QJ.NET wonders what’s next for .hack video game franchise

One of Namco Bandai‘s bigger successes on Sony‘s PlayStation 2 is the .hack video game series. For those not familiar with it, it is part of a much larger multimedia franchise simply known as .hack that encompasses manga, card games, anime, and most importantly , video games.

With that in mind and knowing the success the franchise had and is still having, we can’t imagine Namco Bandai stopping making games for the series in the near future. More on this after the jump.

  

One of Namco Bandai‘s bigger successes on Sony‘s PlayStation 2 is the .hack video game series. For those not familiar with it, it is part of a much larger multimedia franchise simply known as .hack that encompasses manga, card games, anime, and most importantly , video games.

There are two general .hack series for the PlayStation 2, .hack and .hack//G.U. Both are comprised of a number of separate sequential titles with hack//G.U. ending last September. The franchise received relatively good reviews from websites and magazines, and was warmly embraced by players.

The good thing about .hack lies in its storyline which allows Namco Bandai and developer CyberConnect2 to branch off to many other plots and angles. In a nutshell, .hack is about “MMORPG The World” where its players suddenly fall into coma during gameplay. .hack and .hack//G.U. solve this mystery by giving players a view from The World’s different important characters.

.hack//G.U., like we said, ended just a couple of months ago. With that in mind and knowing the success the franchise had and is still having, we can’t imagine Namco Bandai stopping making games for the series in the near future. That leaves us the question then: what’s next for .hack?

     

There are many scenarios that come to mind whenever we try to explore the possible answers to this question. First, Namco Bandai can continue .hack as a normal console game, “simulating” the environment and the features of a full-blown MMORPG. New characters will be introduced that will bring about new adventures.

The company can then decide to release it on Sony’s PlayStation 3 because of the already installed fan base from the PS2. It is also not a distant possibility for the publisher and CyberConnect2 to decide to release it on rival consoles Nintendo Wii and Microsoft Xbox 360.

Given the online capabilities of today’s consoles, it is not hard to imagine that the next .hack game will sport that very option and probably the addition of multiplayer aspects (arena battles, party creation, etc.). After all, this had already been done before with Namco Bandai releasing .hack//fragment back in 2006 exclusively to Japan.

Taking it further, the new .hack game can be a cross-platform title with console players meeting each other inside The World. We can also add PC players into the mix, much like Final Fantasy XI on the Xbox 360 and PC platforms. The expansions will be brought in through downloadable content and the game can also host seasonal events.

      

It is also not impossible for Namco Bandai to finally enter the virtual world arena and make the next .hack game a real MMORPG. Those who’ve played the games know that this is very much feasible – The World has its own set of races, job classes, lore, missions, set of NPCs, and even bosses.

There’s also another possible scenario, however, unlikely: .hack can be transformed into a handheld game. A normal party in a .hack raid is composed of three characters. When this is brought to the PlayStation Portable and/or Nintendo DS, the one goes to the player with the other two being AI or real players as well. Connection is via Ad-hoc network or infrastructure mode.

The point is the .hack video game franchise is rich and flexible enough that ending it now is such a big waste. All elements are there and the support from the community is there. We don’t know if Namco Bandai has something up its sleeves regarding the matter but we sure do know that a lot of gamers want another .hack game.