Finding Your Voice - Dot Hack G.U. Volume 2: Reminisce Retrospective

[@NebbyGotOutTheBag]

32:53 I always found it funny that hasseo gets his mega edge lord armor in the quest where he learns to NOT be an asshole

[@aokyoutsuki7744]

Thats whats called dramatic irony(?) I may be wrong but there is a term for it

[@Groundlord]

The edgiest thing someone like him can do is to have as much edge as a perfect sphere.

[@thomasalvarenga2839]

For added nightmare and tragedy, Alkaid’s heart stopped in real life when she was pked. It took medical intervention to prevent her death. If it wasn’t for that, she wouldn’t have come back even if AIDA was stopped.

[@DarkSeraph]

Oh that's fucked up

[@terraventusaqua123]

@@DarkSeraph You want to talk “fucked up”? There are character designs out there of Chigusa Kusaka (Atoli’s player) and she had slash scars all over her forearms, especially near her wrists.

[@sirrealgaming6913]

@@terraventusaqua123 Well Sakaki did find her on a slushieside website He ended up talking her down in a somewhat manipulative way which is why she follows him around like a lost puppy Even with their hilarious age difference

[@Trujones]

Holy shit! Even more sad

[@ZeroOmega-vg8nq]

​@@Trujonesnot even the worst. her parents pretty much neglect her and gaslight her constantly and her pet birds are literally her only outlet in the real world. and in manga she actually went on a bad date with Haseos player Ryo masaki and it was a total wash

[@sciverzero8197]

So, about Sakaki and Bordeaux... in the original PS2 release, Bordeaux isn't even visible in the scene, and she only is now because of the widescreen (not a feature 90% of games... or screens had in 06). This scene also gives away some spoilers as a result of that in the Last Recode version.

[@justinmcclintic4604]

So glad this retro is not dead. Been really enjoying it, can't wait for more!

[@TheReapers520]

Reaper translation note. So far that title has been my favorite translation I have done for John. All of the games episode titles are very beautiful and I highly recommend looking into them if you can! On a more serious note. Atoli is my personal favorite character for her portrayal of mental health. Remember everyone you are an amazing person and people are there for yah!

[@aliasv6964]

Thank you. For both things.

[@MugenHeadNinja]

What's the translated titles of the 1st and 3rd volume if you don't mind sharing?

[@TheReapers520]

@@MugenHeadNinja spoilers~

[@bobzila522]

@@TheReapers520 Now that the video for 3 is out could you please share the translated titles? Google has not told me much and this has been eating me up.

[@sciverzero8197]

That "vague pronoun game" is actually just how the japanese language is structured. The japanese language just assumes everyone already knows what the subject of a sentence is... which usually gets translated weird in english because even though we do it too, most people don't really realize it. Also subjects are usually omitted from the actual sentence syntax in japanese, which IS different from english. In japanese the actual sentence would probably be closer to "you're trying to steal " (with no word filling the spaces there, but different from saying "you're trying to steal" as a general statement.) To put it simply... there's no "it" or "that person" most of the time. Sometimes there is, but its generally because japanese also discourages directly referencing or naming things unless its very necessary because there are multiple things that it can be assumed are being referenced. This is why you'll often hear things like "you have to use that power" followed immediately by "and that power, to explain, is [...]" Because that's how you would speak normally in japanese... japanese is a "passive voice normal" language. Saying things directly and clearly without meandering at all is.... kind of an impolite or aggressive way to talk. (Haseo talks this way and its part of why almost everyone he meets already kind of assumes, rightly, he has attitude problems.) Can't fault you for hating it. But a lot of people think its an intentional and very out of place hamfisted sort of misdirect... when its actually just... a very natural kind misunderstanding that happen like... every five minutes in japanese conversations. Japan is just... like that. Its a misunderstanding brought about by the language and societal norms and expectations... and its still your fault for not clarifying when it happens... which it does all the time... yeah...

[@cazadorcazado08]

Thank you for explaining it, Japanese can get messy sometimes, especially in translation

[@mario-oc2if]

I learned something new today

[@maximumrisk2004]

Oh Damn, suddenly I love the German language for being so direct and you can be very clear with what you are saying. I always wanted to learn Japanese, but this sounds like a Nightmare. I would have to consider all meanings of a sentence before respondig.

