Despite that, I can unreservedly recommend .hack//Mutation to fans of the first game, as well as those of you who were lukewarm on the original and were hoping it’d pick up the pace a bit. On the other hand, if you didn’t like the first chapter, you won’t like the second. With two more chapters on the way, I hope that Cyber Connect 2 and Bandai have found the time and resources to make some improvements -- otherwise no matter how cool the story is, my interest will be trending downwards. For now, I’m cautiously optimistic for the .hack saga and will be looking forward to August’s Outbreak.