Disgaea The video game series

Disgaea Hour of Darkness (PS2)
Amazon.co.uk

Disgaea is the story of Laharl, the demon prince, woken from his sleep by his less-than-loyal vassal Etna only to learn his father the King is dead. Discovering that his father's vassal's are now fighting among themselves for the right to rule, our not-so-noble prince takes back the kingdom - one reluctant vassal at a time.

The first of the Nippon Ichi games released through Koei, Disgaea is a strategy RPG, where each stage takes the form of a series of battles. The main battle engine is turn-based and very simple, but is used in a variety of different ways throughout the game to provide a range of challenges. Gameplay is mainly controlled through a series of menus, but these are intuitive and easy to use.
The graphics are fairly basic, but fit the stylised nature of the game. The game sprites are 2D on a 3D grid based background, but the cutscene sprites are simple anime drawings, which convey emotion surprisingly well. The voice acting is excellent, and the sound effects fit the game and are generally not obtrusive.

Disgaea's multiple endings (and ability to diverge from the main story at several points), give the game excellent replay value. To unlock all the secrets and levels requires several playthroughs, but enough can be done differently on each game to prevent it becoming repetitive.
Disgaea is an easy game to play and a difficult game to master. Providing enough of a challenge for master RPG and strategy gamers, it is also suitable for raw beginners who should be able to complete it. The sequel, Cursed Memories, has just been released and is similar in look and feel. Both games are definitely worth finding especially for strategy fans.

Overall Disgaea is an excellent all-round game, and definitely worth a look. Easy to learn, with high replay value and an excellent story and characters, it is suitable for most ages, although a few of the endings might be disturbing for younger viewers. Unfortunately it is rather rare, and obtaining it can be difficult. This is one of the few games I would say is worth paying full price for, (circa £40) if you can obtain it.

Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories (PS2)

On the country world of Veldime, all is not well. The curse of Zenon is slowly turning all the humans into monsters. In a small village, Adell, the only person not affected by the curse is getting ready to slay Overlord Zenon. Unfortunately the summon spell does not go correctly, and Adell together with a group of friends and monsters of doubtful loyalty must escort a spoiled Princess back to her father - and then kill him if at all possible....

Disgaea: Cursed Memories is a strategy RPG and semi-sequel to Disgaea, set after the first game, but in a completely different world. The Prinnies are back and several familiar characters make cameos, or join your party (not that they are always happy to be there).
Graphically it has 2D sprites and 3D backgrounds, and the cut scenes are largely 2D anime drawings overlaid on the gamescreen background, though some are now animated by the battle engine. The only problem is that some levels are prone to awkward camera angles, particularly in the Item World dungeons where raised areas may not be visible in the same shot as valleys. The sound, voices and music have been done excellently, and the script, storyline and characterisation is gripping.

The game presents an improved movement interface, allowing Adell to jump. The controls are simple and most of the battle system is controlled by menus, which allows players to get to grips with it easily.
Aside from the main plot, the Item World Infinite dungeon is back, as are several unlockable subquests, quests and multiple endings. Disgaea 2 expands on the courtroom system of the first game, allowing you to vote on motions as well as present your own. It also allows you to effectively multiclass your characters and change their abilities completely through reincarnation. There are nice twists with the geopanels and Battle levels, meaning that masters of the first game will have to adapt their strategies to new challenges.

A slight drawback to the game is that the AI for some of the enemies is flawed, and some will simply sit still while being pounded by your long range fighters. This does mean however that if you are willing to take the time with this method you can avoid a lot of the grind that characterised the first game.
This game has a high replay value, due to the multiple endings and the ability to abandon the main quest for quests like the Dark World and Pirate Maps. The Item World infinite dungeon can be used to expand your game time for as long as you like, and provide fresh challenges, but focusing on the main plot alone, this game has around 40-50 hours play.

Overall this is a very good game. The issues with the camera angles and the enemy AI still give the first Disgaea the edge, but this game is still better than most. Age-wise, the game should actually be suitable for young teens and anyone older. Strategy fans and RPG fans in particular should give this one a look. As a recent release (at the time of writing) it should be available in most gamestores, and is worth getting hold of if you can find it.

On the PS3, the next game in the series came out in August 2008. Links are here to the US and UK Amazon sites just for speed of shipping.

Amazon.co.uk