.hack//G.U. vol. 3//Redemption

".hack//GU, Good or Bad?"

.hack//GU vol. 3 completes the GU series of .hack/ games. Let's cut right to the review of this finale to the GU triolgy!

GAMEPLAY
.hack//GU features a fast-paced, somewhat challenging battle system. Monster battles can be avoided, but it's sort of fun to grind through the fairly mindless beasts, goblins, and bird-like "things" that "The World" has to offer. Arena battles are my personal favorite because the gameplay gets more competitive, challenging, and exciting. However, gameplay feels repetitive throughout the game -- the only spice added was the option between using twin blades, a broadsword, a scythe, or later in the game, dual pistols. Mostly, gameplay can be stale if you're playing for a couple hours or so. Keep it fresh by taking on quests or checking your email in between areas. Score = 7 / 10

GRAPHICS
Graphics are arguably this title's best asset; Characters move smoothly, with a skillfully anime-centric art style and cell-shaded cutscenes. The areas don't differ much from each other, nor do the NPC's, but they are certainly tolerable. My only complaint would be that Pi needs to wear more tasteful clothes, and perhaps towns such as Breg Epona could have a little bit more going for them -- walking through the entire "Town" gets quite bland, especially in the back streets area. Overall, the graphics are very impressive in an anime-ish, MMORPG sort of way. Score = 9 / 10

STORYLINE
HERE'S the part of the game that's personally the most frustrating. The characters go through some well thought-out development and some of them are actually very interesting. However (and some of you readers might disagree, that's fine) the characters come across as EXTREMELY childish. Notably, they take their role as online game players WAY too far, to the point of basing their self-worth on how well they perform in the game. One of the players even develops a split-personality, which no one cares to mention is a major symptom of psychosis! Secondly, the dialogue seems like it was butchered during the translation process. Jokes tend to fall flat, for example Piros the 3rd would only seem funny to a young child. The most painful form of entertainment in this game would be the hidden videos discussing Haseo's personality. WTF? The storyline itself concerns victims falling comatose due to problems and conspiracies within "The World". Like the previous series of games, this is an innovative and clever plot. I just feel most of the characters are not strong enough to carry the idea that a rag-tag group of players are the only ones who can save "The World" and become heroes. Despite this, the stab at character development the writers took for this game deserves recognition, as well as the plot and its twists. In companion to the other two GU titles, the plot and subplots wrap up and leave you feeling satisfied. And I just love Salvador Aihara! Score = 7 / 10

SOUND
To be honest, I listened to a lot of my CD collection while doing dungeons and fields in this game. Not that the music was bad; It just sounded repetitive. The character voices were a mix between good and bad -- I found myself liking the voice of Haseo, but hearing him sounding "hardcore" all the time drove me nuts. Basically, repetition was the major flaw with the game's overall sound. Score = 6 / 10

CONCLUSION
Not too bad, but not too great. I would recommend this game, and the GU series, to younger gamers looking to play their first RPG series. I would also recommend it to long-time fans of the .hack/ franchise. Despite the repetitive nature of the game, it really is likeable and a perfectly good addition to the .hack/ library -- and best of all, as a conclusion to the GU storyline, it hits the mark nicely.

OVERALL SCORE = 7 / 10

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 01/28/08

Game Release: .hack//G.U. vol. 3//Redemption (US, 09/10/07)