Customer Reviews

Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Granted, Disgaea 2 won't do much for fans of the Fighting, FPS, or Action genres, but for those who love anime and strategy will have a bundle of fun.

The battle system is on the outside the same as Disgaea's, but there are some interesting and important improvements. Here are a few:

One, there is a lift+attack move (lifting a character and then attacking, like in Makai Kingdoms.)
Two: A character who was assigned to attack, but was unable to because the target they were going to attack was eliminated by another character before they could attack no longer loses their move. Instead, they get to move again instead.
Three: guns operate in a significantly different way than bows (a problem with Disgaea 1) giving them a great utility.
Four: Speed down, Def down, and other effects occur more often as a result of weapon usage, and are easier to see.
Five: Treasure chests are now a part of battle!
Six: The item bag (I'm pretty sure) is larger.
Seven: Additional battle items are available, one of them being cellular phones. (You'll have to find out what they do..)
Eight: Team attacks have become more ridiculous. (This is a good thing!)
Nine: Battle maps are much improved, and more interesting.

The game now has a really spiffy intro, (hi-res!) and maintains the same irreverent humor of the previous games. The quality, however, is on par with (actually, better than) Disgaea: Hour of Darkness.

Voice acting manages to not be annoying (in many cases its very good!) And it is refreshing to play a good guy again. Laharl is obviously in the game (he is seen in the character collage art) and there are numerous references from La Pucelle Tactics, Disgaea: Hour of Darkness, Phantom Brave and Makai Kingdoms.

The manual lacks clarity in some places, and a lot of the graphics are still very pixely. Overall, though, its hard to beat this game for fun.

But be warned, it takes a LONG time to play.

I am going to write this review mostly for those familiar with the original Disgaea. As such I will not get to much into the aspect of gameplay and the system of the game aside from things that have changed or are important to note. Having said that, let's begin.

The game begins in the land of Veldime, an alternate world from that of the first game, where an evil Overlord named Zenon has hidden from well, everyone. When he came into Veldime however, he placed a curse on the land that changed all humans into demons. The effects weren't all immediate as some still have several human qualities but if the curse is not reversed soon, there will be no turning back. Thus the hero Adell (oddly enough the only person unaffected by Zenon's curse) sets out to defeat the Overlord. In the opening there is an attempt to summon Zenon to Adell so he can fight him, but it goes awry and Zenon's daughter accidentally gets summoned instead. Bound to Adell by the summoning pact she has no choice but to accompany him to the castle where he intends to kill her father (albeit not without scheming a bit herself). In a nutshell, the story is good. Nothing amazing but with ample opportunity for the humor most have come to love about the original.

The only really new additions to the battles are the ability to do Stack Attacks and, if you are quick enough, throw diagnally. The basis of stack attacks are that after building the tower of aliies using the lift command, the person on the bottom of the tower still has the ability to attack. In doing so they begin passing the enemy up the tower with everyone taking a shot at him and then spiking him back to the ground. Essentially, a team attack of up to 10 characters. There have been updates to the Dark Assembly with 6 factions of Senators being introduced. And it can be easier to pass some bills if you are lucky since quite often some senators will show up to vote drunk (random vote basically) or even asleep (no vote at all). Perhaps the most entertaining addition though is felonies. You can recieve a felony for things such as power leveling, having to much hp/sp/mana, or even killing your own allies. The benifit of felonies is that on top of any stat boosts you may get, it is easier to pass proposals at the Dark Assembly, and for every felony on a character they gain 1% extra exp. This works all the way up to 300 felonies (300% exp bonus).

The game has made all the necessary additions to make the gameplay top that of the original, however in my opinion there feels like something is missing. The characters seem a bit more "by the book" and not as wonderfully absurd as the original. That and the voice acting isn't quite as good as the that of the first Disgaea (plus Etna has a new voice actress...). Despite all of that however, the game plays much better and even looks a bit smoother to boot. All in all it is a great game and a worthy sequel to an amazing game. While some may like the changes in the characters and others may not, there is no denying that the core of the game is much better than the original and will keep you addicted for just as long, if not longer.

