Why isn't .hack// as popular as final fantasy?

[Haych]

This to me, feels like a brilliant concept for a game. A game with its own sort of IRL hidden background to characters, and then the in game almost real world adjacent to gaming's version of games, and its gameplay. I really like it, and as VR is becoming a real genre some of the fantasy is even more interesting.

[SportyHeadShot]

That being said the anime series should be more popular than they are, but others have more flash and bang to them so they appeal to a larger crowd. Dot hack has always been more about the mind games, they favor dialog to strait up showing you or wowing you with graphics monsters etc. The more you watch the series the more you pick up on the subtle clues the though processes. .hack//quantum is the latest anime I know of and it was very good, it kinda tied all the anime series together.

I really wish they had more series and games to explore the sinister corporation and experimentation on humans within the .hack universe and the many layers of The World game and some of the near Lovecraftian aspects brought up throughout.

[Kargor]

Why isn't .hack// as popular as final fantasy?

I considered this particular game to be rather crappy... don't know any others, though.

[Tails]

Square knows to keep rereleasing the Final Fantasys to get new fans. Bandai Namco needs to release .hack.sign on steam !!!

[paneth48]

Final Fantasy use to release a new game not based off the last game on a regular basis (at least they use to) so it was more or less a new game every time. .Hack was never really like that. Final Fantasy is also much much older than .Hack so its player base has been large for a long time.

[Zer0Knightmare]

Actually, with the globalization of the internet many things are forgotten, overshadowed by things that maybe don't have the same quality. (I don't mean Final Fantasy when I say poor quality, SAO).

[CactusKai]

I was just about to complain about SAO stealing the spotlight and how I just don't get it cause its not that great(Don't get me wrong, It's entertaining as all anime is to me). ....And then how the younger generation likes it over .hack. I think because the anime was very spoon fed in comparison(As well as they just stopped making .hack stuff, teased us with fragment and then took it away....very sad cactus.).

Also, .hack seems a little more psychological and requires one to think about whats happening. And even with the children through out the new generation even in my family, I've noticed they don't like games that require skill or thinking as much as us old gamer's. If i was stuck for 8 months on a zelda puzzle-So be it-I WILL win-Eventually. But they can barely stand 8 minutes of problem solving before they are back on tiktok or some weirdo mobile game.

Anyway, Finial fantasy just out does itself. Its like every game it makes it needs to add more. MOORE MUSIC...MORE PRETTY GRAPHICS. MOOORE BATTLE..Bigger Better faster stronger...work it harder---doo do doo. And .hack needs to make a new set to the series....G.U was great...I felt like they were really getting somewhere adding more! -better faster stronger...then they added a vol 4 which I haven't played yet but I'm slowly perfecting my games on PC as I have on my PS2.

And now I'm hoping....I'm hoping that they have been working on something for VR. Something that they can be like HAHA OUR TIME HAS COME. VR IS REAL this is REAL-Have a new .hack series.

One can only hope though...

[Yarchonis Marfedelom]

Honestly the SAO anime is not good period, though I do enjoy the light novels as there is a lot of stuff thats just been cut for the anime. The anime also pushed this harem thing, the novels there is no harem period. No one shows a love interest in Kirito other than Asuna in them. I guess it was a change they thought they had to make to sell the anime more. Not only that but all the various episodes involving the characters like Silica and such are actually side stories that were published AFTER the Aincrad and Alfheim books were written. So they adapted literally nothing after episode 1 or 2 other than the Yui stuff.

[CactusKai]

I miss the PS2 days.... .Hack.... Jade cacoon 2....Persona 3 and 4....Digital Devil Saga...Darkcloud 1 and 2. Wild Arms... Grandia... Final Fantasy X... Xenosaga....Tales Games ...Kingdom Hearts...Uhg the list goes on. So many amazing games....At least the Atlier series is still going and Persona.

But man do I want a .hack game...MMO even....VR isnt exactly up to par with what .Hack would want but still....I better be alive when and if they ever produce a new game....

[Yarchonis Marfedelom]

Originally posted by CactusKai:

I miss the PS2 days.... .Hack.... Jade cacoon 2....Persona 3 and 4....Digital Devil Saga...Darkcloud 1 and 2. Wild Arms... Grandia... Final Fantasy X... Xenosaga....Tales Games ...Kingdom Hearts...Uhg the list goes on. So many amazing games....At least the Atlier series is still going and Persona.

But man do I want a .hack game...MMO even....VR isnt exactly up to par with what .Hack would want but still....I better be alive when and if they ever produce a new game....

There was a .hack MMO but it didn't stay in service for very long, think it was up only for like a year and it never released outside of japan. It was .hack//fragment.

Also loved Dark Cloud 1 and 2 im happy they did a HD Remaster on the ps4.

[Sauriel]

Originally posted by Yarchonis Marfedelom:

Originally posted by CactusKai:

I miss the PS2 days.... .Hack.... Jade cacoon 2....Persona 3 and 4....Digital Devil Saga...Darkcloud 1 and 2. Wild Arms... Grandia... Final Fantasy X... Xenosaga....Tales Games ...Kingdom Hearts...Uhg the list goes on. So many amazing games....At least the Atlier series is still going and Persona.

