THE GOOD:The battle system on Disgaea is probaly the best of any tactical RPG game, however insignificant the genre is. The interface is easy to use and understand, and you'll have learned most of the basics towards the beggining of the game. The story-line is quite different from other japanese oriented games, aside from the fact that it entails humor, and is enjoyable to say the least. The game is detailed with numerous options, including mini-games, such as customizing a large army, a seperate world to explore, and multiple endings.
THE BAD:
The graphics tend to be sub-par which really doesn't impede much on the overall gameplay, but it would have been great to have seen a little more polish to the game. The voice-acting could have been better, but once again it doesn't do much to itch your agitation.
SUMMARY:
Disgaea was a huge hit in Japan, but has only found nominal success stateside. Part of the reason for that is the game communities lack of knowledge of the game. In fact IGN awarded it the 'Best Game no one Played' award. But, don't let its shady history stop you from delving into the best the tactical RPG genre can give.
The story line nimbly walks away from the cliche' RPG ala Final Fantasy or Shadowhearts, and sets its own path of humor and fun that all ages can enjoy. The cutscene's are imaginative, although they tend to be somewhat corny at times. Gameplay revolves around a system of geo panels. Colored objects on the map known as Geo Symbols may be present on either Geo Panels or regular, uncolored squares on the map. These Geo Symbols can usually be thrown. When a Geo Symbol sits on a Geo Panel, it gives the all Geo Panels of the color it sits on a property, such as making all units on them invulnerable, or decreasing the HP of friendly units on those panels by 20% at the end of each turn. When a Geo Symbol is destroyed on a Geo Panel of a different color, it causes panels of that color to change to the color of the Geo Symbol and damages units on those panels. If another Geo Symbol is on one of the panels when it changes, it too is destroyed, and the Geo Panels begin to change color and properties again, creating a chain reaction. This chain reaction can be of any length that can be supported by the number of colors of panel and symbols on the map. Large battles can be played out on these maps, which vary from the darkworld itself to a intergalactic space battleship.
Customization can be the key to winning a map. You can have up 150 different units in your arsenal which range from lowly ghosts to fearsome dragons, each with their own abilities. And while only 12 can be on one map at a time, the shear amount of battle tactics involving the use of each class are many.
Overall, the game is fun, quite long, quirky, slightly innovative, and the replay value is relatively high with the multiple endings. The story, with a fresh outlook on the RPG market, will captivate you to finish the game until your done with it, leaving you with the option to try out the side missions. If your a tactical RPG gamer looking for the holy grail of tactical RPG's, look no further. Even if your a casual gamer, most will find this enjoyable.
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