.hack (video game series)

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.hack () is a series of single-player action role-playing video games developed by CyberConnect2 and published by Bandai for the PlayStation 2. The four games, .hack//Infection, .hack//Mutation, .hack//Outbreak, and .hack//Quarantine, all feature a "game within a game", a fictional massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) called The World which does not require the player to connect to the Internet. Players may transfer their characters and data between games in the series. Each game comes with an extra DVD containing an episode of .hack//Liminality, the accompanying original video animation (OVA) series which details fictional events that occur concurrently with the games. The games are part of a multimedia franchise called Project .hack, which explores the mysterious origins of The World. Set after the events of the anime series, .hack//Sign, the games focus on a player character named Kite and his quest to discover why some users have become comatose in the real world as a result of playing The World. The search evolves into a deeper investigation of the game and its effects on the stability of the Internet. Critics gave the series mixed reviews. It was praised for its unique setting and its commitment to preserve the suspension of disbelief, as well as the character designs. Simultaneously, it was criticized for uneven pacing and a lack of improvement between games in the series. The commercial success of the franchise led to the production of .hack//frägment—a Japan-only remake of the series with online capabilities—and .hack//G.U., another video game trilogy which was released for the PlayStation 2 between 2006 and 2007.