.hack//INFECTION (Part 1) (PlayStation 2, 2003)

The reason I bought this game is because i really enjoyed the .hack//sign Anime Series, and I wanted to know what happened next. Well I found out that what happened next takes place over a series of four games. Sounds epic? Not really.

The first thing you will notice about this game is that you will probably beat it the first day you bought it. there is probably a max of 10-15 hours playtime, and thats even if you do all the sidequests. I beat the game in about 8. All four games in the series are like this. That wouldn't be so bad if each game was less than 10 bucks, but unless you search the globe for the cheapest prices, be prepared to pay between 17 to 30 for each game. Another real kick in the pants is that each of the four games contains nearly all the data for each of the games. All movies, and everything.

As far as gameplay goes, its very basic. Run in, hit the enemies, get hit, heal, repeat. You are constantly running through randomly generated dungeons with set room shapes. Each room is usually a run in, kill the monsters, continue kind of thing. After the dungeon, there is usually a talking scene on where to go next, or a cutscene on where to go next. Unless you are VERY into the story (like i kind of was)this system will probably bore you to death. It only gets worse throughout time as the dungeons get longer (longest one in final game is 15 floors).

The story of this game is very confusing. Chances are after you finish it you wont have a clue what is going on unless you saw the series or read the book. If you think you will understand it after you beat the games,you are wrong. You will understand more than when you started, but there are far too many questions left unanswered, as well as plotholes galore.

To buy, or not to buy? If you are already into the story, go ahead and try it. you might like it. Otherwise, you may want to try renting it first.