An extension of the first.
*Possible Spoilers if you havent played the first game!!!!*
The story starts off right after the first game ended with Kite and Blackrose wanting to find out about Cubia and the other virus-like creatures. You are introduced to several new characters in this game which will play key roles in the future. Many questions are answered and many more are given. While this game doesnt give a whole lot of insight into what is happening in "The World", it is important to play or you will not understand the other games.
The gameplay is pretty much the same as the first game but with higher level weapons and armor for every character. You can transfer your data from the first game also so all that training you did from infection was not wasted. Along with the equipment, many new skills come into play, none of which are very much different than the ones you already had. The difficulty has been increased a little bit but it is still pretty easy and you shouldnt have too much trouble beating it. The virus cores unfortunately make a comeback in this game as well and will be around throughout the series.
The sound and graphics are bunched together for this review because there are no noticable changes in either of them from the first game. Some new voiceovers are a given along with the new characters and they are, as with the first game, a mix between really good VO's and really bad VO's.
As with the first game, as well as pretty much any RPG, there is next to no replay value. You will be able to transfer data from this version to Volume 3: Outbreak, but aside from that and the one secret dungeon, there isnt much else to do.
I don't recommend starting the series with this game but if you want to find out what happens in the .Hack series, this game is a must have.