First in a four-part series, .hack//INFECTION is set in a near future when society has come to rely heavily on advanced network technology. Recently, a ban against online gaming has been lifted and millions upon millions of people have flocked to a new virtual reality known as "The World." Two teenage boys are among the participants, taking the roles of Kite and Orca in The World. When they are attacked and Orca's player falls comatose in the real world, Kite must continue in the virtual reality of the game on a quest to save his friend. While the story element of "will to power" in an artificial reality may share basic concepts with 1999's The Matrix, many of the presentational aspects of .hack are created with the sense of an epic anime film. The plotline is crucial to gameplay and an included DVD features original animation that may reveal important secrets to observant viewers. Characters in the game were designed by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto (Evangelion). The story was written by Kazunori Ito (Ghost in the Shell). Release Year 2003