"The Truth Revealed"

It's been seven long months since Rebirth came out, and we where hit with a story that blew us all out of the water. Yet it stopped at the point where we were on the edges of our seats. Now it's time to walk into the light, and face the darkness of The World once again.

Volume 1 started our new player Haseo off with a PK attack, then shot us 8 months into the future. Haseo-The Terror of Death-is now a famous PKK(A player who kills PKers) and began hunting for the legendary PK known as "Tri-Edge" who defeated Shino and put her into a coma. Upon meeting Tri-Edge in Hulle Grantz(Hidden Forbidden Holy Ground), Haseo at the time is a level 133 player and is easily defeated and Data Drained by Tri-Edge; who looks alot like a stiched up Kite. Thus begins his quest to defeat Tri-Edge and bring Shino back. As his quest comes to what appears to be a halt, Tri-Edge reappears. Using the unlocked power of his Avatar-Skeith-Haseo is able to defeat Tri-Edge. However doing so unlocked a set of lockers containing AIDA(The virus enemy of the GU series) which proceeding to attack Atoli. Thus, Vol 1 came to a close.

Graphics: 10/10

Though the same game setup from vol 1 is used, it looks ALOT better. The characters are more fleshed out and they don't seem like dolls outside of the full CG screens anymore. It's nothing major like in the popular Halo series, but for some of the last games on the PS2 it's good. Also, since you obtain the long awaited Flick Reaper form, Skeith gets a new look!

Storyline: 10/10

The story picks up right where vol 1 left off. It starts off pretty slow, which is to be expected from the .Hack series, but after the first hour or so the REAL story starts. Characters like Alkaid, SakuBo and Endrance make a return-as party members! And the next stage of the Lumina Cloth tournament arena opens up to level 50-100 players. Thankfully, Vol 2 isn't centered around an annoying tournament format. You still have to do parts of it, but not nearly as much as in Vol 1. Also, if you watched the Vol 2 Preview at the end of the first game; to ready to see just who those shadows below too. It might not be all that shocking, but trust me. The end of the game WILL shock you completely. I won't give anything away, but trust me it is shocking indeed.

Sound: 10/10

Another grand production has been made for Vol 2. Especially the opening theme loop. For anyone who has ordered the OST from overseas, you won't hear any big cuts thankfully. It's worth ordering both the Vol 1 and Vol2+3 OSTs from japan just to hear the music.

Play Control+Extras: 10/10

The play control is more or less the same from Vol 1. Though you gain a new kind of Awakening during the game that changes depending on what conditions you meet. The controls for the Bike change slightly, since you can add custom parts to it this time around. Nothing major, but it handles alot better. As for extras, you have the normal images, music and videos, but Crimson VS. also opens up. It's complex for a card game, but fun. I won't go into the depths though since that would take some time. Also, if you pre-ordered the Special Edition of Vol 1 and got the Terminal Disk; expect to unlock more files as you play the game. The rest, you'll get in Vol 3.

Final Word:

Volume 2 changes alot of things you thought you knew about GU. It's a much darker story than Vol 1, and some parts may seem weird- CoughEndrance'sE-MailsCough-but it's another awesome experence that will leave you begging for Vol 3 to come out soon. Having imported Volume 3, I will say that it is a great game that I can't wait to experence again in english. This game is a must have for all .hack fans and RPG lovers. I leave you with one final thought: Don't think you know what will happen, because anything can happen in the .Hack saga and it tends to do just that...

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 05/09/07