Post by haseo on Nov 1, 2006 11:07:25 GMT 7
The way The World was meant to be"
The .hack series received plenty of attention with its first excursion into gaming. A multimedia anime/manga/game phenomenon, it has tons of devoted fans who love its mix of cyberpunk story and sheer sense of overall mystery. Despite it's near flawless story, the gameplay of the first .hack//SERIES left something to be desired. It was supposed to emulate a Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game known in the .hack//UNIVERSE as "The World" but it did not live up to expectations. Fans and general gamers who played the first four were crying for more. And CyberConnect2 listened.
First off, what was mainly the biggest complaint among those who played the first four, the gameplay. Vastly improved, CC2 did a full face lift on the gameplay. No more mashing "x" constantly, instead it's taken on a rather Kingdom Hearts-esque style of gameplay, with weapon leveling and quests that truly emulate a new MMORPG. However, one of the bugs in this new system is the lack of different scenery. There are only three field types, which may turn off some enthusiasts, but the game makes up for its lack of scenery with it's enthralling battle system and over-the-top Avatar battles.
Another gripe of the first series was the overall polish. Granted, the graphics weren't bad, but they could have been much better. That aspect has been completely revamped with its new cell-shaded graphics system bringing the visual style of the game up to the levels of RPG titans like Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts. The music, sadly, is one of the games faults, as it's not quite up to snuff. Granted, it's not bad, but it could be a lot better.
But the main event of this game is the plot. Some were worried that the new darker atmosphere would bring down .hack//G.U. however this is thankfully not the case. Returning .hackers and total newbies will find the plot equally involving. The same mysterious overtones are still there as you play as Haseo, an Adept Rogue infamous for being a Player Killer Killer known as the Terror of Death, to uncover why Shino, his friend and former guild member, fell unconscious in real life after being PKed by the legendary Player Killer wrapped in Azure Flame known as Tri-Edge. The story's mystery and sense of conspiracy will enrapture both long time fans and newcomers alike.
But most gamers aren't swayed by the aspects of plot, gameplay and graphics. Every gamer wants to be able to enjoy the game he or she bought for at least a good while. The replay value in this game is pretty high. For devoted players, there are just as many, if not more, different areas to conquer than .hack//INFECTION, meaning the series already has the upper hand in terms of freedom. Plus, there are side quests to undertake, leading up to some pretty hefty rewards as well as on going campaigns such as seeing how many people you can meet in The World and hunting down the steam-powered flying failure called the Mecha Grunty, adding at least 20 hours to the normal game time. With the total .hack//OVERHAUL this game received, it should definitely
belong to every PS2 owner in their right mind.
The .hack series received plenty of attention with its first excursion into gaming. A multimedia anime/manga/game phenomenon, it has tons of devoted fans who love its mix of cyberpunk story and sheer sense of overall mystery. Despite it's near flawless story, the gameplay of the first .hack//SERIES left something to be desired. It was supposed to emulate a Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game known in the .hack//UNIVERSE as "The World" but it did not live up to expectations. Fans and general gamers who played the first four were crying for more. And CyberConnect2 listened.
First off, what was mainly the biggest complaint among those who played the first four, the gameplay. Vastly improved, CC2 did a full face lift on the gameplay. No more mashing "x" constantly, instead it's taken on a rather Kingdom Hearts-esque style of gameplay, with weapon leveling and quests that truly emulate a new MMORPG. However, one of the bugs in this new system is the lack of different scenery. There are only three field types, which may turn off some enthusiasts, but the game makes up for its lack of scenery with it's enthralling battle system and over-the-top Avatar battles.
Another gripe of the first series was the overall polish. Granted, the graphics weren't bad, but they could have been much better. That aspect has been completely revamped with its new cell-shaded graphics system bringing the visual style of the game up to the levels of RPG titans like Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts. The music, sadly, is one of the games faults, as it's not quite up to snuff. Granted, it's not bad, but it could be a lot better.
But the main event of this game is the plot. Some were worried that the new darker atmosphere would bring down .hack//G.U. however this is thankfully not the case. Returning .hackers and total newbies will find the plot equally involving. The same mysterious overtones are still there as you play as Haseo, an Adept Rogue infamous for being a Player Killer Killer known as the Terror of Death, to uncover why Shino, his friend and former guild member, fell unconscious in real life after being PKed by the legendary Player Killer wrapped in Azure Flame known as Tri-Edge. The story's mystery and sense of conspiracy will enrapture both long time fans and newcomers alike.
But most gamers aren't swayed by the aspects of plot, gameplay and graphics. Every gamer wants to be able to enjoy the game he or she bought for at least a good while. The replay value in this game is pretty high. For devoted players, there are just as many, if not more, different areas to conquer than .hack//INFECTION, meaning the series already has the upper hand in terms of freedom. Plus, there are side quests to undertake, leading up to some pretty hefty rewards as well as on going campaigns such as seeing how many people you can meet in The World and hunting down the steam-powered flying failure called the Mecha Grunty, adding at least 20 hours to the normal game time. With the total .hack//OVERHAUL this game received, it should definitely
belong to every PS2 owner in their right mind.