.hack
It's an interesting idea. The creators are out there tying together several anime series with a four-part game series to create a virtual online world. Yes, that's "virtual online" rather than "online virtual." The games, for example, are not MMORPGs, but they're made to look like they are - complete with NPCs running around the towns to "save games" and such.
I find the concept to be fascinating. And yet, the execution seems flawed. In what strikes me as an extreme example of Japanese story pacing, the elements seem to be playing out in slow motion. In the series, .hack//Sign, the first episode lays out how the main character, Tsukasa, can't log out of the virtual game he's in and he has some mysterious "guardian" defending him. It was late in episode four before I saw anything that made me sit up and pay attention again. And the first installment of the games, .hack//Infection, is said to offer 10-15 hours of gameplay and no major plot developments after setting the scene. About 5 hours into the game, I'm finding myself losing interest because, as reviewed, there's absolutely nothing happening story-wise. And there's going to be three more of these games? Umm...
I frequently see delays in an anime series. Usually, it seems to stem from the source material (manga) not having enough developed plot to fill out a 26-episode season. So there end up being filler episodes where nothing much happens. I can understand that, but c'mon, with a CRPG?
I don't know if I can give them the award in my book, but the creators of .hack are certainly shooting for something along the lines of "Most Excessively Drawn Out, Cross-Media Series Ever."
I find the concept to be fascinating. And yet, the execution seems flawed. In what strikes me as an extreme example of Japanese story pacing, the elements seem to be playing out in slow motion. In the series, .hack//Sign, the first episode lays out how the main character, Tsukasa, can't log out of the virtual game he's in and he has some mysterious "guardian" defending him. It was late in episode four before I saw anything that made me sit up and pay attention again. And the first installment of the games, .hack//Infection, is said to offer 10-15 hours of gameplay and no major plot developments after setting the scene. About 5 hours into the game, I'm finding myself losing interest because, as reviewed, there's absolutely nothing happening story-wise. And there's going to be three more of these games? Umm...
I frequently see delays in an anime series. Usually, it seems to stem from the source material (manga) not having enough developed plot to fill out a 26-episode season. So there end up being filler episodes where nothing much happens. I can understand that, but c'mon, with a CRPG?
I don't know if I can give them the award in my book, but the creators of .hack are certainly shooting for something along the lines of "Most Excessively Drawn Out, Cross-Media Series Ever."
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