Gaming Trend

Gaming Trend Review

by Mike Repella

A SRPG Dark Hero is Born

The PSP has become a powerhouse for Strategy Role Playing Games (SRPG). It's a great time to own Sony's handheld with titles such as Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions, Jeanne D'Arc, and Disgaea, and with the release of Disgaea 2: Dark Hero Days we get another stellar SRPG for the system. This latest Disgaea game is a port of the PS2 version, entitled DIsgaea 2: Cursed Memories, which was released in 2006 in North America. It’s not a direct port though, as a couple of new features, characters, and game systems are introduced in this portable version.

The Disgaea series is known for having very deep games that take a while to master and can literally be played for close to a hundred hours without ever having to repeat anything. Disgaea 2: Dark Hero Days is no different. In fact there is so much content packed into this game it would take true dedication to ever really experience it all. The game features a lengthy campaign that never takes itself all that seriously, but at the same time the story is fun and interesting throughout the entire game. The story features a world that has had a cursed placed on it by a Demon Overlord. The curse turns the inhabitants of the world into demons. Adell is the main character in the game and he is the only person who isn’t affected by the curse. So it is up to him to challenge the Demon Overlord and have the curse removed. If this story sounds serious and heavy to you, don’t be fooled. Comedy is a big part of the storyline and the lighthearted nature of the story keeps it from ever going into an overly serious and dark direction.

Not Lost in Translation

I do have to compliment the localization team on their efforts to translate the script and humor for the western audience. Last week I reviewed Mana Khemia 2 and I was really turned off by the fact that the humor in the game wasn’t all that funny and obviously suffered from translation. This is not the case at all with Disgaea 2. The story is filled with charm and quirk. The character Axel in particular is a side character that is mostly present for comedy relief and almost every one of his scenes are humorous. The game is not afraid to poke fun at the RPG genre either. One memorable scene features the cowardly Axel alone in a monster infested area, instead of fighting his way out he chooses to call a taxi cab. Sure enough the cab shows up within seconds and whisks him away. All this goes on as the main character is forced to fight his way through the monsters. Another character I really like is named Tink. He is a cowardly character who speaks with a French accent and was turned into a frog. If you don’t find that at least a bit humorous then I can’t help you. It’s scenes like these that give the game its charm and are present throughout the entire story.

At any time during the main campaign players can go on side quests in the “item world”. These quests are designed to level up the power of your items, weapons and armor. Each one can literally take a couple of hours to complete and there is a side mission for every single usable item in the game. While it’s not necessary to enter “item world” for most items, players will want to do so in order to obtain stronger items and to level up their characters. If all you ever do is play the main campaign and a handful of the item world missions then you will get your money’s worth out of this game.

Battle Strategy

The battle system in Disgaea 2 is really deep. It has a learning curve, but with a little bit of practice and trial and error, most gamers will be able to master it fairly quick. Like most SRPGs, battles take place on a 3D grid map. Typical fights have your party beginning on one side of the map, with the enemy party starting on the opposite side. Combat is then turn based with your entire party going first, followed by the enemy’s entire party. Gamers will have to carefully decide who to take into each fight and how to use them. Each character class has their own set of strengths and weaknesses, as well as their own set of special powers. Deciding who to use and when is a key to victory.

On top of careful character selection, Disgaea 2 uses an apprentice system. Characters have the ability to recruit new characters to the party. These new characters become apprentices. During battle if you place apprentices next to the character that drafted them a special attack will be activated during their attack sequence. These attacks are usually more powerful than standard attacks and with the right combination can become devastating. Mastering this feature can truly turn a losing battle into a victory.

Another layer of strategy is added by the Geo effect system. Geo effects are crystals present on almost every battle field that buff certain areas of the field. If a character is standing on an area that is affected by the Geo they will receive whatever buff that Geo is giving. For this reason it is either crucial to control the areas that are affected or destroy the Geos so the enemy does not receive the buff.  In addition, you can pick up and throw the Geos, this will cause the affected area to move. The buffs can include increased armor, increased damage, and even invincibility, so controlling the Geos is a crucial element to each map.

Massive Character Class System

Disgaea 2 features a massive number of player classes to choose from. As I talked about before, existing party characters can recruit new characters into the party. At first there are just a handful of classes available, but as you defeat enemies in the game their class becomes available to recruit. This means that there are literally dozens upon dozens of classes that you can choose from, each with their own set of powers and strengths. The possible party combinations are staggering.

Using a character in battle is the only way to level them up. So while the idea of having one of every class in your party may sound appealing, it simply isn’t feasible. In addition to a base character level, special powers also level up through use. So if you want to have a really powerful heal spell, then you better concentrate on one character being a full time healer. Weapon proficiency is another stat that will level up through use. If you want one character to be really good with axes then you better only equip an axe with that character. The more you use an axe the better a character will get with it. I could go on and on about how deep and complex this game can be, but I think you get the picture by now.

Look and Sound

The graphics are on par with what you would expect from a PS2 or PSP strategy role playing game. The characters are all sprite based and they animate smoothly throughout the game. The story sequences are either told via detailed hand drawn sequences or through the in game engine.  The game always manages to stay fresh though, as each chapter features different scenery and battle maps. The sound is also on par with other SPRGs. The music is enjoyable and you have the ability to unlock new music in game if you want to. This definitely keeps the battle music fresh. The characters are all voiced fairly well by the voice actors, and none of the lines come off deadpan. More importantly the actors are able to convey the humor in the script, which only helps to sell the comedy even more.

If there is one complaint I have with Disgaea 2, it’s that the camera control is a bit lacking at times.  The battles take place on a 3D grid, most maps have varied degrees of elevation. This means that you can’t always see 100% of the map because a hill could be blocking a portion of it from your view. What makes this bad is that the player only has the ability to swing the camera left or right in a circular motion. You can tilt the camera or zoom in and out. This often leads to the inability to see certain parts of the map and even leads to difficulty lining up your attacks. This is a small complaint though and it shouldn’t deter you from enjoying the game.

 

What's New? 

New to this PSP version is the Magichange system that was introduced in Disgaea 3. This system allows you turn any character into a weapon. Your remaining characters can then equip the new weapon and gain the powers of the character that was turned into the weapon. For instance, you could take your mega healer and combine them with a fighter, and you will effectively create a paladin type class. The possibilities are endless and you can even triple stack characters to create an even more diverse class. Also new to this addition are several character classes that weren’t in the PS2 version. Including some powerful characters like Mid-Boss and Demon Lord Priere.  In the future NIS plans to add downloadable characters, which should extend playability even more.

The Bottom Line

It may sound like Disgaea 2: Dark Hero Days is an intimidating game, especially for someone who has never played a Disgaea game before. But believe me, I am no SRPG expert and despite my inexperience I was able to jump into this game and really enjoy it. The story isn’t all dark and serious, but it is fun and stays interesting throughout the adventure. The battle system is deep, but it isn’t overly complicated and can be mastered with some practice. This is a game that is packed with so much to do and experiment with that anyone who gives it a shot will definitely get their money’s worth. SRPG fans and regular RPG fans should definitely check out Disgaea 2: Dark Hero days.

Gaming Trend Score

87

1. Graphics: 80
2. Audio: 85
3. Controls: 75
4. Gameplay: 90
5. Value/Replay: 100
6. OVERALL:87