[@Canido19]

I'm guessing the reason it's impolite to speak directly has something to do with some cultural equation of "being able to correctly read (or guess) context" with "intelligence". Like, "if you're speaking to me so directly and specifically, it must be because you think I can't tell what you're saying; you're looking down on me." Nevermind the fact that someone can simply be respecting the possibility that there could be additional interpretations of their words that they are, themselves, simply ignorant of; or that the listener may not have full context; or that the speaker may simply not make the aforementioned cultural equation because, you know, autism is a thing (which can make some people have a hard time parsing out "implications" without being a mark against their overall intelligence). In any case, this is an area of Japanese (and all high-context languages, for that matter) that I have heavy criticisms of.

[@Tekshipie]

41:59 Hell no she wasn't "ok" with it, that right there's a good ole fashion CODED message of passive aggressiveness.

[@nikdual]

To answer why Endrance is so depressed, Endrance is Elk from the first game, who was friends with the character Mia. The little cat AIDA he had was made up of his memories of Mia. Basically he's getting over AIDA manipulating him and messing with his head. There's more to it but that brings us back to //Signs lore. (Haseo also appeared in //Signs actually as a different character)

[@yorukaze1400]

same character, but still as edgy in a different way. when you think about it, being edgy is probably just Ryou Misaki's nature or something.

[@EliasCassab]

The Haseo/ Skeith connection is also a throwback to Signs

[@thomasalvarenga2839]

@@yorukaze1400 both of his PCs are also named after Japanese poets I believe which is interesting.

[@krvys7226]

Iirc, a few others are also from the previous game. Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't yata Wiseman?

[@magnumopus8124]

it kinda blew my mind haseo was sora from .hack sign, considering i could not stand his ass.

[@WinterFox1000]

for your question about Endrance in the lake, yes he put himself there, and yes he didn't move from the game after losing, from what I vaguely recall, in the manga its shown that hes very much closed himself off from the world and just lives in his apartment, only really getting out to get food I imagine. Someone correct me if i'm wrong or miss remembered something, its been a very long time since I read the manga. lol

[@twelfthknight]

Yeah, Endrance's player is a hardcore hikikomori. Even in volume one I believe he's described as being online seemingly all the time without interacting with anyone else. His circumstances really didn't change going into volume two, it's just his mood went from sanguine to depressive.

[@DiceFTW273]

So where the giant crystal come from?

[@shadowsofpain]

​@@DiceFTW273 epitaph privilege

[@richardbarnes4196]

It's funny that you said that Atoli's note said she was "fine with Alkaid interrupting" - to me it read more like a backhanded compliment. Like, a Japanese person saying that someone is "direct" and "straightforward" generally means that they bulldoze past other people's feelings. Great video and retread of a childhood game!

[@AzureIV]

It was definitely dripping with sarcastic venom about how Alkaid was 'direct and straightforward' about her attempts to steal Atoli's man, Haseo.

[@rwg6357]

Classic Proper Polite Japanese behavior.... Be Passive Aggressive as Fuck

[@zawardoll]

Endrance's player does just log into the world to experience it. In the IMOQ games, we know he and his friend Mia just got dungeons to be in them, similarly to how Atoli has a favorite area, however, for Endrance, The World itself is his favorite place. Super fun fact that's only in the novelization of GU, but Pi reported that when Ovan's AIDA killed her, she experienced true death, or what she presumes was that, as the pain was literally indescribable, and there was a finality to her life she sensed. The Morgana factor is what was stated to keep Atoli and Pi from becoming lost ones.

[@Argonisgema]

Dang so they could have just up and died there at the end of the game if not for that.

[@zawardoll]

@@Argonisgema I think it's to show how malicious Ovan's AIDA is over the others.

[@sdbzfan1]

Oh yeah love that moment

[@samoth5161]

I believe Yata mentions in vol 1 that Endrance is chronically online as well. Irl he is a hikokomori

[@zawardoll]

@@samoth5161 yep! He hasn't logged off in a month or so they say

[@thepixelglitched]

Alkaid was always my favorite from the supporting cast - when she went down, that shit broke my heart. Does every time I replay, too. Every time I play Vol. 2 I always get this dread, because I know what’s coming. Thusly, Vol. 3 made me very, very happy.

[@sciverzero8197]

And because I just CAN'T stop talking about .hack, its worth mentioning almost all of Atoli's voice clips during the Innis fight, are things that are relevant advice to Haseo, and are also things that were used to tell Atoli to shut up and be like everyone else (even when it was impossible to be what multiple people wanted). Most importantly the "list to what people have to say" line... which in a japanese context can both mean "you haves issues understanding people" as well as "you're saying too much instead of being silent" because of that whole japanese language ambiguity thing. (although that same ambiguity is also what gives japanese a lot of really interesting wordplay that just can't work in english)

[@moodypessimist5375]

OMG YES YES YES YES YES!!!!!!! IM GONNA SCREAM WITHOUT THE S! Thank you john for posting another video! Im so glad that the first one did well enough for you to keep going with this series. Even through all the recording issues you had with it. A million million thanks! Keep up the amazing work! JULY 2023: HOLY FUCK THIS VIDEO AGED SO WELL. JUST BOUGHT THE DUOLOGY.

