.hack Ends On The PSP

[Gorvi]

It will be called .hack//Link, and according to Famtsu (via IGN (http://psp.ign.com/articles/944/944854p1.html)), it will be the last game in the series.
In Link, Players take control of Tokio Kuryu, a second year junior-high student. Presented through manga-style visuals, the game's story promises to clear up the mysteries from past entries. Over 100 characters from past .hack games, anime, manga, and books will make an appearance.

Gameplay promises to retain the basics of past titles, with players facing off in battle against enemies as they explore dungeons. The difference here is that you move around in a party of two, with the CPU-controlling the other character. The game will include 33 such CPU-controlled characters.

Another change includes a more action-heavy combat system. While specifics haven't been revealed, your movement and the cut-in animation sequences during combat are said to be somewhat like a fighting game. The game does promise a simple control scheme, though, for those who aren't too good with action games.
I've never played a game in the series, as much as I've had friends tell me that I really should.

[Wilkz07]

I played the first one and it was pretty solid, though back then i didn't have the patience for an rpg. The concept is fun, yet geeky. You are essentially playing a game controlling a kid who plugs into the vr world to play a game (at least thats what i remember, correct me if i'm wrong). I think there were 4 in the ps2 series.

i haven't played the rest but hopefully the psp is a standalone and you don't really needed to have played the previous

[Mot Wakorb]

I'm glad they're finally putting this to bed. I liked playing all of the previous games but man... they were repetitive as hell - it was the same game across all 4 of the first series and the 3 of the 2nd series. I'll still end up playing this though, just because I want to see how it all ends.

[Shrinn]

I never got too into the original 4, mostly because finding virus cores just wasn't enough fun to keep going. I absolutely loved the G.U. series, however. I wish I had a PSP.

[frederec]

I own the four games of the first series and the first of the second, but stopped somewhere in the third game. Would have been better if it had been released as one slightly larger game than four individual games. I do remember at the time thinking that the game and .hack//SIGN were mediocre, but when done together, complemented each other well and made the whole experience better.

[Purple Santa]

This is bittersweet. I loved the series. I have the games, the anime, the manga...it's far from a perfect series. But personally, it could do no wrong. It's just a series that i'm sad to see end. That said, I can't wait for this game. Hope it's a worthy goodbye.

[TheSilentDeath]

Looks like I have to buy a psp sometime in the future.

[Wraith]

Thread necromancy go~!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v298/wraithakamrak/cog/2132391637_view.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v298/wraithakamrak/cog/2132391640_view.jpg

Screenshots & artwork at Andriasang (http://www.andriasang.com/e/galleries/2009/09/11/dot_hack/).

[Purple Santa]

Thanks Wraith! Those screenshots were awesome.

[Widgetcraft]

I like the colors, but once again they've strayed so far from the art style of the original games and //SIGNS. The franchise started out with a sort of elegance, then they chibied it up, then they grimmed it up, and now they're... I dunno, Kirbying it up?

[Purple Santa]

I like the colors, but once again they've strayed so far from the art style of the original games and //SIGNS. The franchise started out with a sort of elegance, then they chibied it up, then they grimmed it up, and now they're... I dunno, Kirbying it up?

Looks like the art style from some of the manga books.

[TrackZero]

I'm glad they're finally putting this to bed. I liked playing all of the previous games but man... they were repetitive as hell - it was the same game across all 4 of the first series and the 3 of the 2nd series. I'll still end up playing this though, just because I want to see how it all ends.

It won't really. They'll just make "the world v3" and spin off new series. This property was so designed-by-boardroom-committee it was ridiculous from day one. I'm still shocked at how many people actually liked it. The entire property in all it's formats could have been summed up in about 40 minutes of anime if you stripped the hundreds of hours of filler material out.

Stop giving Bandai money for this drivel people.

[Wraith]

February 2010 (http://www.siliconera.com/2009/09/24/hacklink-and-130-hack-characters-arrive-on-psp-in-february/) in Japan. Also a bunch of screens at the link.CyberConnect2 is throwing a .hack reunion on the PSP. It’s called .hack//Link and it’s dated for February 2010.

.hack//Link includes over 130 characters from 23 .hack works. Thirty-three of them can partner with Tokio, the game’s video game loving protagonist. Screenshots show Tokio teaming up with Kite from .hack, Tsukasa from .hack//Sign, and Albireo from .hack//AI Buster for glitzy cross rengeki attacks.

[Wraith]

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via Siliconera (http://www.siliconera.com/2009/09/24/take-another-look-at-hacklink/)

[Evil Avnovice]

A demo is now available:

1. On the japanese PlayStation Network store
2. Famitsu (http://www.famitsu.com/game/news/1229931_1124.html)
3. At the game's official site

And details from Andriasang (http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/2009/11/26/dot_hack_delay/).