User Reviews (1 - 11 of 138)

Show these reviews first:

Highest Rated
Lowest Rated Newest
Oldest Most Helpful
Least Helpful

Decent RPG

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 30 / 30
Date: February 20, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I normally don't do many reviews, but those posted here about this game so far don't really do it justice.

Dot Hack is the newest installment of the next generation of RPGs: live-action combat sequences, intricate plots, and complicated gameplay. You take the role of Kite, an eigth grade boy trying to discover why the online game "The World" caused his friend, Orca, to go into a coma. Split between the gaming world and "the real world" (which is represented by Kite's desktop), Dot Hack allows you to email in-game players, keep up with the news, and follow threads in an expansive message board that probably is the most creative way I've ever seen a game present its own instructions. After working your way through Kite's desktop, you then play Kite's character in "The World" (think a very big game-within-a-game).

"The World" is not unlike the Everquest style MMORPGs of today. You form groups, you trade with other players, you visit dungeons, you fight monsters, you find special items, and so on. Your parties rotate given who is willing to play and who is not; if you are friendly to your favorite partners, for instance, they will more than likely team up with you when you catch them online. Given that the game is entirely computer-based, this well-done simulation bettered my original expectations.

The game has its weak points, as well. Kite's character's class is not chosen, which is frustrating to those (like me) who find some of the other classes far more interesting. Also, the name-generated playing fields have the feel of those old-style random dungeon crawls for the PC. This gets old quick, but the well-done cut scenes and fields that actually advance the story are just enough to keep the game spinning in my Playstation.

Gone are the basic turned-based games with simple storylines; as a longtime veteran of RPGs, I appreciate and welcome this change. The innovative gameplay and absolutely fantastic storyline of Dot Hack (and its anime counterpart) has me looking forward to the rest of the series. Four stars.

Problems, Problems

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 33 / 37
Date: April 13, 2003
Author: Amazon User

One of the problems about reviewing this game is that it is hard to decide what it is that you are reviewing. Is it the total concept of game, film, manga, and TV series? Or one fourth of a game? Or any of the above. The reason this is particularly perplexing is that of all of the above, the game it the only thing that falls a bit short of expectations. It isn't at all bad, just 'ordinary.'

While formed from the interesting concept of a virtual gaming world gone psychotic, what .hack//Infection really is a dungeon based adventure game comprised of hack-and-slash travels through levels to get treasure. The classic RPG with a bit of a twist, it starts when Kite, a new player, is introduced to 'The World' by his friend Orca. On their first outing to a dungeon, Orca is attacked by a mutated monster and permanently loses consciousness. It is up to Kite, and the friends he makes to try to find out what is really going on.

Script is pretty minimal, especially when compared to the story lines of FFX or Suikoden III. Essentially, e-mails or board postings trigger events and supply the code names of playing fields and dungeons. Kite assembles a team of three and goes to each location for information. A fair amount of time is spent leveling up in order to be strong enough to accomplish the next task. To facilitate this, the player can compose his own keywords or even have a playing field generated for him at random. There is room for considerable variation, but the fields aren't really all that imaginative.

Despite a pretty face, the game engine is dated, and the game interface is a bit inconsistent. The same key doesn't always to the same thing. And it can take a lot of controller actions to run a real time battle. All in all, the game is entertaining, but not compelling. Character design is excellent though. Hopefully, future parts will extend playing capabilities.

The accompanying film DVD is called .hack//Liminality (volume 1). It is the story of Mai Minase, whose boyfriend is demonstrating 'The World' to her when they are attacked. He too loses consciousness for the duration. She meets Junichiro Tokuoka, who seems to have had something to do with the game originally, and is now investigating why people are permanently losing consciousness when they play. I wish I could take more time in this review to discuss this DVD, because it is excellent. An interesting plot, nicely drawn with interesting characters. I can see buying the games just to get the film DVD's.

Overall, the game is the weakest part of the .hack package. But I don't want to give the impression that it is bad. It simply doesn't live up to the overwhelming hype so far. I found it quite playable as a traditional dungeons oriented game. With three more chapters to go this could change in a flash, and I am too curious not to continue. I think you will find this true for yourself as well.

Great game but...

