.hack: G.U., Vol.3: Redemption Review

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(More customer reviews)With seven games to this series, and an inexhaustible supple of anime, film, toys, etc., the Dot Hack series has reached the heights of longevity shared by very few RPG's.Final Fantasy is the undeniable owner of the title, both in terms of number of episodes and sheer quality, but Dot Hack will always be a contender.And more to the point, a lot of fun as well.The premise of these games is that a multi-player online fantasy game can become larger than life and that threats within the game can endanger the real world.The first 4 games in this series were based on Kite, a young player who finds himself caught up in the game beneath the game.This set of games established the basic pattern - basically a dungeon game with a number of sidequests,

This second series - 'G.U.' - continues this pattern, this time centered on a new set of characters led by Haseo.Haseo, seeking vengeance for the loss of his girlfriend as become an avid killer of player killers whose nickname is 'The Terror of Death.'One of the things that make the three 'G.U.' an improvement over the original games is the strong element of character depth and development.Haseo starts out unlikable and, as the conflict with the viral AIDA develops, becomes more the responsible leader and hero and less the bitter killer.By the end of the game there are some twenty characters that Haseo can team with, oppose AIDA with, or even propose to.

Along with the quality of character the storyline has become more detailed and logical.And the character enemies have become more interesting as well.This last stanza carefully ties many of the threads together.The game uses the interactions in the game, in addition to resources in the computer interface such as emails and discussion groups, to drive the plot forward.In fact, one of the most noticeable flaws in the game is that faithfully reading your emails will drive the story forward faster than you want to go.Of course, this is one of the few games that will let you play all the sidequests after the main story completes but I found this a bit unsatisfactory.But there is a lot of gameplay here in any case.

The game offers a considerable number of sidequests and internal games to keep anyone happy.There's a fight card game where you can go on quests for special cards and challenge other players.There's motorcycle races and arena fights.All of this in addition to the find every one thing or another quests.There is a enough game time here to play until you are senseless.Since this is the last in a long series most of you know what to expect and I promise you that that is exactly what you will get.If you are new to the series I suggest you track down at least the previous two games if you want to understand the plot and the characters.

Now, what should I do until .hack starts up once again?

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Product Description:
The final installment of the exciting .hack//G.U. trilogy logs players back into The World and answers all of their burning questions. In the year 2017, the most popular game is a MMORPG called The World.Some players have found out the hard way that The World can be a dangerous place, with people falling into comas in real life after their characters are killed in the video game.The servers have been infected, so login at your own risk. In .hack//G.U. Vol. 3: Redemption, the evil entity infecting servers of the game have broken free and are reaking havoc in the real world.Haseo and his friends must ask themselves if they can make the ultimate sacrifice in order to save the world.

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.hack: G.U., Vol. 1: Rebirth Review

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(More customer reviews)I fell in love with the original Dot Hack series of games (Infection, Mutation, Outbreak and Quarantine) and when I heard they were coming out with a new series, I was very happy!I went out and bought the game the day it came out, and I have to say, I'm greatly impressed.

First off, the graphics are good.They're not the best, as Valkyrie Profile: Silmeria and Final Fantasy 12 are slightly newer with better graphics, but they don't completely suck.

Sound is pretty good too, but it gets very repetetive after a few hours of gameplay.The combat sounds are exciting and "pop", but the background music gets on your nerves.Especially the background music when you're in the first town, "Mac Anu", gets stale so fast.

The controls are easy to pick up.The R1 button can now be assigned different skills so, unlike in the first games, you don't have to open several menus just to use an attack skill.Sadly enough, though, you cannot assign healing spells to the R1 button.The camera control is somewhat better than the last game, but I feel it still needs work.

The voice acting is decent at best.Most of the characters show little emotion, or over-react their emotion to the point of making it rediculous.Just wait till you meet Gaspard, and you'll know what I'm talking about... The main hero is also rediculously one sided, getting frustrated at each and every event trigger in the game, and often for stupid reasons.If its supposed to portray how gamers react in an MMORPG, its completely off the ball, at least as far as I've seen (been playing Guild Wars and World of Warcraft for about two years.)

There are TONS of stuff to do in this game too.You can become part of a number of guilds, which opens various options to you as a player, such as special shops that allow you to make creative items, access to a faster mode of transportation, etc.You can also do a number of fun and interesting, if not repetetive, quests.The designers definetely tried to capture the MMORPG feel, but I don't think they accurately got it.Close but no cigar.For example, the towns are bustling with people, but oftentimes you'll see one person, turn a corner, and they'll be there again when they were running the opposite direction a few minutes prior.The town recycles the inhabitants over and over, so no matter how far away you get from a "player", they'll be right there when you go to a different district in town.

The story is o.k. as far as I've been.A lot of it feels forced, like the hero has to do this because the programmers made it that way, not because the hero "wants" to.It started out that way, but quickly took a dive.

I'm not impressed with the grading system after you complete dungeons and fields.You get graded on how many things you kill, sneak up on, boxes or other destructable items you destroy, how many items you collect etc.There is almost no explanation of that system that I've encountered, and I feel its useless.All you can unlock is extra words to create new dungeons and fields and useless items. Literally, I've had 50 health drinks, which is like a potion in other RPGs, since the first couple hours of playtime.I never use them, cause I don't take that much damage ever.

Thats another thing.The game's battles are entirely too easy!No one battle provides any sort of challenge.If you go to an area three levels higher than you, it gets harder, but the difficulty is masked in more hitpoints and damage capability, not true improved AI or anything.

