Others say...

"Kill Or Be Killed"
Having played through the first .hack series (and gotten a bit jaded in the process) it's no surprise that I first looked at this game with a jaundiced eye. But, whether I want to admit it or not, that series, which was one of the earliest I played on my trusty PS2 was worth hours of enjoyment and frustration. How could I refuse to embark into The World once again? This is the post-apocalyptic World, rewritten since the time of the original series with a few key differences. On this world there are players who prefer to kill other players instead of hunt monsters. And, every once in a while, someone like Haseo comes along. Driven by the need for revenge, he likes to kill player killers.

A chance encounter leaves Haseo mysteriously drained of experience and identity. In this first episode he struggles to regain his stature as a player and solve the problems that seem to surround him. This is no small challenge few of his new friends are strong fighters, and those player killers who recognize him have no qualms about seeking his destruction. Something has happened that has granted him new powers, but they are two-edged swords and, if he abuses them, may ruin everything he hopes to gain. It doesn't help that Haseo has more than a little trouble working with other players. He is a loner at a time when being alone might be fatal.

Technically the game improves on the first .hack series with better animation and character expressiveness and an improved graphics engine. But don't expect a whole new look. The Battle modes are more extensive, and it took me a while to get the hang of combat. Fortunately, there are plenty of opportunities to get experience and it pays not to rush up the scale. You can only get to level 50 in this game and once you get there you will find that most battles become a bit tedious.

The side games are more or less extensions of the original side games with the addition of a competitive battle arena that provides a number of opportunities to level up and plays an important part in the game. I found the addition of the guilds, with their secretive agendas and fields added interest. Rebirth also gives the characters richer personalities, and provides more of them with actual characters. For a change, the story line is as important as the endless series of battles that marked the first series. There is a good deal more to The World R:2 and I think you will like the changes.

I do agree with another reviewer that the battles get too easy too fast. This really begins to get on your nerves during the latter stages, when you are trying to complete the Book of 1000 quests. My advice is to pay attention to the Book quests early and pace yourself carefully. After all, there are still more episodes to come.

"One of the best games i ever played"
This is one of the best games i ever played.Its fun from start to finish.
And when you finally finish the game,you'll be wanting more of it.In my opinion this game was as good as kingdom hearts 2.

"Wow"
The first day I played this game, I was awake unitl at least 3AM.The the next day I was awake until 4AM. This game is very addictive if you liked the first of the .hack series. I believe I'm a little over halfway through with the game in just those 2 days.

"A good, solid game"
There were many people who enjoyed the original, 4-game dothack series. I was not one of them. After a good opening, the game immediately fell into dull repetition. The story was so-so (what? a virtual world can feel real, it's inhabitants feeling the effects of game elements in their real lives? How novel!), the graphics were so-so, and the whole experience was incredibly easy (and short - I finished the 2nd game in a mere 9 hours). The best part of the original game were the sidequests, often opened after the main game ended (and one of which, the item collection quest, I'm STILL not finished with).

Bandai learned. Sidequests are fun? Then let's put a lot of them into the next outing! Graphics are only so-so? Let's spruce them up! Gameplay is a bit repetitive? Let's add a few more dungeon models! (OK, they could have done a lot more with the last one, but still...)

Add it all up, and you get the sold outing, ".hack//G.U.". The original world has been destroyed, the computers which generated it having been lost in an inexplicable fire. CC Corp releases, "The World 2", which has many elements of the original game, but also included the option to "PK", or "Player Kill". Some people love it, some people abhor it. Your character is PK'ed in his first outing, and decides to devote his RPG experience to PKK'ing (I think you can figure this one out yourself). He is an incredibly powerful character ("Haseo, the Terror of Death"), whose motives are obscured. However, while searching for a PK'er by the name of "Tri-Edge", his character is wiped out, and he is forced to start from the beginning.

From here, I'll let you discover the story on your own. No, it isn't great, but it isn't bad either. But this game lives and dies through sidequests. Bounty hunter, Lucky Animals, Mecha Grunties, arena battles - all of these and more can be discovered and conquered as you manoeuvre the game simply known as "The World".

For forty bucks, it's not so bad. Happy hunting...

"this game rocks!"
i had a great time playing this game, because it's such a vast improvement over the original. the graphics look good, the gameplay is fun, and the story is actually really good. the main character on this game is different from most main characters on rpg's. also, this game is just not your typical rpg. if you are tired of classic cliches in rpg's, then give this game a look and you might just like it.