Disgaea Megathread - Level 99 is for quitters - Games

[IMG]http://i52.tinypic.com/vrenvm.gif[/IMG][IMG]http://oi39.tinypic.com/2jdfckg.jpg[/IMG][IMG]http://i53.tinypic.com/e9b3a8.gif[/IMG] [b]Warning: Dangerous amounts of Anime ahead[/b] "What is Disgaea?" I can hear you ask; the simple answer is it's a very well crafted SRPG where you lead a army of self-made demons on various goofy campaigns. It's known for it's sub par voice acting (usually), exploding penguins, and it's somewhat clever dialogue that often makes fun of stereotypical JRPG themes, random pop culture references and a handful of groan worthy internet memes. This is a series that prides itself for never creating a fourth wall in the first place and stuffing as much content into a game as possible. The only real downside to it being the (up until recently) reused sprites that only had minor upgrades per game (I'll post a example of sprites per game just because.) [IMG]http://i51.tinypic.com/10qx9pl.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i56.tinypic.com/25g3yuc.png[/IMG] [b]Disgaea: Hour of Darkness (PS2, PSP, DS)[/b] This game follows the exploits of the dark prince overlord of a Netherworld, Laharl who has awoken from a century long sleep by his Vassal Etna. Turns out while he was sleeping his unstoppable father choked on a pretzel and kicked it and now Laharl suddenly has to deal with demons that would want to murder him to become the overlord, and a [i]deadly(?)[/i] angel assassin Flonne. After a few exchanges Flonne figures that maybe demons aren't really evil selfish assholes (despite Laharl's best efforts to prove otherwise) and sets off to prove her theory that demons are capable of emotions other then just being violent creatures. The story soon goes crazy and things go south fast. Gameplay featured grid based combat and that's about it. It has a handful of "Puzzle" maps but it's relatively simple if not a little bit slow. You could create just about any class you want from a large library of faceless minions ranging from typical wizards and thieves to shark dragons and disgruntled pumpkin people. If it's in the game and not a named character; you can unlock if for your own use and even make it stronger then actual story characters! But then, here comes the biggest reason this game is loved, the final boss is level 100, normally in rpg's and the like this is absolutely absurd and the limit, but Disgaea as a whole chooses to go well above that and let you go up to level 9999. It doesn't even stop there as you can even reincarnate your characters lowering them to level 1 (and a different class) and have them keep a percentage of stats. If you stick around for the postgame of the series you'll have a level 1 unit capable of killing the final boss by just blinking at it. It's absurd. But, why stop at leveling up your characters? Why not level up your weapons, armor, gum, or whatever item you can get your hands on? In disgaea you can dive into for randomly generated dungeons, where the deeper you get into the items levels (depending on the rarity of said item) the stronger it gets, making it possible to turn a butter knife into a broadsword. Only really dangerous aspect of this is the rarer the weapon the harder the monsters inside it will be; and all monsters level up based on what floor you're on. That's sadly about where the innovation in Disgaea ends a brilliant entry into the world of SRPG's though. [img]http://i52.tinypic.com/vrenvm.gif[/img] [b]DS Exclusives and Additions[/b] + New cameo characters + Online wi-fi battles + Entire Second Story mode staring Laharl's vassal Etna - Less voice acting - Lags a bit and moves even slower than the original. [IMG]http://i51.tinypic.com/24c8exj.gif[/IMG] [b]PSP Exclusives and Additions[/b] + Fully Voiced + Entire Second Story mode staring Laharl's vassal Etna. + DLC characters from the second game and beyond [img]http://i.imgur.com/y2ys6.jpg[/img] [IMG]http://i51.tinypic.com/30259mv.png[/IMG] [b]Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories (PS2, PSP)[/b] Storyline behind this game is a overlord of another Netherworld has invaded a rather peaceful land and has begun changing all humans into various demons, forcing them to be his servants and work for him. A small family in a simple town of Veldime stand to stop this by training the last full human, Adell so that he may battle the evil Overlord Zenon. His family prepares and goes through with a binding summoning ritual to call forth Zenon... ends up kidnapping Zenon's daughter Rozalin on accident. The quest then spirals into him trying to take her home (as he doesn't believe in kidnapping) so he can kill her dad and break the curse over his village, family, and world, idiots of all flavors getting in his way as he soon begins to grow close to his "hostage". [b]Gameplay changes[/b] -Several new classes and monster types you can create, with new unlockables. -Jury sessions, you can be arrested for