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 31 / 34
Date: February 09, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I have played the japanese version of this game and it is indeed very good. The game-in-a-game concept and execution is amazing. The graphics are wonderful and the music isn't bad either. Playing the game makes your feel like your really playing online in another world. The storyline is interesting, though slightly confusing. The only problem with the game is the completion time. This is the first "episode" in a series of .hack games and as such, the game is very short. It took me 19 hours to beat the game and the ending left me hanging and feeling quite unfulfilled. You should take this into consideration before buying the game at full price. $$$ is a lot of money for a 19 hour game. I suggest renting this game first to see if you like it... of course you'll probably beat it before for you buy it... ^-^

Different.........in a good way

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 28 / 35
Date: March 11, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I am a big fan of RPGs and animes. I am a HUGE fan of Final fantasy rpgs too. While waiting for FF 11 to come out, I saw this game in a magizine. It looked pretty good, and Bandai is a familiar name. When I bought this game, it was confusing at first, but I got the hang of it fast. The concept is really interesting, playing a game of a person, who is also playing a game. It is really different from most rpgs that I hav played, which is turn based battles. I personally like these battles better,where you can run around during battles. This game was fun, and very interesting. It also makes you feel like your actually playing an online game, (like certain players being in the towns at different times, and also your teammates are sometimes not logged on, so you cant put them in your party every time you play.) I think there is only one weakness in this game. It only took me 15 hours to beat. FF games take about 50 or 60 hours. In all, I think this game is good for people that love rpgs, animes, and games with good stories. I can't wait for the next installment of this 4 part game to come out.

It's OK, but...

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 31 / 43
Date: February 17, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I know I'll get lambasted for writing this, but let's put it out there. This is NOT a great game. While a great story is certainly an important component to a great game, there are other essentials which must be present as well.
So, let's talk about the good first. .hack has a good story which should keep the gamer quite interested. You play as a another video game player who wishes to play the MMORPG "The World". Invited by another friend who then mysteriously vanishes (and in fact falls into a coma), you must determine the who's and why's behind this mystery. Along the way, you will meet up with other players who will help you in your quest as you hack your way further into the mystery that is "The World". I was quite interested in the game myself, and will certainly purchase the sequel to see its continuation.
Now for the bad. The gameplay .... Essentially, you call up these "friends" of yours to walk through repetitive dungeons with little graphic splendor, each time trying to find a statue at the bottom which will reward your party (i.e. you) with items. Hooray. While the story kept me going, the gameplay is far from inspiring, reminiscent of the doldrums of "Dark Cloud" or the likes. I know that MMORPG's are like this, but somehow, I never really felt that I was interacting with real people, which is obviously the hope of this simulation.
I think that most RPGers will like this game, solely based on the story. However, be warned - this game isn't for everyone, and at fifty bucks, you might be quite disappointed. Buyer beware!

Best RPG in a long time.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 21 / 26
Date: March 25, 2003
Author: Amazon User

All in all, this is a spectacular game. It fills the empty space left in my heart by the horrible attempt at a sequel Konami tried to pass off as Devil May Cry 2.

I rented .hack from the video store on a Thursday, and reluctantly brought it back on Monday, after committing 40 hours of playtime to this peice of art. Don't be tricked, this game *can* be short. But if you play RPG's like I do, you'll do sidequests, level up your character constantly, and try all sorts of weird things with the game, it's definitely not a 15 hour game.

I was originally attracted to the game because of it's basis in Anime (it comes with a short anime movie to supplement the story in the game, which you should watch before playing the game).

Also, I've been learning Japanese for a while, and I really had alot of fun playing through the game with the Japanese language voices (yes you can change it, and don't worry, it still has the english subtitles). All the fans of anime I've met have preferred the japanese language with subtitles, and I thank bandai for taking this into account when they made the game.

I was able to beat this game thoroughly in a 5 day rental. And because of that, I was able save [$$$] + S&H. I would only buy this game if I had alot of money to spend. Otherwise, I suggest it as a rental.

