Hellgate Tokyo Expansion Launches Sept. 22

T3fun just announced that the Hellgate Tokyo expansion is scheduled to launch on September 22. As the title suggests, the expansion will bring the war against Hell to Tokyo. Here are the features that are coming in the update:

  • Tokyo is composed of 24 new levels, with new monsters, items and achievements.
  • The Cow Room and Base Defense modes will be implemented. In Cow Room, heroes will test their strength by facing hordes of zombies. In Base Defense, players must work together to defend supply bases against groups of demons.
  • Heroes wanting more challenge from Hellgate Tokyo will now be able to play in Hell Mode, with the chance of better loot and experience from upgraded mobs and bosses.

We recently took a tour of the relaunched Hellgate to check out its gameplay and new pay structure. Check out the article to find out how Staff Writer Paul "LockeColeMA" Cleveland fared as he battled through the demon-invested landscape of 2038.

Hellgate Hosts Numerous Events Throughout Month

T3Fun is hosting six events in Hellgate throughout September, ranging from bonus exp to a timed boss attack challenge. You can read about all of the events after the jump or browse through the detailed graphics that have been posted on the Hellgate Facebook page.

We recently took a tour of the relaunched Hellgate to check out its gameplay and new pay structure. Check out the article to find out how Staff Writer Paul "LockeColeMA" Cleveland fared as he battled through the demon-invested landscape of 2038.

ZAM Tours Hellgate's Demon-Infested Landscape

In 2007, Hellgate: London was launched by Flagship Studios, a group formed primarily by Diablo developers from Blizzard North. Its post-apocalyptic landscape set the background for a battle between humans and demons in London, but its developers were also beset by financial troubles. Flagship filed for bankruptcy in 2008, while Hellgate: London ambled along for a bit before shutting down in early 2009..

Despite all of those hardships, the gates of hell have reopened. T3 Entertainment, Redbana and HanbitSoft brought the game back to North America and it recently entered open beta. Boasting 5 acts, advanced difficulty levels and a new pay structure, I had a chance to take a tour of the game's demon-invested landscape of 2038. Keep reading after the jump to find out I fared against the hordes of hell!

Hellgate Open Beta Kicks Off Today

Hellgate's open beta kicks off today at 7:30 p.m. EDT in North America and Europe! Get ready to fight the demons of hell now that T3 Entertainment has brought this game back to life as a free-to-play action MMO.

The open beta will feature two new game modes. The Duel Area is comprised of four PvP battlegrounds in which players can participate in team deathmatches to earn points for accessories, pets and other items. The Cow Room will be crawling with zombies that players must defeat while dealing with a vision-reducing sandstorm. In order to enter the Cow Room, players will first need to craft a key.

T3 Entertainment will also be hosting four events to mark the launch of the open beta:

  • The Guild Reservoir event will encourage teamwork and collaboration as guilds with 30 or more members join together to earn rewards including nano shards or Palladiums on a per member basis.
  • The Daily Supplies event will run for one month and will scatter daily supplies ranging from Resurrection scrolls to Power message abilities around the Greenwich headquarters. Once a day players will have a chance to acquire up to four awesome items.
  • To Level in Hell will challenge players to level up as fast as they can until level 20. The Game Masters will pick 10 lucky entries to win 3,000 TCoins each.
  • Level and Be Rewarded, the final event, will bestow special prizes on all players who reach level 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, and 50.

Head over to Hellgate's official site to sign up for the open beta. See you in hell!

Hellgate Open Beta Begins June 30

Did you miss Hellgate's weekend-long closed beta earlier this month? Well you'll soon get another chance to enter the game's dark world when open beta kicks off on June 30 in North America and Europe!

The open beta will feature two new game modes. The Duel Area is comprised of four PvP battlegrounds in which players can participate in team deathmatches to earn points for accessories, pets and other items. The Cow Room will be crawling with zombies that players must defeat while dealing with a vision-reducing sandstorm. In order to enter the Cow Room, players will first need to craft a key.