murdering people too hard, being nigh unstoppable and destroying the shit out of everything,and various other silly things. The thing is, as the world is run by demons this is a good thing, and if you go through each session you'll actually get stronger and have more options in battle for your infamous behavior. -Bills, this was in Disgaea 1 but it was rather crude, in D2 you can pass bills to give you more exp in your next fight, level up enemies for more exp, make enemies weaker if you're having too much trouble, go to bonus maps to find cameo characters and several other things -Reference onslaught, not sure if I should count this but all items have jokes on them, where most games talk about how "This sword has runes from eldergods" etc on it, this game prefers to fill that with jokes, Wizard hats request you to put on your robe as well, beserker gloves love you like a truck and several other small gags. From this point on the Disgaea series will never take it's weapons or skill names seriously. -The Land of Carnage is added. It's a pain to get to but the game offers all the maps from the story only remixed to be insanely difficult; though granting better loot and rewards. [IMG]http://i51.tinypic.com/24c8exj.gif[/IMG] [b]PSP Exclusive[/b] + A second storyline telling the tale of everyone's favorite anti-hero, Axel + DLC characters and missions (some totally free) + A wide range of features that were in 3. You can now turn monsters into weapons and various other things + More post game content and cameo's from Disgaea 3 [img]http://i.imgur.com/i1iv5.jpg[/img] [IMG]http://i52.tinypic.com/28vxhty.png[/IMG] [b]Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice (PS3, Vita)[/b] The game features super smart kid genius Mao who lives in a netherworld that's run as a school for demons in different dimensions, his father being the overlord ruler of said school. One day Mao was playing a video game on his portable system... only for his dad to step on it ruining his hours of hard work in the game, this is enough to motivate him to stay home and look up as many comics and games as possible so he can learn how to be a super hero so he can murder his dad. One day a young hero named Almaz wanders into the school as he heard a princess he likes was trapped in there (she wasn't), and despite being a coward he aspired to help her... Sadly he's captured by Mao who steals his actual in-game title of "hero" and makes Almaz a demon who then can't leave, after a small bit Mao wonders why this isn't working then he learns he made a mistake, the title was "Wannabe hero" and he then becomes desperate to get his title back, dragging classmates and such along with him through his heart (literally) revealing his deepest thoughts that he's kept locked away revealing the true history of his dad and such. If that sounds bad it's because it is. Disgaea 3 easily has the worst plot of all 3 due to people thinking Disgaea 2's story was more toned down in humor. Instead of working on it they tried to copy/paste Laharl and... it just doesn't go well. You could skip all the cutscenes if you wanted and wouldn't lose much. [b]Gameplay Changes[/b] - Your monster type characters can now team up with human/demon types to transform into weapons for them, exploding penguins can become guns, dragons turn into swords, gollems turn into axes etc. - Removing some classes that overlap with each other, adding new ones in their place - Pirating, now you can go into items pillaging small innocent villages that reside in weapons, gaining newer items in your items - Class system, you can assign your characters into clubs that give your units special perks, such as having your favorite four characters sit in the corners of your classroom to get extra exp, set some classmates by them and have them join a club that steals a portion of exp for themselves etc. - Plenty of cameo and main characters returning from past NIS games/concepts [img]http://oi51.tinypic.com/24c8exj.jpg[/img] [b]Vita Exclusives[/b] + All DLC from the PS3 games are included. There's a LOT to do now. + Raspberyl mode; a 4 part DLC chapter is included + There's 4 new stories all together in the post game featuring different leads and even introduced new characters as a whole. + Fuka and Desco from 4 show up and you can even make your own Desco units! + A handful of new weapons are introduced + Generic units you create have their own unique abilities now making Generics even more useful (previously only story characters had unique abilities) + You can now combine units; if a warrior absorbs a mage the warrior will now have access to the mages abilities. [IMG]http://oi45.tinypic.com/2zqdhlw.