T3 Entertainment has announced that today, HellGate enters open beta…again. This time, though, the game has an opportunity to stand on its own two feet for a little while longer. Starting at 7:30pm EST, the open beta gates will open up for all and anyone who has the space and a decent enough rig will be able to play the game.

As stated in the press release…

Hellgate will celebrate the Open Beta launch with four special events to reward and entertain the growing Hellgate community - the Guild Reservoir event, the Daily Supplies event, the To Level in Hell event and the Level and Be Rewarded event, each awarding top players with valuable prizes.

Additionally, two new game modes have also been added called the Duel Arena, where players can PvP each other, and the Cow Room, which is a multiplayer zombie survival mode. The gameplay for HellGate is a lot closer to a first-person shooter than it is a typical MMO and that’s definitely a good thing. Gamers can equip various weapons in each hand and use them independently, very similar to the action-oriented MMO, Fallen Earth.

Many failed MMOs have returned as free-to-play titles and some have even found themselves overturning a wealth of success, such as GamersFirst with APB: Reloaded and Cryptic Studios with Champions Online. I’m hoping HellGate lasts long enough this time around to receive some new updates, upgraded content and better features down the road.

You can sign up to participate in the beta by paying a visit to the Official Website. Beware, though, the game’s client file is just shy of 5gig.