.Hack Vol.1 x Vol.2 [Playstation 2 the Best]

.Hack Vol.1xVol2 (Playstation 2 The Best) is a compilation of the first 2 .Hack games for Playstation 2:
1 – .HACK – INFECTION:
First in a four-part series, .hack//INFECTION is set in a near future when society has come to rely heavily on advanced network technology. Recently, a ban against online gaming has been lifted and millions upon millions of people have flocked to a new virtual reality known as “The World.”

Two teenage boys are among the participants, taking the roles of Kite and Orca in The World. When they are attacked and Orca's player falls comatose in the real world, Kite must continue in the virtual reality of the game on a quest to save his friend.

Your friend talks you in to trying “The WORLD”, the most successful on-line rpg in computer history. During your first adventure in the game with your friend (showing you the ropes) you come across a strange girl being chased by a weird monster, a strange incident causes your friend to go into a coma after the attack of an unknown / hacked monster and you end up with this book that upgrades your character with an unusual gauntlet that allows you to hack in the game. Your quest starts out to find out what caused your friend to go into a coma. This involves adventuring after sightings of the strange girl and hacking into sealed levels. There also seems to be corrupted levels and something going on that the CC Corporation (owner of The World) is trying to hide.

While the story element of “will to power” in an artificial reality may share basic concepts with 1999's The Matrix, many of the presentational aspects of .hack are created with the sense of an epic anime film. The plotline is crucial to gameplay and an included DVD features original animation that may reveal important secrets to observant viewers. Characters in the game were designed by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto (Evangelion). The story was written by Kazunori Ito (Ghost in the Shell).

.hack//INFECTION is Part 1 of a four-part RPG adventure for PlayStation 2 based on the Japanese anime television series .hack//SIGN. An original 45-minute anime movie is included, which sets the scene for the game.
* Simulated MMORPG: no Internet Connection Required!
* Dual voiceover: choose either English or Japanese for a totally immersive experience
* Multiple Quests with detailed environments that transform in real time Combine keywords to generate customized fields
* Includes an exclusive DVD containing a 45-minute original Anime movie! Watch it and uncover clues on how to solve the mystery of .hack!

2 – .HACK – MUTATION:
Second in a four-part series, .hack//MUTATION is set in the near future when society has come to rely heavily on advanced network technology.

The second chapter offers better AI control of other characters, additional items, more characters, access to more servers/areas, and a few other features. Characters from the previous game can be imported, and current characters can be saved for use in future installments.

The story continues after the events of the first game. Kite's friend is still in a coma and he still hasn't found out why. The story deepens as the hacker Helba and the game administrators both start getting involved with Kite. The admins are not happy with him but can use his help to investigate what is going on. The question of what happened to Aura at the end of the first game still gets deeper and new elements concerning the beta version of “The World” (originally called “Fragments”) are resurfacing.

Many of the presentational aspects of .hack are created with the sense of an epic anime film. The plotline is crucial to gameplay and an included DVD features original animation that may reveal important secrets to observant viewers. Characters in the game were designed by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto (Evangelion). The story was written by Kazunori Ito (Ghost in the Shell).

MANUFACTURER'S DESCRIPTION:

1 – .HACK – INFECTION:
You're in their WORLD now!

Who is Aura? What is the Book of Twilight? Why did your friend, Orca, fall into a mysterious coma? As the outlaw player, Kite, you're on a mission of truth. Take a journey into a virtual world where anything is possible, and nothing is as it appears. Fight your way through contaminated levels of cyberspace as you take on and eliminate enemies, and unlock codes that will allow you to gate travel to even more environments – all in a desperate attempt to discover who or what's behind The World.

Embark on an epic journey to unlock the truth lurking behind The World.

.hack ranks among the top 9 RPGs for 2003! “… .hack is light-years ahead of most cliché-riddled RPGs.”
— Official PlayStation Magazine

“You thought EverQuest was addictive?”
— GamePro Magazine

“… .hack reeks of mystery and conspiracy.”
— Extended Play

Simulated MMORPG: no Internet connection required!
Dual Voiceover: choose either English or Japanese for a totally immersive experience
Multiple Quests with detailed environments that transform in real time
Combine Keywords to generate customized fields

From the creators of GHOST IN THE SHELL and EVANGELION! Includes a separate DVD containing an exclusive 45 minute original Anime movie! Watch it and uncover clues to solve the mystery of .hack.

2 – .HACK – MUTATION:
The saga continues…

As the outlaw player, Kite, you're on a mission of truth. Take a journey into a virtual world where anything is possible, and nothing is as it appears. Fight your way through contaminated levels of cyberspace as you take on and eliminate enemies, and unlock codes that will allow you to gate hack to even more environments, all in a desperate attempt to discover who or what is behind The World.

.Hack ranks among the top 9 RPGs for 2003!'' ''… .hack is light-years ahead of most cliché-riddled RPGs.'' – Official PlayStation Magazine.
''You thought EverQuest was addictive?'' – Gamepro Magazine.
''… .hack reeks of mystery and conspiracy.'' – Extended Play

Bring your saved data over from Part 1 and hit the ground running in Part 2 with your leveled-up character and items.
Simulated MMORPG: no internet connection required! Dual Voiceover: choose either English or Japanese for a totally immersive experience.
Multiple Quests with detailed environments that transform in real-time.
Combine Keywords to generate customized fields

Source: TheGamesDB