.Hack Series

[GuardianE]

Can someone explain to me the .Hack series and the .Hack//G.U. series? I know I could look it up online, but I value the opinions of the people here on this board and I wanted their thoughts. If I were able to pick up what's available right now, would it feel complete? Disjointed? Fulfilling?

If you had to choose a series, or even a particular game, what would you choose?

Thanks for any info!

[Dead of Knight]

Both really aren't worth your time, but if you're really interested in them, the first series is a lot better IMO. Gu is a total borefest.

[whitereflection]

Did you watch the TV shows? Do you like MMOs? Even if you answered yes to both, both series have glaring faults that make the games less enjoyable. My favorite parts of the games were the backstories and extraneous info, like how The World (that's what the MMO in .hack is called) was created, news articles that detail how MMO addiction is on the rise, forum posts where people actually talk about your character, etc. If that doesn't appeal to you, you're better off watching .hack//Trilogy, a stunning CG movie that summarizes the three GU games.

[Mr Unoriginal]

The first set is okay, but the later games have gone up in price lately and they are definitely not worth what you'd have to pay now to complete the set.

[SierraNight]

The first set is okay, but the later games have gone up in price lately and they are definitely not worth what you'd have to pay now to complete the set.

Yeah...which sucks...I've had 1,2, and 3 for years, only played the first and came across hard times so never bought the 4th. Now I'd like to complete the set...and can't seem to find the 4th one at a good price. >.<

I played the first one when it first came out. I remember enjoying it (it was the first rpgish game I played on ps2) but remember it being exceedingly short. Oh, and I remember selling off a piece of armor I got for catching the goblin and later finding out that was a sidequest that lasted through all 4 games and got so mad I erased my save file.

[squid]

I didn't really get into the first series, but I thought GU was a lot of fun. Some of the lands can get a bit repetitive, but it is supposed to be an MMO, so.. what do you expect? You have to somewhat like dungeon crawlers, they aren't for everyone, but I thought the characters and game play easily made up for any repeat areas.
I hadn't watched the anime before I played, so I had no prior love of the series, and I still thought it was a blast.

[missingno81]

Its a dungeon crawler that you spend hours and hours leveling up just to destroy weaklings; I love it.