Not you're traditional RPG

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 30 / 46
Date: January 11, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Well, admittedly, this is only a preview. I don't know about anyone else, but I'm glad someone is stepping up to the plate and trying to be innovative in the world of rpgs. Final Fantasy X didn't have a shred of innovation in it(except maybe sphere grid), and turned out to be easily the worst FF ever. From what I understand, .hack's battle system is something similar to a Star Ocean or Parasite Eve. You move you're characters around the screen and press a button to attack, choose what magic to do, etc. One of the coolest things about this game, however, is the fact that once you beat an area, you can then go to a certain computer and load and battle field you want. In other words, if you are in a castle overlooking a forest, but you want to fight in a desert or snowfield, walk into this weird device, pick it, and you will have a desert or snowfield to play with automatically.
This is all possible obviously to the idea of the plot in which you are in a computer's world the whole time. Not only can you hack into an enemy's data stream and lower his strength or hp(for example)but you can also talk to the other characters as if you were chatting on AOL with them. Even the main menu looks like a computer menu. You could tell Bandai was really going for atmosphere in this one.
To add to this game, you will also get a good 45 minutes of anime in each chapter in the form of parts from the .hack OVA. I'm telling you, ...that is a very good deal. The only thing you might want to consider is that each game in the series will only be about 20 hours long, since each game is thought of as chapters of a bigger game and not a singular game in itself. Interesting, but watch out for replay value. All in all, this is definitely a game to watch out for and could be a sleeper hit.

Chiming in with other positive reviews...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 9 / 9
Date: February 28, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I had a good time with this game. The storyline is interesting (see the other reviews) and is something that's never really been done before. The powerhouse team that created it did a very good job with the art, characterization, concept, etc. It really feels convincingly like playing an on-line game, and interacting on the BBS and through e-mail is a gas. I also highly enjoyed the Japanese vocal track. As someone learning the language, I valued the ability to be able to play in Japanese (with English subtitles) and avoid the bastardly English dub.

It is a fairly short game, yes, but one should remember that it's only the first episode, meant to set up the rest of the series. Probably the $... price-tag is asking more than it should, but it was worth it to me. This game oozes Japanese flavor, which I highly appreciate. I may even replay it (and don't forget that once you've beaten the game, you can still continue with your data file, building up your character and uncovering secrets in preparation for episode 2).

The anime DVD that comes along with the game is also very good. I plan to purchse the .hack//SIGN anime series eventually.

.hack is a worthy purchase which met and exceeded my expectations. Anyone who's a fan of Japanese pop-culture, anime and RPGs will enjoy this game. Others should probably give it a rent first. It's one that I, personally, am going to keep forever, and I'm anticipating the release of the next episode.

Interesting training ground for real MMORPG play

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 15 / 21
Date: April 13, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Based on the anime TV show, .hack infection has you, the player, playing a character who is playing an on line multiuser RPG. Talk about layers of gameplay!

In essence, this is a great way for kids not quite ready for real, on line MMORPGs to get a feeling for how they work. Your character, let's call him "Link", is playing an on line MMORPG. All of the people which Link interacts with are just computer-controlled characters. There is no real on line aspect to this game. But you get a sense for how to interact with other players, how to send messages to them, how some are on at some times and others log on at other times.

Your methods of moving around between areas of "The World" and killing monsters is pretty similar to most MMORPGs like Asheron's Call or EverQuest. You have weapons to hack and slash at creatures. You have magic and can heal your party members or harm the enemies. You can "chat" with your party members to ask them to give you a hand or heal you.

When you're not "on line", you can read message boards about things going on, send messages, and progress through the game. After your first half hour of "guided tutorial", one of your friends falls into a coma and you're concerned about it. More things happen as you get deeper and deeper into the game.

Amusingly, the graphics are better than most real MMORPGs out there but are not quite as good as many real PS2 games that are out there. So depending on which one you compare it against, it's either quite nice or not quite up to par. They're around the Dark Cloud level of graphics.

The 45 minute anime cartoon that gets you familiar with the game and the players helps to draw you into the world, and feel like this is a real situation with real people you are interacting with.

On the downside, you can't customize your character at all. Most of the fun of MMORPGs is that you can tweak your character to be just the way you wish. In this one, you are forced to be the character they have set up.

Still, it's fun practice for how a MMORPG works, and fans of the series will enjoy participating in its world

.hack//Infection Part 1 of 4

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 16 / 25
Date: January 14, 2003
Author: Amazon User

.hack the first of 4 games in a series. This game obviously deserves better that a 1 out of 5. .hack is the story of a boy in the "Real World" who is invited to play the popular online game "The World" by his friend, a veteran of the game. When they are playing a virus attacks them both and kills their characters. In the "Real World" his friend goes into comatose. He takes his character, Kite, enters "The World" to try to find a cure for his friend. Later he merges with the virus and his quest begins.

The game also has a dvd contain an anime version of what happens in the "Real World" during the events in the game. The game has a fake mailer and fourum for you to look up any hints for when you get stuck. .hack launches February 11th enjoy!

Review Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next 

Actions