An MMO Built for One - Dot Hack G.U. Volume 1: Rebirth Retrospective

Welcome to .hack! A series of games designed to mimic the trappings of MMO RPGs. Join edge-boi Haseo and some other schmucks as they meander around doing grinding and chores while a terrible virus threatens to kill anyone who plays their favorite VR game!

[@knijohn3581]

So I made this video because I decided I didn't have enough fans of 20 year old RPG's about the cyberworld pissed at me for covering their game wrong with Battle Network, so let's throw the .hack fanbase in there for good measure! Again, please keep in mind that there are mechanics or details I avoided talking about so that I can still have things to mention in future parts.

[@yorhaalm]

You mad lad.

[@zenone9698]

You should review xenoblade series.

[@-S.a.k.]

Do you stream these on twitch? If you need any help on certain references and character nuances for future Dot Hack vids, let me know. I still have all 7 original ps2 games on my shelf, and I watched/read all the anime, books and manga. Hell I even 100% the weird psp game lol. Sucks about them losing the masters for the original 4 games, I thought about making a script myself for them and SIGN. I will say G.U. and Roots is more digestible and less confusing compared to the former entries. I'll avoid spoilers here but Dot Hack is a gem and worth the time if people bother looking into the franchise. Albeit confusing and time consuming. Final note: Endrance is THE best waifu.

[@GhostManZero]

Just wanted to say, the reason Resolve didn't identify the .hack files was likely because of a programming mistake: Usually you'll want to find the last dot in the file before getting the extension, and they probably went for the first because they assumed there's only one, ever. Additionally, they could've just opened the file and identify the format through what is called a file header, which is like a small signature at the start of the file which tells you what format it is in. Same way a JPEG won't magically turn into a PNG by changing the file extension, but image reading apps usually read the signature to know how to load it. And obviously, they didn't think to do that.

[@Nayders]

Damn. GU? Not starting with the original .hack, interesting choice 👀

[@anthonyredgrave3069]

It's always funny to me that they made a character who design wise was very similar to Sasuke, then wrote him like Sasuke and THEN ask Yuri to also voice him

[@calebgoodman3028]

Funnily enough you can say the same thing about Kite in the original games, as Naruto was cited as an inspiration for his height.

[@DarkSeraph]

I prefer Haseo and Soma in terms of character development

[@calebgoodman3028]

@@DarkSeraph Haseo is great but I feel like they cheated out a little by giving him amnesia before the game even started. Haseo’s player was also Sora the PK from the original games if you didn’t know.

[@smoothwiththegroove1]

Wow really now no wonder these 2 are my favorite characters lol

[@doublea4236]

They also share the same english VA

[@AoIndigo]

A testament to Haseo's character development is how he slowly goes from "I want to bring Shino back" to "I have to bring everybody back", which alludes to him both accepting the responsibility that comes from being an Epitaph User and not thinking only of his personal gain.

[@Nanaten]

One of my favorite things of this series was the fact that the game setup used to play The World in-lore is merely a VR headset and a gamepad. So everything in-game is controlled using a gamepad. When Atoli slapped Haseo at 1:11:44, it implies that there is a dedicated button in-game for slapping people.

[@sponge1234ify]

The boring answer would be an FFXIV-like emote system, but i like that idea better. Alternatively, it could the attack for when you don't have a weapon equipped.

[@Elios0000]

The World has hand tracking system so no emote needed they talk about it in Sign and Roots

[@imadaman]

At least Quantum added implanted microchips to almost explain the process of awakening from coma after the in-game stuff is solved, instead of some kind of latent technopathy humanity seems to have lol

[@neirenoir]

I think it depends on the saga. The original .hack saga for the PS2 used only headsets and controllers, but GIFT (I know it's a self-parody, but still) mentions they have a sensory configuration system, which is probably transcraneal magnetic stimulation. Any headset advanced enough to do that could probably also read signals from the brain. Roots also implies it has some sort of hand tracking, and considering how awkwardly they have to take their headset off by pushing it against their shoulders, it's possible they are in a dream-like state where their limbs don't work, like in sleep paralysis.

[@DiceFTW273]

​@@neirenoir But there's also mobile version of those VR sets. I remember Silabus mentioning he wanted on in an email and there's also articles in game.

[@evagelios]

As a player of FFXIV I can confirm that this is about as dramatic as an actual static raid group.

