[PS2] .Hack//GU

Ovan could also have a character hack. In .Hack//Sign Macha, the cat person, was originally thought to just be a hacked character design so it isn't that uncommon and could be allowed in The World: R2. Seems like an odd thing to do to his character though; I thought it was an enormous gatling gun or club weapon. Speaking of the character hacks though, I find it interesting that no group representing the System Admin. has been mentioned. I figured that one of the 4 guilds would be something like the Crimson/Cobalt Knights in previous incarnations.

I can't wait for this to be released. I loved the first 4 games, and I've watched the trailer for GU a dozen times. Nice to finally hear all this new news though, since nothing had been said for awhile. Personally, I think the character designs are pretty damn spiffy. Kite started off really lame and gradually became cooler, but it does seem interesting to play as a character who already has a reputation this time.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Ashton

Oh why don't they just make it a mmo already. I'd seriously play it, look at FFXI's success with playing a game with a controller. Just don't make it like FFXI but still deep enough and it would be fine. I'd love to play a MMO with a controller again...

They did; it's called .Hack//Fragment. The last I checked it has no North American release planned though.

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They manage to keep making this game better and better with each bit of info released, and it's already my #1 most wanted game this year. Hell, the music and avatar battles alone make this game look worth it. The most interesting thing about this trailer though is the shot of a fractured Kite transforming into Tri-Edge near the end.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

If you look closely though, it isn't Tri-Edge at first. The eye is different, his face is uncovered, and the brown patches on his pants' legs are gone. Then after the Drain Heart is fired he's Tri-Edge again.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Well, it wouldn't necessarily have to be the player Kite of course. .Hack//Dusk (Key of the Twilight, whatever you want to call it) proved that the system is more than capable of recreating his character model whenever it wants to.

I agree that it looks like Tri-Edge was beaten by Haseo's party in that scene, but it looks like it's hinting that a regular version is hidden underneath. The eye is debateable (I wasn't really sure of that either), but his clothes are obviously different. The face cover is gone, the stitch in his hat isn't there, and various patches all over his outfit aren't there either. It all regenerates/turns back into Tri-Edges costume after he uses Drain Heart.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Although I really want to watch those, I'm avoiding all spoilers for volume 1. I've been drooling over its trailer since it was first put up after TGS last year, and it's as awesome as ever.

Oh, also for those who haven't noticed, EB and Gamestop have pretty much a complete monopoly over this if you want the full game experience. The Terminal Disc that has all the unlockable extras is only available with the limited edition version of the game, which also comes with a Haseo figure.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Yeah. At least they sort of give you a choice this time around by charging $40 if you want just the game, and the full $50 if you want the Terminal Disc and a figure too. Not a bad deal; they must have taken into consideration all the complaints last time.

FELIPE NO

One of the main purposes of the Terminal Disc is to fill you in on key points from the original games. I know it includes several cutscenes redone with better graphics and some story synopsis among other things.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

I played for a few hours last night, and it certainly didn't disappoint despite my high expectations. I would have played for longer, but I wanted to watch all four videos on the Terminal Disc first. The only issue I've got with the game are a few of the VAs. Most of them do a good job, but I wanted to kill those first two people you party up with. They kept reading their lines just like lines; stopping at the end of each subtitle box.

One question about the data converting though. I brought over my data from Quarantine, then started a New Game. It said I would "receive an email from Legend of the Twilight" or something like that, but of course your email box is wiped clean before you even get to check it. Is that something extra that you receive later in the game? So far the only extra emails I've received have been from BlackRose and Hokuto, but the manual says that some special things won't happen until later.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

It's not really that short. I'm up to 39 hours on it, and I'm still finishing up some side stuff (hunting PKs, killing the doppleganger, etc.). I beat the main game in about 35 hours, and I consider that to be a pretty decent length. Sure, it's a bit low, but I had enough fun with the game to more than make up for that. I really hope we get an actual release date for vol. 2 soon.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

From what I've read, the email from Blackrose is received if you convert data from any of the original 4 .Hack games. If you convert Quarantine data then you receive an email from Hokuto (AI Buster) to Rena (Legend of the Twilight's Bracelet). Those are the only bonuses as far as I know. Kinda sad. =/

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Yeah, BlackRose's email was especially interesting. I've looked at a couple of FAQs about the converting, and they all seem to think that those 3 emails are all you get. I say that it's kind of sad because I'd read an interview before the game was released where someone from Bandai made it sound like they were adding in something else special, but I guess that was just Hokuto's email since that came from converting .Hack//Fragment data in Japan.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

There's a thread on the forums over at www.dothackers.net about the Terminal Disc playing in Windows Media Player Classic because of how the files are saved. It's likely that you could find torrents for them, but that forum has a very strict policy of no discussion about any sort of piracy like that (even YouTube) so I can't say for sure.

