Ben-DutkaYou know, this is the only RPG franchise I didn't try in the PS2 era, so maybe I'll give the new entry a shot.
As reported by Andriasang , Famitsu has confirmed that a new .hack title is in development.
We don't have the full title – it's listed in the magazine under the placeholder name, ".hack" – and both platforms and a release date have yet to be announced. Still, some early screenshots are apparently pretty impressive, and CyberConnect2 CEO Hiroshi Matsuyama says those screens were all pics of real-time action. In contrast to .hack//G.U. and .hack//Link , the team is bypassing the heavy anime style for "more photo realism."
The screens also seem to portray Haseyo, the main character of .hack//GU . It's a little confusing, though; when asked if the character was indeed "that Haseyo," Matsuyama said, "I can't say yet." …well, okay. Lastly, the game and the upcoming movie may be related, as the game is set in 2025, one year after the events of the film. That movie will be in Japanese theaters on January 21. …chances are, it won't come here.
But we're hoping the new .hack game does. Stay tuned for more info.
Awesome more and more jrpgs are being developed. Hopefully tri-ace will do something on console again.
I never played them, but always heard good things about them!
Are they any good?
I guess in some way you have to get into the anime first before you can really enjoy the story of the games.
I think it goes like:
.hack//Sign (anime)
.hack//Infection, Mutation, Outbreak, Quarantine (games…great ones at that)
.hack//Roots
.hack//G.U. Rebirth, Reminiscence, Redemption (games…more like action RPG though)
.hack//Link (PSP) – but…only for Japan I believe.
Oh and there are 4 OVAs each of which goes with Infection, Mutation, Outbreak, and Quarantine.
Last edited by shadowpal2 on 12/22/2011 10:42:27 AM
.hack//Link
is not part of the story more of a beat em up from what i been told
i have most of the shows and all of the games
there are shows that sum up the games also
if you rather wach then played the game
I've played and beaten Infection from series 1, and the entire GU series. The story is pretty decent and the gameplay can be fun. Gu made a lot of improvements when compared to series 1. You just have to watch the anime to close up the loose ends in GU's story though. Other than that, I like em, and will get them should the opportunity present itself. They are worth adding to my collection.
Last edited by Sol on 12/22/2011 6:11:58 PM
Ok this is good news I am not a rpg fan but I fell in love with the .hack series. I have been hoping for one since the ps3 came out. Hoping it comes to America
Wow, can't believe CyberConnect2 is returning to the series. It's been a while since I played the series. Can't wait to see what new game they'll make.
Maybe if we're lucky, we may see an HD collection as well, hmmmmm?
That'd be nice, but I'm still upset that Link never made a US appearance.
In the US version, it was spelled "Haseo".
But I loved these games. The gameplay eventually got a little too repetitive, as the first batch was a set of 4 and the next batch was a trilogy. However, with the complemented Animes that supplement the stories, it was a grand experience.
I would buy this day one, no questions asked.
*sigh*
<<In contrast to .hack//G.U. and .hack//Link, the team is bypassing the heavy anime style for "more photo realism.">>
Why? Is it because they think Western fans don't like that anime aesthetic? I am beginning to feel like the pandering to Western audiences is dismantling any Japanese aesthetic in games in order to appeal to a wider audience. The result being the games that still retain that style only release in Japan, and the others resemble western developed games.
OK, I know many will say that I am over reacting, and fair enough, perhaps I am. But I don't want to see the anime style of games vanish, it's one of the aspects I enjoy most. Thank goodness for the Atelier games, for example, they retain their style.
Even though the game isn't anime based, it still looks cartoony. Many RPGs from Japan have been able to pull that off really well, while still retaining a Japanese feel. Most of the great JRPGs from the days of yore fall into this category actually. The change might be a welcomed change of pace. I want to see what the team can do while challenging themselves.
With that said it might not even be a case of trying Westernize their games per se, but just that they feel they want to capture a different style. Not everything that comes out of Japan has to be anime based.
Let's just hope the team won't flounder on the actual design 😉
I don't have a problem with what you are describing, but then what you are describing doesn't really meet the phrase 'photo realism' does it? the contrast I was drawing was between the more unreal anime/cartoony style and the photo realistic style. The article makes it clear that it is this realistic style that they are striving for.
Well, they say photorealism is their goal, but it sure doesn't seem like it after seeing the couple of screens we have so far. It looks pretty anime-ish, but just more detailed and darker:
http://wanabrar.com/blog/games/new-hack-game-revealed/
Also, the thing we should be asking is whether or not this change was simply due to a desire to cater to a global audience or not. They may have just changed the style because they felt it fit with the underlying themes or setting better.
I don't mind if they go the photo realism route, as long as the game still has some portions that are vibrant and full of life. The problem I have with games that claim to be photo realistic is they tend to be dark and gritty, as if brown and grey are the only colours in a realistic world.
For sure the new .hack will be more action-oriented.
That's just how the Japanese roll now.
Is it just me or should all the Old-RPG-thirsty start getting seriously excited over?!
this news made me a happy camper
in all of the 7 games i put in at lest 50 hours per geting all the weapons and killing all the mosters these games were the best
I am a huge fan of the PS2 ones(Infection, Mutation, Outbreak, and Quarantine). I loved how the show and the game were completely tied together and how many of the locations in the show were locations in the game. There was something really interesting about watching an Anime with a notepad looking for the addresses and then going into each of the titles to see if they were there. That was a strategy I wish some other games would use since some games have shows or movies tied in with them. They did a really good job of bringing one of the most unique experiences too gaming for me.
The dungeons were my only gripe as they were ridiculously repetitive, other than that they were one of my best memories from the PS2. I still remember when I bought my Network Adapter for the PS2 and started playing one of the games, my cousin hadn't seen the game and heard I bought the adapter. So when he came over I had the game boot up and played it off as if it was the PS2s network, to put it lightly he was astonished and then heart broken when I showed him it was just a game.
I am looking forward to playing one of these titles again.
Last edited by Rogueagent01 on 12/22/2011 6:52:34 PM
I'm very excited about this, having played all the ps2 .hacks I can tell you if they stick to thier guns us RPG lovers are in for a treat ^^.
Though I wonder if they will have some sort of multiplayer…. I've always wanted this game to turn into a MMO ( Irony ftw. ), but I can accept some simply multiplayer action in its place.
not gonna lie, im super jazzed for this.
the whole series was amazing back in the ps2 era.
this is most deffinately a d1p for me. and im glad to see haseo back for some more action.
must buy for me