Think about it -- the original installment of .hack came out almost exactly a year ago. Every few months since then, I've picked up the adventures of Kite, BlackRose, and friends, and re-entered The World: a fictional massively online multiplayer game plagued by viruses, a game which threatens the lives of its players and destroys the very network infrastructure of the real world. This is a fascinating concept, for certain, and it's always been carried off with finesse.