[@rebelpyroflame]

Fun fact, the only reason I didn't watch this straight away was that I was already rewatching the previous one, and wanted to finish recapping the first session

[@MelloGrunty]

also here july 2023, what do you mean by duology??

[@DavidZakuzaRyutashi]

They should've called this game... ".Hack// G.U Vol.2: Feels"... because this particular chapter had me in tears when I first played through it... 😭

[@theheroofnothing3138]

This was the game/moment I fell in love with Atoli. She has to be one of my favourite character in GU.

[@qaztim11]

The Rendered cutscenes in this are so good,the weird ass camera angles and jarring cuts, Extreme close ups, hyper expressive character animations, some of these cutscenes are still better than stuff you would see a decade after this released, the guys on this dev team were really onto something they really had some amazing art direction, animation and cel shading, a modern .hack( or a spiritual successor)using a rendering system similar to Genshin Impact and updated models would be really sick. These games have a very mysterious esoteric cyber noir feel to them that nothing else really captures,they probably drew a lot of inspiration from SMT nocturne or Digital Devil Saga for a lot of the designs and style, and would love to see any other games go for something similar.

[@thorstenpyre7636]

I think a lot of it came as a byproduct of them having to spice up the normality due to their being no movement of the lips cept for cutscenes

[@qaztim11]

@@thorstenpyre7636 Limitation breeds creativity

[@rexthewolf3149]

It’s not even that the dev’s went on to make the Naruto ultimate ninja storm games during the late 2000s and early 2010s the nailed the look of 3d anime.

[@psylofi7663]

I was so hyped to see this released. Can't wait to see Volume 3!

[@knijohn3581]

Don't worry .hack stans. I did do the Abyss Quest and get the Rainbow Scale. I'll talk about it a bit when I get to Volume 3. (On the subject of post-game, apparently the Doppelganger only copies your weapon skills if it's a rare five star weapon.)

[@lucylu3342]

Here, you dropped your crown, King

[@manuelgoncalves4937]

Did u 100% vol 1. I got a save u can use.

[@DoctorDisasterDracula]

Ah No worries. I assume those are the most plot dense or heavily relies on the previous game.

[@pqulxv3810]

​@@lucylu3342 wait! Let me help you polish it before we give it back to him

[@That1powergamer]

Thoughts on parody mode?

[@Vieyram]

So funny thing about Atoli using the messages to speak. I thought the reason we could hear her voice was because she was using a text to speech that was advanced enough that it could be programed to sound like the person who used it XD

[@Guciom]

49:35 Endrance in real life is a hikikimori, a shut in tha doesn't leave his room. It's a unfortunetly a common acurance in Japan

[@sponge1234ify]

This internet is too cheap to watch this video in one sitting, so before i ~~steal~~ borrow a diner's wifi let me just say thank you for continuing to cover a series that i've been meaning to look into for pretty much half my whole life. Also, nice intro animation!

[@RarelyMichael]

So nice already watched it twice. I love G.U., but I already know that it's one of those games that WHEN I replay it. It's gonna be more frustration than nostalgia rose tint. That bit about the dialog pauses. I felt that.

[@kaimcdragonfist4803]

“Better let Silabus know that he’s been replaced by my ever growing waifu collection.” And the SAO jokes keep writing themselves

[@sponge1234ify]

Poor Klein

[@theundeadgamer4714]

The first video got me to play GU myself and all I can really say is Atoli’s “No Thank You” to Sakaki was so insane that I had to scream let’s go from the sheer weight of that phrase. It just hit so right after that boss fight and all the trauma that had to be endured just for that moment. AND THEN ALL OF THE FINAL ACT AFTER JESUS. Cannot wait to play volume 3, and cannot wait to come back after to see the next video John

[@Gavan199]

The sword art online joke is still 10/10. also the video is great can't wait to see vol. 3! Edit: Also yes Endurance is a NEET Who pretty much does nothing but play The World all day so your pretty spot on the money with your interpretation of him crying into his headset all day

[@TempoLOOKING]

How? He should be a teenager by then. Kite was and he has a job. Internet is not free.

[@MugenHeadNinja]

@@TempoLOOKING He either works from home or comes from a wealthy family that pays for his living expenses.

[@ArkayeCh]

They do explain in side content that when Endrance lost his cat, he became a shut in and starved himself for days while sitting in The World for whatever comfort or numbing it gave him. He was malnourished and rail thin when you find him in the ice, only leaving when he couldn't tolerate the hunger pangs.