But man do I want a .hack game...MMO even....VR isnt exactly up to par with what .Hack would want but still....I better be alive when and if they ever produce a new game....

There was a .hack MMO but it didn't stay in service for very long, think it was up only for like a year and it never released outside of japan. It was .hack//fragment.

Also loved Dark Cloud 1 and 2 im happy they did a HD Remaster on the ps4.

Dot hack fragment had a fanbase running the network portion, you can connect via ps2 emulator and stuff.

https://fragment.dothackers.org/

The site returns a error now, i guess they closed it, although there was not very many people playing, and i think the game still had the punishing thing about getting a dc, for any reason instead of logging out properly and all your gear and gold was removed, so progression could pretty much be lost on a power outage or if windows decides to restart for an update, stuff like that. I sadly missed the ps2 days/2000's online golden age and often out of the loop as i had no internet growing up, out in the country, i just knew what news was told by ear or pcgamer magazines and stuff

[Yarchonis Marfedelom]

Originally posted by Sauriel:

Originally posted by Yarchonis Marfedelom:

There was a .hack MMO but it didn't stay in service for very long, think it was up only for like a year and it never released outside of japan. It was .hack//fragment.

Also loved Dark Cloud 1 and 2 im happy they did a HD Remaster on the ps4.

Dot hack fragment had a fanbase running the network portion, you can connect via ps2 emulator and stuff.

https://fragment.dothackers.org/

The site returns a error now, i guess they closed it, although there was not very many people playing, and i think the game still had the punishing thing about getting a dc, for any reason instead of logging out properly and all your gear and gold was removed, so progression could pretty much be lost on a power outage or if windows decides to restart for an update, stuff like that. I sadly missed the ps2 days/2000's online golden age and often out of the loop as i had no internet growing up, out in the country, i just knew what news was told by ear or pcgamer magazines and stuff

Yeah think the fan run one shut down last year.

[EggBread]

I've really only experienced .hack from the anime and am about to start playing the games after sitting in my library for a while, but honestly the dialogue and writing is just...bad. Characters taking illogical courses of action, the story forgetting where the game starts and where real life ends, and the stakes actually being fairly low despite what the story wants you to believe. Currently i'm rewatching //Roots in preparation to play through G.U. for the first time, and the early episodes while slow were pretty interesting. Haseo is just an introverted kid that slowly becomes invested in a guild, Ovan is a mysterious guy that has a large stranglehold over the story, and Tri-Edge being this strange anomaly that can hospitalize players for some unknown reason is pretty gripping. But, as I continued to watch, the story began crumbling as the barrier between game and life dropped. Biggest example of this is Haseo knowing Shino for like a month at best and logs in pretty much only for her and effectively becomes an e-girl simp. Then goes absolutely insane when she goes comatose. Yelling at the top of his lungs, banging random objects in the game, even going as far as to figure out where Shino's being hospitalized and visiting her in person without her consent which is INCREDIBLY NOT COOL BY THE WAY. Aside from that, the moments that were supposed to be dramatic or sad came off as terrible and actually made me laugh on several occasions.

I pretty much remember the other anime installments being the same thing, just less edgy. From what i've seen of the original games on PS2, they just looked...okay? They definitely weren't the game you buy the system for. They're also only on the PS2, meaning other than emulation (if that's an option), playing on original and outdated hardware is your only way of starting off the franchise. After just watching a video, apparently the entry points to the series also vary, meaning everyone has a rough time getting into it. Compared to Final Fantasy where every game is mostly standalone and re-released on every platform every couple of years. The .hack franchise is sadly in need of a glow up, remakes, re-releases, or just standardizing with a new game and making a better model for future installments.

[Casperberry Wineberger]

The gameplay of the games just ain't as good as Final Fantasy. That's the short and long of it. CC2 made more of a playable anime than a full-on game. Lord, I found going through some of dungeons in the PS2 version insufferable; I'm so glad they boosted your dang running speed in these versions so much.

Also, part of why .hack was bigger in the past was because of how magical the concept of an MMORPG seemed back in the day. Big virtual worlds with loads of people. That sheen and mysticism has worn off.

[Tyrone Biggums]

dot hack basically turned into SAO and thats all they make now which is a shame because dot hack never needed anime girls with giant honkers to sell their game it was just a good game but now days everyone is just a bunch of coomer brains and flock to anything good or bad as long as asunas giant honkers are in it

[Yarchonis Marfedelom]

Originally posted by Tyrone Biggums:

dot hack basically turned into SAO and thats all they make now which is a shame because dot hack never needed anime girls with giant honkers to sell their game it was just a good game but now days everyone is just a bunch of coomer brains and flock to anything good or bad as long as asunas giant honkers are in it

SAO wasn't even around when GU first came out. An the current .hack's don't have girls with big honkers in them at all.