[@explodedglue5509]

The adept rogue is like an MMO class because it's unnecessarily complicated with a million menus attached to it that very slowly make the class better

[@grimhellscythe6998]

too bad its stats make it the worse of the classes. its a jack of all trades master of none kind of deal. unless you know your Haseo and get extra stats XD

[@sdbzfan1]

@@grimhellscythe6998 makes the forums talk a lot more interesting, in vol 3 when Haseo gets labeled a cheater seeing other adept rouges in the logs talk about how he inspired them to make Adept Rouge accounts to be as good as him despite the hardships of the class feel all the more real because the class is just that bad but he made it work to a lot of people

[@grimhellscythe6998]

@@sdbzfan1 yeah i remember that alot. Its why in FF14 when i was told Drk wasnt the best tank (started in HW) i did everything to match up to War at the time because just because a job isnt good doesn't mean you cant be a god with it. Haseo really inspired a lot in my life

[@zedorian6547]

I played PLD during Heavensward so I know your pain well

[@grimhellscythe6998]

@@zedorian6547 i was a paladin first then drk since FF14 at the time was my first MMO so i had to learn everything on my own, even went into Halatali without my soul crystal

[@sambutler953]

So… about Endrance. It can be assumed that, if you’ve played the first tetralogy of .hack games, that Endrance is an aged up version of the character of Elk. Elk was friends with a cat girl by the name of Mia, who turned out to be an evil fragment of The World’s AI that was trying to keep a separate AI hidden in the game from activating. Mia had slowly started deteriorating in health and attitude as the games went on, especially in Outbreak, she had it rough there. In Quarantine, however, Mia was finally revealed as one of the four major bosses, Macha. (I’ve always pronounced it as “Ma-ha” but whatever works for you) Macha was-shock, horror-a charm and spell casting focused fighter, while Mia was a sword fighter. After Kite took out Mia, Elk was a bit peeved, to the point where, if I’m remembering correctly, he sabotages one of their attempts to take down one of the remaining bosses. With all the being said, it can be assumed that when The World R:1 burned down, Elk believed he would never be reunited with Mia. So, when R:2 rolled up, he modeled his new character after his lost friend, and then that AIDA decided to manipulate him further, disguising itself with the virus like actions that Mia would demonstrate. TL:DR-Endrance went from middle school soft boy to high school pretty boy, and it hit him like a FREIGHT TRAIN.

[@-S.a.k.]

Ah, a fellow Endrance stan. I'm sure John knows this since I heard he played all these games back in the day. I'll add in, postgame Quarantine has you fighting a corrupted Macha (From SIGN) in a warped Guardian boss fight. It's really good. And theres some closure for Elk, but reading the GU manga sheds a different light on the characters real lives. It's one of my favorite dynamics and character relationships in this franchise.

[@kuraux56s59]

@@-S.a.k. At the same time, it still feels like a bit of a kick to the groin how Kite went through the trouble of going through this incredibly LONG dungeon full of bug enemies to rescue Mia... ...Only for her to be separated from Elk AGAIN!!!

[@-S.a.k.]

@@kuraux56s59 True, but I'd rather have this quest over Terajima Ryoko any day. Plus Kite was smiling at the end so it's all good. Seeing Mia and Elk hold each others hands before they warp out at the end still gives me the warm fuzzies

[@kuraux56s59]

@@-S.a.k. Agreed. But again, it feels so goddamn bittersweet that those happy moments wont last for long...

[@-S.a.k.]

@@kuraux56s59 And that's valid, IMOQ were brutal games back in the day. Yeah its bittersweet, but GU does wrap things up for them. They reunited when Endrance received his Lost Weapon, sort of. And joining Haseo and the party really saved him from his negative spiral in vol 1, and prob helped him move on with his life imo. Also I just noticed this sidequest might've started the "Re" trend the future games would put in their title. Resurrection, Rebirth, Reminisce, Redemption and Recode.

[@jon6168]

He actually never got the job extensions originally, so his surprise kind of tracks. He cleared some epic quest in the backstory and effectively force unlocked them that way.

[@GraveKenshin1991]

And considering how insane that quest is in lore it both impressive and a miracle he even cleared it as a base Adept Rogue.

[@jon6168]

@@GraveKenshin1991 Yeah, the version we got to play was hard enough and apparently its an easier version.

[@GraveKenshin1991]

@@jon6168 Can't recall if I have attempted that yet or not years ago when I finished the collection. Although this review has gotten me to want to go back and play it all again.

[@TinchoX]

Exactly 😎

[@wiseman46237]

@@GraveKenshin1991 Haseo beat that quest by pure edge itself lol and I think a little bit of luck from Harold Haworick?

[@ajflink]

Yuri's performance is always a 10/10.

[@oniplingz]

He's performance in Tales of the Abyss is AMAZING

[@makotoyuki345]

@@oniplingz FANG BLADE!

[@adamtaurusragnathebloodedg8407]

I'll make those words your last replicaaaaaaaa!

[@Fightookaishii]

All I could hear was Sasuke 😭🤣

[@InDeathWeLove]

He actually didn't use the job extension quests to unlock his job prior. They all got unlocked as kind of a glitch in the forest of pain event in the roots anime. Pretty much he gets to skip over all the tedious work in fully unlocking his multi-class build by winning a special event.

