Hellgate: London's burning

Namco and Flagship Studios have released a four-minute orgy of computer-generated violence to help promote forthcoming first-person PC role-player Hellgate: London, and, rather fittingly given the fact that London's basking in the inexplicable glow of a heat wave (or at least heat flash-flood), we've mirrored it on Eurofiles.

Click here to head off and download the 220MB file.

Don't expect too much - or indeed anything - in the way of in-game footage, however, as this seems instead to be more of an opening movie type affair. Not that we really mind, as it's a very impressive action sequence that sees a pair of acrobatic commandos with swords and guns blasting merry hell out of, well, the merry hell that infests the underbelly of a near-future London in Flagship's debut title.

And since they've gone to the trouble of fleshing out their nice-looking game with an enjoyable trailer, we'll go to the trouble of ripping the flesh out of their press release and letting you gorge on it.

Hellgate is set some 25 years off in the future in a world devastated, as you would be, by demon invasion. Mankind's buggered off underground to survive, and the Templar, an archaic and secret society who figured this whole scenario was on the cards, have emerged with big weapons and shiny, figure-hugging armour in an attempt to redress the balance.

Rather enjoyably, given we live here, it's their adventures in London, using the Underground system as a means of transport (insert your own "load delays" joke) to move between missions.

There's more info on the Hellgate: London website, and Flagship, staffed by various developers including ex Blizzard types, should finish the game in time for release next year.