[@AzureIV]

41:58 Narrator: "Atoli, was in fact, not cool with Alkaid interrupting her alone time with Haseo. And also gave a back-handed compliment about it in an email later, dripping with sarcastic venom about how Alkaid was 'direct and straightforward' about her attempts to steal Atoli's man, Haseo."

[@goldentiramisu7935]

that final plot twist still made me go "WHAAAAAAAAAATTTT???!!!" after all this time

[@sdbzfan1]

I love the the moment Ovan just straight pks Pi and Atoli and the game actually makes you think they're gone for a while until Yata tells us they're fine but it lasts a good bit

[@terraventusaqua123]

@@sdbzfan1 Honestly, I think GU Trilogy (the movie) did that scene better.

[@sdbzfan1]

@@terraventusaqua123 i dont care much for B-st form Haseo, i much prefer the look of abject horror on Haseo's face, i did like aida monster Atoli though That and the first time we see xth form Skeith in that movie when Ovan and Haseo both transform at the same time

[@anzahanifathallah]

"[Alkaid]'s incredibly reckless, though [...] she's pretty much the only character i had to constantly worry about dying on me" ouch that aside, really great video! i enjoyed this and your G.U. Vol.1 video, reminds me of how much fun i had playing Vol.2 when i was a teen.

[@chloramite567]

You're not wrong when you said Yuri Lowenthal literally carries Haseo. In fact, I used to despise Haseo's character, especially in Roots, but I was already invested in the story so I played the games after. After finishing //G.U., Haseo escalated into one of my favorite fictional characters of all time, and I'm pretty sure it had to do with Yuri's performance. Another great video on .hack, despite being a stan, I was laughing throughout your review. My favorite game... it is far form perfect.. Also, Fee-Low

[@Tsukasa4692]

Man i need to steel myself to play through both series again. been well over a decade since i last got neck deep in these games.

[@ArdynSol]

Even with its flaws this seriously still holds up tremendously well narratively imo. I can’t wait for you to get to the third!

[@will2462]

i legit did a spit take when you edited in the hat at 57:15. great addition

[@omegazjay]

That Alkaid scene with Haseo holding her in his hands had me laughing just cause i can't unhear Yuri as Ben, so the whole time it's just Ben crying about some stranger he met online but from the perspective of Haseo, absolute gold

[@Klonoahedgehog]

God i just got the mental image of Ben crying with a headset on while in his bedroom. Surprisingly funny.

[@benduford3746]

“I didn’t even get… her email address…”

[@GundamLegacyExtreme]

A bit of info on Sakaki, we DO actually learn about his backstory... It's just hidden away in the Online Jack mini series that's in the game, and they don't really mention the villain in that series (the little boy) is Sakaki, I think, it's been a while since I watched the shorts... But his way of talking and the things he does hints at him being Sakaki. This in turn makes Atoli, and moreso Hiiragi's affections towards Sakaki all the more creepy when you know that they're both unknowingly seeking the affection and acceptance of a literal child. It also saddened me when I was younger when I learned that Sakaki was both a villain, and a child. When playing Vol 1 I was hoping that the hints at Sakaki being evil were just red herrings, and that he would have turned out to be Balmung from the first 4 games. This was due to me being dumb and just taking English voice actors into account, without thinking about the Japanese cast. But I was a dumb freshman in High school who didn't know any better back then.

[@sdbzfan1]

I think it makes him fucked up not them creepy since they dont know Sakaki was surfing suicide forums for someone to manipulate in the form of Atoli, remember she said she found sakaki from browsering some site that she doesnt specify but i remember probably from the manga its said she would post on suicide forums to vent and someone told her about the world Since we can assume it was Sakaki it makes him all the more of an asshole

[@GundamLegacyExtreme]

@@sdbzfan1 oh definitely, though we do have to take the manga with a grain of salt since it's a adaptation of the source material, and not a retelling. Similar to the novels.

[@sdbzfan1]

@@GundamLegacyExtreme true

[@QueenslayerSora]

Nah bro called Atoli R.Kelly then dipped 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@ArynBacklogDragon]

Not gonna lie, learning Sasaki was literally a little kid was absolutely hilarious to me.

[@privateuser1716]

To give context to Endrance under the lake. His IRL identity is an unemployed NEET, so he was logging in just to wallow like that and be dramatic.

[@lukezondervan8094]

God, Sakaki's character makes a lot more sense both in and out of universe when you remember that he's a precocious 2nd grader. I think there's even a news story in vol3 about him doing some cult shit with his class, and doing violence to his teacher?

