.hack confirmed for US release

[03.18.02] » Straight from the horse's mouth.

   Though .hack has already popped up once in an advance retailer list, stronger confirmation of its American release has come in the form of an interview with one of the voice actors on the project. Wendee Lee, known for providing the dubbed English voice for Faye Valentine in "Cowboy Bebop" as well as other starring anime roles, revealed that she'll be providing the voice for an unspecified character in .hack.

   Lee referred to the project as a game, rather than an anime, so while it's uncertain whether the corresponding animated series will also be brought to the US, the PS2 RPG is definitely a lock for an American release. Interestingly, although the earlier projected release date for .hack was October, Lee mentioned that it would "take like a year to record all of [the voice acting]," which would either indicate that the release date has been pushed back or that the project will, like its Japanese counterpart, be released in serial installments.

   Thanks to Christian Nutt for the tip.