[@TheReapers520]

Oh boy, time for another video by KNIJOHN. No translation trivia other than address that Hangeki has no extra meaning other than counterattack. However, I would like to mention to John that he could solve all of the attack issues with Atoli by the use of skill scrolls. You can acquire it in the game. They allow her to gain attack spells, which can be purchased from the weapon shop! A thing to make your life easier for whichever party members you are using. Regardless amazing video and cameo by a dashing translator.

[@23BigDawgs]

I'm always happy to see people talk about this game, especially when they notice the differences in the PS2 and Modern versions of the games. As someone who speedruns this game - multiple times mind you, I always get a heartfelt sensation when I can actually see the snippets of the cutscenes that I'm forced to skip over. Honestly I'm gonna keep my eyes out for the other parts of this series - so I can see your opinions as a whole on the 3 main games, and the -ahem- epilog chapter. Please keep it going and spreading the good word!

[@brotbrotsen1100]

How did you get the idea to speedrun this game of all things? I'm not judging or anything it just feels like a strange choice for a speedrun game so I'd love to hear the story behind it.

[@kaz6149]

Yea same @brotbrotsen1100

[@PollitoEstelar]

Is also worth mentioning that this remastered compilation also include a couple of mini movies in the main menu that give you a very basic summary for the original 4 games, for those of you that care.

[@darksynergy9688]

While Andrew Francis, providing the English voice Mega Man.exe and Haseo in the anime,the Japanese voice actor for Haseo,Takahiro Sakurai, provides the voice of Mega Man X(Since command mission). Oh yeah and Johnny Young Bosh(voice of Kuhn, Ichigo,Nero, etc) has been voicing Zero since Marvel vs Capcom 3.

[@nightwolf235]

Skeith’s awakening is still one of the top scenes for me in jrpgs especially when right before he tells Haseo…”I have found you!”

[@jach6393]

It's always been interesting that all the "True" epitaph users were chosen by the epitaph itself and not just given or found them. Save for one pink haired lady. Which is alittle of chosen and found. And all the epitaphs represent their user or vice versa user represents their epitaph in some way more likely.

[@Ryou_Sensei]

34:06 Actually, even though it isnt brought up in anything but a passing comment from him, Silabus was the Guild master after Kuhn and before Haseo Edit: Fun fact, the quote "I'm Right Here" that Haseo says when summoning Skeith is actually the name of Skeith's theme in the original .hack games and the remixed version in G.U. On that note: Maha is how it is pronounced

[@Tsukasa4692]

The skieth fight in infection left a big mark on me. Amazing fight, amazing music, constantly dead/disabled party members. Easily in the top 3 of the hardest things I've done in gaming.

[@WillTheGreatest]

@@Tsukasa4692 that damn boss battle is a traumatic experience. I think I died more in that fight than taking on the parasite dragon

[@ZeroOmega-vg8nq]

@@WillTheGreatest it would be awrsome to see it rebooted with a better combat engine. Maybe somthing similar to GU but tie the very special skill triggers to the weapons. Basic Spells can just be learned from books or amd advanced spells even through the affinity system. Getting your party members friendship up and they teach you a magic skill for kite to use

[@sambutler953]

I still find it so cool that Kite's story starts by finding Skeith, watching him hand the protag squad their asses, then beating the tar out of him in the ending of Game 1. Then, IMMEDIATELY afterwards, Haseo's story starts with finding *Kite,* watching him hand the protag squad their asses, then beating the tar out of him with *SKEITH,* in Game 1. It's great parallels, truly. Cannot wait to discuss the over fantastic ones I've noticed over the years (Long ass comment about Endrance not withstanding, sorry, John. 😅)

[@BrookIynRage]

Dot Hack will never get the recognition it deserves, one of the greatest experiences I've ever had the pleasure to play and still my favorite franchise since I was kid.

[@Xshunin]

I really like the part where he said "It's Skeithing time!" and... >_> That aside, really loving this format a lot. I got the first two parts of .hack back when they released and I had no idea how to play them because I was too young at that point. When GU came out I was like "I probably need to play the other ones...nah" And now finally I can enjoy the story of these games with a pinch of sarcasm without having to deal with the mechanics! Great work again :)

[@MewsHeart151]

I literally can't thank you content creators enough for the amount of he'll y'all go thru to make these videos I literally watch from beginning to end because of your take on it and enjoy every minute because of it thankyou again

[@lindblumpickles3407]

It’s kind of cool how in the ending of the first volume you’re playing as Skeith, fighting against Kite, who is now the “evil” one. The opposite of the ending of Infection.

[@Klonoahedgehog]

I find it funny how often Yuri lowenthal and Johnny yougn bosh were paired up as either rivals or bros in the 2000's.

[@krvys7226]

or sometimes both *stares at tales of the abyss*

[@SolemnBravadoReal]

That Death Grunty high pitched voice HAS to be a bug! I remember playing the PS2 version and the voice definitely more akin to DG's actual voice.