[@AoIndigo]

Salvador Aihara coming to you with the newest news! As always

[@GrandAngel8000]

I literally just saw your Volume 1 video yesterday. I'm happy to have timed that well with this release!

[@ScottE-2]

I JUST finished Volume 2 and DAMN did it hit hard. Not sure why you spared the audience of the extra scenes one of which scared the shit out of me and came left field, but I think it best for anyone who is reading this to play the game for themselves. This game is all kinds of impressive character wise and how authentic the dialogue is. It still shocks me just how they speak considering that not much has changed since aside from some new lingo. Great video man, I'm heading into volume 3 once I finish up everything I can to properly complete it since Vol 1 was way too tedious to complete.

[@ma.2099]

So glad I found this channel. Hope for a full review of the entire series and anime!

[@jackpotsdoxieslots7702]

I honestly checked your channel for part 2 two days ago. I’m so glad I did so this showed up in my feed ❤

[@Palpatinesenpai]

I just want to say thank you for getting me into this series, i picked it up on steam forever ago because it was dirt cheap on sale but never played it till i saw your video on volume 1, im currently at the beginning of volume 2 and ill be back to finish this video once i see what the final spoiler is for myself

[@FailureOfAName]

That jab at RAID. I knew I liked you for a reason, John.

[@Anime-Doom]

I will never complain about you reusing an SAO joke where this series is confirmed, especially considering how many people called it 'original' at the height of its popularity. That was a weird time in anime. Also really glad to hear that you are considering covering IMOQ as I always preferred those games over GU and was legitimately bummed when I heard which series was getting the remaster.

[@CrossTiger824]

Actually, looking at the dates, both the web novel for SAO and the first .Hack product (the anime) was released in 2002. In comparison, the light novel version of SAO came out in 2009

[@mizzstalker99]

I love how the last video was done 4 months ago, it was like waiting for the 2nd volume of the game irl. JK just binged these 10/10

[@shiromatsunoki]

I was just watching your video on the first game to remind myself what happened when this video popped up in my notifs. What a funny coincidence. Also the intro animation is really cool I like it

[@ringlhach]

I meant to mention this back when the video dropped, but I no kidding spent the rest of this game and most of the next one constantly checking on a certain contact's status.

[@ThatGreyGentleman]

Look. I’m a simple man. The game puts a Tsundere like Alkaid in front of me, with SPECIFIC PUSHES TOWARDS A ROMANTIC CONNECTION, and I’m immediately head over heels.

[@larrymeadows7535]

Man, I've been waiting on this one since Vol. 1. Good stuff

[@HighPriestFuneral]

These are always a joy! A fresh set of eyes looking at just G.U. first is quite rare! It is good to see that you've enjoyed the series as much as you have. Vol. 2's emotional gut-punch with Atoli always struck me, it was a tone shift, but it fit so well and brought many of the game's themes to the fore and made me really like Atoli as a character to look behind the mask and understand her own suffering. I am also glad to see that you needed a modicum of strategy to fight the final boss as well, even though it was Last Recode. It makes for a great viewing experience.

[@kiyoskedante]

regarding your Arena retaliation question - you should be able to press [R1] on any target and while the game is paused you can use the d-pad to switch between targets. I've always enjoyed the ethereal qualities of the music of the game and watching your video kinda just makes me remember to put on a playlist of the IMOQ or GU OST again, lol

[@NekoValtz]

Gotta say you're quickly becoming one of my fav youtubes. I meant to type youtubers but there you go. Honestly loving these story recaps for not only the jokes. But... honestly the sincerity when it comes to the heavier topics.

[@KingLei798]

Another awesome video, well-worth the wait! Went from knowing absolutely nothing about the .hack series to nearly tearing up at some of the cutscenes featured in your video. Can't wait for the rest of this series. 😁 (as well as a potential future series about a blue dude and his alien friend in space or something idk)

[@ridewild1956]

we actually do see what happens to bordeax after her fight in either online jack or more likely one of the videos revolving around the lost ones , nina (her real name) was rendered unconscious due to the data drain, thankfully she did not become a lost one due to haseo's data drain only affecting the AIDA

[@GundamLegacyExtreme]

Like with alkaid, it was dropped in a news article.

[@en9168]

Thank you for making this series! Can't wait for part 3! I have the original PS2 discs, recode for the PS4, and bought it on steam. You've reignited my drive to play it again!

[@XxpentxX]

I would love to see you cover the original quadrilogy games. They are definitely more arduous and rough than these games, but still fun.

[@natakug1]

Same....but thats a huge ask. I love the dot hack games....but the original 4 are.....VERY painful to play through.

