I'm winding down my Dynasty Warriors 3 addiction a bit (3 Musou modes left to complete, 17 fourth weapons to acquire), and looking for a new toy.
The reviews I've read for Disgaea describe it as the Parodius of strategy-RPG games -- take FF Tactics, throw in elements reminiscent of Persona 2 (paying money to sources to alter the game world, repetitive character buildup, insane attack combos), and put the whole thing in a lighthearted and twisted anime-style setting. Sounds good to me, but is the hype accurate?
"Noah is busy playing with his one Lego. He can make it be a brick... or a closed shoebox... or a very large Pez." -- Kibo
I have it, and I hear it's really really really good, but I haven't been able to play anything other than Final Fantasy Tactics Advance for the last couple of weeks. ^_^;
"You won't see that on Everybody Loves Raymond!" -J.R. after Trish gets pasted with a chair
Disgaea is the best strategy RPG I've ever played, and not coincidentally the funniest game I've ever played. It's amazing what great voice acting can do to a so-so script; the battle with the Prism Rangers was the only time I've ever laughed out loud during a video game. Of course, since the last game I finished before Disgaea was Robot Alchemic Drive, in comparison any voice acting sounds like goddamn James Earl Jones.
Everything I've heard so far is aces about the game. But one thing: How much of a time investment is going into this game. I've heard reasonable reports of 40-60 hours, to 200+ hours. Will I be forced to give up the nights of drunken carousing to beat this game?
Two hours later they decided to stop at a diner Because they loved the smell of eggs and coffee I just had to smoke a cigarette and wear a hat By the time that they set off again, the sun was starting to set It made the sky look red like a nuclear ray One of them said "what do you want more than anything in this whole wide world Do you want money, do you want sex, or do you want all that success?" I thought about that one myself (Then they came upon the thing)
From, "The Church of Logic, Sin and Love" by The Men
If you blow through it taking only the barest minimum of characters and not trying to powerlevel at all, you could probably finish the game in 40 hours or so. Me, it took me 62 hours on the counter over the span of a month or so to finish, but then I had a compulsion to reach the super classes, which unlock in the triple-digit levels. If you had absolutely nothing else to do you could in theory play Disgaea for the rest of your life and just keep leveling up; the level cap is 9999.
Originally posted by QuezzyOk, i'm a little uninformed when it comes to the latest video games, I've never heard of this game. What system is this game for?
PS2. For anyone who enjoyed FF Tactics, this game is pure liquid crack.
Plusses: * So far, the English voice acting is spot-on, and VERY funny at times. You might get tired of penguins that yell "Dood!" whenever they attack, but since they explode when you throw them, that's easily rectifiable. Laharl is a whiny brat, but he's supposed to be, and the storyline is lighthearted and full of at least mild self-parody.
* The game engine is reasonably easy to get started in, but there are lots of little nuances that make reading the in-game tutorials important, as the manual is rather sparse. Luckily, the tutorials are pretty in-depth (and there's always GameFAQs if that fails).
* Character classes seem to be similar to FFT's; you build up levels in basic classes to unlock more advanced ones. Created characters have master-pupil relationships with the characters that petition to create them; the two have higher percentages for team-up attacks, and the master can learn spells from the pupil if they fight in close proximity.
* You can "transmigrate" experienced characters to bust them down to Level 1, but retaining many of their higher stat points and skills in the process. Story (main) characters get higher stats, but are apparently stuck in their own unique classes (which isn't a huge handicap, as those classes and affiliated skills are very good, and they can learn a variety of spells from their pupils). Created characters can jump from class to class ala Tactics, though Promotion Exam requirements will keep them from doing so before they've beefed up a little.
* The item system is nuts. There are tons of weapons and accessories (with humorous descriptions on the status line), any of which can carry a wide variety of bonuses. You can THEN go "into" the item, which contains a deep randomly-generated dungeon with monsters keyed to the item's power and rarity, and power it up even further by clearing levels and subduing "specialist" monsters associated with the item. As an old-school random-dungeon-crawl fanatic (Rogue, Moria, Nethack, Angband), I say WOOHOO!
* Combat is similar to FFT, to a degree -- isometric turn-based mayhem. Unlike FFT, personal speed is not an issue; one team goes, then the other, and you get to select what order your characters act in. Combos are thus very easy to put together, which is highly abusable but fun. You can have up to 10 characters on the field at any given point, and swap them in and out from your overall roster in mid-level, so it's worthwhile to build up lots of specialists for particular situations. (Ice world? Put your ice-mages away and bring out the fire guys.)
* Spells and skills level up in a way that reminds me of Star Ocean 2's Killer Moves (and anything that reminds me of that game is a VERY GOOD thing). The more you use a spell, the stronger it gets, AND the more options you have in how to use it (longer range, different area-of-effect options).
* You heal up at the hospital in your home base. In a great twist, the hospital is most definitely for-profit, but rewards you with prizes at various spending intervals. "So go out there and get trashed, okay?" sez the attendant. Some of these frequent-flyer awards are pretty nice for the level I've gotten them at.
* You can also modify the game world via petitioning the Dark Assembly, which is a lineup of judges that handles promotion, character creation and proposals. If you want the shops to carry more expensive items, for example, you simply spend the mana required (accumulated points from killing things) and propose it to the Assembly. Before the vote, you can see how each member is leaning, and even bribe them with items to make them lean your way -- and if the vote fails, you have the option to try and beat them into submission and pass the vote by force. Now THAT'S comedy!
* Reportedly, there are multiple endings, and a New Game+ option for restarting with levels and skills intact.
VERY good stuff. Joe Bob sez check it out.
"Noah is busy playing with his one Lego. He can make it be a brick... or a closed shoebox... or a very large Pez." -- Kibo
Torch, a hint for the Second Harbor mission: Don't throw them off the cage thingy. Knock the crap out of them so they stay down for a really long time, but don't throw them off.