.Hack//Players

[AltreU]

I've been a .Hacker for years now. The games weave a wonderful and complex story, unlike anything I've seen (some things come close). From the original games to G.U. (maybe //Link, we'll see how that turns out), it's been a good run, but it seems that it's probably got one more shot at catching some fans before dying out. I'm not sure if they'll keep on with other media, such as manga, anime, music, and whatever else they have going.

 

Has anyone here had the pleasure of being introduced to .Hack?

[katashy]

Nope. I looked at their website and got confused. They have some lovely artwork there though, and the page with the orbs that spin is pretty cool.

 

What kind of games are they? They look like an old school RPG type of game? I also noticed their games are on PS2. Do they have them on other consoles?

[AltreU]

The PS2 games are basically emulated MMOs, the premise of the story takes place in an online game. They're semi-free roam RPGs, you start in a root town (like a main server) that contains a big circular "gate" that lets you warp between servers, dungeons, and fields. In each server, also known as a root town, they have an assortment of things to do like any real MMO would have such as shopping, leisure areas, and places to contact admins. The story itself is a little too complex to put in a post, but if you go to the wiki page, you'll find quite a bit of useful info.

 

Simply put: if a full fledged version of The World (the online game your character in .Hack is playing) came out, it would dominate every game currently out.

 

Yeah, the concept art is amazing. In the games, you can customize your "desktop background" and theme music with nearly one-hundred pictures and songs available in real life (they're already in the game, you unlock them). The scenery in the game is fantastic as well.

[sirchet]

.hak was an animated series for a short time also. I really enjoyed it.

 

The game was very interesting and very plot heavy, (a good thing).

[belongcyl]

where is the .hack website?

[NinjaGoddessAyra]

I've been watching .Hack since pretty much near the beginning. I follow the storyline as much as I can, though it is very confusing at times. I think thats why I love it so much.

 

Come to think of it, I just got done replaying the three G.U. games over again about two months ago. It was one of the first games in a LONG time that kept me hooked and I couldn't stop playing it.

 

I've tried to get people to watch the anime or play the video game, but I always tell them "don't bother trying to figure out the storyline, you'll only get lost."

 

Their artwork is simply amazing, as well as the anime(s) and the soundtracks, assuming you don't mind listening to japanese lyrics.

 

So yes, it's nice to meet a fellow .Hacker :)

[AltreU]

Yeah, the series was confusing to me when I first saw it. I found out about the games a good number of years later and picked up on the series. The games solve some questions and raise more, which are solved by the other various bits of media. For anyone looking to get into the series, you need a PS2 or a way to get a few of the manga (which I haven't gotten around to buying). If you get the games, get them in order: Infection, Mutation, Outbreak, and Quarantine. You import your saves from on game to the next, so your character from the first disk (Infection) will eventually be used to beat the game in the last (Quarantine). The character isn't customizable in any way other than equipment, but the series creates characters for you to grow on, which I'm fine with. The games are pretty rare in the US, so you may have a hard time finding them elsewhere.

[NinjaGoddessAyra]

Yeah, the series was confusing to me when I first saw it. I found out about the games a good number of years later and picked up on the series. The games solve some questions and raise more, which are solved by the other various bits of media. For anyone looking to get into the series, you need a PS2 or a way to get a few of the manga (which I haven't gotten around to buying). If you get the games, get them in order: Infection, Mutation, Outbreak, and Quarantine. You import your saves from on game to the next, so your character from the first disk (Infection) will eventually be used to beat the game in the last (Quarantine). The character isn't customizable in any way other than equipment, but the series creates characters for you to grow on, which I'm fine with. The games are pretty rare in the US, so you may have a hard time finding them elsewhere.

Thats the signature of .hack though. The series always keeps you guessing and always in the dark, and the moment you pick up a new manga from the series or buy a new game for it, it'll have some answers but will bring about even more questions than you already had. Thats why I think it's a great game, it keeps you guessing and constantly wanting more.

[AltreU]

It kept me wanting more until they made .Hack//Link. Then it got cheesy. I'm fine with the series using new age anime graphics and all, but now the child protagonist thing just went goofy.

 

I'll still play it if they release it in the US.

[NinjaGoddessAyra]

It kept me wanting more until they made .Hack//Link. Then it got cheesy. I'm fine with the series using new age anime graphics and all, but now the child protagonist thing just went goofy.

 

I'll still play it if they release it in the US.

I know what you mean, I wasn't fond of that series either. To be honest, I wasn't really fond of aibuster either, though it did shed some light on a lot of things.

 

I think it's great though how you can learn so many things, and yet still be in the dark. For example, I just found out a month ago that Haseo is actually Sora from .hack//sign, and that there is specualtion that Zelkova could the son of Helba herself. I myself love Helba, she's my favorite character on that series.

 

Oh but here I go rambling on endlessly, I suppose i'll end it here lol.