.hack//G.U.Rebirth Vol.1

Reviewed by Miguel Herrera
February 6, 2007

Developer: Cyber Connect 2 Publisher: Namco Bandai Consoles Available: PS2 Number of Players: 1 ESRB Rating: T for Teen Website: Click Here

Screenshot of .hack//G.U. Rebirth Vol. 1 . Courtesy Namco Bandai. Click image to enlarge.

In Dot Hack//G.U., you play as Haseo, a kid playing an MMO called “The World”.  His character is a PKK (player killer killer) who tries to fight a group of PK (player killer) players. You go to a temple with your friend and suddenly you are attacked by Tri Edge, a very mysterious character with a skill called Data Drain which weakens Haseo’s character, reverting him back to level 1. If you played the first four games of the Dot Hack series then Tri Edge should look very familiar.

While the series has a very unique storyline, I think it also suffers because of it. It was always very awkward for me to connect with the main character Haseo, because you really don’t control him; you control the character that he plays. Also, Dot Hack//G.U. does a poor job of simulating an MMO.  For one thing, the monsters in the dungeons and fields are always in groups of three and never seem to move from their positions -even when you get into close range to them- they will never initiate a fight with you. Another thing that I didn’t like is that when you do initiate a fight with the three monsters, a barrier appears that entraps you and your party until all of the monsters are defeated. These issues take away from the realism of an MMO.

Another thing I feel was a real disappointment is the fact that the dungeons and fields are very basic and unimpressive. The previous series featured all kinds of elemental fields that were unique and had different levels, but this time around the game suffers a great deal because the levels and dungeons are short and simple. However, one aspect of the game that I did enjoy was the battle system because it’s different from the first series.  In the first series, you press R1 to bring up 4 skills set to each button which gets old very quickly.

While the storyline is similar to the first Dot Hack series, it has a few differences that make it unique. It’s an interesting storyline because not only do the characters in “The World” get effected by events, but so do their players, such as Haseo’s friend going into a coma because of Tri Edge. Dot Hack//G.U. has some interesting characters, but the game could have been much better.

I give this game a low-medium Evolution Factor because of game play issues, such as battle barriers and unmoving monsters, and because it’s too similar to the first series. The game is graphically impressive, but looks don’t make good games, storyline and game play do.

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