.hack, Part 1: Infection

by Bandai

Product Features

• It's the year 2010, and the most popular game ever is the World, a massive action/RPG game that connects people around the planet. When the newbie named Kite sees his friend Orca killed in the game, he finds Orca is left in a coma in the real world. Kite digs deep into The World to discover the reason why.
• Join up with a small group of hackers who are fighting to solve the mystery of The World
• Enter the real world and explore the mystery via message boards, e-mails, and online updates
• Once you've found the clues you need, you'll be able to explore The World more thoroughly -- killing monsters, exploring dungeons, and trying to keep an eye out for virtual strangeness
• Comes with a 30 minute anime DVD disc which details the events happening in the real world as people react to the video game coma phenomenon, adding true depth to the story.

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00006B5T8
• Item Weight: 6.1 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: February 11, 2003
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (151 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,428 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
  • #15 in Video Games > PlayStation 2 > Role-Playing
  • #49 in Video Games > PlayStation 2 > Action

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

A 14-year-old boy named Kite is invited by his schoolmate Orca to play the online game The World. While playing the game, both Kite and his friend are attacked by an unknown monster. As a result, Orca becomes comatose in the real world. Despite his friend's condition, Kite continues to play, believing he’ll find a way to revive Orca. While playing The World, Kite accepts the Twilight from Aura, a mysterious girl in white. Kite is transformed into an Outlaw player within the game, wielding the very same power responsible for Orca’s condition.

Product Description

.Hack: Infection is an offline role-playing game that takes you into a new dimension of gaming -- it's a game within a game!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Decent RPG, February 19, 2003

By 

Darrin Rasberry - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: .hack, Part 1: Infection (Video Game)

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.

30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Problems, Problems, April 12, 2003

By 

Marc Ruby™ "The Noh Hare™" (Warren, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: .hack, Part 1: Infection (Video Game)

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.

32 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great game but..., February 9, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: .hack, Part 1: Infection (Video Game)

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... ^-^