Coming off a flawed, yet enjoyable run with Rebirth, the .hack// G.U. series is back with the second entry in the latest trilogy. Much like the first series of games, .hack// G.U. vol.2// Reminisce is a direct continuation of everything featured in Rebirth, causing it to fall into the same trap that snagged the original trilogy. Although the continuation is welcome, it is the game's only major change, so any problems with the first game linger into the second.

Reminisce uses the same visuals as Rebirth. Although the game looks good, many of the same assets are reused, compounding Rebirth's generic feel. Still, the color palette adds a nice, dark feel to the game that goes with the plot's darker feel. Character designs are still fun to look at but, like many aspects of the game, are reused too often.

Sound is a mix of good and really bad. Background music is good and fits the game world perfectly. Unfortunately, the voice acting hasn't improved and makes the already too long and convoluted story sequences more difficult to sit through.

While players who played Rebirth will get much more out of .hack// G.U. vol.2// Reminisce than newcomers, the game does a good job at getting everyone up to speed via a lengthy intro. As with other games in the series, Reminisce takes players into the fictional MMO "The World," which is the in-game reality's equivalent to World of Warcraft. Unlike WoW, where the only thing likely to die is your social life, players are really dying after their in-game characters are killed. The culprits are a group of PK'ers, or Player Killers, and you've made it your duty to hunt each of them down.

Reminisce begins right where Rebirth ended. Haseo and his friends are unable to log out of "The World." These events are also having an effect on the real world. The story covers multiple plotlines with varying degrees of success. Some scenes are boring and drag on while others happen so quick that it is hard to catch on to what happened. While the main plot is still coherent, it often feels disjointed.

As you search through "The World" in hunt of PK'ers, you can take on any number of quests, join guilds and really do anything you normally would do in a typical MMO. There is very little difference between Reminisce and Rebirth, so if you enjoyed the last game, you shouldn't have any problems here. One of the few additions is a new hub area and some new dungeons. However, you'll spend just as much time in dungeons from past games or at least dungeons that look exactly the same as past ones.

One of the bigger issues I had with Reminisce is a carryover not only from Rebirth, but the entire series. While the later two games did a little more to push the game's "Offline MMO" premise, it still falls short of its potential. There were numerous times where I found myself saying, "Wouldn't it be cool if..." The bigger disappointment is that many of the outside interactions like emails from other players don't happen until much later in the game, which ends up taking away some of the game's charm. This is further compounded by what amounts to endless grinding for experience and clues to push the story along.

Although you can have up to three party characters in your party, you only control Haseo. The other two characters are controlled by A.I. Though you don't have direct control over the A.I.'s actions, you can adjust its parameters, telling it which abilities to use and who to focus on. Generally, the A.I. is competent and does a good job of pulling its weight in battle.

Most battles are a contest of who can wear out the other's hit points first. Smaller enemies go down with a few hits, while larger ones can take lots of punishment. Higher health totals don't make the game any more challenging; they just make tiresome experience grinds necessary and lengthen battles.

You can carry over your stats from the original game, which is a great bonus for fans. Still, pumped up characters don't make the game any easier. Enemies are a little easier to dispatch, but the dungeon design and other nagging issues make the game difficult to enjoy unless you are a diehard .hack fan.

Battles take place in smaller areas, rather than the wide-open spaces. Once in a battle, a barrier surrounds the combat area. Not only does this give you limited area to maneuver around in, it also keeps enemies from bolting once you've done enough damage - something that frustrated players in the original. The smaller space compliments the new battle system, giving it a much quicker pacing.

The new approach to combat is smoother and doesn't feel as mechanical as in the first series. Attacks consist mostly of light and hard attacks used in combination. Eventually you will unlock a series of extra special attacks known as Rengeki. Pulling off Rengeki attacks allow you to inflict serious damage on enemies and gives you the opportunity to grant bonuses to your party. It is even possible to have all of your party members team up for one big attack.

Although Rebirth showed potential for the series, .hack// G.U. vol.2// Reminisce feels more like a step back. The main attraction here is the story, which is something only hardcore fans of the series are likely to enjoy. Otherwise, Reminisce feels more like a rehash of Rebirth rather than a new game.