when it's not crashing to the desktop or worse.

Look at what we get for $60+ with Halo 3 or The Orange Box or CoD4. Loads of content, great sound, great graphics almost never ending awesome gameplay if you like Multi-player and a very strong single player component that holds it's own if your not a huge fan of multi-player. Look at Bioshock, the game is of such a high quality in all aspects that the at most 15 hour play time is worth the $50+ people paid for it. Even with the games HG:L is categorizing it's self with, WoW, LoTRO and EQ2 all these games offer such large amounts of content for the monthly fee most people will never see it all.

The total perceived value of HG:L is no where near the price that they expect me to pay. The only way they will change my mind at this point is if they either update the Beta with the patch they say they are going to release to prove to me all the things are going to be fixed that they claimed they were fixing months ago or release a new updated demo with said bug fixes and significantly more content. They should also think about not having a monthly fee at all for the first 3 months, then if they manage to release all this amazing content and can keep it up from month to month and people think it's worth it then they start charging.

Personally I don't think the game was developed in a way that would lend itself to the amount content needed to be worthy of a monthly fee. It does on the other hand lend itself perfectly to add supported content if the adds fit the world and said content is as high quality as Flagship claims it will be.

[Ancalagon]

This game is a crap that took 3 years to dump. it has some nutty bits in it, but mostly its not worth looking through.

I dont see why I should pay full purchase price for a game, only to spend my time looking at adverts so that the lazy makers of this game can get richer. I pay to avoid adverts, not see them.

in all fairness, I think the ads were forced on flagship by the crapmaker that is EA.

[Varsity]

All my TV shows are Tivo'ed or downloaded so no adds there, I don't listen to standard radio so no adds there, I don't consider previews at the theater adds and I don't drive around the city looking at billboards for fun.
I also live a largely ad-free life. Adbock for the internet, no TV, no print things of any description, and only BBC radio (and Soma FM...even their 'ads' annoy me though). The only adverts I see are billboards and I really dislike them, not least because they always aim for the lowest common denominator.

On the other hand, calling Hellgate's ads "personalised" is sensationalist. All that's considered is your location; it's about as "personalised" as Google AdWords. In fact less so considering that the latter are selected based on the web page content you're looking at.

Also, Hellgate: London is the shittiest name for a game ever.

Look at Bioshock, the game is of such a high quality in all aspects that the at most 15 hour play time is worth the $50+ people paid for it.

You must be an ADD child. It took me twenty-four hours and I wasn't exactly slacking. :p

[Trazzlo the Magnificant]

They're fucking ads who fucking cares? you see them when you watch tv, live in an actual city, listen to the radio, and go to movies. You don't fucking complain about those? and If you do.. well get use to it, as time progresses, it's only going to get worse.
We use Netflix.

[Sloth]

the part of all this upsets me is that Flagship is trying to get a monthly subscription off this already. The fact that it costs 9.95 a month already is sketchy for what you get. But now they are getting ad revenue on top of that? come on, thats ridiculous.

The so called founders club is even more ridiculous. I really don't forsee this game maintaining a subscription fee for very long. people just aren't going to pay it.

[Kelegacy]

They're fucking ads who fucking cares? you see them when you watch tv, live in an actual city, listen to the radio, and go to movies. You don't fucking complain about those? and If you do.. well get use to it, as time progresses, it's only going to get worse.

Huh? Radio is free, you don't have commercials in the middle of movies at the theater, and television is free. Free means we have to sit through advertisements. Games, on the other hand, cost a large sum of cash and seeing them chock full of ads is an insult. You are basically paying for in-game static commercials.

I hope companies and games that support this sort of stuff fail utterly. I don't care about the quality of the game, I just want to see this shit stopped.

[jpublic]

Wow. I'm constantly surprised by the amoutn of vitriol spewed on this site towards this game. I'm in the beta and am finding it remarkably fun, and was truly expecting this to be a popular game with the crowd on this site and the net in general - yet, I'm seeing none of that.

Go figure.

[MankoChu]

They're fucking ads who fucking cares? you see them when you watch tv, live in an actual city, listen to the radio, and go to movies. You don't fucking complain about those? and If you do.. well get use to it, as time progresses, it's only going to get worse.I don't watch TV or have cable TV because i hate the ads. Websites / city posters don't bother me much because they don't make any sound. I only see ads at the start of a movie, that's fine with me.

