The Good, The Bad, and The Pixelated: Disgaea 3 Reviewed


                                  Cuddley-cute, Anime Characters in a Japanese Game. Whodathunk?

Although the story of any strategy role playing game (SRPG) is as important as its statistical foundation, all too often this isn’t the case. Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift’s focus on teen angst was a step backward for many fans of the series. Luckily, Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice avoids the archetypal trappings of the genre- so much that, players may initially be put off by its carnivalesque, topsy-turvy world.

The game tells the story of young Mao, an honor student at the ‘Evil Academy’, where students learn to be bad. After reading a comic book where a young hero overthrows the malevolent antagonist; Mao comes to the conclusion that the hero always wins. Naturally, he sets off to obtain the power of the hero, by defeating the reigning Overlord, who happens to be his dad. Confused yet? In Disgaea 3’s inverted world being nice to others, going to class, and performing community service projects are examples of rebellious behavior, and Mao’s preparation for becoming a champion. Once this oedipal conflict is resolved, characters from previous Disgaea games make an appearance in a decidedly fun addendum.


                                                 Independence, the Achilles of far too many RPG characters.

At first, Absence of Justice’s tactical combat is also off-putting; players must move, melee, and also execute a team’s battle plans. Characters can 'team attack'- meaning four characters in proximity to one another can perform a synergistic attack for additional damage.  Learning what characters work well together is half the fun- Disgaea is clearly about micro-managing. Those bored by the minutia of slight statistical advantages may be bored by the games complexity. Others, like us, will revel in it.

Disgaea’s palette is a mixed bag of charm, beauty, and underwhelming simplicity. While the game has lush character portraits, on the battlefield your avatars look like last-gen holdovers; and are often crudely animated. When displayed on sharply rendered backgrounds, the game has a decidedly disjointed, unfinished aesthetic. Luckily, the English voice-overs are full of personality and variety. For purists, the original Japanese voices are included.


              We can't label this screenshot 'massive damage', when later attacks take off a tens of thousands in HP.

Where Disgaea 3 strikes its path away from previous entries of the franchise is its focus on puzzles- rooms now contain stacked, color blocks. Once players throw a block of a particular color onto a group of similarly colored objects, they disappear, damaging nearby enemies in the process.  It’s an interesting diversion that adds to the diversity of gameplay. As the sole instance of a SRPG on the Playstation 3, Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice is a must-own for Sony owners who crave some number-crunching mayhem.

Final Grade: A-

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Posted by DesertEagle at 9/2/2008 6:05 PM
Categories: PS3,Reviews
 

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