Most people are familiar with RPGs via the old standards: Final Fantasy, Dragon Warrior, and so forth. .hack://INFECTION mixes up the formula somewhat by having a very unique and original storyline. There is an overwhelming sense of mystery in .hack, and the people behind this game have assembled a very engaging scenario that will keep you locked to your seat during story portions of the game. Typically, RPGs follow a very simple storyline: kill these five bosses, collect these five items, and then kill the final boss--all while leveling up and reading text box after text box of relatively unimportant dialogue. .hack does away with that formula, requiring the player to play basically two games at once: one inside The World, and the other gathering clues and communicating with other players outside of the game via the virtual bulletin board system. It痴 incredibly unique, and Bandai did a wonderful job maintaining a mysterious atmosphere. The storyline is what will keep you playing this game.