.hack, Part 4: Quarantine

Product Description ------------------- In this final episode of the .hack series, guide the outlaw Kite in a fight to save "The World" from a deadly virus. Uncover truth and fight to save the lives of your own friends. The immersive .hack saga ends here! Review ------ To be blunt, those of you who have watched the show, re-watched the DVDs, and played through the first three chapters in this saga will buy this game no matter what I have to say about it. I don't blame you for doing so. If I had put in the 200-plus hours required to get all there is to get out of "The World's" world, I would do exactly the same – you owe it to yourselves to finish the task and find out what happens. But, as is surely no surprise to anyone, there isn't anything in this final chapter that will convince those who have held out thus far to start up the journey. Surely, the pace of this game is quicker and more to the point than the earlier ones, but it still has the same problems as volumes one through three. Namely, camera controls that weren't acceptable with the first release, sub-par graphics, and dialogue that's more stilted than an episode of All My Children with "the part of Mercedes will be played by…" people filling in every one of the roles. I want to give this game bonus points for being an interesting experiment. Personally, I don't think that it was entirely successful, but it was one that was worth trying. Hopefully, down the line, someone else can give us a similarly high-concept RPG with a little more meat on its s. Concept: Finish the four-part saga started in February by tying up all the loose plot threads Graphics: Same as in earlier entries, which in my opinion, means that they aren't that great Sound: Has no one in this game gone through puberty? The voice acting makes everyone sound like they're eight years old Playability: Same icky camera, same somewhat uncomfortable menu structure Entertainment: For those who have kept up, this game is a given Replay: Moderately Low Rated: 7.5 out of 10 Editor: Lisa Mason Issue: February 2004 2nd Opinion: Inventive dialogue. Intuitive gameplay. Acceptable graphics. The fourth and final installment in the Dot Hack series has none of these things. But, if you've played the first three, you aren't going to wise up and call it quits now, so while you're enjoying the thrilling conclusion, I'll be over here, doing fun things. Rated: 6.5 out of 10 Editor: Joe Juba Subscribe to Game Informer ( http://www..com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000AN45D/ ) -- Game Informer Review

• Bring your saved data over from Part 3 and hit the ground running in Part 4 with your leveled up characters and items.
• Encounter and trade with your favorite. hack/SIGN characters.
• Use the highest level skills and the most powerful equipment for the toughest and most exciting battles yet.
• Improved AI programming allows advanced Chat Commands and battle tactics.
• Play the ultimate game of tag to defeat the Golden Goblins.