Very fun in spite of itself.
Cons: story can be Really REALLY cheesy at times, game play (though improved) is still very bland, voice work is a mixed bag, some annoying characters, very short.
I picked this game up due to a friend's recommendation. Overall I would have to say that it is worth picking up in spite of all its flaws.
On the whole, the storyline is very interesting and enjoyable. However, there are parts that are so overly melodramatic and cheesy that they caused me to blush in embarassment. The characters are kind of cool, but they all fall into typical anime/video game stereotypes. For example:
Haseo: The brooding, vengeful loner who only learns the value of his friends after a tragic loss.
Atoli: Stereotypical happy/submissive female type.
Gaspard: Naive, whiny fat kid.
Ovan: The token "knows everything already and only speaks in riddles and metaphores" guy.
Another problem that I had with this game is the mixed bag quality of the voice overs. Some were great (Ovan, Haseo, Kuhn) and others were just plain annoying (Gaspard and Piros the 3rd).
One other gripe I have with this game is the fact that this game is short (20 hours or so (which is obscene as far as RPGs are concerned)) especially if the player were to just rush through the storyline. However, the side quests give the game plenty of life long after the main story has been beaten.
I know it sounds like I have a really negative view of this game, but I really did enjoy it! //GU had many overall improvements to its user interface, which made it much more enjoyable to play. Also the difficulty was toned down significantly (perhaps too much...). The biggest improvement is definitely the AI. Your team mates exactly what to do and when to do it. This is probably one of the least frustrating games that I have ever played when it comes to team mate AI.
If you're still wondering whether or not to pick this up, ask yourself this: "Do I like anime? Do I like the other .hack shows and games? Do I like hack and slash dungeon crawlers?" If you answered yes to two of the three questions then you will more thank likely enjoy this game.