After eleven consecutive months of data draining, Grunty breeding, and gate hacking, CyberConnect2 and Bandai's oft-argued .hack serial has finally come to an end. Frequently criticized for its lack of innovation between sequels and scolded for its perceived economic gluttony, the previous three titles still managed to strike a chord with consumers that prefer their RPGs light on improvement and heavy on action. If anything else, at least the franchise has proven to have an intriguing storyline and its link with other entertainment mediums (like the .hack manga and anime) was a smart and effective business decision. Detractors, however, seem to loathe this approach without refrain and have nothing but nasty things to say about its appearance on store shelves on a semi-monthly basis. But for those of us who enjoy the series for what it is, a new .hack sequel every couple of months isn't such a bad proposition.