[@ArkayeCh]

The sheer intercinnectedness of the dot hack franchise is crazy. Haseo himself is the protag of GU but has like 5? connections to all the other games and media. Not cameos. He's literally palying alt acccounts and it happens for EVERYONE.

[@stupogo0]

so fun story back in the summer of 2008 when i first got into this series over that summer I watched the Gurren Lagan dub, played volume 1 , and tales of the Abyss AND BOY THE YURI LOWENTHALL WHIPLASH THAT SUMMER GAVE ME! also thank you for the video was very fun and timed well as I meant to get back to my save file after a few years of not playing , lookign froward to the volume 2 video!

[@Dead-Pool3_II_Sij6]

actually the details about the R1 being burn down is only explained in the Terminal Disc(among other details that explore between the end of Quarantine to pretty much a few months before Rebirth), a once limited edition exclusive item that is now available in the HD Collection that unlocks the more you play and complete all volumes. that said great video retrospect and nice info splicing

[@krvys7226]

The terminal disk also gives a half decent breakdown of the first 4 games, so there is at least that for people who want to know

[@NEETKitten]

Is that the one that had the Liminality OVAs?

[@Dead-Pool3_II_Sij6]

@@NEETKitten Liminality might have been mentioned on one of the "files" but no they were DVDs the came bundled with the for dot Hack//SIGN games. the Terminal Disk as Krvys and I have said were a limited/preorder bonus that came along side a Haseo 1st form figure that cover the break down of the first four games and then everything that leads up to when Rebirth starts. plus as I said this is now something that is built into the HD collection with the requirement to view is to literally play the three G.U. games. that said its up to KNIJohn to when he likes to dive into that. my likely guess is that he'll either mentions it at the mid point of his Vol 2 retrospect(because that more or less where the game sort of begins making something else relevant to the game's story) or covers it in the beginning of Vol 3.

[@Flabby555]

KNIJohn is one of the only people that can make me watch a review of a game I have zero interest in, and make me genuinely enjoy the video.

[@DrGamer365]

same

[@papagoth5621]

Good to know, in my case he's made me want to buy this dotHack re-release, I'd love to play the original games, but I missed out on them in their heyday. Plus I don't have a ps2 and the original hack games are HELLA expensive now 😱💀 plus plus, G.U. is on steam, so convenience wins

[@anuragathelordofspectating9924]

.hack series is a nostalgia I hold dear. It was, and is still, wonderful and touching me to my core. Apparently, there was a rumor that the newcomer game Blue Protocol was designed to be a .hack lineup.

[@vioectrolysis]

This game was a delight, I played the PS2 games and they were awesome. Being able to personalize your in-game pc desktop with wallpaper and music was a great addition. For my completionist self, this game is a 10/10.

[@NanoComputer]

I love the part when Haseo at the end of Vol. 1 says the iconic line "We're going to .hack them back. Every last one!". It really resonated with me. But seriously, thanks for making a video covering one of my favorite RPG series growing up! The .hack definitely needs some more love and I'm really glad someone like you is helping see that happen! Can't wait for your video on the rest of the volumes!

[@Chatrbuug]

I love the character shift where he says "I'm going to tri-edge not being a try-edgelord anymore!"

[@stevejansantos8953]

The needing to logout actually help me with my sleeping schedule when I was younger. It makes a good stopping point of playing the game for the day.

[@cww2490]

For the job extension and why the mc forgot about it the anime is important. Its been a while since I last watched it but I recall the mc did some kind of event that allowed him skip to the 2nd or 3rd form. The one with the tail. So he never did it the proper way like he does in the game. And great video. There's another good review of these games I liked, but this was is better. It was a bit more informative as the guy knew all the lore and could spot the Easter eggs, but he also was obsessed about pointing out the revenge aspect. He praises this games take on it and kept comparing Haseo to Sasuke from Naruto. Kept hating on him and talked as if the two characters went through the same things.

[@DI0NY5US]

About the editing software story at the end: I'd bet that the software was treating the files with a "." in the front as hidden. That's how things work in Linux based OSs (and MacOS IIRC) so the different editors were probably coded the same way.

[@bensnap1834]

Yeah, my mind immediately went there too

[@RayzeCruxis]

I made alot of ppl watch me play the GU series who im aware are SAO fans. I made them realize how much better Haseo is written to the majority of the SAO cast. That aside, the growth you see the characters go through is well done. A majority of them are not likeable but over time, they win you over and that to me is the series biggest charm.

[@patrickginart1780]

Man I grew up playing these games and this was such a great trip down memory lane. Can't wait for the next parts

[@rashadxp]

I really loved this retrospective. The series is one of my favorites and I can’t wait to see the rest of the other retrospectives.

[@crosslegluke4506]

Dot-Hack being split across multiple media is literally the entire franchises' thing. in the original series the story was split between like 4 different mediums and you couldn't actually follow what was going on at all by JUST playing the games or JUST watching the anime or any of the other stuff. You had to do them all, in a specific order.

