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Innis

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-Orca and Balmung appear in a condition similar to TriEdge's.
-Many new characters, including members of the guild ____, appear.
-Haseo gains his third form early in the game.
-Yowkow and Sakubo join you. 12 members of the team in all? Taika and Matsu are among them?
-Yowkow joins early in the game.
-New town, Dol Dona. (spelling subject to correction)
-New field and dungeon types.
-The Skeith avatar evolves to a second form. Avatar battles are even faster paced.
-Party members will automatically go after Chim-chims and Lucky Animals.
-"Multitrigger" makes Multiweapon weapon-changing easier.
-New weapons exclusively for avatar users - "Lost Weapons".


According to a radio commercial, exactly one of the following statements is true:
-Atoli is Shino's little sister.
-Yata is trying to rule The World.
-Ovan gets Data Drained by a legendary PC.
-Bordeaux has a secret connection with Silabus and Gaspard.
-Haseo's love for Pai blossoms.
-Sakaki destroys Tsuki no Ki in pursuit of his ideals.

According to another radio commercial, exactly one of these is true:
-Atoli and Yowkow team up.
-There's one more sibling involved in Sakubo.
-Piroshi3 falls into a coma.

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Haseo
Multi Weapon


An obsessive PKK, this incredibly skilled player smells of death. The incredible PKK feared in The World as "The Terror of Death". The protagonist of G.U., he has selected the special class of "Multiweapon". In order to avenge "a certain person", he is hunting the mysterious irregular character called "TriEdge". A lone wolf by nature, he is quick-witted, but he is also bad-tempered, and can snap at anyone. He usually keeps his cool, but at times he is easily provoked. Just what is his objective...?
Atoli
Harvest





What does this idealistic girl see in The World? Atoli is the heroine of G.U. It seems that The World is the first net game she has played, and perhaps because of that, she expects a lot from it. While playing, she met Sakaki, who invited her to join "Moon Tree", the guild to which she now belongs. She seems to spend a lot of time with him. A Harvest with a gift for healing, she has a kind personality, which may be why she does not hesitate to contact even the antisocial Haseo, trying to help him.


Ovan
Steam Gunner







What is the hidden secret of his sealed left arm? This is the man who once reached out a hand to the PKed Haseo, and later worked with him. His left arm is sealed by some sort of large device, and cannot be seen. Judging from his words and actions, compared to the impulsive Haseo, he is more the type to approach things calmly. Why did the two of them part ways? And when they meet again, what does Ovan want with Haseo? What is the secret of his sealed arm? It seems that these mysteries may be the key to the story.

Kuhn
Steam Gunner



The strong and flirtatious man who wishes for peace in The World. He seems cheerful and lighthearted, but his determination to preserve peace in The World is stronger than anyone's. He was once a member of the newbie help guild "Canard", and even now, he is admired by Silabus and Gaspard. What could have been the reason for a man like this to leave Canard? He seems to have played games like this for a fairly long time, and is quite skilled in combat, but as his flirtatious speech suggests, he does have a weakness for women. It is not unusual for this habit of his to get him in trouble.... How is it possible that with a personality like his, he ends up a friend of Haseo?


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Pai - Grappler

Ally or enemy? This lady takes pride in beauty and strength. Pai may have the looks and proportions of a model, but her appearance isn't the only way in which she excels. With her quick wits, great strength, and eloquent speech, she truly seems to be a "fighting lady". After Haseo is data drained by TriEdge and reduced to a small, weak character, when he is about to be PKed again by Bordeaux, Pai is the one who saves him. Then, after commenting on the "dangerous power" hidden in Haseo's character, she leaves. What does she know?

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Sakubo - Warlock

An ever-changing odd PC. Assertive Saku who speaks in Kansai-ben, and timid, quiet Bo. Completely opposite expressions. This is the character known as Sakubo. The character has only one name, but it seems likely that two people are sharing it. Under what conditions do the two of them switch? The sudden personality change can stun even Haseo.... From conversations, it can be guessed that Saku is chasing Endrance, with Bo being dragged along.


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Yata - Dance Macabre

The mysterious guildmaster waiting for Haseo at the "Serpent of Knowledge". At this time, he is the most mysterious character. With sunglasses and a large, muscular body, this mystery man gives off an odd aura of presence. He seems to have been waiting for Haseo to come to a place called the "Serpent of Knowledge", but his purpose is unknown. What does he want with Haseo? And what is the role of the "Serpent of Knowledge"? His calm, logical speech leads one to believe he is an intellectual, but no one knows what lies behind his exterior. By meeting him, what will Haseo gain?


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Endrance - Blade

Is the pursuit of strength his only goal in The World? This elegant Blade user carries a long, slender sword. His graceful swordsmanship is unmatched, and his ability is acknowleged as superior even by the powerful players of The World. However, possibly because of his pursuit of strength, he shows little interest in other people, and his handsome face can give an impression of coldness. He only ever shows emotion towards the small cat that rides on his shoulder. What goal is he working towards...? There are still many mysteries about this character.

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Dothackers brings you a one-on-one exclusive interview with the man behind our beloved badass PKKer, Haseo (aka Yuri Lowenthal). For more information on Yuri, visit his official website at yurilowenthal.com.

Most people probably know you as Sasuke Uchiha from the hit anime series, Naruto. Tell us a little bit more about yourself.
Well, I'll start out by saying that I'm not quite as moody as Sasuke in real life (sorry, girls...). I grew up all over the place, all over the place being Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, New York, West Africa, North Africa, Europe and Japan. After 3 years in Japan and 6 years in NYC, I moved to L.A., where I dove into voice acting, after having been a stage and screen actor and now I do all three! Oh, and I write.


