After three episodes, this installment-based game series has either reeled you in or left you in the digital dust. It's a testament to the quality of the game that so many players have stuck it out this far, even though basic gameplay hasn't changed one bit. On this week's "X-Play" we take our third dive into Bandai's ambitious, virtually online world with ".hack Part 3: Outbreak" for the PlayStation 2.

We are 'The World'

"Outbreak," like its two predecessors, takes place in both the real world and "The World," a MMORPG universe. They're both simulated. The in-game "real world" is represented through a series of convincing loading routines, faux email programs (and correspondents), Internet postings, login screens, and the like. "The World," meanwhile, takes the familiar form of a free-roaming 3-D game of high fantasy, magic, monsters, and creeping, literal "mal"-functions as the online RPG realm goes more and more haywire.


The more things change, the more they stay the same

Mechanically, it's the same game once again, full of lethal dungeon crawls, brutal random encounters, elemental spells, and a blurring between the real and virtual worlds. This familiarity is something of a double-edged sword by now. It can get fairly tedious slogging one's way through battle after battle, and certain boss confrontations can turn into wars of attrition. But this third episode is where the long-suffering "dot Hacker" really starts getting paid back.

We won't do a spoiler job on you, but it's safe to reveal that "Outbreak" brings together plot points from within and outside "The World." Even the offbeat, anemic little subplots from the first two episodes are finally fully explored. For better or worse, this third installment is the heaviest on story-driving cut scenes and overall character development.

It sounds like an ideal opportunity for newcomers to jump on in, right? Wrong. What few concessions are made to newbies (such as starting them with a massively leveled-up character) don't help much. You won't have any hard-earned special items, and you won't have any coherent dramatic picture of what's going on. This isn't a complaint, it's just a fact. "Outbreak" is where we start seeing the members-only signs, and rightly so, we say.

It's not all completely familiar territory, though. "Outbreak" offers a new ability for the player's faithful Grunty, called, fittingly enough, the Grunty Search. It lets the Grunty hunt for special items, packs of enemies, and of course the Grunty food that required such pain-in-the-ass collecting in the previous games. Also, players have access to a new and wickedly difficult "server." It alone makes "Outbreak" the hardest installment thus far.

Tough love

Actually, the increased difficulty isn't such bad news. If you're a loyal player who has stuck with the series this far, your character is a considerably buffed presence by now. Indeed, one of the cooler aspects of the game is that some of your missions involve helping newer, greener players.

Finally, should the responsibility or endless battles fray your fragile nerves, you can always take a break and watch the newest chapter of the included DVD anime. It's just as good as -- and many would say better than -- Bandai's more conventional ".Hack/SIGN" anime series. It's a great addition to an already good game and something to enjoy while you're waiting for the final chapter, "Quarantine."

Hacking, variables, and progressive equation

Part of the difficulty in reviewing this title is that each installment is more narrowly aimed at veterans of "The World." Yes, it's the same game, and yes, it can get repetitive. But as is often the case in the world and "The World," the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. If you haven't yet entered ".Hack," consider playing the games in order. You might even catch up just in time for "Quarantine."

".hack Part 3: Outbreak" (PS2)