New .hack game!

[Lightning Flik 0]

After the end of .hack//Quarantine, fans of BanDai and CyberConnect2's .hack were left wondering if there would ever be another video game incarnation of the project. .hack has appeared in forms of anime, manga, and games--just about every entertainment medium available. Recently, BanDai let out some information pertaining to a fifth RPG in the series, entitled .hack//Another Birth.

 

Story details are scarce, but the major twist has been revealed; players will not be controlling Kite this time around. Instead, Another Birth puts Black Rose in the spotlight, placing Kite as a supporting character. This story is said to be a video game version of a manga of the same title, so far only released in Japan. Looking at this image, the story looks to be a lot more personal in this round.

 

Veterans of the first four .hack titles will likely remember the feature allowing them to carry their save data from game to game. Since this will be on PlayStation 2, a degree of this is possible once again. With the switch of main characters, a complete data transfer from Quarantine to Another Birth would be impossible, but all non-equipment items in the player's inventory can be moved. This is because the "Item Completetion" quest will be continued from Quarantine, with over 200 more items set to be added to the list of things to collect. All party members on the player's contact list can also be imported, and no new characters have been unveiled. Whether or not Another Birth will allow recruiting of characters the player missed in the previous four games has not been specified.

 

The press release containing this information did not reveal much gameplay infomation, other than the fact that CyberConnect2 plans on increasing the size of the towns and adding, in CC2 Marketing Manager Jay McKee's own words, "more MMORPG-like content," and all talk of such things ended there. No comments regarding the battles system or anything else were made, presumably because the game is still in early production.

 

"I'm excited to be working with everyone again," said Masumi Asano, Japanese voice of Black Rose. "It will be neat to be voicing the lead character. Black Rose's part was already a big one before, but now I have a lot more work to do. I can't wait to start recording!"

 

The game has been announced for Japanese release some time near the end of the year, with a North American localization to follow in early 2006. Whether of not Atari will step in and release the game in Europe as it did the other games in the series is not known. RPGamer will continue to post updated information as it becomes available. In the meantime, take a look at the game's earliest pieces of official artwork.

 

Now do they break the game into parts, or they keeping this damn thing whole? Can BlackRose be a main character (considering I found her as a pain in the ass) or will they switch to where she's great as a main character but Kite becomes hindersome being in the party nearly all the time? Can this thing even sell on Western shores considering how much people were like "ugh" with how they chopped the series apart?

 

Honestly, I liked the concept and story for .hack, and if they can fix many of the mistakes, I might try it out. Although this is assuming a lot.

 

I'd like to also go on record as to say its humorous that BlackRose is the main character, but on the game's Japanese slipcover, its Kite with BlackRose faintly seen on the box.

 

Furthermore... I need to stop posting when I haven't slept. I sound like I'm nuts or something.

[Use Your Illusion 0]

This is the end all-be all finale, right?

[Lightning Flik 0]

That's a joke right? Its an RPG of an MMORPG. Hell no to this being the end.

 

Especially considering the massive amounts of money it makes in Japan (anime series[plural], games, mangas), not likely.

 

We could only wish though. Although, this ones apparently gonna get kinda personal between Kite and BlackRose as well, so prepare for lovey-dovey stuff.

[Ced 0]

I swear Bandai should just make .hack//The World. Forget the MMORPG within a RPG, and actually make The World an MMORPG. Get the character classes, NPCs playing Kite, BlackRose and the rest of the crew, and the entire "Something's not right with this game" element. There's some potential in that game.

[Lightning Flik 0]

Ah, they will do that when they've milked the series for all its worth. Not a moment before.

[Star Ocean 3 0]

April fool's.

[Lightning Flik 0]

I'm kinda shocked this one was more believed about then the Square-Enix one.

 

There is a .hack//Another Birth as I understand it, however it is currently just a stand alone manga that is about BlackRose (I don't honestly know much more than that). So its not fully a lie. Just only on the format in which it is received.

[Ced 0]

I'd still like to see Bandai try to create The World.

 

On a side note, Fuck April Fool's Day.

[Lightning Flik 0]

I'd die laughing if BanDai turned around and announced this game like today for real. Just to watch RPGamer go "ok, so we meant this as a joke, but apparently they really mean to release a game"

[Ced 0]

Of course. The best April Fool's joke to pull of is "No, we were actually serious." It's the only April Fool's joke I like and accept.

[Star Ocean 3 0]

Why don't you post the news about Grandia 3?

[Lightning Flik 0]

Because there's not much to announce besides SE going:

 

"Oh yeah, our big announcement is Grandia III"

 

Besides, I'm waiting for when Famitsu unleashes its "exlusive" content and then post that.

[Star Ocean 3 0]

Well, there are pictures.

[AndrewTS 0]

Don't forget Lunar 3. It's a comin'!

 

http://ps2.ign.com/objects/699/699396.html?fromint=1

[Star Ocean 3 0]

So... there really are new .hack games coming out now. 3 new ones.