How did you become involved with the .hack media?
I auditioned for the project at a studio that I have worked at before. I guess they felt I was a good fit.

Haseo doesn't have the clichéd hero personality from what we've seen. How would you best describe him, and how has voice acting as Haseo been different from your other works?
No, you're right. He's not really the cliche hero, is he? As a matter of fact, the acting note I kept getting as we were working was, "Okay, could you try it a little jerkier this time?" Let's just say he's got very little bedside manner, this hero. And mostly I get hired to play spunky 15-year-old heroes who wouldn't know how to be mean if you tied them up in a sack with 7 rattlesnakes.

How far along is the VO work for .hack//G.U. Vol. 1//Rebirth? Are you signed on to be Haseo's VO actor for all three games?
I'm really not sure. They're keeping a tight lid on this one, but I think they're done recording all the VO. As far as I know, I've only been hired for this one game. Let's see how you guys like it!

Can you tell us if there's been any word on a definite U.S. release date for the first game?
If there is, they haven't told me.

Aside from being Haseo's VO actor in the .hack//G.U. games, will you also be the VO of Haseo in the upcoming .hack//Roots anime?
I haven't been contacted about anything else .hack//-related. But if they do, I'd love to explore Haseo on the anime. That'd be fun.

If yes, has VO work for .hack//Roots started? Do you know of any air date for .hack//Roots?
Like I said, I don't know anything about the show. I wish I had more info on any of this for you guys, but they're keeping it under wraps, I guess. Can't wait to hear what you think of the game, though. We had a blast working on it!


© 2003-2006, dothackers| Contact

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.hack//G.U. Grows Up
An interview with Daisuke Uchiyama and Hiroshi Matsuyama.
by Kathleen Sanders

September 5, 2006 - The .hack series for the PlayStation 2 has been met with great success in Japan and a cult following here in the US. The big idea behind the series is that of a simulated online experience in an offline game. See, as part of the game you play an online MMORPG called "The World" Events that occur in the virtual world begin to bleed into reality and adventures begin.

.hack//G.U. takes place seven years after the events of the previous series of games. In the years that have passed The World has become The World R:2. As the hero Haseo, who is known as a player killer killer or a PKK. He's trying to find the player killer that not only killed his friend's character, but somehow put her into a coma in reality. A morale gage will build as you execute combos which enable more powerful limit-break-type attacks.

The new trilogy has received a total overhaul. For example: the battle system, previously a combo of turn-based RPG attacks, has been sped up and geared for action and combo attacks. Now, battles are real-time. Players can see who they are about to attack before a battle begins. You can make powerful first strikes when you crash into battle with unsuspecting foes with careful use of a steambike.

There are also hints at card game within .hack//GU. Unfortunately, it isn't opened up for Vol. 1 Rebirth, but will be fully functional for the second game Vol. 2: A Voice That Reminds Me of You. The trading card game is the same as one that is available in Japan, unfortunately for American .hack fans there are currently no plans to release the game in the States.

IGN sat down with Hiroshi Matsuyama, president and CEO of CyberConnect2 and Chief Producer of the .hack series Daisuke Uchiyama to talk about the upcoming .hack//GU: Part 1 Rebirth.


IGN: The series is known for having tons of characters. How many will be unlockable in Rebirth?
Hiroshi Matsuyama: Well, since this is part one of a trilogy there are a lot of characters the player will interactive with and out of those there are ones that will be able to join your party. Total, including the main character there are seven characters you can interact and play with. The main character, Haseo then six additional players you can pick and choose from.
Since this is part one of the whole trilogy there will be characters that appear, but can't join you, yet. But total between the three games there will be about 30 characters that will be playable.

IGN: What are fans going to notice is different about the new series?
HM: Along with the updates to the battle system, speeding it up, making it more action oriented… we've given the entire world an overhaul. The in-game in-game OS, ALTIMIT OS has been updated and replaced by ALTIMIT MINE OS and the World has become The WORLD R:2. There are new elements to the game; we've got some shooting elements to the game, lots of new surprises.

IGN: Shooting elements? Is that going to be first- or third-person?
HM: (laughing covering mouth) Uh-oh! Third-person.

IGN: Any plans to bring the .hack series to next-gen systems?
HM: We're still finishing GU! We're focusing all our energy on the current series. There are still lots of people with PS2.

IGN: So, lots of the fans want to know why you haven't brought .hack//Fragment, the .hack online MMORPG, to the gamers of America. Why is it only available in Japan?
HM: Essentially, it isn't that the Fragment project was a test, but we were wondering if we were to make an online game how people would react and how people would play. So, we developed that in conjunction with the GU project to get a grasp on what people would like and dislike.
The way MMOs are building up these days if we were to bring this over it would be better if we thought of something specifically for the US market, because the Japanese and US markets are so different.

IGN: So, are there any plans to create a .hack MMO for the US market?
Daisuke Uchiyama: Not at this moment.

IGN: Is it something you'd like to do?
DU: While we were making Fragment we realized that MMOs aren't something simple. They take a lot of time and effort. If there is something we would bring to the US it is something we'd really have to think through it. We'd have to figure out what people are used to, what they would like to see?

IGN: So, you're not against it, you're just not doing it now?
DU: Yes. We're not against it. We're just focused on GU right now.

IGN: So, we'll see a .hack MMORPG in December?
DU and HM: (laughing) No!