Disgaea 2 is a fun, cartoony combination of RPG and tactical game. You are Adell, a young fighter, who pairs up with Rozalin in order to defeat the evil Zenon.

You build up a party of characters, including fighters, healers, and pretty much any monster type you defeat in battle. As you wander through the lands, you often find monsters to conquer. During these battles, you end up on a grid. Each character can move a certain distance per turn, to get around and behind your enemy.

In some ways the game is like a typical RPG. There is an evil main boss to conquer. There are various smaller enemies along the way. There are power-ups to collect and weapons to buy.

The graphics are not meant to be realistic or cutting edge. They are casual, cute, and fun.

Disgaea really shines in its humor. It's not meant for the really little - its characters joke about looking up girls' skirts and there are swears such as "kick their ass". Still, the game is generally very family friendly and has a ton of fun in it. Most of the villagers have been turned into demons and have quite wild personality changes. The main character - Adell - is still human. When you go around talking to the other people, one muses why Adell is still human. "Is it because he's the main character"? Rozalin, Zenon's daughter, is a very spoiled, stuck-up teen girl and her dialogue is quite funny.

Many flaws of other games have been taken care of here. When you go into shops, they have new items each time, giving you a selection to choose from that you will find interesting. You can customize new characters, creating a party that is just perfect for your gaming style.

The voices are cutesy in the traditional anime style, and the sounds fit in well with the world. The plot is fairly involved and really draws you along. Again, this isn't a dark, serious story of angst and power. It's a fun, light-hearted romp through a fun fantasy world, where you can play for a few hours, save, and pick up the story the next time you have free time.

Well recommended.

Having picked up the game only today, perhaps I shouldn't review it JUST yet, since I've only played it for a couple of hours. But initial response is d@mn good.

The fact is, Disgaea 2 seems to improve in all ways on its predecessor. The story seems quite deep (I'll spoil none of what I've discovered, although you can pretty much find it all out by reading around). The graphics are better (but still not up to snuff - it's the reason I dropped the game a star). There is an incredible number of extras to the game, and the voices are much better (at least in my opinion).

No, there is no Laharl (as the main character, although I haven't given up on seeing him, or the main character of Phantom Brave, in the almost-assuredly present end dungeons), but this game (at least early on) is pretty good nonetheless. I'll try to, uhhh, review my review, as I play more, but initial observations point to many more hours wasted on this series...

Addendum: Now, having completed the main game and embarked on the subplots, I can confidently say that this game trumps the last Disgaea, and that is about the highest praise I can give it. This is an INCREDIBLE game, with layers of strategy, and plenty of power-levelling if you so desire. I only wish I could change from 4 to 5 stars overall. You cannot go wrong with this one, if only for the optional dungeons alone (which include the Dark Worlds, the Land of Carnage, a trip to Laharl, a date with Mid-Boss, and even an opening extra).

Nippon Ichi, my hat is off to you. You have made one of the best games ever.

After playing Disgaea 1, I tried in vain to satisfy my srpg thirst with every game nipponicchi released afterwards, La Pucelle, Phantom Brave, and Makai Kingdom, alas, not a one compared to the greatness that was Disgaea. But it is safe to say that Disgaea 2 is not only as good as Digaea 1, but better!

The graphics in this one are better, the music takes you back to the good old days, when rpg music was memorable. There have been a few needed tweaks to the battle system here and there. However, there have also been some additions to Disgaea 2 that some people may or may not like, such as the Item World pirates, incredibly strong characters that show up randomly in the item world to make life miserable for any unfortunate to cross their path. The main characters do not seem as lovable as Laharl, Etna, and the rest of the Disgaea 1 crew, but I guess they'll grow on you after the 200+ or so hours your likely to be spending with them. Speaking of which, I gotta get back now, those very same item pirates have just killed Adell...