Yes i know there are some websites with flash audio ads. They are very rare, for now.

I'm kicking myself for buying their stock on The simExchange. -_-

[JudasGoat]

Wow. I'm constantly surprised by the amoutn of vitriol spewed on this site towards this game. I'm in the beta and am finding it remarkably fun, and was truly expecting this to be a popular game with the crowd on this site and the net in general - yet, I'm seeing none of that.

Go figure.

I'm also having a good time with it, fyi. But around this place, unless you agree with the masses, it's usually best to sit in the back and not say anything.

[Johan]

I'm also having a good time with it, fyi. But around this place, unless you agree with the masses, it's usually best to sit in the back and not say anything.

Don't let that stop you! I get torn to hell quite often...sometimes with nobody agreeing with me and a huge bullseye on me as well. So what? Don't let 'em get your goat.

*"get your goat." I can't believe I said that. I've bottomed out.*

Oh, and enjoy the game. I haven't tried it, so I have no comment on it in that respect, but I have read the EULA and didn't like that a bit, personally.

[Banacek]

I've dined in Hell. It was definitely overrated.

[jpublic]

Wow. I'm constantly surprised by the amoutn of vitriol spewed on this site towards this game. I'm in the beta and am finding it remarkably fun, and was truly expecting this to be a popular game with the crowd on this site and the net in general - yet, I'm seeing none of that.

Go figure.

I should point out, I'm *not* buying the game, mostly because let's be honest, there's WAY too many games coming out this Fall season, and frankly, I've got AAA games to play, and as fun as it is, I get the same fun from playing any other FPS game.

Yes, I'm playing a Marksman. They're the only fun class in the game.

[Deepsleeper]

Yes, I'm playing a Marksman. They're the only fun class in the game.

Huh. I found Marksman the less fun of the two demo classes, at least. Although for me anything beats playing as a mage, so in the actual game I'm sure I'd find worse classes.

Me, it looks like I won't be getting it because it'll take two copies to netplay with the boyfriend. Miss out on more decent games that way...

[Crono45]

Just because we have a bad thing permuting our culture, doesnt mean we should shut the fuck up and get used to it and allow it to spread to everything. Some people care about making their communities, or even just their hobbies, better, and dont just want to shrug their shoulders when quality is eroded.


Bingo. There's no reason to accept ads just because they're pervasive. They recently introduced these televisions in city buses here in Los Angeles that spout advertising the entire ride, interspersed with some of the stupidest low budget content I've ever seen. Worse yet, fares will continue to increase and the quality of the bus ride has dropped significantly. Keep the ads out of gaming.

[Pluvious]

Scratch this game off my list then. I've said it before and I'll say it again; I won't support ad driven games. I passed on Quake Wars, and I'll pass on Hellgate because of it. Combining ads PLUS having a monthly charge is a guaranty that it fails. Good job idiots.

[Sasori the Medic]

I will never support a game with in-game ads. I can't stand advertisements and just because they're everywhere else doesn't mean I should accept them in my favorite pass time either. You don't see advertisements in novels do you? Because they would detract from the atmosphere you are creating for yourself by imagining the characters and the worlds. It's the same with a video game. Any advertisement would just take way from the experience you're trying to create for yourself. To say they wouldn't is just being foolish. An advertisement is designed to get your attention. If it's not getting your attention or distracting you in some way then it's not doing its job.

[KingGorilla]

Does the Asian version also have this in it?

[Wyrm]

We shouldn't be paying for this game in the state it is in, and that's all there really is to it.

Flagship has massive amounts of sponsorships, and all we're seeing is a rushed development cycle and a less than stellar end result. This is a direction we DO NOT WANT the industry to go in, and we're barreling straight toward it. Every person that goes out and buys this game is telling these companies that we're fine with advertising in our games, and we're willing to swallow them at full price.

[Sloth]

I will never support a game with in-game ads. I can't stand advertisements and just because they're everywhere else doesn't mean I should accept them in my favorite pass time either. You don't see advertisements in novels do you? Because they would detract from the atmosphere you are creating for yourself by imagining the characters and the worlds. It's the same with a video game. Any advertisement would just take way from the experience you're trying to create for yourself. To say they wouldn't is just being foolish. An advertisement is designed to get your attention. If it's not getting your attention or distracting you in some way then it's not doing its job.

