Hardcore mode rules because…say what?
As I promised earlier, (and I was joking really, but…) I’m going to try to explain why Hardcore mode makes Hellgate London good. This won’t be difficult; we’ve all played Diablo II[*] And, what makes Diablo II really great? Come on, I know what you’re thinking! I’ll bet you’re thinking: “STFU that game sucks”, aren’t you? I knew it! But, the real answer has two parts: 1) rare drops, and 2) Hardcore mode.
As anybody who’s played WoW knows, rare drops are addictive, fun, and, well, pretty soon they’re addictive and not really very fun at all. But definitely addictive. And the joy of experimenting with different weapons/attacks/spells can keep you entertained for quite a long time, especially if you’re very tired or drunk. Even so, it gets old. About the time you’ve finished the game and are cruising along at a higher difficulty level, you notice that rare drops aren’t really that exciting any more. And here’s where you try Hardcore. And you die. A lot. This is when you realize that you’ve been dying multiple times on every boss. This is where the game changes. Let’s say I’m just cruising around casually whacking helpless demonic beings, and I see that flash of beige that indicates a rare creature, and the blue flash that indicates that it has a posse. In normal mode, you think “hooray, I can harvest more good stuff”. In hardcore mode, however, you think “Aaaaugh run away run away oh shit I’m gonna die“. Probably not verbatim, but nevertheless. Surviving an encounter becomes a major deal, and this turns “not being dead” into a huge rush. Huge! Surviving to level 14 and not dead suddenly takes on a whole new… what? Huh? Sorry?
Um, Ratchet & Clank has, apparently, shipped, and I didn’t notice. Got to run, I have to go buy a PS3.
[updated]
I have two more pointless observations about hardcore mode:
- It adds a new choice to the game: boredom or death. Finding the balance point is tricky. You want to advance faster and fight tougher enemies, but death comes swiftly. This is especially painful if you’re trying to save skill points for later.
- You’re continuously on the lookout for situations that could take you straight back to level 1, but at the same time, you’re forced to stay in slightly easier areas than you otherwise would, slaughtering seriously weak, helpless MOBs.
So, what, am I a total HGL fanboy here? Not really. The zones are beautifully detailed, but there’s a lot of grey, I mean a lot, and they get repetitive. The point here is that I don’t think it’s a great game, I just think it’s fun to play. :)
* — What, you haven’t played Diablo II? Sheesh. OK, well it’s exactly like Hellgate: London, but without the eye candy and with slightly more “staying power”.