Three years ago Disgaea hit the scene and was by far one of the best games to grace the Playstation 2. Now we have Disgaea 2. Disgaea 2 follows the "If it ain't broke, don't fix it," path. While Disgaea 2 is really familiar to the first one, that's not a bad thing, the first one was absolutely perfect.

Disgaea 2 does connect with the first one. So this really is a sequel. It isn't, however, a sequel that requires knowledge of the events in the first game. You may very well run into familiar characters, but on the whole, Disgaea 2 is a whole new story.

Adell is the only human in a town full of monsters and it's all the overlord Zenon's fault. He's put a curse on the town to make them all lose their memories. When Adell's mom decides to perform a ritual that will bring forth the Overlord, she instead brings forth Zenon's daughter, Rozalin. So you'll now have to venture off in search of the overlord. The best thing about Disgaea 2's storyline is the same thing that worked well with the first one. It has a perfect balance between it's moments of seriousness and humor. It's a well crafted story that isn't afraid to break the rules.

The game really plays no different from the first one. You'll go into battle and be able to do a bunch of different things. While it does play like your basic tactical RPG, it throws in some things that make it more worthwhile. Like the geopanels on the ground that if a character stands on they get special enhancements. You can also do things like have one character stand on another's shoulders. If you don't like the effects, though, you can just destroy the power source. It's not as easy as it was in the first one, however. These power sources now get up and walk around.

The game is also rather complex. Battling is no walk in the park. If you're familiar with tactical strategy games, then Disgaea 2 will be easy to learn. You'll deploy ten of your characters on battle at a time. They can perform team attacks or attack indivually. You can use this to your advantage, but your enemies also must be kept in mind. They don't slouch. They'll attack at the same time and can take your characters down pretty fast if you don't know what you're doing.

Of course, Disgaea 2 also sports some rather bizarre moments in battle just like it's prequel. For one thing, you can order a pizza in the middle of battle. This is just one of many different things you can do. Items also level up, and your characters levels will soar. It won't take you that long to complete the main storyline, but purists will find that Disgaea 2, much like the first one is almost never ending in terms of complete mastery. Your characters levels will rise far into the hundreds and even thousands. It's almost never ending. You can also replay story missions over and over, and go into optional dungeons.

Items also level up. You can go into the item world and level up your items. You can level up just about any item. Your weapons, armor... even that pizza you ordered! These moments of the game also feel never-ending at times.

Disgaea 2 pretty much looks and feels like the first one. It's simply a beautiful game. It's got spectacular artwork. It's 2D artwork, but it's some of the most beautiful in the gaming world. It also sounds really good, keeping the theme of the first game in tact. The voice acting is probably the best part. They're so lively and vibrant, and the dialogue is crafty and filled to the brim with humor. Some of the humor, mind you, is probably not suitable for your little kid. There some sexual and dirty jokes, but they're really funny.

Disgaea 2 is just an all out blast. The game, for one thing is huge. It may only take 40 hours or so to complete the main quest, but to master the game? That'll take much longer than just about any tactical RPG out there. There's so much to be done, and it's by far one of the most addicting games out there. So if you do like tactical strategy RPGs, then by all means play this game. You'll love it. If you loved the first Disgaea, you will love this game! There's no doubt about it.

The Good
+Loveable characters
+Fantastic storyline
+Addictive gameplay
+This game is huge
+Beautiful artwork
+Complex battle system
+Vibrant and colorful voice acting; among the best in gaming

The Bad
-The only real bad thing about this game, if you can even say it's bad, is that it doesn't really go above and beyond the first Disgaea. In other words, there's not a whole lot of new content or anything like that. However, it's still a bit more original than most other tactical RPGs out there

Much has been said in these many reviews. Disgaea 2 is a brilliant tactical strategy game that doesn't take itself too seriously. You will feel justified in using any means possible to accomplish your goals: Nobody else in the world has a conscience, so why should you? Of course, when I say "any means possible", I am not including cheats like restarting the game over and over until a random treasure is exactly what you wanted. I think you know what I mean.

