The .hack//G.U. trilogy is getting remastered for PS4 and PC

Will its new changes hold it back?

E3 ’17 may be going on as we speak, but that isn’t stopping companies from making announcements outside of the event. Speaking of which, Bandai Namco revealed that the .hack//G.U. trilogy, the second PS2 game series in the franchise about the VR MMORPG known as The World, will get an HD remaster for PS4 and PC in Japan.

Titled .hack//G.U. Last Recode, this remaster will feature all three G.U. action RPG games in one nice package. The neat part about it is that Vol. 1: Rebirth and Vol. 2: Reminisce will include Vol. 3: Redemption’s improvements. 

While the collection hasn’t been confirmed for the West, something tells me that it could get localized, since it’s heading to PC. Seeing that the title is 80 percent done, let’s hope that an announcement will happen this year.

If there’s one surprise about this remaster, it’s that it features some new changes, such a couple adjustments that speed up grinding. As for the other additions, you can check them out in the following list:

• The game is now in 1080p, and it runs at 60 frames per second
• The movies from Vol 1: Rebirth Special Edition’s Terminal Disk are included
• You can now move faster
• The Avatar battles got rebalanced
• Item limit is now 90, and the item cooldown system in battles is gone
• You can now heal on platforms through the new “Idle Rest” system 
• Chim Spheres and Virus Core limit is now 999
• Avatar battles can now be paused
• Skeith can now shoot faster
• Pauses have been reduced in your attacks to improve battle tempo, and your attacks do more damage
• You now have the option to play the game in “cheat mode,” which gives you the best gear and max level from the get-go
• A couple of the game’s powerful enemies have been made easier
• You can pick between Saku or Bo when you party with Sakubo
• Awakening sequences can now be skipped
• All character endings from Vol. 3: Redemption can be unlocked in one save file
• The chances of party members selling their gifted items has been reduced
• Your weapon masteries and characters level up faster
• You now have the option to retry any fight that you lost
• You can now sort your items, along with having access to the item menu through a shortcut

Since I enjoyed going through the original .hack//G.U. trilogy, I’m curious to see if these changes will hinder or improve Haseo’s quest to stop the person who put his comrade Shino in a coma. Either way, it’s nice that we get overcome The World R:2’s major threats without having to rebuy three separate games.

Bandai Namco Entertainment [Weekly Famitsu via RPG Site]