[@GundamLegacyExtreme]

@@natakug1 same, I used to say that IMOQ was fine as is, due to how the nature of the games should be played, but now-a-days I really wish BamCo would allow CC2 to fully Remake IMOQ from the ground up, with similar gameplay that just has some nice QOL updates. It would be great, especially given how impossible it is to get an English copy of Quarantine.

[@qaztim11]

The original games and the anime are such a mood, nothing really comes close to how they feel, it's simultaneously, high and low tech, sci-fi and fantasy, esoteric and "religious" feeling with all the naming conventions and biblically accurate angel bosses. I wish some more stuff with a similar mood would come out, Eye: Divine Cybermancy is the closest a modern game has got to the style of the first 2 .hack sagas.

[@noaharthere1026]

You walk us through the story so well! Looking forward to ep.3 and the new ep.4 someday!

[@RedFoxReviewer]

I'm looking forward to when you cover the IMOQ Quartet. I do genuinely enjoy watching your videos on the Dot Hack series. The videos so far have been an informative retrospective walkthrough with some humor thrown in for good measure. I wouldn't say every joke lands but the ones that do are really funny. I do appreciate you just cover the broad Strokes while adding in the necessary parts needed in corrections made at later dates to the videos. Thanks for covering my favorite series. Dot Hack is my favorite game series of all time and it's always nice to see someone cover it in their own unique way.

[@memedreams9291]

Amazing content! Loved the first one and the second installment is just as good! .Hack is amazing and your in depth coverage is truly god-tier. Can't wait for the next one!

[@ZeroOmega-vg8nq]

Doppelganger timer is literally 5 minutes of inactivity in a field type dungeon ive timed it every time i used to play. I believe in the HD remaster the timer was reduced slightly cuz it felt he showed up faster.

[@joshnorthstar1520]

Thanks for reminding me of this series. Game Informer was the only way I knew if this game. Now I have the ps4 version thanks to you.

[@bortzanator3018]

Never played this series, always had a passing interesting due to a friend in high school. Huge fan of this video retrospective. I am sure this takes a ton of time to play, record, script, edit, so thank you so much for your efforts. I am excited to see part 3, more battle network shenagans, and maybeeee the OG dot hack series?

[@MadobeNanao]

I just realized Crimson VS is literally 15 terabytes. And The World R2 is like, 67 TB. God damn.

[@luminocuratoria1335]

In a game like this, expect Spaghetti Code. But at least you don't have to buy a very expensive PC in order to play this normally.

[@magnumopus8124]

as simplistic as crimson vs was, i absolutely loved it. in vol. 3 i had such powerful cards and decks, i was damn near unbeatable. every time i'd check my progress i had won 1000+ battles with maybe 40 some odd losses.

[@PhantomHaseo]

An excellent review. What I love about the .Hack series is the heavy psychological aspects of the characters which I feel other series that copied the concept just fall short in comparison. Reaper's translation of the Japanese Title is also another brilliant point. The major theme of the game is Haseo growing as character, starting as that self-serving ass and becomes more compassionate and understanding to others. We see him like that in the first game and still act like that after all the power he was given (not earned) was stripped away and he was left with nothing. Haseo is then forced to rely on people he considers weaker than him and is frustrated with them. Throughout the first Vol. he sees how his personality and arrogance hurts and could even put people into comas with his new power, and so he begins to open up and start listening to those around him. So that translation of the 2nd volume comes into play as several people in Vol.2 are left at points where they are unable to speak. The main conclusion with Atoli as she is robbed of her power and her self-perceived worth once again opens her up to her psychological trauma that Sakaki has been manipulating. We see why she is so clingy and seeking approval in a heartbreakingly realistic way. As Haseo has grown and is willing to listen and see her, he also gives her the words of admonishment to not just keep playing the victim (which she is but) to take responsibility for her part. It also parallels Haseo's connection with Ovan, as Haseo worshipped and obediently followed Ovan like Atoli does with Sakaki until they are betrayed left to find their own way alone. Haseo had to find his way alone (his perspective) turning away all others who tried to help and struggle alone, but now he sees its better to continue on with friends. It's never too late to listen and change your course. Haseo spent a large part of Roots and Vol.1 ignoring people's words and advice but is now more open to showing care and consideration for others. Even post-mortem, Phyllo is still trying to help and Haseo is finally willing to listen and accept help. Other characters in this Vol. also mirror how Haseo is now, changing perspectives like Alkaid, and how he used to be, power obsessed like Sirius and Bordeaux, and how their actions lead to the tragedy that befalls Alkaid and her own parallels to Shino's coma but with Alkaid unable to speak her final moments to Haseo. I love these games and this series. Thanks again for the reviews.

