.Hack// Infection (pronounced dot Hack) is one of those games that you have to play to understand. Hitting someone with the game's selling point 'an offline, online RPG' is liable to send their heads spinning with confusion. However, once you set into the world of .Hack, you're immediately thrust into a brilliant, living world - well almost. Although the premise of the game is intriguing and definitely opens up a world of possibilities gameplay-wise, the resulting title leaves much to be desired and misses a few of the 'cool points' that could have made it a much better experience.

.Hack// Infection has a nice, stylistic presentation that really adds to the overall feel of the game. Once you boot up your in-game PC, you're presented with a working desktop, complete with changeable backgrounds and a working Winamp-like application. The in-game graphics are good, but leave much to be desired. The player models all have their own look that work well - especially when you compare them to the characters in the game's (seemingly cancelled) companion show, .Hack// Sign. Considering the game's ties with the show, it always seemed to make sense to me if the game featured a cel-shaded look like Dark Cloud 2, but then again I'm sure there was a logical reason for this (as with all of the games 'features'). However, the character designs are there and are, for the most part, likeable - so there's little to complain about. Except for, of course, the game's main protagonist Kite, who resembles a knife-wielding Pinocchio rather then a true hero.

Each of the game's levels are nice, although spare and barren. Whereas other RPG's (even online ones) that feature a working world, all of the worlds in .Hack// Infection are randomly generated. This translates into worlds that are little more than a flat world with a few trees or statues scattered around every few feet. The system works in the game, but also gives it a half-assed, rushed feeling. Effects are kept to a minimum, but they are also one of the more creative aspects of the game's package. The worn-away binary code in 'Corrupted Dungeons' and 'Roaming Code' flashing around the levels is great.

Once again we find ourselves facing the question, 'What is an online, offline RPG?'. However, before answering that question, you have to have the full background on exactly what .Hack is. Games based off of TV shows aren't uncommon, however these games rarely tie in with the show outside of familiar characters. .Hack is a completely different animal - combining the stories of both the show and the game (as well as its three follow-up 'Chapters' set to ship later this year) into one over-arching story.

Sometime in the near future, the Altimit Corporation (which in many ways resembles Microsoft) has its hands in everything technology. One of the more popular items in Altimit's product catalog is a MMORPG called 'The World'. Weighing in at a hefty 5 million plus users (or more, I can't remember the exact number), 'The World' is the game to play. You play the role of Kite - who is a newbie player. This is one of the first areas where .Hack// Infection fails to become what it could have been. I understand that most RPG's require a good, strong main character - however, this is something that is more for a more traditional RPG. .Hack// Infection is something completely different, and it should play as such. Since you are actually playing the role of the controller of Kite, rather than Kite himself (read it over a few times, it makes sense), I didn't see why players couldn't be allowed to choose which class they wanted to be. I never got the feeling that Kite's class was all that important to the story - unless it was to limit his armor and weapon choices, since Kite is royally screwed on both of these. Opening up a full selection of choices to players, like in a real MMORPG, would have given the game a great dynamic and would have given the story more of a personal touch. But, as I said before - I'm sure there's a logical explanation for this.

After entering 'The World', Kite learns the ropes from his friend, who also happens to be one of 'The World's most well-known players'. After a short adventure that explains all of the game's ins and outs, the duo is confronted by a mysterious figure chasing an equally mysterious girl. Before they can do anything, the figure hits his friend's character with a magic previously unseen in the game. This blast is powerful enough that it knocks Kite out of the game. The following day at school, (in the real world), Kite discovers that his friend is in a coma, caused by unknown reasons. This, tied in with the attack, immediately sends Kite to the game's message boards in search of an answer. However, no sooner does he type the message, but it's deleted. This sends Kite back into the game searching for answers. After running into another mysterious woman (.Hack// Infection clearly holds the record for most 'Mysterious Strangers in One Cast'), Kite discovers that he too possesses the same strange magic that was used on his friend - the ability to 'Data Drain'. And so starts Kite's adventure...

The premise behind .Hack// Infection is definitely something worth witnessing, however it's something that isn't completely realized. The story is definitely there, even though I wasn't able to follow it to conclusion due to certain issues which I'll explain later. However, due to the fact that you are locked into a certain character, and that much of the game boils down into little more than 'Get to the Bottom of the Dungeon' quests, the game leaves a lot to be desired. One of the problems is that the story is more of a skeletal outline instead of a full-fledged story. Character development is kept to a minimum, and most of their reasons for joining you are flimsy. Like most 'large cast' RPG's, most of the characters are there just for decoration, rather than being a working part of the story. The game's randomly generated levels are also a hindrance. Instead of traveling to fleshed out lands, the world you travel to is totally based on a generated set of keywords input into each town's Keygate. Each of the keyword's three components suggests a different 'makeup' for the world. One suggests the level's difficulty level and another suggests the levels 'Elemental Base'. As inventive as this system is - it gives the game a sterile feel that isn't well thought out.

Another interesting aspect that would have gone a long way into making the experience that much better would have been the inclusion of the typical MMORPG elements such as Player Killers or 'In-game Quests' given by The World.

.Hack// Infection is a relatively easy RPG, although it does have it's fair share of hang-ups. The limited combat system doesn't offer much in terms of depth, causing most battles to boil down into button mash. There is very little in terms of strategy in the game as well. Getting the drop on monsters is impossible since they are generated out of giant glowing rings on the battlefield. This, of course, does give them the advantage since it wasn't uncommon for them to appear right behind, or in some cases right on top of, my party. They also have the nasty characteristic of always facing you, making flanking impossible. However, Kite does have one big advantage over his foes - the Data Drain. After doing sufficient damage to an enemy, its protective barrier breaks, allowing Kite to rewrite its data. This not only allows Kite to unlock some cool items, but also makes enemies sufficiently easier.

Control is not one of .Hack// Infection's strong points. The analog control is way too loose and makes it seem as though Kite is running over ice, which is certainly not the case when you consider the amount of dust kicked up with each step. As previously mentioned, combat is dumbed down to a simple one-button system. This makes for a rather boring game. This vanilla system is also complimented by a rather unique party combat system, since you are fighting alongside characters who are supposed to think independently. In order to portray this effect in the game, Kite can issue commands to his companions. These include simple things such as 'Heal Me' or 'Use Magic' as well as more complicated things such as 'Battle Formations'.

Overall, .Hack// Infection is something completely different from the PS2's current crop of RPG's. At the same time, it never really takes advantage of the possibilities afforded to it, and doesn't fully bloom into what it could be...

But our story doesn't end here, does it? Throughout this entire review you, my loyal readers, have been asking yourself one question - why does a game that is clearly a decent game get a score lower than any game in our database - including most of the 3DO library? Well, for that answer we must also look beyond the game. Unfortunately, the reviewable version I was given was shipped without a Save feature. Despite my insistence that this was a demo version of the game (something that was stated at least 3 times before I even began the game), I was assured this was a full version and that all of the review copies were shipped that way. Had this been a puzzle or fighting game, this would have been something I could have overlooked. But when you consider this is a multi-hour RPG, and that I don't have the time to sit through the entire game without saving (not to mention that I would have to restart the entire game after dying), it makes about as much sense as calling Gary Coleman 'Shorty' to his face without the proper shin guards.

Since in all fairness, I refuse to score a game after only playing what equated to the first thirty minutes, I can't in good faith give the game a passing score, or for that matter any score. At one time .Hack// Infection was a game I was personally very excited about. Now it is little more than a passing memory that has been replaced.