All in all, however, the game is a vast improvement over the previous games.There are tons of unlockable stuff, tons of places to go, and you'll be entertained for hours on end.I would definetely pick this game up if you get the chance!

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Product Description:
.Hack G.U. Volume 1 delivers an epic, immersive RPG experience in the world of the hit sci-fi fantasy game and TV series. What if what you do as a player in a game impacted your real world? What is reality? .hack has pursued this innovative concept in the previous 4-part series where "The World" was ultimately destroyed. Years after the events of the first .hack series, "The World" was rebuilt. As a new player, you are saved on your first day in "The World" from several PKs (Player Killers) by a mysterious man. From this day on, you have dedicated your time to hunt down PKs. Word in "The World" is that the legendary PK you have been searching for has surfaced, and you must now set out to find "it". Your world is thrown into chaos when you finally encounter this PK, and are defeated by him!

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.hack, Part 1: Infection Review

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(More customer reviews)I normally don't do many reviews, but those posted here about this game so far don't really do it justice.
Dot Hack is the newest installment of the next generation of RPGs: live-action combat sequences, intricate plots, and complicated gameplay. You take the role of Kite, an eigth grade boy trying to discover why the online game "The World" caused his friend, Orca, to go into a coma. Split between the gaming world and "the real world" (which is represented by Kite's desktop), Dot Hack allows you to email in-game players, keep up with the news, and follow threads in an expansive message board that probably is the most creative way I've ever seen a game present its own instructions. After working your way through Kite's desktop, you then play Kite's character in "The World" (think a very big game-within-a-game).
"The World" is not unlike the Everquest style MMORPGs of today. You form groups, you trade with other players, you visit dungeons, you fight monsters, you find special items, and so on. Your parties rotate given who is willing to play and who is not; if you are friendly to your favorite partners, for instance, they will more than likely team up with you when you catch them online. Given that the game is entirely computer-based, this well-done simulation bettered my original expectations.
The game has its weak points, as well. Kite's character's class is not chosen, which is frustrating to those (like me) who find some of the other classes far more interesting. Also, the name-generated playing fields have the feel of those old-style random dungeon crawls for the PC. This gets old quick, but the well-done cut scenes and fields that actually advance the story are just enough to keep the game spinning in my Playstation.
Gone are the basic turned-based games with simple storylines; as a longtime veteran of RPGs, I appreciate and welcome this change. The innovative gameplay and absolutely fantastic storyline of Dot Hack (and its anime counterpart) has me looking forward to the rest of the series. Four stars.

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Product Description:
A 14-year-old boy named Kite is invited by his schoolmate Orca to play the online game The World. While playing the game, both Kite and his friend are attacked by an unknown monster. As a result, Orca becomes comatose in the real world. Despite his friend's condition, Kite continues to play, believing he'll find a way to revive Orca. While playing The World, Kite accepts the Twilight from Aura, a mysterious girl in white. Kite is transformed into an Outlaw player within the game, wielding the very same power responsible for Orca's condition.

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.hack, Part 4: Quarantine Review

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(More customer reviews)For dedicated dot hackers, the easiest way to describe the fourth and last chapter of this game is 'more or the same.'Once more Kite adventures into the many fields and dungeons of 'The World' seeking loot, experience, and trying to safe the world (the real world) from a virus gone out of control.This time, though,all the loose threads are drawn together, answers are provided, and the glow of a new day restores the shine to the gaming world.
If you are new to the game, you are likely to find Quarantine a bit difficult to play and confusing to understand.While it can be done, I think a very large part of the series' charm is the slow, game-by-game, building of character and story.With the earlier games now available at discounted prices the best strategy is to start at the beginning and work forward.Do not, however, try to play the games one right after another.Spread out, their similarity doesn't interfere with enjoyment.Taken all at once, it is quite possible to overdose on grunties.
If you have been following the series than expect no great surprises.Well, there are one or two, but for the most part everything is a natural progression from the previous games.While the plot undertakes some interesting twists, gameplay is pretty much a matter of bigger and badder.If you have been religiously leveling up in prior episodes then Quarantine will feel a bit too easy.If you have been getting through by the skin of your teeth then there will be some tough fights ahead.
I felt that Quarantine was a little too short, and not as spectacular as I expected.There is provision for playing after the game is complete, including an item challenge, and some familiar characters will suddenly become available.Unfortunately quarantine features a smaller set of monsters.Most often data bug variations of ones you have already seen.There is a little voice in my head that keeps telling me that Bandai would have been better off packaging this game in three episodes rather than four.
Of course, that means they would have had to find another way to deliver the Liminality OVAs.This last episode is excellent, providing a lot of information on the nature of the.hack world as well as an exciting conclusion.We see both the outside and the inside of The World in one tidy package.In retrospect, the game is the weakest link in the entire marketing package (I'm not completely sure about the manga either), simply because Bandai chose to leave it unchanged for four episodes.However, many of the concepts behind the .hack package are quite novel, even if a bit overplayed.This, it is an entertaining (if somewhat expense) way to spend a lot of hours with your Playstation 2.

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Product Description:
In this, the final episode in the HACK saga, play as the outlaw player Kite to finally unravel the mystery behind "The World". And this time it's against the clock! As events in "The World" continue to create havoc in the real world, CC Corp faces increasing pressure to move the game servers offlinemeaning certain death for all comatose victims. It's up to you now. Can you cure this virus and restore order in "The World?" And can you do it before time runs out for your friend, Orca?Find secret areas from the OVA to obtain rare itemsSimulated MMORPGDual Voiceover -Choose either English or Japanese for a totally immersive experience

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