[@JackDout]

This game series deserves more respect honestly, sucks that most people suck.

[@Stardusk.]

Cross-slashingXVERSUSXMy-Clockwork-heart with an agreeable tune in your post to my mind-set's. Like an angel you have the touch Sir. Thanks for your post. I am going to steal it to intern in my shadow.

[@ibrahimkouidri634]

@@Stardusk. I had a stroke reading this

[@makotoyuki345]

@@ibrahimkouidri634 thank god I’m not the only one

[@kuraux56s59]

Okay, while I did get a laugh out of having the Sword Art Online opening at the beginning... When it was followed by Silly Go Round? Even though I wasnt the biggest fan of Roots. It still gave me goosebumps! You know, I totally get why you would want to stick for the most part with the R2 saga. This series is one HELL of a commitment. And I can totally see why going through the entire series is not worth the effort. ...Can I just say how Azure Kite/Tri-Edge's theme. "Everything In These Hands" is absolutely badass!? ...I have a lot of mixed feelings on Alkaid. And most of them because of Love Triangle shenanigans that in my opinion, are always a complete and utter waste of time.

[@oscarcabrejosvilchez4703]

Best series ever !!! The lore, the characters, the mechanics, the end game content, everything about this game is perfect.

[@SageofLight777]

I found this video (and your channel) a few days after you uploaded this. It, no joke, inspired me to go back to Last Recode after I had only played Rebirth two years ago, and I'm so glad I did it. Now that I have, I gotta say; damn, are these tournament fights an emotional roller coaster. Especially against Alkaid. You can *hear* the desperation in Haseo's voice. Being told over and over how weak he is, especially when the fight with Tri-Edge made it blatantly clear how far he has to go, even after all his trials up to that point. It's no wonder he went off the deep end.

[@ShorahArt]

So happy to see this is the next video series! The original Dot hack and G.U. titles were some of my absolute favorite games growing up so its nice to see that you're enjoying them despite their troubles. I do hope you'll eventually consider going back to the original quadrilogy, and look into some of the extended lore and how it connects the two series as it answers a lot of questions (like, for example Endrance's situation). Though I know that becomes troublesome as you either have to emulate them or shell out for original hardware and games which...eeesh. As someone who made it their goal to get all of the original 7 ps2 titles all I can say is this: Infection, Mutation, Outbreak and the G.U games are all relatively easy to find at reasonable enough prices. Quarantine is the wallet killer at around 3-400$ if its complete in box, 200$ for disk only. I got insanely lucky and found a seller willing to trade so I got it for about 70ish CIB and spectacular condition...cost me a few really nice high value pokemon cards though 😂 Ironically I ended up also getting a second copy of Infection at one point, so if you do ever want to visit the original IMOQ I wouldn't be opposed to sending it your way! Still holding out hope for them to someday remake/Remaster the original quadrilogy though. But at every possible turn they've had to even hint at it they've shown us jack and shit so... 😢 unlikely.

[@ArdynSol]

I’m so happy to stumble across this video. These games have a special place in my heart. This video was amazing, can’t wait to see the rest!

[@andraska724]

This video was a good time. I couldn't make myself continue playing after finishing volume 1 a few years ago but this video kind of made me want to go back and continue it. I watched about 10 hours worth of megaman videos instead, many thanks KNIJohn.

[@sirrealgaming6913]

This was an enjoyable trip through memory lane gave me some flashbacks Gaspard- "Waaaaaah they won't let us sell things in this shop! I don't want to live in this world anymore!!!" Me - " GASPARD, WE WEREN'T SELLING ANYTHING!" Fun memories also not sure if you know or not but Endrerence is Elk from the old.hack games

[@faviodiciocco4489]

I really love the work you're taking with reviewing this game and the video is really enjoyable. Also, if it's for me, I don't mind mistakes about the story or the characters, I just like people talking about the game. I don't know anybody else who likes them. Had to force a friend to play them so that I have someone to talk it with

[@someguy4405]

I love the trope where the protagonist of a previous entry in the series shows up incredibly powerful/competent midway through the current one to profoundly school the current protagonist. I don't know for certain, but Tri-Edge looks real familiar.

[@PhysicsGamer]

This is genuinely a great source for people who, like myself, are not even slightly familiar with the series and are curious about it... but have no clue where to start with what you pretty aptly describe as a "multimedia conglomerate". Most videos like this either are incredibly bare-bones reviews of the game disconnected from the world it tries to build (which, to be honest, is one of if not _the_ most interesting things about this series) or are ten times as long due to attempting to cover EVERYTHING all at once. Your observation that the rerelease only includes the sequel trilogy is also important, since if anyone picks up that rerelease then this is exactly how they'll experience the series: starting from this game, without any of the anime or books to provide context. You have definitely earned a subscription from me.

