As an anime only viewer I'm gonna wait until passing judgement on this, 'cause I got this feeling that this season's anime is a tad bit weak so even something mediocre will get lots of viewers.
That said, the first episode was OK. The game environment is used very effectively here as a plot device, I like that. I much preferred the evocative art and character design in the .Hack animes, SAO seemed bland in comparison. And obviously both series share Yuki Kajiura for music, so that should be good. Though isn't she a bit overworked lately?
