A great game series with an awesome story that keeps me coming back for more.
The story is about Kite (you have the chance to name him, though, typical of an RPG). Kite's friend Orca wants him to play this popular game called "The World", an MMORPG that has sold 200 million copies in the two years it has been out. You play it and while on a dungeon-crawling adventure, Orca gets Data Drained (exactly what it says) by a mysterious monster, right after being given a book by a white girl (no racial intentions, the girl is pale and wearing a white dress). Kite is about to be attacked but is saved and given the book instead. He fiends out Orca is in a coma and must go on an adventure to find out what's behind "The World."
The game-play, despite being slightly repetitive, to me, is far better than it's criticisized of being. You attack with only one button, though, but you can spice things up with skills and spells (despite a lot of things being the same attack, but different element). But, the elemental critical add some strategy, and as of always, you do have to watch your health and heal. You also along the way gain "member addresses" that you can use to summon party members, but there is a limit of three. That, and the AI can be insanely stupid. Either way, it isn't too bad, as in most games you have to make most decisions anyways, especially in the part in the beginning where you have to go to areas alone.
Speaking of areas, the dungeon system of .hack is very unique. There are two Root Towns (in this game, you go to more in future installments) where you buy items and spells and whatnot. In those Root Towns, you'll find a Chaos Gate. By putting keywords into the gate from a list, you get transported to an area, each one consisting of a field and a dungeon, both consisting of magic portals that summon monsters, or sometimes, treasure chests. You must go through the field to get to the dungeon, where you go through a maze of rooms and floors to get to the Gott Statue where you get more treasure! Of course, there are exceptions to these rules.
My favorite part, though, has to be the Data Flag. You see, the .hack games are meant to be played in a certain order, and the nice part, is you can transfer all your stats and items onto the next game. Luckily, that includes the goodies you get from the Ryu Books for obtaining certain amounts in some sort of category.
Overall, despite it's criticism for repetitive game-play, the Easter eggs and the story will keep you through it, especially for someone like me, who can't resist a good story line.