[@WillTheGreatest]

When I played last recode I have my jrpg tendency to grind a lot so every fight in parts 1 and 2 I'd be going in extra overlevelled and taking bosses out in a few swings. It made the cutscenes about "losing" extra funny afterwards

[@jessieskinner3402]

Fantastic work sir. Loved your work on the Battle Network series. I understand you said early in the video you may keep information hidden for spoiler reasons, but one that isn't much as a spoiler but cool info is Azure Kites name. The character is named "Azure" after his companions in the original 4 titles, Balmung and Orca. Those companions as a duo, beat the games hardest "unbeatable" boss. A journalist who happened to be hiding nearby and witnessed their victory swiftly went to the forums and wrote an epic poem (akin to the Epitaph of Twilight which the game is based on) Giving them the titles "Balmung of the Azure Sky" and "Orca, of the Azure Sea" Thus, they started being called that by other players. Azure Kite in this is in reference to these titles but uses fire and flames instead of Sky or Sea. Another non-spoiler for the GU series of games is Haseo himself is already an established character from a previous entry into the series. He was the twin blade during the events of the anime series ".hack//sign" The character also is "killed" by the Epitaph Skeith, giving the connection between the two. Hilariously enough, both Haseos PKK name and Skeiths titles/nicknames were "The Terror of Death." Lastly, again this doesnt spoil anything for the GU series at all but just a connection to previous works. Endrance is extremely hinted (basically confirmed) to be the Player Character "Elk" from the original games. The character has a strong (obsessive) connection to another "Player" named "Mia." Elk was a bit of a wimp through the original titles and always followed the (Only) Cat player in the game around non-stop. Mia was eventually revealed to be the fourth Epitaph Macha. When she eventually dies Elk doesn't know what to do without her. So, as Endrance he got as strong as he could as an opposite to his cowardly self of the previous game. this explains why the Epitaph Macha chose his Player Character to inhabit. (Also why it looks like a cat) and Endrances general obsession with it.

[@samoth5161]

Even more on the haseo - skeith connection - he was the first person killed by skeith, and became part of him. His spirit was skeiths cross (staff?). Kite sees this in a post game quest in outbreak and gets soras blades as a reward

[@devidance6534]

Thank you so much for covering the series! It was one of the sagas I first played to completion back in the day and it actually taught me english

[@MugiwarasNakama]

You know. I really think the dot hack series has aged incredibly well all things considered. It's funny but the story for this game series is actually more relevant now than when Dot Hack initially came out. Back then online gaming was extremely niche and very very few people would be able to relate with the story of this game series. I know I struggled with it when I played it back then I still loved it. But in the modern era so many people play online games... not just MMOs but batttle royales fighting games first person shooters, loot shooters , minecraft.... etc etc. I think the story of this series would 100% resonate more with modern gamers than the gamers of the time of this games release. It's amazing when you really think about it.

[@rustytoyota]

This is a really well made video. You captured all the best parts of this game. I bought this game high AF on sale. Now I should give it a shot. Almost a year later.

[@thomassmith4654]

I loved your commentary. Your ruthless honesty, and the use of expletives had me rolling the entire time.

[@knightghaleon]

Skeith's new design always got me excited especially with the soundtrack kicking in when he transformed.

[@ignightroad]

When I was young, I found a picture of this game in a magazine and then went to the local FYE. I didn't find the game I was looking for (the second game...I know) but found the first one instead. My younger brother was so excited but he wasn't old enough to play it so I played it instead and we were instantly hooked. Years later and it had its anniversary and got released on Steam/Switch and I almost cried. I know the game can be campy and cheesy, sure MMO and anime bullshit goodness but it held such a soft spot in my heart. I found your third video earlier on my recommended (again I find them out of order lol) and was instantly hooked. I'm SO glad you're covering it because your videos are so fun to watch, great editing, and I'm glad you don't just dunk on the series but actually play and enjoy it.

[@Mighty_Minus]

Hey, KNIJohn, thanks for covering one of my favorite series of games. Your videos are always a joy to watch. There's something special about games that cover cyberspace that's magical in their own way. Kudos again for the new video.

[@theswift_gaming]

This series was one of my favorite as a kid... I had to set aside Last Recode recently before finishing the 3rd chapter again or playing the new chapter. It's still on my list to finish when I find the time!

[@kaotinwinterscream1143]

I appreciate you cutting the cut scenes up so they don't take as long as they actually do lol

[@darknessknows1235]

I know Haseo has some edge to him and is overall really snarky towards everybody, but with a few exceptions I actually like him perfectly, kinda reminds me of very early Cloud/Leon. Honestly I'm more surprised he isn't more pissed off because I was way more done with the other characters(even if I still liked them fine). Even by the 1 hour mark in the video I was 100% behind him as a kid and even now

[@samoth5161]

I've always thought he was hilarious, and it gives a nice start for his development. Don't know why people expect him to go through a full character arc in a few hours of the first game of a trilogy.