I usually hate games with bad stories or bad voice acting. Disgaea 2 is the exception. The tactical play and the mechanics are SO GOOD that even I don't really care about the airheaded plot and blase voice acting. I recommend playing the game in Japanese and using the English subtitles; The Japanese voices are less irritating than the English voices.

Disgaea 2 is a game about leveling up. Yes, that's what I mean. It is a hardcore look at the concept of "level ups" in RPG's and tactical fighting games, and it zooms right in on that one concept. Not only do your characters level up, but their skills level up individually. Not only that, but every one of your inventory items can level up. Not only can every item level up, but the people living in your items can also level up. Yes, I said people living in your items. They are little, cartoony smiley faces representing the individual skillset that your particular item has. You can trade, combine, and upgrade these people between items and between characters. The sheer mathematic of all the things you could possibly do with your adventuring party is simply staggering. You may find yourself equipping 20th level opera glasses. No, really -- opera glasses. One of my characters has a pair that are of "legendary" quality.

This game has a sense of humor. But even if you don't have any sense of humor yourself, the balance and design of the mechanics are incredibly good and will rivet you to the game, if you are a fan of turn-based, tactical fighting.

Parents: The violence is all of the animated, non-bloody variety. It is akin to the old TV series "Batman", in the sense of animated "POW" and "KABLAAM" effects. That are not taken seriously. Still, if you are opposed to violent video games, fighting IS the core of the action in this game, and you might want to steer away. I myself let my kids play freely. There is virtually no sexual content, though a few of the tiny, cutely animated figures appear to be scantily clad. A couple of these female figures also have a (barely visible) effect of their breasts bouncing as they move. Also, there is one hilarious exchange in which one heroine criticizes the bust of another heroine. But in the scope of scores of hours of gameplay, these are tiny, isolated, and superficial references. I rate the game as "clean", and it is free of vulgar, tacky, or insulting references. The scripting, while boring, is almost always grammatically correct. The gender relations depicted in the game are bizarre and sometimes reversed, but overall they are healthy relationship, taken in the ridiculous and strange setting of the demon world. Speaking of "demons", they are mentioned everywhere. Demons come in all shapes and sizes. Any other game would simply call them "monsters", so the demonic reference is only a name, nothing deeper. Still, if such references are offensive to you, beware. Beyond that, I cannot think of any anti-Christian or religiously disrespectful themes/images in the game.

I will not admit publicly how many hours I've logged in playing this game. The number is huge but still much smaller than some of the people who've written detailed analyses of the game's mechanics and programming. And since you can play any kind of monster that you have defeated in battle (you can make new characters of that type), I'm likely to log many more dozens of hours before this game is retired to a box, assuming it ever is.

Incidentally, I have also played Disgaea I (Disgaea: Hour of Darkness). And while you will appreciate certain story points more if you've played it, it is NOT necessary to have done so. I think the sequel is superior to the original, which doesn't happen often. I would even go so far as to say this one IS superior to the sequel, discounting the opinion of anyone who thinks otherwise. The streamlined mechanics and game balance simply can't be ignored. If you own neither game, I suggest buying the 2nd game (Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories) first, and then search for the 1st one if you really are interested in the nostalgia of the two-part series.

Hope this helps your decision.

First, I'll state my position. This is a great game. I've logged over a hundred hours, and I loved the original Disgaea, as well as La Pucelle: Tactics. So I can tell you exactly how this game stacks up against the others. Will you get what you expect? Is it more of what gamers have come to love, or something else?