[@sdbzfan1]

So nice to see other people take the same lessons from this game that i did I find it sad a lot of people end up unable to write characters like Haseo as good or even attempt to, asshole main characters are hard go get write if you dont write them learning a lesson and i find many are afraid that if people dont like the main character they wont stay around long enough for them to get better, im guilty of that too, i started with vol 2 as a kid and i know if i started with 1 i'd probably have the same issues as KNIJohn did with vol 1

[@motohddk]

These are really good, thanks for the retrospectives! The homestar runner reference was amazing

[@aminkajtaz4531]

If it ain’t .hack I don’t want it back. You’re breakdown of these games is sublime, keep up the hard work man.

[@rinyahto3852]

My guy, you are the reason I bought last recode again, and I am absolutely loving the series. Thank you and excellent video as well

[@TKHedgeHog]

Happy John uploaded, really thankful he's made a nice community. Edit, THIS GAME HAS A YUGIOH SIDEMODE!? Edit 2, 1:19:57 Made me laugh.

[@Ryou_Sensei]

ALRIGHT STEAM BIKE TIP TIME!!!! When doing the Steam Bike Races, if you time it right and open the map right before or as you get a King Chim, then close the map with O, you will cause a glitch that will guarantee you first place.

[@SpideyfanX]

So this is still not patched in Last Recode, right?

[@2your4]

LESGOOOOOOOOOOO just found your channel bro! can't wait for part 3!

[@Zorrotsu]

I remember getting to the big reveal and hating that character so god damn much after that. Literally had one job and you goofed it for everyone.

[@HarbingerYT]

Your video on Rebirth got me to get Last Recode when it went on sale in January. I managed to beat the game and absolutely loved it. Looking forward to your video on Redemption.

[@Kapolio]

sakaki's English voice actor is Crispin Freeman, he voices Jerimiah Gottwald in Code Geass and its glorious

[@TheSaskOtaku]

That Chip's Challenge joke really made me feel old...

[@ajflink]

I love it when games do not shy away from dark topics. Sure, you can convey this in other media; however, stories in video games are much more intimate in terms of your investment. I think OMORI best demonstrates this.

[@sciverzero8197]

Endrance doesn't HAVE a normal life. He literally only lives on the internet. Every. Waking. Moment. He passes out at night still logged in. He doesn't have a job or school or anything like that. His bills are probably being paid by his parents out of japanese familial mandate obligation tradition (like most shut-in/hikkikomori.) Or is possibly homeless and stealing internet. I forget exactly which, but it, like his player, aren't really important to the plot. Only his online persona is actually a part of the story... even in his own life. He is a living tragedy for MANY reasons (some you're already aware of... and yeah... he was kinda in that state back then too, but he was younger so it wasn't as obvious.)

[@Jota_Aniki]

33:10 Wouldn't say he "cheated", he completed the well known nearly impossible event dungeon (that you probably already know having played the game already), it's filled with every monster type in game at max level and in-story (technically) only 2 other people besides him reached the end of, the rest that tried barely got through half of it. The event was suppose to grant the ones that finished within the time limit "power" and for an Adept Rogue like Haseo, maxing out his Extensions would it, It's no different then how in the first game, Balmung had the unique item that gave him functional wings because he technically landed the final blow on the event monster One Sin, that you get to fight in this Vol. and was also in-story nearly impossible to beat. But even with the forced upgrade he still knew about the Job Extension quests, he said so himself in Vol. 1, he just never needed to and even in game they say in-game that they are "events that pop up from time to time and played might miss the first time around". When you got a lost loved one to save you really don't keep track of forums to know when that stuff comes up. Canonically he was level 133 when he first fought Tri-Edge, the only reason he was "weaker" was because hadn't awaken his Avatar yet and didn't have help, also because like in all Japanese media, mental maturity translate to strength...even in a video game.

[@nightwolf235]

one of the easy cheat ways to beating the doubleganger is to make him appear in the area with those animals that grant you special advantages in battle. theres one that I think makes all the enemies health half 5 times so you would attack him, activate the effect. use smoke bomb to run. then attack again. and do it once more. Then activate that special mode to nake everyone attack and speed up and you can easily win.

[@stevenjamesosma3246]

If you are planning to counter other skills you can simply press r1 and move the directional pad to counter

[@KeyThrast]

18:10 The fact you use the same background and song I do broke my brain for a second

[@danl5086]

I've been enjoying your retrospective of this series! Thank you for uploading and talking about what I've missed.