[@Rhoen13]

I LOVED this series, thanks so much for giving this some spotlight! Haseo is SUCH a butt and the editing made me laugh a lot more than I thought I would. VERY much tuning in for next time!

[@thales2d109]

This guy who made the video is a genius. I had a lot of laughs. I'm a big fan of the HACK games, anime and manga series to this day

[@clevertribe]

I’m really glad you made this video, the edits were hilarious at times and this is a franchise I love dearly. Plan on watching the other retrospectives as I continue with Last Recode

[@lumberjackwaffles447]

Amazing storytelling as always. Looking forward to you telling your experiences with the story and combat of Volume 2 to 4.

[@IRMaxi]

The cutscene b4 Trai Edge in part1 still gives me chills man haseo pulling out the blades and the sound effects 😢

[@Blazin720]

This brings back so many memories I love that some ones is talking about this!

[@TheGoodWillSpreader]

Honestly, they could have worked around the email stuff via in game messages and having a PM system you can check. But japan is a bit... peculiar with emails, they embraced the whole smartphone thing and emails several years before apple would launch the og iphone. If you look at pre iphone era you have anime that talks about japanese schoolgirls and schoolboys exchanging email addresses, you have stuff like pokémon crystal featuring proto DLC in the form of the giant portion of Goldenrod's pokemon center that got cut for international releases.

[@dubiouslobo9190]

Going from one JRPG series to the next, KNIJOHN knows how to keep people coming back for more nostalgia I grew up with this series as a wee tot in middle school and while its a shame the series is more or less dead, having someone appreciate it now especially with the modern re-release does my heart good. Can't wait to see you enjoy the rest of the volumes!

[@shadowraven12]

I played this trilogy more or less on launch, so seeing a nearly 2-hour long video of it is awesome. Wonderful video!

[@The0rangeCow]

As someone who's gone though a large portion of the .hack series, GU in particular always gets me with how simultaneous cool and cheesy GU is. I'm glad to see it getting some attention and hope this video series is popular. (i luv me some edgyboi Haseo) 1:46:30 I felt pain in my soul at this

[@wiseman46237]

I always loved how GU just went all in on the shonen tropes. It always just worked in my opinion.

[@NEETKitten]

​@@wiseman46237 It's because that's EXACTLY how you'd expect a bunch of teenagers to talk to each other in a 2000s anime MMO. It feels a bit more genuine than just using the tropes for the sake of it.

[@DJGlaceon991]

Sweet! This is what I was hoping to see! A new retrospective on a series that you enjoy! Hopefully this won’t be as stressful a project for you like…. The last one.

[@ajflink]

Your story at the end reminds me of one where my mother got a ticket for speeding. She was speeding in front of a cop car and it followed her for a bit. Once she got to where she lived, they pulled her over and gave her a ticket. My dad: "Were you speeding?" My mom: "Yes! But that's not the point!"

[@hiddenforbiddenholyground]

i literally paused four minutes into the video, played the whole game, and came back

[@anotherrandomcommenter4473]

Haseo didn’t know that Job Extensions existed. He got to the third form completely by accident when he did the Forest of Pain event.

[@auragleaf02]

It's funny to me to hear how the demon palace could be difficult for others. But when I played it it was entirely easy, except for the avatar battles. They were always annoying.

[@NEETKitten]

Say what you will about Haseo, but I love his edgy trash goblin phase. I think it's the perfect continuation of his character (yes I know what I said, but elaborating is spoilers) and his dickishness is just entertaining to me. Also fun fact about Avatars: they're all bosses from the first .hack series. There's a story reason for this, but again, spoilers.

[@ZeroOmega-vg8nq]

To be honest. I find haseo to be yuri lowenthals best character performance even more than sasuke since more people know him for that. That rant haseo goes at ovan in volume 3 is just pure grief.

[@NEETKitten]

@@ZeroOmega-vg8nq Don't get me wrong, Yuri Lowenthall absolutely kill it as Haseo, but I feel like his VA in ROOTS fits the character better. Whenever I hear Haseo in game, all I can hear is a perpetually pissed off Yosuke.

[@ZeroOmega-vg8nq]

@@NEETKitten eh idk roots VA just makes me think of Zero from the megaman X series way more. But ill admit the are some moments i wouldave liked to hear his interpretation of. Especially the interaction between Haseo and white Sora haseo after the rebirth

[@JuanPablo-su6vw]

I don’t get yours complains about Haseo. He is almost a real gamer. The only things left were the racial slur.

[@BriceBeNic3]

BRO DONT LEAVE ME HANGIN OK?!!! im gonna PATIENTLY wait for the 2nd part till my hair turns white.

[@HyperGirl81]

Interesting fact for the Ps2 owners of the original dot hack games if you still had your save file of Kite you can bring it over to GU. So instead of fighting a computer generated Kite you can fight against the player's version instead which is pretty cool! It is sad that the original four games never got a PC port.

