Maybe. Personally I feel like the series kept that problem because of how they operate. The jump from Legend of the Twilight with the Radio Drama (Bah who really counts the drama) to THE END OF The World (which misses Chap Chop Case sadly) to Roots Radio Drama (Eh who really counts this one either) to Roots with Alcor to CELL a little before G.U. with Online Jack to Returner (and to maybe just maybe the end of Peaco's Story) is Rough...Vallen wrote:The thing with Japan, though, is that they prefer portable and mobile gaming. Console sales are on the decline. For instance, the recently released Final Fantasy XV sold 57% less than 2010's Final Fantasy XIII - keeping that in mind, Final Fantasy XV as of now is the best selling PS4 game in Japan. It sold less than half, yet it is now the best selling software of the system. That's how bad console gaming has become over there.
So I would argue that mobile games are the way to go. Look at the Nintendo SWITCH, they even made the "home console" into a "portable console."
The issue with .hack is the lack of consistency. CC2 failed at maintaining a consistent story ever since the GU days. The various scattered pieces of .hack media vary from online books, Japan exclusive artbooks, move-game hybrid packs, Japanese mobile apps, and so on. It's very difficult to keep up with the series, both in terms of owning it and understanding the plot.
I would even say that CC2 lost .hack's identity, they don't know what it is anymore. The entire series needs to either be rebooted, or disregard the side media (such as mobile games as non canon) and proceed with a sequel to GU. Everything that started with LINK was a mess.
My hope at this point is to see the resurgence of .hack when CC2 becomes CC3.
*Crosses Figures*Falions wrote:I don't know, seeing as it's been over a year since the NU announcement and all we got was the iPhone game. The only thing I have hope for is something happening on the series' 15th anniversary next year.SSJScygoku wrote:Since Project NU was suppose to have several media (or at least not just New World) i'm hoping to see some new info after New Year ^^'
Agreed. Stuck in Another World and Reincarnation Series are everywhere nowadays. IE: Sword Art Online, Log Horizon, Only Sense Online, Btoom!!!, The New Gate, Overlord, I am called "Black Healer" in Another World , Vermilion, Reincarnated as a Slime, Real Account, RE: Zero and Kumo Desu Ka?. Also as for the earlier mention on peak, my personal opinion is that these series are booming because the type of POV they use with their stories. (Which I have read some of the above) Where with other than ,hack//Link, .hack//SIGN and .hack//Epitaph of Twilight the main characters weren't the same as the people stuck in the game.Vallen wrote:I personally think .hack could ride the hype wave generated by modern series like sao and attract the fan base, if Bamco and CC2 stop sitting on their ass and actually put out games/movies, they could actually have "free marketing" because people are once again aware of the "stuck in a video game" concept.Avatar_Crim wrote:I wouldn't say the marketing is what has caused lack of success. Well, maybe some, but I'd be more inclined to say it was due to the general public's lack of interest. While fan bases are out there. I think it hit its peak, and other things came in and just took the spot light, and while sao or log horizon are things and brought back interest to the genre, it's not bringing people to dot hack.
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I like where the newer series seem to have gone with their stories. However my personal gripe focuses on the game-play of the newer material. Theses Mobiles games are different and entertaining. And I like them however I'm just getting the hang of how to get the most out of everything there is to offer from a mobile game series. Gasha to find out everything there is to find hurt me a little as a collector of everything in .hack games and I also enjoy having full character voices. (In my opinion the bets thing you can do is record each event, and save what can to get the content at the end of the service. But that's my idea so don't go using it without giving me some credit, just saying...).
What I do appreciate other than the things I mentioned earlier however is that these games are free and that there are very nice character designs for the newer games.The Phantoms from Guilty Dragon along with D.D. Alregion (I won't forget about you my *hugs* or you Navico Xth *double hugs*) and Crying Princess are ABSOLUTELY okay my book.
Also I was thinking about it but it looks like CC2 might be trying to move away from .hack as a whole in the first place or that they weren't planning for these series to go in this particular direction. Both Guilty Dragon and New World were a dot-hack concept and Project N.U. . And only became .hack//Guilty Dragon: The Sin Dragon and The 8 Curses, and .hack//New World: Maiden of Silver Tears AFTER the developers felt the games' storytelling started to drift more into that direction: a case of the past of a series overwhelming its future or the future of the series lining very well with its past. And the same could happen with Project Layer, if the the fans push the story-line in that direction. Although that would be pretty hard considering its a user driven and created multimedia series. (which for all know Project Layer may have been working from some of the original plans for Project N.U. before it became .hack//New World (Which now that I think about it does make more since that it was renamed that way when I think back titles like Project G.U., however that's not what actually happened as explained by CyberConnect2)) It could be possible that CC2 are planning to jump back in time at some point. Like they did with .hack//Epitaph of Twilight and the background points for .hack//Link. Other than that hidden financial problem could be an issue as well or even odd a Square Enix Syndrome where they are planning to do something big but are having to multitask a lot in the meantime.
For the record the last of the series .hack//Bullet is very cool I'm fine with it as is and enjoy the back and forth combo between Real Life Investigator and The World that it presents. Kinda reminds me of a cross between Another Birth, SIGN and Liminality.