First Impression: Dot Hack//G.U. Volume 3: Redemption

So I have finally put in more then a few hours into the third (and I assume the final) installment of the G.U. series. I guess that would be why they are calling it a trilogy? Hmm. That concept is beyond my own level of understanding. Maybe one day...

Anyway, so how does Volume 3 of the G.U. series stack up? Any earth shattering changes?

While I'd like to say that there are a flood of new this and thats, it pretty much looks and feels the same. Yes folks it is pretty much the same old song and dance from Volumes 1 and 2. Really, to sum up my thoughts here, the only thing that really changes in this series is the story itself. Dungeon layouts, monsters, game play and even music stays pretty much the same all around. That isn't to say that this is a bad game or series, it is well worth the time in my opinion.

But I guess that is what should be expected, by that I mean leaving a lot of things unchanged. I mean it is based on an online game and from experience I know those things don't undergo drastic changes all that often. I think the intention of the game makers to make it feel like one continuous story, which they succeed at that let me tell you. One thing that I wish would have been changed some was the combat and monster encounters. Really, if you're playing an online game... would it be fun at all to battle against monsters that simply march around in a circle?

One hope, which I am believing will happen anyway (again), is the tournament battles seeing improvement. Actually, it isn't really right to call it an actual tournament, since it is used as a part of the overall story. What bothered me the most was going into battle and simply destroying my enemies and yet get hit with a cutscene that shows ME losing. Talk about lies! All lies!

For obvious reasons, it isn't advised, should you decide to get into playing this series, to start with volume 3. With the amount of story told in the previous two games, being lost and confused would be an understatement. And really, you'd be missing out on what makes this game so great. In my personal opinion, that is what has kept me hooked onto the G.U. series. Between the character development (Haseo especially) and the story telling, you really get the sense of the characters growing and maturing during the course of the telling.

So the bottom line here folks, it is worth the time and effort if you enjoy a good story. While I did not pick up any of the first Dot Hack series, I am glad that I did not miss this one. It is definetly something different in a lot of respects, though it doesn't quite do enough to be an innovating force in RPGs. But fun is the name of the game here and that it can do pretty well. That is all that matters, isn't it?