[@abdielruiz6773]

For now

[@tariqjaftha6214]

Never played this games but I can't wait for the next video good job you tube for sending me this

[@DavidZakuzaRyutashi]

I find it funny how in the anime, Haseo is voiced by Andrew Francis, who voiced MegaMan.exe, but in Japanese, Haseo has the same VA as MegaMan X So Haseo has been voiced by a MegaMan in English AND Japanese.

[@notvkn]

actually insane that this got a remaster and not the originals

[@AMVapprentice]

Doppelganger, Doppelganger, Doppelganger. If you Stand still in a rainy (mostly) you get to fight yourself but it has 5+ levels above you. You also can't use the same art twice in a row. The true boss fight of the game.

[@NEETKitten]

Too bad that beast awakening absolutely melts them.

[@WonderlandSnack]

Omg amazing video, I didn’t realize it was almost two hours long when I started but I didn’t click away when I realized either. Big props, I was super excited to get more into this franchise, I’ve been playing the original anthology on ps2 because I’m a huge retro rpg buff, and fucking love playing old (kinda dated) rpgs. I’m definitely gonna have to snag the remaster of this trilogy on PlayStation! 😊

[@mikec5400]

i remember playing as a child .hack outbreak and loving it. I thought i was actually playing online with other people. It surprised me when i saw "evil kite" in videos of these other games and had no idea what was going on

[@daprofeshunal]

I picked up this collection a few months ago because I REALLY wanted to play them as a kid after watching the anime at like 3am on TV. Really interested to hear your thoughts on these games

[@zedorian6547]

Was it .Hack//Legend of the Twilight Bracelet? The one about the twins? I remember catching that at really late weird hours on Cartoon Network

[@nir4s63]

Tbh If it wasn't for games' _unique title_ I'm sure more ppl would give it a try. I myself stumbled upon it many times over the years. I never read a description or google it since I never got past the title. Now that I've learned this game explores VR MMo topic I might give it a try someday.

[@CrimsonWolfe776]

Truly doing Gods' work releasing this absolute banger

[@Kurasai56]

So fun fact, Haseo never actually took the job extension quests, he made it through the forest of pain, and was given an upgrade if you will, he was given so much power that it boosted his level to like in the 120's and it transformed his character into the 3rd transformation of his class. It was the world giving him literal cheat levels lol

[@262cj]

LOVING this boss, can't wait for the other parts. Until the rerelease, I've only played part one and the rest of them I haven't been able to dive as deep into as part one (had part 1 as a kid and way way more time to dive in) so I am waiting with baited breath for the next part fr

[@jach6393]

Also little fun fact for those who may not have noticed. The lockers in the end are a reference to an article on the news section of the computer talking about people abandoning things in lockers across Japan. Which I think was a real world issue at the time, but could be totally wrong on that. Aida sees this and uses it as reference with what it does to atoli. I have no idea why/how she has that weird brainwash moment though. Anybody else?

[@konoegiatanez3754]

This video is gonna do gangbusters, if the Mega Man videos are anything to go by. May your soul be at peace John.

[@MadDragonify]

Reminder that almost all this game’s cast is taken from Naruto Haseo = Sasuke Yata and one of the starting PKs = Orochimaru Sakaki = Itachi Endrance = Gaara Of course plenty of other famous VAs as well like Ovan is Iron Tager/ MHW Commander And my favorite one Gaspard = Kakashi

[@fanieljairtonjairton4234]

Amazing video, it would be interesting to see more of the franchise

[@xelthos2051]

.Hack was such a masterpiece of a franchise. We need a remake of the original. Also, doesn't matter what people think, but I love SAO, got Kirito's and Asuna's original weapons tattooed on my arm along with a bunch of other stuff.

[@Antimakker]

Damn that was a nostalgia trip, thanks for the video. I didn't even know there was a pc release and that it had an extra volume. Hope you'll make a vid about the other volumes too!

[@Phase02Innis]

Commenting mostly for the algorithm. Thanks for doing a retrospective on this franchise. It's one of my favorites. Last Recode is the only game I have ever 100% the games just mean a lot to me. Just watching the video was getting me emotional at times due to the music and memories of the game. I am greatly looking forward to the next videos.

[@reddragonX1000]

Awesome video as always John. Man, i love this game so much, i played the original in the ps2 back in 2010 and up until this video, where you hide haseo's real name, i never look it up. Idk why. But searching for his name and backstory, man, it makes so much sense now why he acts like a toddler. You made me find a new deep meaning and another reason to love this trilogy even more. I hope you'll cover his backstory too. Please continue making videos like these.

[@JustAJauneArc]

.Hack is literally A JRPG's JRPG. It's a cult classic for sure.

[@Tsukasa4692]

man i fkin loved this series when i was a teen. played all the games from both series. also, I dont blame anyone for not covering IMOQ. I have tried to play that series again in my adult life and it is impenetrable to a modern audience.