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://oi43.tinypic.com/2dp6o1.jpg[/IMG] [b]Disgaea 4 (PS3)[/b] Finally getting new high quality sprites (as seen above via game mascot Plenair) Disgaea 4's plot thankfully proves that Disgaea 3 was a sad fluke. The story follows Valvatorez; a vampire who's obsessed with sardines; and his werewolf servant Fenrich as they work together to train the series mascots; Prinnies. After training his latest batch of recruits he promises them each a sardine; though is stopped once they're all kidnapped and he learns that the government is having all of the Prinnies killed. Valvatorez... really cares about his promises and decides to flat out overthrow the government that's issuing the order and take over by force just so he could fulfill his promise. It starts of silly and as time goes on he begins to learn that there's a lot of very, very bad changes happening to the world around him. [b]Gameplay Changes[/b] - New Classes to pick from. Some old ones are gone but the newer ones fill in the blanks really well - A new map system; in your HQ you can build structures to give your units effects in battle as well as position things so that shops have different items - Online map making; though the English version is severely neutered. Using a handful of shapes you can build maps and use your team as enemies for people to fight. - Pirate crafting. You can now set up your own item world pirates and have them go head to head with other teams. Includes a leaderboard - Shit ton of DLC characters; as well as a 4-chapter story focusing on Fuka and Desco; two of the main characters. [img]http://oi46.tinypic.com/sd0ei0.jpg[/img] [b]Disgaea D2 (PS3)[/b] Disgaea D2 is the first actual sequel the franchise has seen, and is a direct continuation of Disgaea's original plot giving the spotlight back to Laharl, Etna, and Flonne. The games plot all boil down to Laharl having a very bad day. Celestia (heaven)'s flowers are sprouting all over the netherworld purifying the air (which is toxic to demons), Demons in general are wanting to overthrow Laharl, Laharl wakes up as a girl randomly (and Etna gets cursed to look like a "player 2 in a fighting game") and topping it all off is a angel trainee named Sicily showing up and claiming that she's Laharl's little sis'. It looks about as insane as it sounds really. The game releases sometime in the Fall in the west. [b]Gameplay Changes[/b] - A new weapon class entirely is introduced. You can now use summoning books. - Passive abilities similar to Fire Emblem come in and you can now support with units to have them help each other in battle (by taking shots for each other; joining in attacks, and more) - Alongside of choosing your generics voices you can now set traits. You can make soldiers stronger but have lower defense or give them natural resistances to certain elements - Monsters are now mountable; you can have Laharl ride a dragon or Etna riding a Prinny. - New monsters and classes are introduced. All the monsters from 1 return as well as new humanoids and monsters. There's a seriously staggering amount. - No map editor or online play (which judging by D4 isn't too much of a loss) - The item world is now the item sea; you build a ship and have to raid islands and the like to upgrade your gear. Looks mostly the same though. [IMG]http://i44.tinypic.com/9vffyf_th.gif[/IMG] [b]Well this sounds interesting, do I need to know anything for the later games or can I dive on in?[/b] Nope! Though honestly if you have any interest in the older games it's a great idea to start with them. The series improves a lot as it goes on and if you start at 4 and go back to 1 it WILL be hard due to how slow 1 is. Also; as the games progress more and more features are added while old ones are rarely taken away; so keep in mind if you start late some things you're used to may be totally different in older games. The most recent entry and "best" of the games for example would be the Vita version of 3. Ultimately though you'll miss a few running gags but other then that not much, just know that Laharl is usually a low end super boss that'll show up in every post game, always demanding to murder your character so he can become the main character of his series again, and that Asagi will never have her own game. [b]Asagi?[/b] [IMG]http://i51.tinypic.com/166y61t.gif[/IMG] In early times before Disgaea 2 came out (and a few other spinoff games) a female character named Asagi was created, she was supposed to have her own game and it was eventually scrapped, though the guys at NIS decided they liked her to much to get rid of her entirely, and from Makai Kingdom (another NIS game) and forward she's appeared in every game searching for a quest to call her own, her state of mind slightly more damaged each game she shows up in to the point where she actually kills herself in one of the Prinny spinoff games, she's one of the more famous running gags of NIS and she totally demands your respect. After you beat any NIS game Disgaea 2 forward expect this character to show up lost, confused, or downright insane. [b]Finally; here's a trailer for the upcoming Disgaea D2[/b] [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=DLBL8NPIj0w[/url]

