.hack//G.U. Volume 3: Redemption

Rating Teen Genre action Publisher Namco Bandai Games

The final chapter of .hack//G.U. is very similar to the final chapter of Pirates of the Caribbean, only less thoughtless. There are a few wayward plotlines, but it’s not a total mess of pages. In fact, the seemingly random departure into expanding story may be the only time in which this game, in any of its parts, has any major faults.

Not to be misread, the storyline surrounding and intertwining this trilogy is not ungainly, nor is it discredible. Everything about the story is almost just as advertised. As the series progresses, many of the story arcs stretch beyond the point of credible resolution. For example, the struggle with Sakaki came to a perfect close at the end of Reminisce, and the main story had a flowing segue into the mystery behind Ovan. Now, as Ovan comes into focus, Sakaki comes back for seemingly little reason. There’s already an antagonist on center stage for this title. There was no reason for Ovan to share the spotlight with Sakaki, so to speak.

Game mechanics are standard fare of the first two titles, with appropriate improvements. The most noticeable change is the ability to power up the Lost Weapons using Virus Cores. In order to achieve those Cores, you are given a new Awakening. Avatar Awakening replaces Divine Awakening and causes loads more damage on average, especially since the Awakening levels up the more that you use it. It does add to the ease of the game slightly, considering the relative frequency of building the Awakening meter.

The best feature about this entire trilogy is the ability to pick up right in the middle, for whatever reason. Granted, you lose a whole lot of story, but the convenience and ease of starting up wherever you come in is a fantastic draw. If someone picked up this title and played it, I think they would more than likely be severely inclined to pick up the previous titles. I highly recommend that you start with Volume 1, but it’s always nice to know that you can begin at any time, if the situation calls you to.

Music and graphics maintain their excellence in Redemption. The “dated” look of “modern computer graphics” have been the biggest eye-catcher for .hack//G.U. from start to finish. It’s proof that graphics add to the atmosphere of a title as necessary, and it’s not always imperative to get the biggest and best in order to make it look great. Same with the sound. Sure, there could have been this massively orchestral pomp in every title, but there is a definite grace in the electronic tracks laid down for the series, and that says nothing for the choral and orchestral tracks that are found sparingly throughout.

All in all, not the best closing title ever, but a great game. Criticism notwithstanding, a trilogy such as this is a true rarity in the modern age of gaming. .hack//G.U. is proof that you don’t need Master Chief to make mega bucks, and its final installment has maintained the excellence that the games have committed to from the word ‘go.’