"This PK loves what he does."

Story-This time, it shows Haseo going through his first day in The World. After meeting up with two shady characters in The Dome, he agrees to go with them after they say they will help him get started. After you finish your first level with them, they turn on you and almost PK you. Just when you are about to be PKed, a player blasts one of them off of a cliff. You later know him as Ovan. He is sort of like your guardian angel in the game as he helps you in the game but not directly. Most like the same story from the original .hack games. This time instead of your mentor going into a coma, your closest friend does it after getting PKed by a wierd PKer by the name of Tri-Edge. After going up levels for 8 months, you face off against him to get revenge for her and trying to get her out of a coma. But he couldn't even make one hit on him. And after one strong move, Haseo is defeated. When you log back in the next time, it says you are reformatting your data. You don't remember what happened that day just that you were defeated and later found out to be a victim of Data Drain. When you log in, you notice you are not the same. The PK forced you to go from level 133 back to level 1. You swear revenge on him for what he does to you and for what he did to Shino in the exact same place. After going through town, you meet up with two people not the same as the other two, but more fun loving. They say they are from a guild that is made of users who want to help noobs get started. They take you on a level thinking that it is your first time in The World. They soon to come to find out that you are the famous PKK Haseo, also known as "The Terror of Death." They are the first two people you will add to your buddy list.
Introduction- After playing some of the earlier games in the .hack series with Kite as the main character I wondered how it would be different with Haseo. After playing for even a short time, the differance was big but still a fun way to get another perspective to The World.

Gameplay- The same as any other .hack game with the exception that you play as a player with a bad attitude. This brings a new consept to and humor as the game progresses. The same button mashing is back for this game but it can be changed to a Rengeki when attacked enough. That makes it worth all of the hard mashing.

Graphics/Sound- A more graphical look in this game that the former games. From the sky to the expressions on the characters faces. Sometimes they will have a mess up here and there from the lips moving wrong on the clothing having problems but those can be overlooked by the cute, wierd, etc. players and clothing. The sound is definately different in the characters voices. From stong players having deep voices to the nice kids having high and annoying voices. Some of the voices are tolerable but some of them you just want to skip.

Play Time/Replayability- Play time is definately something this game does not lack. After 6 hours is when I went up to level 10. This was even encountering most of the monsters and playing with barely any breaks. Replayability could be used to beat the game in a shorter timeframe than what you did at first or to try a few things you didn't want to try in the previous playthrough. But there isn't much else to do for a playthrough.

Final Recommendation- This is definately a game for the .hack veteran or noobie to love. Since the storyline is a little different, you won't go through the exact same stroyline since this time it substitutes some of the Data Drain for the real PK. Also, the addition of Guilds can be an addition real hardcore online gamers have been wanting for awhile. People looking for an easy RPG game with a real deep storyline will not be let down when they pick up this game for the first down. Also the gamers who want a little humor in the game will also be happy since Haseo does get a little confused of what to do and how he got into the current mess he is in. So if these are your requirement for a good RPG game, I would say pick this one up and possibly the other ones if you love this one. This is why I give this game a great rating of 9/10.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 09/27/07

Game Release: .hack//G.U. vol. 1//Rebirth (US, 10/24/06)