Chronological order?

[bornrevolution]

Hi there. :]

First of all, I'm really happy to see this community is still at least somewhat active, as I know I'm rather late to the .hack party. I recently got a weird urge to play Infection again (since I never beat it as a child) and am looking to playthrough the original IMOQ games to start off. Infection was the only game in the series I've played before, and I've also seen a few episodes of Sign in the past, so what I'm wondering is, what is the chronological order of the games/anime/manga (and anything else I may be missing)? I'm trying to follow it as best as I can and want to experience them all in the correct order so I don't miss anything, so any help I could get would be much appreciated.

(Also, applogies if I'm on the wrong board for this.)

[Sadivinedevil]

For the original series it is
AI Buster
AI Buster 2 (Part takes place before the games part takes place after durring Legend of the Twilight)
SIGN
Zero (Not released in English)
The Games
Legend of the Twilight (Read the Manga avoid the anime)

XXXX (is a retelling of the original games in manga form)
Another Birth (Is a retelling of the original games from Blackrose's perspective in novel form)

[SSJScygoku]

^_^ i added alittle more in the hopes you are able to obtain the G.U. game series aswell, though it was only released in the US. ^^' I had to import the games and get a US PS2

.hack//AI Buster
.hack//Sign
.hack//IMOQ (including //Liminality)
.hack//Legend of the Twilight Bracelet
.hack//Roots
.hack//G.U. game series

.hack//Quarantine also has .hack//GIFT on its Liminality disc ^_^

[bornrevolution]

Thank you both! ^_^ I am emulating all the games so I should be able to obtain most if not all of them.

[KiteTheAzure]

Here is the full order of .Hack// saga =D

1. .hack//AI buster

1. .hack//AI buster 2 (Read the first story)

2. .hack//SIGN

2. .hack//AI buster 2 (Read the second story)

3. .hack//SIGN - Intermezzo (AKA Episode 27 of SIGN)

4. .hack//ZERO (Just read the summary online)

5. .hack//I.M.O.Q

5. .hack//Another Birth (the Games told through Blackrose's POV)

5. .hack//Liminality (Tells what happened in the real world during the Games)

6. .hack//AI buster 2 (Read the third and fifth stories)

7. .hack//Legend of the Twilight (The manga)

8. .hack//AI buster 2 (Read the forth story)

9. .hack//End of The World (A terminal disc that came with .hack//G.U. Vol.1//Rebirth, tells about the events between the end of Project .hack and the beginning of .hack Conglomerate)

.hack Conglomerate (Takes place in The World R:2)

10. .hack//First Login (AKA Episode 0 of Roots, read the summary online)

11. .hack//CELL (You may have to read the summary online)

11. .hack//Roots (Prequel anime to the G.U. Games, like SIGN to the Games)

12. .hack//G.U. Games (PS2 only)

12. .hack//G.U. (Retells the G.U. Games, but in novel-form)

12. .hack//Online Jack (A side-story of the G.U. Games, you can find it on YouTube)

12. .hack//GnU (Another side-story of the G.U. Games, found only in the magazine .hack//G.U. The World)

12. .hack//Alcor (Yet another side-story of the G.U. Games, found only in the magazine .hack//G.U. The World)

13. .hack//Returner (AKA Episode 27 of Roots)

Unknown Generation of .hack (Takes place in The World R:X)

14. .hack//Link (A new .hack game for the PSP)

14. .hack//LINK Twilight Kinights (Manga Version of Link, could be non-canon)

15 .Hack//Quantum (Three episode Anime OVA)

15. .Hack//Sekai no Mukou ni (Movie)

16. .Hack//Versus - The Thanatos Report (OVA)

16. .Hack//Versus (PS3 Fighting Game)

[Lindz]

I want a super perfect chronological order list! I semi-came up with one last year when I was running through the series but even thats somewhat imperfect. Stuff like...

- Reading Wotan's Spear after watching Ep.04 of SIGN
- Another Birth actually starts before Infection, so you would read like the first chapter or two of that before starting the game
- First Login -> G.U. Vol.1: Rebirth - Chapter 1 -> Roots

And so on!

[Kuukai]

This is brilliant. You'll need to watch all the flashbacks in SIGN before almost anything else, because An is really young in most of those. After you play the first level of G.U., you'll need to pause the game and watch most of .hack//Roots. Ow my head hurts.

[SSJScygoku]

Wouldn't .hack//Epitaph of Twilight come before anything else? ^_^

Also .hack//Alcor was localized so can be bought quite easily

[Lindz]

This is brilliant. You'll need to watch all the flashbacks in SIGN before almost anything else, because An is really young in most of those. After you play the first level of G.U., you'll need to pause the game and watch most of .hack//Roots. Ow my head hurts.

Yeeeeesss! I hadn't even considered the flashbacks! You've shown me and us all a whole new level to take this to @_@! Quick! Someone cut together a video of said flashbacks lol!

[Helbaworshipper]

Don't forget that the novels of GU are not canon.

[bornrevolution]

Thanks so much for all your replies. :]

Is this also the order in which they were created? I always though Sign was based off the IMOQ games and not the other way around, but I guess both could make sense.