I don't much care for anime, JRPG's, or anything else that's referenced or included in Disgaea, but it's just such a goddamn good game that I can look past it.

I just got Disgaea 3 a few weeks ago. I'm glad to finally be playing an RPG with good gameplay as well as good voiceovers.

I fucking hate how the Skulls went from shirtless cultists with biceps in Disgaea 1 to little white-haired nerdboys in 2 onwards.

Beat #1 twice, but couldn't really get into #2 without Laharl. I don't have a PS3 for Disgaea 3...

i kinda wish i had a psp for Disgaea. seems like it'd be a good mobile game.

Oh, so this is what that penguin robot thing is from.

[QUOTE=Lazor;29183667]i kinda wish i had a psp for Disgaea. seems like it'd be a good mobile game.[/QUOTE] It really is, Dark Hero Days (aka Disgaea 2) was one of the best things on the psp, it's dlc characters and gameplay suits on the go just as much as it suits sitting at home playing.

I couldn't get into it because of all the fourth wall...calling it "breaking" wouldn't be right. It's more like hitting it with a baseball bat. I just didn't like it.

So that's what those penguins are. Too bad this is only on PS3, it looks pretty cool. I might get the first one for my DS if I see it.

This series is EASILY my favourite RPG series. The humor in the story really make me love it, and it's just a fun game overall. Gameplay is the best of any RPG I've played I reckon. If you turn this game down because of the anime style, you're missing out on SO much fun. I still need to get Disgaea 3, only have 1 & 2, both of which I think are equally awesome. 1 for the story, 2 for the gameplay I personally feel. Apparently 3 is even better? edit: wow and I just read the whole thread, so now I need to quickly get D3, finish it 5 times, and by then there should be an english release out.

Only played the first one on PSP. I don't own a PS2 or PS3 so I can't play the others.

I need to get a new PS3.

There is not one self-conscious person in the world who could play this in public, I mean goddamn. The amount of 'anime-ness' in this can choke a herd of large elephants. Personally I would love a renaissance-styled grimdark version of this.

[QUOTE=PunchedInFac;29187299]There is not one self-conscious person in the world who could play this in public, I mean goddamn. The amount of 'anime-ness' in this can choke a herd of large elephants..[/QUOTE] Sup.

[QUOTE=Banned?;29185760]I couldn't get into it because of all the fourth wall...calling it "breaking" wouldn't be right. It's more like hitting it with a baseball bat. I just didn't like it.[/QUOTE] Which is totally cool, it's not everyone's cup of tea really, also why I put my statement in the OP of it never putting up a fourth wall in the first place :v: [editline]15th April 2011[/editline] [QUOTE=PunchedInFac;29187299]There is not one self-conscious person in the world who could play this in public, I mean goddamn. The amount of 'anime-ness' in this can choke a herd of large elephants. [/QUOTE] Pokemon Far bigger "oh man I hope I don't get seen playing this" then Disgaea could ever be.

I'd rather be seen playing Pokemon than Disgaea, if I'm honest.

