Disgaea DS
by Atlus
Our Price: $44.50
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Category: Video Games
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Product Summary
Brand: NIS AmericaAudio: English (Unknown)
Format: CD-ROM
Published: 2008-09
Release Date: 2008-09-23
Platform: Nintendo DS
Model: DG-00147-5
Publisher: Atlus
Product features:
- Takes advantage of dual screen for new battle features
- all new story focus means a new experience and all new endings
- geo cubes can turn a battle in a moment use them wisely
- wireless head to head multiplayer mode
Video Game Reviews of Disgaea DS
Customer Review: Five Years Later and It's Still Good
Summary: 5 Stars
Pros:
+A charming story
+Loveable characters
+In depth battle structure
+Several side quests
+A good sense of humor
+Great soundtrack
+A couple of extras
+Looks exactly like the PS2 and PSP versions of the game and that makes it the best looking SRPG the DS has
Cons:
-Not the best voice acting
-Camera is still annoying
Nippon Ichi's famed cult classic, Disgaea: Hour of Darkness was originally released on the Playstation 2 in 2003. It began as an underground title that eventually became a greatest hits on the console. Nippon Ichi is trying to get it to a huge audience apparently. Within the past five years this is already the thrid release of the game (in which the PSP version came out just last year). This bring about the obvious question: Is Disgaea worth getting if you've got one of the two previous versions?
For those who never played the original (or PSP version, for that matter), Disgaea centers on Laharl. The prince of darkness who has been asleep for some time. As Laharl and with a gaggle of allies, your job is to conquer the Netherworld. The adventure is full of a lot of fun. Some hilarious antics as well as a really likeable cast of characters. The story is told through still shots of the characters facing one another and talking.
Disgaea became popular largely because of the game's different approach to the SRPG genre. On the surface its pretty basic. You send your characters around on a grid style map and they attack the enemies and you win usually when all the enemies on the map are defeated. Some battles require different approaches.
There are a couple of things about Disgaea's system that separate it from other strategy RPGs. Some of them bizarre, others not so much. First there's the Geo Panel system. On the maps you'll certain tiles that are a certain color. These are Geo Panels. There are also Geo Symbols which have certain effects. Placing Geo Symbols on a specific color will make that Geo Panel color correspond with the effect of the Geo Symbol. Therefore, if you place a Geo Symbol that increases a characters attack on a yellow Geo Panel, all yellow Geo Panels will have an attack up. However, you can also destroy Geo Symbols. This causes a chain reaction that either turns all Geo Panels into the same color as the one which the Geo Symbol you destroyed was placed on or causes the Geo Panel to be destroyed completely. Either way, it racks up bonuses for your battle gauge. The Geo Panels and Geo Symbols add a distinct puzzle element to the game.
Even better for Disgaea is the senate of the Netherworld. Battling will net you Mana Points which you can use in the Senate to recruit characters (the more Mana you spend the better the character) and assign him a job. Just the same, however, the senate has power over certain aspects of the game such as what items are available in the shops and whatnot. You can appeal to the senate and they'll vote on certain issues. You won't always win, but you can persuade by force, meaning, battle members of the senate who do not side with you. It's kooky and weird, but it works. There are also exams the senate gives you which are battles Laharl must fight alone.
Lastly, there's the item world. Throughout the game you can go into certain items and venture ten floors in and fight a boss. Doing this power ups items. The item world is no joke, however, as it's incredibly hard to conquer. Disgaea itself is not the easiest game around. There are many moments of the game dedicated to simply raising characters.
Disgaea is an all around immense game. The storyline takes quite a bit of time to get through but there are plenty of side quests abound and there's the item world. All this together can make Disgaea seem like a never-ending experience.
The DS version doesn't add a whole lot to the game, however. There's a map of the battlefield on the top screen, which can really help since the camera is still a problem. You can turn the camera but your view might still be obstructed. The map on the top screen makes it much easier to deal with this issue. There are also, of course, touch screen controls, but you'll probably feel much better off using the D-Pad and buttons. There are also a couple of new quests added to what is already an immense game.
The game looks no different than its PSP or PS2 counterparts, however, it still makes Disgaea the best looking Strategy RPG on the DS to date. There's also some good music here as well. In truth, there's little, if anything that's been changed in the production values. The voice acting is still a little subpar, for the most part. It's been an ongoing criticism of the series. There's a lot of humor to the story but some of would've been so much better had the voice work been a bit more lively.
Disgaea has found the perfect home on the DS. This is by far the best version of the game youc an buy. The only real problem is that this is the games third release within five years and if you've already got it... it might not be worth picking up again. When it was released for the PSP in 2007, there were quite a few extras that made it worth picking up even if you'd completely mastered the PS2 version. This time around, there aren't that many extras that weren't in the PSP version.
After five years it's still a fantastic game. Disgaea is still one of the best SRPGs out there and the DS version is by far the best version of the game you can get.
Description of Disgaea DS
Legendary Strategy RPG gets Nintendo DS Remake! Completely remade to take advantage of Nintendo DS, Disgaea DS offers a deep strategy RPG experience with an exceptional story, a fantastic script, and a host of loveable characters and settings. An all-new story focus means a completely different experience for the player, not to mention a brand new ending. Geo Cubes add special effects to the battlefield, completely shifting the balance in the blink of an eye. Using local wireless multiplayer support, take your friends on in grand battles of strategy and wit ? or try different modes like Defeat the Leader and Capture the Flag. With support for touch screen control and excellent of use of the two Nintendo DS screens, Disgaea has never played better.Role-Playing Games
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