.hack//G.U. Live Event Presentation

On February 6, 2006, a presentation was held in Akihabara for the completely new version of ".hack", ".hack//GU". It is no exaggeration to say that this is a work that is synonymous with media mix, and representatives from various media such as games, TV, publishing, and radio were present at the venue. . First, Bandai Managing Director Shin Unozawa made the following greetings prior to the presentation.

Hack, which was released in 2002, was a huge hit as Bandai's original work. In Japan, the four volumes sold a total of 780,000 units, and in North America and Europe, sales of 1 million units were achieved. The previous work was able to gain popularity in this way, but at first we were fumbling around.However, this time we are proceeding with confidence.Thank you for your cooperation." Mr. Unosawa spoke strongly about the success of //GU, but the know-how from the previous game is not the only thing that supports his confidence. As with the previous game, a powerful team called “.hack//GU Conglomerate” has been assembled.

In addition to Bandai, many companies from various media such as Bandai Visual, TV Tokyo, Kadokawa Shoten, Cultural Broadcasting, Victor Entertainment, Bandai Networks, and CyberConnect2 are working together on projects, and the excitement has increased even more than the previous work. will no doubt be shown.

Masashi Harada, Producer of Bandai's Video Game Division, and Hiroshi Matsuyama, CEO of CyberConnect2, talked in detail about the game, .hack//GU. Among them, he talked about the new concept of "Terminal Disc" especially hotly.
"Terminal Disc" means that you can use each Vol. of ".hack//GU" as a key disc to play another ".hack". In this "Terminal Disc", after the previous work, it seems that you can know another story about how the game stage "The world" in the game came to an end and was reborn.
As you progress through the game from Vol.1 to Vol.2 and Vol.3, the mystery of the present (2017 during the game) and the secret of the past (2010 during the game) should gradually be revealed. .
According to Mr. Matsuyama, "For those who are new to .hack, this disc will serve as a guide to the world." It looks like it will be an attractive disc.
In addition, "Terminal Disc" is included only with Vol.1 Rebirth.

Of course, the charm of this work is not only the concept of "Terminal Disc". It's a technique called a "superfacial," which has resulted in great visuals. While making the previous series, I would like to convey to the players the epic story of ".hack//GU", which has been underway for four years, and the passion of the characters living there. Mr. Matsuyama told me that he created a technique called "super facial" by researching the techniques of animation and comics.
I think that the atmosphere is conveyed in the photos introduced, but the emotions of the characters were vividly conveyed from the introduced video.

The battle system, which is an important element of the game, has also evolved, and based on the concept of "touchable button operation", even though it is an RPG, powerful moves can be performed by repeatedly pressing the ○ button, and the X button will guard. The elements of the action game were strengthened.
Also, as is often the case in online games, the core is a system called "Skill Triggers" that allows you to use various skills with shortcuts.
In addition, there are two hidden balls in the battle system, so I'm looking forward to it.

Another interesting element was told about the battle system. That is the concept called Avatar, which refers to a very illegal ability that ignores the system within "The World".
Details are unknown, but there is no doubt that it is an important keyword that cannot be ignored in terms of story. I would like to pay attention to future follow-up reports.

Hack//GU is full of charm, but the first release is scheduled for May 2006.
After four years, the day will come when we can dive into a new “The World” in about three months!
Each volume will be released
.hack//GU Vol.１ Rebirth/To be scheduled in May 2006
.hack//GU Vol.２ The voice of Jun Xiang/To be scheduled in September 2006
.hack//GU Vol.3 At the speed of walking / Scheduled for December 2006

Regarding the details of the media mix development that I am interested in, this time I was able to hear detailed stories about three things: TV animation, magazines, and radio.
First, the animation, the title ".hack//Roots" was officially announced.
The word Root was named with the meaning that it is a work that has the same "road" and "root" as the game. True to his words, unlike the previous work, in this animation, Haseo is the main character, just like in the game.
The start is from 1:30 midnight on April 5, 2006 on TV Tokyo. The 26-episode series will air every Wednesday until autumn.
The stage is the world eight months before ".hack//GU", and the story is also closely linked to ".hack//GU", which will be released in May, September, and December. It is said that

The opening song with the same title is "Silly-Go-Round". FictionJunktion YUUKA welcomed YUUKA as a vocalist to the solo project of Yuki Kajiura, who was in charge of the OP song for the previous work ".hack//SIGN" as a member of the musical unit "see-saw", and the ED song is a stimulating "Bokukoku Kakusei Catharsis". The title is sung by ALI PROJECT, a unit of Mikiya Katakura and Arika Takarano. A part of the song was played at the venue, but it was a wonderful song that made me look forward to what kind of animation would be attached to it.

In addition to Bandai, many companies from various media such as Bandai Visual, TV Tokyo, Kadokawa Shoten, Cultural Broadcasting, Victor Entertainment, Bandai Networks, and CyberConnect2 are working together on projects, and the excitement has increased even more than the previous work. will no doubt be shown.

As a media mix development that has already started, a magazine called ".hack//GU The World" was released from November 2005 by Kadokawa Shoten, and manga and novels are serialized.
The contents are serious, heartwarming, and comedy, and it is a must-read for ``.hack'' fans and those who want to take a peek into the world of ``.hack''. ing.
The next issue, Vol.03, is scheduled to be released on March 25, 2006.

Another thing that I can't help but mention is the radio program ".hack//GU Radio (provisional)" that will start every Sunday night in the A&G zone of Nippon Cultural Broadcasting from April. The main characters, Takahiro Sakurai and Atsuko Enomoto, will serve as personalities and will provide comprehensive information on ".hack" in a fun way.
As Yoshiyuki Katayose, the programming manager of Nippon Cultural Broadcasting, said, we can expect programs with a high level of community that are unique to radio.

In addition to this, various developments such as distribution of free papers full of the latest information are planned at card games and game shops.
As soon as the latest information arrives, it will be covered on this site, so please check it in detail.

◆ Related links
DENGEKI online
ITmedia
Impress GAME Watch
Famitsu.com