[QUOTE=Sift;29187712]Which is totally cool, it's not everyone's cup of tea really, also why I put my statement in the OP of it never putting up a fourth wall in the first place :v: [editline]15th April 2011[/editline] [b]Pokemon Far bigger "oh man I hope I don't get seen playing this" then Disgaea could ever be.[/b][/QUOTE] Not really. I whip out my DS whenever and no one (not even my friends) bats an eyelid, disagea though...uuugh, the artstyle alone can cause a million weird looks. It's not the game itself, believe you me I love these tactical RPGs ever since FF:TA, it's just the fact that it is so alien to my locale.

[QUOTE=PunchedInFac;29187769]Not really. I whip out my DS whenever and no one (not even my friends) bats an eyelid, disagea though...uuugh, the artstyle alone can cause a million weird looks. It's not the game itself, believe you me I love these tactical RPGs ever since FF:TA, it's just the fact that it is so alien to my locale.[/QUOTE] It's the otherway around where I live so :v: Eh to each their own, I play both so doesn't matter a whole lot to me. Also updated the OP with a few details, using a few icons to point them out :T

I first picked up Disgaea 2 in a bargain bin pretty randomly and when I started up the game I almost immediately regretted it for the first few minutes. It seemed so cheesy and lame, then it slowly turned into "holy shit this is hilarious." I really hope Disgaea 3 is ported to the PSP or 3DS, I don't exactly want to buy a PS3 just for Disgaea. Still need to get Disgaea 2 for psp though, because Axel is the greatest character ever.

[QUOTE=Mr. Crabsworth;29188659]I first picked up Disgaea 2 in a bargain bin pretty randomly and when I started up the game I almost immediately regretted it for the first few minutes. It seemed so cheesy and lame, then it slowly turned into "holy shit this is hilarious." I really hope Disgaea 3 is ported to the PSP or 3DS, I don't exactly want to buy a PS3 just for Disgaea. Still need to get Disgaea 2 for psp though, because Axel is the greatest character ever.[/QUOTE] I read an LP of disagea. He didn't seem very good, Just overly generic scrappy character.

I got disagea 2 for PSP a while ago, I didn't get very far though. I think I'll start playing it again this weekend.

Oh god. I loved this series. I got the first Disgaea when I was like, 7. I have about 200 hours clocked on it. I also got Disgaea 3 a couple years ago.

[QUOTE=PunchedInFac;29190542]I read an LP of disagea. He didn't seem very good, Just overly generic scrappy character.[/QUOTE] Axel is a very You're Mileage May Very character, alot of people think he's hilarious while a almost equal amount want him to die in a fire. He does kinda shape up halfway in though for what it's worth v:v:v

The only reason I dropped Disgaea 2 was cause it was on PSP and I never had the attention span to play it. maybe if I found it on the PS2 I could sit down and actually play it properly.

[QUOTE=Soviet Russia;29194526]The only reason I dropped Disgaea 2 was cause it was on PSP and I never had the attention span to play it. maybe if I found it on the PS2 I could sit down and actually play it properly.[/QUOTE] Kinda the feeling I had, it's [i]Great[/i] on the go, but I'm the kind of person who gets sucked into games like this, so I end up just playing them at home so I don't miss anything (I missed a bus one time because I was wrapped up in it), and at that point might as well play it on my TV :v:

Disgaea 1 and 2 are the best RPGs I have ever played. The Prinny Spinoffs are the only games to make me mad to the point of shattering a PSP, but still has me comign back. And Disgaea 4, holy shit the Sprites are so clean and HD. [b]Asagi is the best character ever.[/b]

[QUOTE=PunchedInFac;29187299]There is not one self-conscious person in the world who could play this in public, I mean goddamn. The amount of 'anime-ness' in this can choke a herd of large elephants. Personally I would love a renaissance-styled grimdark version of this.[/QUOTE] It reminds me of Final Fantasy tactics, but with higher damage numbers and more comedy.

I'm sure at least five people on Facepunch have gotten an item and spent an hour or so in the [b][i]ITEM WOOOOOORLD[/b][/i] to make it better only to replace it fifteen minutes later in normal gameplay. :v:

I used Item World to level everybody up.