Following yesterday's tease, the Japanese magazine Weekly Famitsu had a spread announcing .hack//G.U. Last Recode, a remaster of the original PS2 JRPG .hack//G.U. that will be released at a still unknown date for PS4 and PC.

First of all, we learn that the remaster will include all three volumes, Rebirth, Reminisce and Redemption. On top of that, resolution has been remastered to 1080p (supporting output to 4K) running at 60 FPS. Backgrounds, characters, shadows and more have been remastered and the difference can be seen at a glance. Cutscenes have also been converted to high resolution (excluding some modes), and the UI has been redesigned in high definition as well.

Below you can check out a couple of comparisons with the PS2 version:

Funnily, a "cheat mode" will be introduced for those who want to just enjoy the scenario. It lets you start each volume with levels and equipment maxed. In the PS2 version, every time you died you were sent back to the title screen. In the remaster, you'll be able to opt to retry.

The improvements that were made to the third volume will also be applied to the first two in order to give a more unified experience. All the videos from the Terminal Disc that used to come with Volume 1 will also be included. In one of the screenshots you can also see a new look for Haseo.

Below you can read a full list of improvements:

  • Movement speed increased.
  • Increased inventory slots from 30 to 90.
  • Increased the maximum number for each item in inventory.
  • Added item sort and shortcut features to the menu.
  • Added a feature allowing the continuous use of the same item.
  • Adjusted the UI to improve readability of empty equipment slots.
  • The shop menu will show how many items of each type are already in inventory.
  • Increased the limit of Chim Spheres and Virus Cores in inventory to 999.
  • A new recovery method added to the Platform break, available from the beginning.
  • Reduced the possibility that companions will sell items given by the player without permission.
  • You can seleect Saku and Bo for the party.
  • Applied improvements to Volume 3 to Volume 1 and Volume 2.
  • Increased the attack power and the pace of battle.
  • Increased experience earned
  • Reduced hit stops to improve the tempo of battle.
  • Increased weapon proficiency acquisition rate.
  • Added a feature to skip Awakening effect cutscenes.
  • The difficulty of some particularly hard enemies has been relaxed.
  • Lowered the probability of paralysis from enemies.
  • Increased the speed of Skeith's bullets.
  • Balance of HP, attack power, rush speed in avatar battle revised.
  • Added a stun gauge on the enemy's head in avatar battle.
  • Added a help feature for avatar battles, while UI has been redesigned.
  • Enhanced the corrective values due to level difference in avatar battles.
  • Added pause to battles in the VR system.
  • Changes made to Volume 3 so that it's possible to get the engagement events with all allies without having to redo them.

While there is no release date, development is 80% complete, so a Japanese launch shouldn't be too far off.

.hack//G.U. was originally released between 2006 and 2007 for PS2, split across three volumes: Rebirth, Reminisce and Redemption.

You can check out all the screenshots below, but do keep in mind that they're from magazine scans, so quality isn't representative of the final game.