Welcome to my review of the Entire PS2 .hack series which includes the first generation (Infection/Mutation/Outbreak/Quarantine) and the second generation respectively (.hack//GU Rebirth/Reminiscence/Redemption) developed by Cyberconnect 2 and published by Bandai games.
The only major difference is within the 2 generations, each Generations 4 and 3 parts have generally the same development and graphics and gameplay so reviewing 7 different things would be tough so I will do it by generation Designating Gen 1 as IMOQ and gen 2 as GU
IMOQ also features a 4 part anime to go along with each game part which follows the happenings in the real world as problems arise in the game. GU also does this in the games news section based in tiny mini reports of a quirky investigative reporter.
So begins the Review
Story:
IMOQ: The story is set in a fictional MMORPG known as "The World." developed by Harald Hoerwick. The World's back story is based on the Epitaph of Twilight, an epic poem by Emma Wielant. you control the actions of Kite, a twin-blade class user. He was introduced to this world by his friend Orca. There is ; however, more to "The World" than let on. After following a girl in shining white clothes a strange in game monster appears and puts Orca into a coma in the real world as his in game body is lost, all of this in front of Kite which paves way for the story to unfold. The poem bit by bit becomes true as the series progresses and Kite is off to find the truth behind the game. Along the way he meets and joins people with different goals in mind but one set path toward the truth.
The story is linear but interesting and will keep you going through the series.
IMOQ Story Score: 4.6/5
GU: The story once again takes place in a remodeled version of "The World." The developers created a back story where there were developments in technology, the world is run by steam power. The developers true goal however was to cover up the incident in the old world and hide the black boxes left behind. This however is a failed attempt. The story follows Haseo an adept rogue which is a new class made for this world, his friend Shino fell into a coma due to a player known as "Tri-Edge" and Haseo gains an obsession with growing stronger which is encouraged by a mysterious player Ovan. Haseo finally meets tri edge once more but Tri-Edge is simply out of reach. Tri -edge strips Haseo of his ill-gotten power only for Haseo to start again. This is where the story sets off. However things change as he meets a Female player known as Atoli who he mistakes for Shino at first and he is set upon his true path towards saving his Friend.
GU Story Score: 4.8/5
Gameplay:
IMOQ: The controls were very simple and not too intuitive. You had to rely on the in game menu to select the skill or item you want to use and to change your equipment which had a very Final Fantasy feel to it. However the in game movement was fairly open and free.
The .hack series biggest charm for me are the random generated dungeons using 3 keywords. In town you go to an object called a "Chaos Gate" and you can enter 3 keywords or randomize and you will be taken to a field with monster that reside in yellow shining portals. In most fields there is a dungeon to explore and at the very bottom in a certain room is a statue with a chest full of rare and useful items.
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| Demonstrated Chaos Gate |
The Characters were fairly charming but a few had a hero complex or were just way too into their roles in "The world" as you would find in many MMO's in town there are various players you can talk to or trade with.
There are some fun mini games and more relaxing parts of the world if you need a breather from the sometimes heavy storyline.
IMOQ Gameplay Score: 4.4/5
GU: The controls were tightened in GU and served more functions. You no longer have to go to the menu to select skills as you can set them to be used with a couple button presses. The Random generated areas are still in GU but now fields are just fields with a treasure room and bridges islands and dungeons are a separate part but some have more traps and surprises
The battle parts were more closed in a barrier around the monster you are fighting and the magic portals are now gone. I found that fields with a big boss at the end were more fun than the dungeon exploring near the end as some could be long and tedious having to load from one room to the next.
The Characters were exceptionally more personable and interesting in GU for me. They had their own personalities and ideas and you may just end up falling for the different characters you meet.
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| Who? me?! |
There were more side quests and other things to keep you occupied as well as an interesting guild function to improve your progress in the game. GU also features a prominent battle arena where you fight "real players" and some of the story line is based around things that happen in the Arena.
Unfortunately the huge downfall was the difficulty, IMOQbossfights were easy and the difficulty was only redeemed through the Avatar battles at some points which could be tedious.
GU Gameplay Score: 4.3/5
Graphics
IMOQ: The graphics were mid tier for playstation 2 but this series was pretty early in the Playstation 2's lifespan so they were pretty good looking, nice animations, a few quirks where it wasn't so smooth or it felt a little sped up and even a little bit of lag. Teammates spells looked pretty neat and the effects that made it look like "The World" itself was coming to a halt gave off an eerie and amazing feeling for the atmosphere. The monsters looked tough (or funny depending on the situation) and gave off an incredible sense of accomplishment to fight and beat.
IMOQ graphics score: 4.4/5
GU: The graphics were a bit higher tier at this point, adopting a cel shaded style in the animation. There were very neat effects for special attacks but the spells looked a bit weaker this time around. The backgrounds and the fields and dungeons looked very neat and once again wonderful atmoshpere although maybe a bit less urgent than IMOQ
GU graphics score 4.5/5
Sound and Music:
IMOQ:
The in game sounds were great, skills and spells were called out in the strange created language of that world and when you hit it sounded like you gave the enemy a decent smack although the actual part when you hit them sounded generally the same each time.
The music is ingenious however and this is the creme de la creme, the genius of the game series. Each Field had its own unique variant of a song and when the fights got going the tempo would rise and get you into the mood. The major boss fights had amazing music which could get you nervous about how badly you may get smoked.
The cut scenes had charming and compelling music and your in game desktop had a neat theme to it as well. .hack has by far some of the best soundtrack material as it is large and there are alot of great things on it.
IMOQ Music score: 4.8/ 5
GU:
The in game sounds were improved and the hits sound more devastating at some points, the spells are once again in their native world language and the fights could sound pretty intense.
Once again the music shines through with emotion and variety, The fields are sounding great however the regular battle theme is the same for the most part and only changes for boss fights which actually got irritating after a while hearing that rock and roll jam. The Avatar battles had great revamps on themes based on IMOQ boss fights.
The cut scenes had great emotion, wonderful piano and vocals and one even made me feel upset as it played along to a tragic( and rage inducing) scene in game. The OST spans 4 discs if you look it up which beats out IMOQ just slightly in variety.
GU Music score 4.9/5
Overall: These games were a big part of why I truly enjoy console gaming. They had great story lines that pulled you in, well put together in graphics and sound and are generally the ideal base for ideas, developers need to create expansive world story lines that compel and take you with various feelings and ideas and leave questions in your head and you craving more. This series is going to receive 1 more game for the PSP which will give you a large character roster but seems more like an extra bone for the hungry fans, just filler, just fanservice but of course I'll check it out. After that the series will be laid to rest which I feel is the best thing to do, it can't be milked into stupidity like Final Fantasy and is an amazing series where it stands here and now.
Total
IMOQ: 18.2/20
GU: 18.5/20
Average
IMOQ:4.55/5
GU:4.63/5
Pic sources:
http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:2yXPGXAuczsWKM:http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/Shinogu/DSCF0562-1.jpg&t=1
http://image.gamespotcdn.net/gamespot/images/2003/ps2/dothackinfection/d_790screen004.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3097/2335723476_574132634e.jpg?v=0
http://squackle.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/11865596651.jpg
http://news.filefront.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/hack1-1.jpg
