Disgaea 3 - similar to a fine wine.

I already own the original Disgaea and its sequel on the PS2 so when i bought a PS3 it was with the intention of playing games like Disgaea 3 that you just wouldn't see on the 360. Needless to say i wasn't disappointed although two things must be pointed out with this game as it was with the two before it. Firstly it really is an acquired taste and a niche taste at that, and secondly it can initially seem very overwhelming.

Disgaea is an S-RPG (strategy) at its core and it tends to be fairly harsh with first timers. It pretty much assumes you'll know what you're doing straight off the bat and for some this can seem extremely daunting due to the games deceptively complex nature. If you don't like stats and figures then it's probably best to give Disgaea a wide birth, every battle in the game is conducted like a game of chess and can take a very long time to compete. Put the time in though and Disgaea will reward you greatly.

It's easy to be tricked by the games characters and worlds because the person in charge was clearly on some pretty funky drugs when they were working. The ideas behind the narrative are very Japanese and this can sometimes leave you feeling quite perplexed and almost left out of the joke as you try and work out what they're actually getting at. Accompanied by a crazy (and annoyingly addictive) soundtrack that is resoundingly bubblegum pop the feel of the game is very whacky which belies how complex the game dynamic actually is.


The introduction to Disgaea 3 gives you an idea of how strange it is.

The amount of upgrading and levelling up you can do here is absolutely astounding, it's actually a shame that there isn't a multiplayer element to it because it would be good for players to show off their characters and probably their lack of a social life.
With enough perseverance your team can attain levels of up to 999 and the items that you collect also have their own development levels. Rather than improve with use Disgaea has a novel method with which to improve your items - actually entering the item in question to change it from the inside :p
Every item, including weapons, have a number of floors within them and the further your party travels through the item (by winning strategic battles) the more advanced the item becomes until it reaches up to level 9999. Seriously, the extremeties to which you can push your partys statistics in this game are insane.


Disgaea is massively popular in Japan, so much so that it spawned an anime series. I've yet to watch it but i'm guessing it's not all there.

If you love anime or have a lot of time on your hands and enjoy methodical, strategic battles with a very tongue in cheek approach then this game will sit very will with you. Obviously this is only going to be a very small majority of players so for the action lovers among you it will almost certainly not be your cup of tea.

My verdict:8 (but that's because it's my kind of game.)