There are ads in some novels, it's called product placement. When some character takes a refreshing drink of his Coke Classic then hops into his Ford Explorer to go grab a quick bite at Taco Bell. That's all product placement ads.

[Sir Kodiak]

I've said it before and I'll say it again - games that include updating, personalized ads (like Massive) should have to disclose that fact on the front of the box .

I have sympathy for your point, but as a practical matter I'm not sure there's any organization I'd want to give the power to actually enforce this. Those that do have the power, like Congress, I want to stay as far away from games as possible.

You don't see advertisements in novels do you?

Most novels have pages at the start, end, or both which talk about other books by that author or similar books published by that publisher. Those are advertisements. Sloth points out some other examples of this.

[Bingley Joe]

There are ads in some novels, it's called product placement. When some character takes a refreshing drink of his Coke Classic then hops into his Ford Explorer to go grab a quick bite at Taco Bell. That's all product placement ads.

Yeah, sure -- like on that distant afternoon when Aureliano Buendia's father took him to discover ice and he immediately had a craving for a DQ Blizzard. That was classic.

:rolleyes:

[Micasa]

There are ads everywhere, and the only "personalizing" done here is to make sure you're seeing the appropriate language. It's not like you're going to turn the corner and see an ad with your name on it, telling you to buy Coca Cola.

[DrHogie]

They could replace the building textures with ads for all I care.

All I want is to be able to:

a) See what my fking DPS is for my guns (the little "98" number doesn't mean jackshit)
b) Be able to actually see my party members in the instance (5% of the time I can see my party members. 50% of the time I can see their name above them, but not them. 45% of the time I can't see my party members at all.)
c) Have my engineer drone work the way it's supposed to (i.e. not lose the equipment I give it)

I've been in the beta for a few days now. The fact that these showstopping bugs still exist and they're releasing the game in 10 days tells me everything I need to know. If I do buy it, it's going to be a month or three after launch. Simply put: There's way too many games that the devs actually have their shit together fighting for my gaming time. As fun as the core game could be (and don't get me wrong -- past all the bugs and other crap, there's an addictive-as-hell gameplay worthy of the Diablo name there) -- it's nowhere near ready for release.

[lockwoodx]

I agree... with a large STICKER saying "Ad Supported"... such money grubbing BS, we already paid $60+ dollars for the game.



Bingo number two... make say Orange box cost $24.95 with ads and $49.99 without. :)



I support this comment due to playing that aweful load of digital crap a few days ago.



It's an EA game after all. Flagship Studios won't see a dime from retail sales or the advertisments. The subscriptions are the only way they will break even.

[lockwoodx]

Does the Asian version also have this in it?

The Korean version was the first to have them accually.

[Grifter]

It's an EA game after all. Flagship Studios won't see a dime from retail sales or the advertisments. The subscriptions are the only way they will break even.

That's disgusting if it's true, and if the game was better I almost would rather torrent it and pay the monthly fee, that way Flagship gets the cash an EA doesn't...maybe in a few months it will be worth it. Anyway, that doesn't mean Flagship should release a sub par title. Besides, it's their fault for signing a deal with EA, any company who willingly joins the Borg and gets screwed because of it deserves it.

[lockwoodx]

That's disgusting if it's true, but that doesn't mean Flagship should release a sub par title. It's also their fault for signing a deal with EA, any company who willingly joins the Borg and gets screwed because of it deserves it.

Oh yeah. They deffinatly deserve it allright and as somebody else said all ready this will be a great trainwreck to watch. Their community manager is Tiggs from SOE's SWG. Considering all the spin and damage controll this game needs to be a success they hired an expert.

[KingGorilla]

The Korean version was the first to have them accually.

Is Massive then partnered directly with Flagship on this, or does Namco have a deal with them? Because Namco is handling the publishing and distribution on that end.

[laggerific]

Bingo. There's no reason to accept ads just because they're pervasive. They recently introduced these televisions in city buses here in Los Angeles that spout advertising the entire ride, interspersed with some of the stupidest low budget content I've ever seen. Worse yet, fares will continue to increase and the quality of the bus ride has dropped significantly. Keep the ads out of gaming.

They recently put in these weird ads in BART around SF, they are like frames of film that exist in-between stops. I think the lighting of the train makes it appear like a really low framecount video clip...either that or its supposed to attract ones eyes. I find it annoying for many reasons, although slightly clever, but really, I would just rather stare into the dark recesses of the underground and not be bothered. I'm waiting for them to start beaming ads into my dreams.

