Rent .Hack: Infection (Part 1) for PS2
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.Hack: Infection (Part 1)

Not Rentable
GF Rating
7.6

1557 ratings

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GF Rating
9

Excellent

Infected

posted by RobCrusade (LAUREL, MD) Apr 20, 2007

Member since Feb 2007

12 out of 12 gamers (100%) found this review helpful

I'd been avoiding .hack for some time now in the stores- the sheer volume of well, volumes... put me off a bit- having already fallen victim to the steady stream of Square RPG titles. I wasn't sure I was ready to commit to another prolific series.

But since we're renting now, I figured what can I lose?

Besides the money I'll spend on purchasing it now, I mean.

Plot: The plot is solid (at least so far). The usage of the "online" experience is interesting to the game, it feels more like you're digging up more clues on your own than being simply swept up in a storyline.

The only downside is the inability to avoid plot advancement if you wish to... on occasion, you're backed into a wall and have no choice but to go in one direction only. This severely interrupts the feeling of participating in an online experience, which is too bad.

It took me about two weeks to beat the game, with lots of "level" play but I've played lots of RPGs.

Gameplay: I'm happy to see that the map is not dynamic- meaning it doesn't move around with you, it stays put. I found the default controller setting confusing, but easily managed to change it to suit my own tastes easily.

Most functions are fairly self-explanatory in the game, and the intro is very informative on how to use them (unfortunately it's also a pain to skip if you're replaying) A "skip scene" function would have been quite welcome, as your main special attack spends nearly half a minute in fmv every time you perform it...
It's easier to choose character types instead of trying to control character's actions (on one occasion, a character refused to revive my dead corpse on the grounds that was not "her concern") so keep an eye on each character's behavior. You don't want to get caught on a plot point level only to have characters who ignore pleas for first aid...

The menus are -extremely- touchy in this game, they flip around making it sometimes difficult to choose commands.

But still, great game. Can't wait for part 2

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GF Rating
7

Good

An enjoyable game

posted by CrazeFan (BROOKLINE, MA) Jun 14, 2008

Member since Mar 2008

5 out of 5 gamers (100%) found this review helpful

.Hack infection does a great job in making you feel like you're in an MMORPG. They actually give your character an e-mail in the game which the other characters in the game use to contact you and talk about the game, and other things like tennis and pie. Some people may not like the tedious work you have to do, going to dungeons and leveling up, and getting the treasure, then going to a different dungeon and leveling up etc. Personally I feel like the game does force you to resort to train sometimes, but it does it for the right amount of time. You won't be fighting monsters for 10 hours like some MMOs make you do. This is a very original plot line, and I'd like to play the rest of the series. This game is very close to an open-world game, but still leaves you having to do the missions to help the written plot line progress, which I think was a success.

Now for the BAD part, I really think that Project .hack was lazy on this one. They use A LOT of shortcuts by copying the exact same background from place to place, and the room shapes in almost every dungeon are the same (although they have different props and colors). I really think that .hack could fit this story into 2 disks if not 1. The game takes around 30 hours to beat, but putting in new missions doesn't take a lot of space if "The World" is already on it. The voice acting is good, but at times the lines are really awkward. (not a spoiler) At the end of the game the main character yells "noooo!" but he yells it BEFORE the bad thing actually happens. I couldn't believe how many times my noble Grunty (a pet in the game) said "Mon ami" in a bad french accent. seriously, it was in every sentence...

But that's all I can complain about, I really like RPGs and this one does a great job in both story and game play, and I will get the next volume.

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GF Rating
9

Excellent

Data Drain!

posted by Pyrospazz (BROOKFIELD, MA) Jan 8, 2010

Member since Mar 2009

3 out of 3 gamers (100%) found this review helpful

I have to say, this game is excellent! It puts a whole new twist on the term "RPG" because it's an RPG within an RPG. You play as a newbie named Kite in a game called "The World". Something awful happens to your friend so you set off on a virtual adventure to save him. You aren't very strong at first, but you have this unique skill called "Data Drain".

"The World" is supposed to be an online game, and it does a VERY good job of imitating one. It has that 'online' feel to it. A bunch of players running around, talking to each other. My dad even asked "Are you actually playing with other people?"

Being an older game, the graphics are a little choppy (pretty good for the year it's from though), and the voice track doesn't always express the dialog the way it should. But if you look past its flaws, it's a great game.

There is a variety of different levels and dungeons to go to. The scenery doesn't really get old. However, the plot line can be a little monotonous.

All and all, the game is awesome. I wouldn't mind having a few more cut scenes, but some gamers don't like them as much as I do anyway, so that's fine. I definitely recommend renting this game. I bought it and I have no regrets so far.

Oh, the 45 min. video that accompanies the game isn't half bad either!

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