Explain the differences between .hack and SAO to .hack newbies

[JugsOfHolyness]

1. Came out first

2. No harem

3. Still came out first

[SacrificAbominat]

The first SAO book came out first, but the .hack series started development around 1998-99 so .hack technically was first of the two. Though Tron came out two decades earlier, so it was first.

There are some harem elements, especially in G.U. with the *Spoiler* marriage scenes, but they aren't anywhere near as bad as SAO.

.hack is a mystery series and SAO is more shonen harem. G.U. is more shonen like than the original games, but the mystery is still the hook of G.U.

[Balmung]

Well, really the SAO books came out in 2009 and the original .hack series came out well before then, like 7 years prior? Too each their own though.

[Hukdora]

The SAO books were published in 2009 yes. However prior to publication they had been a webnovel.

The webnovel and .hack actually occured at exactly the same time. Though I suspect that Kawahara started writing SAO after learning about .hack given they are at such a similar time.

Kawahara started SAO as a webnovel in 2002. .hack//Sign started playing in April 2002. Anyone smell a similarity there? To get a more precise argument as to which came first, one would have to find out the date the first part of the webnovel version was published, which no one seems to know exactly, conspiracy?

[SpokenSoftly]

The Dot Hack series is the older, better, less horridly-designed JRPG-set-in-an-MMO that Reki Kawahara tried and failed to imitate. In a way, SAO is to Dot Hack as the Inheritance Cycle is to Tolkien.

[Brother Erxkum]

Originally posted by SpokenSoftly:

The Dot Hack series is the older, better, less horridly-designed JRPG-set-in-an-MMO that Reki Kawahara tried and failed to imitate. In a way, SAO is to Dot Hack as the Inheritance Cycle is to Tolkien.

Let's try not to be elitist, I might be the minority but I also liked SOA and Accel World, even though I love .Hack//

[Clive]

DotHack is actually good.

[Erroneous]

http://dothack.wikia.com/wiki/Project_.hack

Project .hack was the first generation of the .hack series. It began production in 1999 and launched in 2002 with the PS2 game, .hack//INFECTION and the anime series .hack//SIGN.

And that's not even including the production to the prototype of .hack originally called "Great Thief Forteprotze". The basis on which we all would know .hack character and setting to become.

http://dothack.wikia.com/wiki/Prototypes_of_.hack

[SacrificAbominat]

Originally posted by Erroneous:

http://dothack.wikia.com/wiki/Project_.hack

Project .hack was the first generation of the .hack series. It began production in 1999 and launched in 2002 with the PS2 game, .hack//INFECTION and the anime series .hack//SIGN.

And that's not even including the production to the prototype of .hack originally called "Great Thief Forteprotze". The basis on which we all would know .hack character and setting to become.

http://dothack.wikia.com/wiki/Prototypes_of_.hack

I got to say I like the Alice in Wonderland influences left over from Great Theif Forteprotze in SIGN and the original games. It's really noticable with some of SIGNs cast. Tsukasa is Alice, Macha is the Cheshire Cat and the Queen of Hearts can either be Subaru or Morgana, though Subaru fits the role a bit better since she commands the Crimson Knights.

With the games its a bit less noticable, but Kite is Alice, Mia is the Cheshire Cat, she is as criptic as he was as well, and Morgana is still the Queen of Hearts.

[sorenvalen]

if i may say soemthing imporant .hack vs sword art online wise

swrod art online anime was better then the games less fanserive in general and a clear plot but the games are pointless amount of fantseive mxied the a ton of talking

.hack has better games then anime in a general since i liked sign but the plot was so hard to really know waht the plot and story did not meld well at all confusing roots was boaring to me at least

talking gu in perticar every chacater grows alittle bit to alot depending on the chacater talk the main chacater for inbtrase he is rude anooyting at frist but by vol 3 he becomes a someone that care about his firends not rude for the most part

sword art online is a harm yes but no chacater and not much character personality in general games a hoirrably writing even wosre then the anime

i dont find sword art online games fun i find .hack fun but i play rpg for a story not fanseirve or gameplay

[AzureDoom]

Originally posted by Bach:

Guys, can't we just enjoy both series?

Don't you bring reason into this! :P

[Jinguuji]

I like both.

[Xithyl Kykorl]

SAO as a series today is overly reliant on anime tropes and action scenes, much like several Shonen Anime. However, .hack diverges from this path and focuses on trying to keep a consistent and concise story. I personally don't like SAO simply because of how inconsistent it's plot is, and how overused many of it's core themes actually are. The only thing SAO really has going for it in my opinion is the whole MMO thing, but even then, I feel that .hack does it better. .hack's stroy to some can be argued that it's incredibly long and confusing, but if you deticate enough time to actually figuring it out, it's actually rather impressive just how much to .hack there really is. Even quite a few of the side characters are very memorable. SAO I could really only recommend to newcomers to anime, otherwise, they'll likely groan and get sick of it only a few episodes in. But for .hack, even if you don't have the attention span to get the grasp of the entire story, each sub-series has it's own story within it that you can enjoy. They all do build on top of each other, and further develop the world with nearly every entry. With this in mind, i personally feel .hack is much better of a series. I think these are the main differences.

[DishSoap]

Originally posted by Bach:

Guys, can't we just enjoy both series?

Of course you can't that'd be reasonable.

But no seriously SAO is terrible.

[Loki]

I have at last found my people.

[256k]

SAO is just a ♥♥♥♥♥♥ copy of the best game that CC2 has ever made, hope this remaster sells well so Namco Bandai let them do the new .HACK// game as Piroshi stated on an interview