[DubiousQuality]

We shouldn't be paying for this game in the state it is in, and that's all there really is to it.

Flagship has massive amounts of sponsorships, and all we're seeing is a rushed development cycle and a less than stellar end result. This is a direction we DO NOT WANT the industry to go in, and we're barreling straight toward it. Every person that goes out and buys this game is telling these companies that we're fine with advertising in our games, and we're willing to swallow them at full price.

I still don't understand why some are calling Hellgate rushed. Its been in development for what? 4 or 5 years? Considering it has graphics and AI from about 4-5 years ago and is basically a diablo 2 cut and paste job I'm not even sure why Roper went out and started his own company. Since HG:L screams "I'm a Blizzard title" as loud as it can. It'd been just as well if he just stayed at Blizzard at this rate.

[Returner]

They're fucking ads who fucking cares? you see them when you watch tv, live in an actual city, listen to the radio, and go to movies. You don't fucking complain about those? and If you do.. well get use to it, as time progresses, it's only going to get worse.

i do, i hate ads real world or not.

[Hemalin]

I still don't understand why some are calling Hellgate rushed.
It's 2 weeks before the game is released and the beta and demo are filled with bugs. Didn't someone say they are doing a day one patch too?

[Stooby]

One thing I have to say about this game, if it gets better review scores than Auto Assault from anyone I am boycotting whoever provided that review. At least 95% of the stuff in this game is ripped directly from Auto Assault, and it isn't even made prettier.

Seriously, Hellgate: London is Auto Assault on foot.

[GrinR]

*cough* Tabula Rasa *cough*

[NeuroMan42]

I still don't understand why some are calling Hellgate rushed. Its been in development for what? 4 or 5 years? Considering it has graphics and AI from about 4-5 years ago and is basically a diablo 2 cut and paste job I'm not even sure why Roper went out and started his own company. Since HG:L screams "I'm a Blizzard title" as loud as it can. It'd been just as well if he just stayed at Blizzard at this rate.

They are "one-trick ponies" without a doubt. After playing the game I think they just took the Development documents and randomly changed names of NPCs and items. The worse thing was the color aura around different monsters, just like in Diablo. They didn't even TRY to make a damn game.

[Ancalagon]

They are "one-trick ponies" without a doubt. After playing the game I think they just took the Development documents and randomly changed names of NPCs and items. The worse thing was the color aura around different monsters, just like in Diablo. They didn't even TRY to make a damn game.

I agree. Everything I've seen says they didnt even bother thinking of different premises, or new gameplay dynamics, or new story ideas, or new quest ideas, or new... anything.

the quests are all recycled, again we have a demon invasion, we have two factions - good and evil, the user is faced with no choices (ie they could choose whether to embrace the evil to defeat, to embrace technology, or embrace nature), they cant choose factions (some might like to side with the demons? some might want to nuke the city).

titan quest gives you a portal stone, which means free unlimited town portals. in hgl, we are still reliant on town portal scrolls, albeit with different graphics. they didnt even think of anything new for that. maybe I'd like to develop the power to fly over the city? oh no, change is bad.

this whole game shows lack of creativity, and a lot of lets-milk-diablo-for-money. Its just Diablo 2 with guns. Thats all. Its not even as good as Diablo, sadly.

Well, I wont miss it. EA can keep their game, I'll keep my money. maybe next time they should, I dunno, do something creative. at least if it fails they can always say they tried their best. with this, when HGL fails, they have to admit they tried to clone their own game, and failed.

[DrHogie]

Again -- I'd have no problem at all with a Diablo II remake that gets support.

I just want the damn game to work.

Which it doesn't.

[DubiousQuality]

It's 2 weeks before the game is released and the beta and demo are filled with bugs. Didn't someone say they are doing a day one patch too?

Thats Flagship's problem, its not like they had a 18-24 month dev cycle, the title has been in development hell for a good 4+ years. People can blame EA all they want. They were incapable of innovating with Diablo2 way back when, the're still incapable of doing it now with Hellgate. I still stand by my in the minority opinion that Blizzard is the most over rated dev in the biz.

I would have thought that starting a new studio may have changed things but its quite apparent that core ex blizzard staffers do the same thing over and over ad nauseam.

[KingGorilla]

They are "one-trick ponies" without a doubt. After playing the game I think they just took the Development documents and randomly changed names of NPCs and items. The worse thing was the color aura around different monsters, just like in Diablo. They didn't even TRY to make a damn game.