At first, I missed playing as a demon. Laharl was great in the first Disgaea, and I missed that quirky heaven and hell thing. So I was skeptical of the characters and plot at first. It was actually during my second play through that I saw that the characters and plot really did have staying power, and were worth remembering. Familiar characters such as Flonne, Etna, and the Prinny's are part of the story later on, and are all playable. While Laharl may not be playable, he's in the story, and you can battle him a couple more times as an extra boss. And if you miss him that much, you can always play the first Disgaea, or watch the anime.

However, you'll get over Laharl once you realize just how much has been packed into this game. All of the side worlds and secret battles can log you 200 hours easily. The game, like the original, is insanely fun to pick up and play. The gameplay is intuitive and addictive, and isn't alienating or confusing at all. It's just really, really fun. The script seems a little cheesy at times, but that's Adell for you. True to his word, never backing down from anything. It's just his style. :P Alot of it will have you laughing out loud. There is still alot of quirky humor, and plenty of story to keep you entertained and never wanting to put down the controller. Once again, if you like anime, this game has a familiar overall anime feel to it. With all of the extra features offered, you've got alot to do.

It's a game you can just pick up for a few minutes, and proceed a little at a time. Or you can sit there for days, and enjoy freedom of choice, and pursue whatever you want. Unlockables, new classes to add to your roster, boss battles, new items and weapons, new worlds and maps, power. This game has everything the orginal had, but better, and more. The fun factor is what will keep you coming back. It's a very deep and engrossing experience, and worth whatever you end up paying for it. It's worth every penny, just for the main story alone, and the additional content is just incredible.

Keep in mind that strategy rpgs are a bit different from other rpgs. With Strategy rpgs, you're on a kind of grid system on each map. You must move your characters from the base panel to strategically clear each map. Your characters can team up, stack on top of one another (up to a tower of 10 characters, which can be thrown one by one), or perform special attacks depending on class, and weapon. Story driven characters have special attacks of their own. Really, you can pretty much endlessly power up a character into a god if you commit to it.

If you've never played a strategy rpg, or if you're already a fan, this game will definately satisfy you, as it is arguably the king of strategy rpgs. If you can only get one, this is the one you want.

To be honest, I was a little wary of Disgaea 2. The first game was so much fun, and I was a bit worried that the sequel would just suck.

Worry not, fair gamers, for Disgaea 2 takes most (though not all) of what's good about the first game and builds upon it.

Incredibly humourous localization? Check.
Colorful anime-styled artwork? Check.
Detailed, amusing, and slightly outdated 2D sprites? Check.
Highly amusing and strangely moving storyline? Check.
Etna? Check.
The Dark Assembly (new and improved so it's much more enjoyable)? Check.

My only quibble is that they stripped out a lot of the unlockable classes, which takes a little bit of the fun out of obsessively levelling your characters. However, as you can tell from my rating, that is only a quibble, and it's totally balanced out by all the other improvements that they made.

Overall, if you enjoyed the first game, you'll enjoy this one just as much. I'm so very thankful that this did not suffer from "sequel-itis."

That might be a little misleading -- the battle mechanics are almost exactly the same as those in the first game (heck, as in most of Nippon Ichi's games, though this series, I think, is the best of the lot). That part of the game absolutely delivers:

- Great classes.
- Good monsters, and a more consistent class sytem for them.
- Excellent assortment of items.
- Good variety of levels.

However, as far as the story -- an area in which Hour of Darkness was solid -- this game falls on its face. The writing is iffy, the plot itself is contrived, the characters (while certainly amusing) are predictable, and it just leaves so much to be desired. If you're looking for a storyline you can get involved in, go back to the first game.

If you're in it for the gameplay, though, don't miss this one! With some class tweaks and a few added features, Cursed Memories is a worthy addition for those who simply want the monotonous level-up madness that some of us thrive on.

Great 2D art mixed with fun environments, HILARIOUS quips and item descriptions, engaging fights and hundreds of hours (literally) of entertainment.