As for content, I haven't watched the files that unlock after beating vol. 1 yet (files 6 and 10) but 1-4 were detailed summaries of the first four games. All I know about 6 and 10 is that they provide a bit of info about Ovan.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Yeah, and it didn't help that they waited to announce the way the Terminal Disc would be packaged. EB and Gamestop's sites only mentioned the action figure until a week or two before its release.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

.Hack//Reminisce isn't a bad title, so I'm happy with it. I just wish we could get an actual release date. Since I've heard that the voice acting is almost completed, or possibly fully completed by now I'm hoping for a March release. It seems feasible, and it's not close enough to the end of the semester to interfere with exams.

FELIPE NO

The summer release date is pretty disappointing. The old series only had about a 2-3 month gap between releases, and it's already been about 4 months since GU Vol. 1. The Japanese releases pretty much stayed on schedule, but Namco-Bandai is really dropping the ball for the US releases.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Gamespot bashed G.U. a lot more than it deserved, but IGN never even bothered to review it. I'd say that's a lot worse. It didn't score Namco-Bandai any points to suddenly make the Terminal Disc a pre-order exclusive for Gamestop either. Honestly, it seems like everyone kinda worked together to screw over Rebirth's US release.

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I beat GU Vol. 2 earlier this week, because I played it almost non-stop once I finished my exams. Definitely worth the wait (thanks a lot for the speedy translation, Bandai-Namco), and I'm still working on filling in the Ryu Books. I just hope it doesn't take them another 7 months to port over the third game. That was ridiculous, especially since FEWER things were voice acted in this one.

Originally Posted by Ashton

I do wish there was a The World MMO, at least so i can play some of the other classes.

There is, it's called .Hack//Fragment. I don't know which classes are included in it, but it doesn't matter anyway since it's Japan-only and will sadly never come here.

Originally Posted by Inhert

anyway back on topic. I so enjoyed the anime hack//sign that I decided to buy the 4 ps2 game and I'm not even half-way through the first one >.< I have some difficulty with the battle system. So how the gameplay in this one? it's seem pretty similar but how much did they improved it?

Um... What's your actual difficulty with the battle system? It was pretty basic from what I remember. Tap X repeatedly for attacking and use the menu for skills, items, and commanding your teammates. The battle system was heavily revamped for GU. Here's a basic list off the top of my head:

- Main character uses twin blades, heavy blades, scythes (vol. 2), and guns (vol. 3).
- Battles are enclosed in a small force field and an item is used to run away.
- Less of a reason to adjust your teammates, and menus less complicated
- Skill trigger allows you to set 4 moves that can be used quickly with an R1 menu
- Instead of Protect Break there's Rengeki. Basically it's a critical hit with your weapon skills and you get extra EXP for doing it.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

You can adjust your teammates' strategies and command them to use skills, but I didn't really find that necessary until .Hack//Outbreak. Just set Wavemasters to First Aid and command them yourself when you need to.

GU's story does require at least some knowledge of the first games, taking place seven years later. You could just look for a rip of the Terminal Disc "End of the World" though. It has 12 videos on it that unlock depending on your GU saves, each one revealing more backstory and the first four videos are good summaries of the first four games. Unfortunately, in the US it was only available as a pre-order gift at Gamestop, but I'm fairly certain there are rips floating around that can be played on your computer.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

The rumors right now say October, but no one really has any idea. That's probably not too far off though.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

I saw a Terminal Disc rip mentioned on the dothackers.net forums, but unfortunately they have a strictly enforced policy against talking about downloading licensed stuff. You can mention its existance, but not ask where to get it or encourage someone to use it. I remember they said the files on the disc were in a format that made them really easy to rip and play in WMP. Try googling around for a torrent.

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I never really bothered with Crimson Vs. In fact, I was using one of the pre-built decks for about half the game and had about a 50% win rate. It just didn't interest me at all. Where's the fun in a card game that plays itself? Aside from looking at the art it was a pretty useless side venture.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

What's the source for this rumor? After the many false leads we got over vol. 2's release I'm wary about placing any trust at all in this. Honestly, I'd be surprised to see a release any sooner than October.

FELIPE NO

Hey, it looks like your rumored date of September 10th might be right after all!

EB's site has it listed as shipping on 9/10/07, and they were accurate with vol. 2 since they refrained from even adding it to their site until Namco-Bandai gave a real date. That's fantastic news if it's true since like I already said, I was expecting an October release at the earliest.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

I'm not sure how enjoyable GU would be if you know nothing about the original series, but it's not necessary to play them all. I recommend tracking down a torrent for the Terminal Disc that came with GU vol. 1's special edition. It has fairly comprehensive reviews of the first four games among other things.

Jam it back in, in the dark.