I would not go all that far, So far the game has been highly underwhelming, in beta and demo form. For me, it says a lot that WoW is good enough for me to keep playing and giving fuck all about lore and story. Guild Wars cannot say this, though for a few hours a month Titan Quest can. Hellgate has the feeling, like so much else of "same game." Pull the camera out a bit to third person, great, I played this 10 years ago. Maybe Bill should have made an RTS.

[lockwoodx]

Is Massive then partnered directly with Flagship on this, or does Namco have a deal with them? Because Namco is handling the publishing and distribution on that end.

No clue but the korean build was the first time in game ads were leaked to the public.

http://www.hellgateguru.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4040&highlight=game+ads

It's 2 weeks before the game is released and the beta and demo are filled with bugs. Didn't someone say they are doing a day one patch too?

Yes it's called "patch 0" and mostly full of spin.

http://www.hellgatelondon.com/underground/subscribers-and-patch-0

[Ancalagon]

In support of the in game ads, I will say that seeing as how London underground stations are literally plastered with them, it almost makes sense, and adds to the feeling in the station.

That being said, the real purpose of the ads is not to add realism, but to add money to EA's pockets, while expecting us to pay full purchase price for a bungled remake of a popular game with one twist.

[Telefrog]

Didn't we talk about the in-game ads a while ago? Why is this news to people now?

[KingGorilla]

Didn't we talk about the in-game ads a while ago? Why is this news to people now?

People need to get up in arms and toss on tinfoil hats over things that they are ignorant of or completely misconstrue. Look at the PC thread where the EULA, section 4 I believe, is discussed.

[Phanto]

As I said before they should make 2 versions of the game: one with ads at a lower price and the other ads free with the standard regular price.

[KingGorilla]

Why? Because bandwidth, servers, and content development are all free?

[Telefrog]

Why? Because bandwidth, servers, and content development are all free?

I have no problem with them doing one or the other. Doing both just sucks. If someone pays for the subscription, they shouldn't have to deal with the ads.

Diablo 2 has ads in the lobby/browser portion of the game (they're mostly about other Blizzard products) but not in-game. They also aren't dynamically updated and 'targeted' to your zip code, and the game is free to play online with no gimping for non-subscribers.

All around, this is just a bad decision.

[lockwoodx]

I have no problem with them doing one or the other. Doing both just sucks. If someone pays for the subscription, they shouldn't have to deal with the ads.

Diablo 2 has ads in the lobby/browser portion of the game (they're mostly about other Blizzard products) but not in-game. They also aren't dynamically updated and 'targeted' to your zip code, and the game is free to play online with no gimping for non-subscribers.

All around, this is just a bad decision.

Amen. You summed it up exactly.

[KingGorilla]

I have no problem with them doing one or the other. Doing both just sucks. If someone pays for the subscription, they shouldn't have to deal with the ads.

Diablo 2 has ads in the lobby/browser portion of the game (they're mostly about other Blizzard products) but not in-game. They also aren't dynamically updated and 'targeted' to your zip code, and the game is free to play online with no gimping for non-subscribers.

All around, this is just a bad decision.

How about immersion? Folks often say that they would notice something was wrong if there were no ads in Madden. Wouldn't you know that something was wrong if there were not ads in the London Tubes? Not every game can be GTA with all of the groaner ads peppering the city.

[Lord Dongkey]

Sadly, I think I'm fundamentally opposed to a lot of things with this game. Up front purchase price? Ok, I'll pay it. Subscription price to get access to the harder difficulty? Um, fuck you. In-game ads that I don't have a choice about tacked on with subscription price to get access to a feature D2 had years ago?

Maybe we should all reinstall D2 and LAN that instead. HGL isn't bad, it's just not that good, all things considered. Not good enough to tear me away from all the other games this fall, and that's what they need to be doing.

[MrE]

I, for one, enjoy the game for what it is. I've been playing the beta for some time. That said, both in game ads and a $10 a month fee to play with unlocked content is utter BS. I predict that either:

a) the monthly fee will drop in half within 6 months
b) the monthly fee gets dropped due to cancellations
c) a lawsuit will be triggered due to the in game ads not being disclosed

I'm going to go run off and pick up a bag of popcorn to watch this train wreck come October 31st. I guess this train is going to hell...