[@raikohzx4323]

To be fair about the Bordeaux transformation bit early in the story, I imagine it'd be tough to really notice it at 480p (or was it 480i?) and 30fps in the PS2 original. A blink-and-you-miss-it moment for the time for people with sharp eyes to speculate with. Last Recode having such smooth performance and high resolution kinda feels like it does mess up small bits here and there in the presentation for it, never mind stuff like Pi's glasses being opaque instead of transparent, but usually it's small problems. Meanwhile no one reacting to Bordeaux's horrific appearance makes me think the mutation of the character is only visible to Epitaph Users and everyone else just sees her spasming, but not sure.

[@azureskyshadow8509]

When I plated through the game, if you check the news on the desktop after Alkaid goes into a coma you read a news report of a girl being found comatose in her home and shows an image of Alkaids player.

[@Blazemon13]

Found John through the first GU video. Super stoked the next one is finally out.

[@nightwolf235]

his megaman battle network reviews are great and hilarious I recommend you watch them. I still go back to them for his commentary lol.

[@natakug1]

SPOILER ABOUT SAKAKI! . . . . . . . . . . In volume 3 you can learn a bit more about Sakaki. Such as that he's a LITERAL 10 YEAR OLD KID, with a savior/hero/cringe complex. Which is hilarious when you realise that this flipping 10 year old was manipluating all these people the way he does. All's im saying though... once you know he's 10... you cant un-know that. Every line of dialog.... some 10 year old kid. Sometimes it actually makes a whole lot of sense with some of his cringy dialog

[@nevenegra8814]

haseo is barely older though, 13 years old

[@natakug1]

@@nevenegra8814 Haseo, from /roots to /last recode is 17-18. In the original 4 dot hack games when he was playing as Sora, yea, he was around 10.

[@NEETKitten]

It gets better when you realize that this is the SECOND time CC Corp put small children on their admin payroll.

[@ElickFlash]

Ngl, Volume 2 is my favorite out of the G.U. Trilogy. It does teh first game's plot but better, and it's twists and turns are legendary!

[@kitteagle19]

Loved the review. Honestly always putting out great content! Please finish this series!

[@tophrii]

I've been waiting for this for so long. Thank you!! 👏👏👏

[@ScottE-2]

Happy to see Volume 2 being covered, going to munch on some Sirloin Cheese Burgers. Been waiting patiently for this one. Edit: upon your recommendation I am going to return to this video once I reach that point in my game.

[@Clover12469]

hamburber

[@Raikeran]

did you reach that point yet?

[@ScottE-2]

@@Raikeran I guess the other comment is too tough to find, though it shouldn't. I had beaten that part of the game last year. As was part 3 if you find my comment on that. Hope your day is well though.

[@Raikeran]

@@ScottE-2 ah okay, hope you had fun with it, and thanks!

[@ScottE-2]

@@Raikeran No problem. I enjoyed most of my time with it. Had its issues but affordability was not one of them. But honestly... if I had to pick someone for Haseo, it'd be Pi or Alkaid. Maybe Bordaeux because I like the idea of pairing heroes with antagonists sometimes. No idea when the final segment on the game will be. Though that was what I had thought about at the time, I'd say Tabby would be someone to definitely lighten his life along with Atoli even if things got real rough trying to connect with one another. Has its potential but I feel like something was missing from it.

[@foulkechan6529]

You are so fuckin' good with your videos I just can't help to rejoice while watching them.

[@manuelgoncalves4937]

Holy shit I'm going through volume 2 rn with 100% volume 1. Big difference.

[@t.n.patronis4098]

Great job on these videos! It's been 15 or so years since I've played the G.U. games. It's been fun listening to your videos while I'm at work. Unsurprisingly, Atoli is still just as annoying as I remembered her to be. Yuri's voice acting is fantastic as usual and I recognized a couple of other great VAs. My favorite part was the line about Pastor Gaslighter LOL. Hoping to listen to your next video soon!

[@gleetR]

the way my jaw dropped when i saw part 3 isn’t out yet 😩 no rush but can’t wait for vol. 3! loving this series

[@Twilightiger96]

38:51- Hahahahahaha! Okay, I saw that coming a mile away and you still caught me off guard!

[@odbp1112]

Oh my god you just reminded me that I haven't finished the third game. Stopped playing cuz persona 4 switch and then got hook up by smtv and now I am doing a smt marathon

[@2ndPlacePrize]

The way you ended this video made me love and hate you all at once. Thank you for your service

[@mifam93]

I look forward to your next two videos that cover the third and fourth volumes of .Hack G.U games :)

[@jonathanrussell6525]

We were here, in the dark, before this video saw the light