A Different Kind of MMO – “.hack//G.U.” Goes Massively Multiplayer Without Going Online

by Louis Bedigian

“.hack//G.U. is going to be a huge game. There's so much content. This DVD is filled to the brim.”

And do you Zorlok, take this bride to be your lawfully wedded wife?

I do.

I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.

Zorlok leaned in for a smooch with his new wife, Yeeki, typing XOXOXOXOXOXO on his keyboard. She did the same.

The two lovebirds are fictional characters created by gamers playing their favorite MMORPG, EverLasting. After meeting in the game world and falling madly in love – Yeeki with her green scales, and Zorlok with his irresistible tusks – the two felt it was time to express their eternal love in virtual matrimony. (The two have since been caught cheating and will be getting a virtual divorce next week. Zorlok, who fell for a limber liger, and Yeeki, who couldn't resist a husky hyena who dwells in the caves.)

Modern technology makes it possible for us to do anything. It has also inspired a group of clever developers to try something new in the world of MMORPGs: create a massively multiplayer online RPG for the offline world.

"Is that a contradiction?"

No it's not, crazy voice inside my head. It is in fact the concept for .hack, the only MMORPG in the world you can play with yourself. Of course, playing with yourself means no virtual wedding. Repeating those words also gives friends an excuse to make fun of you, but I'll save those jokes for another time and place.

.hack//G.U. is the latest addition to the .hack world, taking the experience further than the last game, which was presumed to be the final chapter in the series. .hack//G.U. launches new series that, should it live up to its predecessors, will leave us feeling truly spell-bound. 

Content, Content, Content

• All-New 3-Part Adventure

• New Version of a Familiar World

• Darker, Edgier Style

• Join Guilds!

• Utilize the Main Character’s Multi-Weapon Class

• In-Game Desktop, E-mail, etc., Fully Supported

• Previous .hack Developers On Board

• Same Content as Japanese Version

• Shipping Fall 2006

When describing hack//G.U.’s content, Brian Glazebrook, Localization Manager for .hack//G.U., told us to think of the content found in the previous series. “Imagine getting all the content, [from all those games], minus the grinding areas.” It’s going to be a huge game, he promises. “hack//G.U. is going to be a huge game. There’s so much content. This DVD is filled to the brim.”

.hack//G.U.’s new cast begins with a newbie to the MMO world. He doesn’t know how to play or how things work, etc., making him very vulnerable to attack. Eventually he meets up with what appears to be a group of helpful citizens. They help him, take him to a hidden treasure, then snatch the loot and run. As his poor luck would have it, the presumably friendly faces just wanted someone they could use. 

Fortunately for he there is someone out there who wants to help – a guardian of sorts who is feared by many and praised by those he saves. Once the guardian stumbles upon the main character, .hack//G.U.’s story can really begin to take off.

Brian believes that series veterans will feel right at home with the series’ latest edition. “People who have played the original will feel comfortable with this sequel,” he told us during a recent conference call.

After introducing us to the basic concepts, Brian got into the graphics and visual style of the game. “It has a darker look and feel to it,” said Brian, excitedly telling us about the course taken for the latest .hack. He says that the graphics are a “cross between CG and cel-shaded” effects, and that the battles are “much more action-oriented.”

Characters are given different classes, letting players build up a character’s individual strengths, just as you had to in the olden days of RPGs. The higher the level, the more specials and super attacks you will have learned. Brian comments, “This allows him [the main character] to change weapons.” It’s also dependent on the level, which is likely to make you pick up extra battles wherever possible (to gain the additional EXP needed to reach the desired level). 

Story Time

“This is completely original,” Brian says of the story. He understands that those who have played the previous series will have a special appreciation for it, as there are references to those games throughout the adventure. But that doesn’t mean you can’t start your .hack journey with this title. Newbies are welcome. “You don’t have to play the previous series to get the full experience. No, not at all. We made this game for the fans, and also for those who have never played or know nothing about the .hack series.”

Firewall Breached – Contact Made

In addition to the information provided, Brian also took some time to answer our questions regarding .hack//GU.

Same characters? New characters? Both?

Brian Glazebrook: I would say they are all new characters. Some will seem very similar, or very familiar. I think that’s probably as far as I can go without giving the story away.

Any information on the music / sound / voice-overs would be great.

BG: There are going to be voice-overs. The tone this time around is obviously going in a different direction. It’s not going to be the happy-go-lucky music, this time around it’s going in the other direction. [GameZone note: Brian could not confirm whether or not .hack//G.U. shared the same composer as its predecessors, but he did inform us that the game is being worked on by many of the key individuals responsible for the previous .hack games.] 

You said the story is going to be darker and edgier… Does this mean we’re going to see characters die?

BG: There will be some shocking events. I don’t want to elaborate too deeply into that. But I wouldn’t say that real people will die. That would put a bit of a negative impact on MMOs. We still want to have a positive outlook, even though it’s a darker version of the previous series. That’s not to say that everything is rated G all the way through. It’s not like that at all.

Are you expecting a different rating this time around?

BG: No, I think we’re still shooting for the same rating.

Any blood? Anything visual (besides darker characters and environments) that makes the game seem darker and grittier?

BG: Right now we are not looking at adding blood and gore to the game. That’s not to say that we’re not going to try and change the theme to something that would be reflected upon that.

What about the characters’ voices and dialogue? Are they going to be mature?

BG: I would say it’s more mature within the same rating. We’re not going to start throwing the F-word all over the place. Nothing like that. We’re not going to make it rated G either. We’re trying to find that even middle ground that parents wouldn’t be against, but at the same time [create something] adults and older gamers could enjoy. 

Can you tell us more about the individual characters, good and evil, and what makes them appealing?

BG: The theme of this game is… It’s a lot more violent. There’s a lot more player versus player carnage. The previous series touched on this a little bit toward the end. This time it’s full-blown.

This time there’s a lot more versus NPC (non-playable character) interaction. Battle-wise, even non-battle-wise. You walk around town and run into someone, he talks smack at you. The game has more of a real MMO feel, like EverQuest or Warcraft, where you go up against someone and fight it out. Your opponent might say something bad about you, or something good about you. It’s very similar to that [to real MMOs].
 

Thanks to everyone at Namco Bandai and Kohnke Communications for having a wonderful conference call.