T3 Entertainment will also be hosting four events to mark the launch of the open beta:

  • The Guild Reservoir event will encourage teamwork and collaboration as guilds with 30 or more members join together to earn rewards including nano shards or Palladiums on a per member basis.
  • The Daily Supplies event will run for one month and will scatter daily supplies ranging from Resurrection scrolls to Power message abilities around the Greenwich headquarters. Once a day players will have a chance to acquire up to four awesome items.
  • To Level in Hell will challenge players to level up as fast as they can until level 20. The Game Masters will pick 10 lucky entries to win 3,000 TCoins each.
  • Level and Be Rewarded, the final event, will bestow special prizes on all players who reach level 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, and 50.

Head over to Hellgate's official site to sign up for the open beta. See you in hell!

Hellgate's Duel Area PvP Feature Outlined

Hanbitsoft and T3Fun have added a Duel Area to Hellgate for PvP fans, and they've posted a preview of the system on the game's Facebook page. This mode allows players to team up and battle each other for PvP experience and battle points, which can be used to purchase items, accessories and pets.

The Duel Area feature currently contains four different maps and a Death Match game mode. In this mode, players have to kill the opposing team members to gain points. The match ends when one of the teams reaches the target number of points or has the most points when time runs out. Hanbitsoft hopes to update the Flag Battle and Annihilation Battle modes in the future.

For those of you who enjoy some friendly competition, the Hellgate site will show the duel information of all players. If you're one of the top PvP players, expect to earn some rewards!

You can view videos of two Duel Area maps after the jump. Hanbitsoft mentions on the Hellgate Facebook page that they'll see players in open beta, but a start date has yet to be released.

Grab Your Free Hellgate Closed Beta Key!

The Hellgate closed beta kicks off tomorrow, June 3, at 7:30 p.m. EDT and runs through June 5 at 7:30 p.m. Do you want to dive in and be a part of the game's return to North America? We've got you covered. We're giving away free closed beta keys that will get you into the event, so grab yours before they run out!

Sign in with your free ZAM account and click here to claim your Hellgate closed beta key!

For some background, T3 Entertainment, Redbana and HanbitSoft are bringing Hellgate back to North America as a free-to-play MMO. The action RPG is set 27 years in the future and the gates of hell have opened. It's up to you to fight for the survival of the human race!

Hellgate Returns to North America

T3 Entertainment, Redbana and HanbitSoft just announced that Hellgate will be returning to North America as a free-to-play MMO. A closed beta will be held from June 3-5, followed by a full launch later this year. The game's had quite a rough history, so it will be interesting to see how its return fares with players.

If you're not familiar with Hellgate, the name says it all. The action game is set 27 years in the future and the gates of hell have opened. It's up to you to fight for the survival of the human race. You can watch the 13-minute cinematic trailer below, and check after the jump for a couple in-game sneak preview videos.

The Final Nail in the Coffin?

Hellgate London is dead and it's not coming back, according to games website GameCyte. They've spoken to Asian publishers HanbitSoft, who say that while they'll keep their own servers open, they're unable to operate a similar service in North America or Europe. Publishing rights for these areas are still held by Namco Bandai, who shut their own servers down at the end of January.

It seems that while updates for Hellgate will continue to be produced in the US, it won't be playable online outside of Asia.

Hellgate London Goes Free Starting February

Those of you into hack and slash games have some wonderful news starting at the beginning of February: Hellgate: London will be free to play for at least the next year. Namco provided the go-ahead for it, even though the developer, Flagship Studios, went under late last year.

In a further gesture of support, Namco Bandai Games will provide this server support free of charge to all fans and players of the game up until the shut down date. NAMCO BANDAI Games appreciate the enthusiasm of all the Hellgate: London players and looks forward to providing them with future entertainment products.

Will a brave move like this become standard in a constantly changing marketplace such as massively multiplayer?  Whatever it means, on the First of February, anyone with a copy can now try out this game without a monthly fee. With any luck, this will make what had the potential to be a huge game into at least a memorable experience.