Disgaea DS

by NIS America

Product Features

• Takes advantage of dual screen for new battle features
• all new story focus means a new experience and all new endings
• geo cubes can turn a battle in a moment use them wisely
• wireless head to head multiplayer mode

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B001C4J62Q
• Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 5 x 0.6 inches ; 4 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: September 23, 2008
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,065 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
  • #39 in Video Games > Nintendo DS > Role-Playing
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Legendary Strategy RPG gets Nintendo DS Remake! Completely remade to take advantage of Nintendo DS, Disgaea DS offers a deep strategy RPG experience with an exceptional story, a fantastic script, and a host of loveable characters and settings. An all-new story focus means a completely different experience for the player, not to mention a brand new ending. Geo Cubes add special effects to the battlefield, completely shifting the balance in the blink of an eye. Using local wireless multiplayer support, take your friends on in grand battles of strategy and wit – or try different modes like Defeat the Leader and Capture the Flag. With support for touch screen control and excellent of use of the two Nintendo DS screens, Disgaea has never played better.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Five Years Later and It's Still Good, September 24, 2008

By 

S. Rhodes - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Disgaea DS (Video Game)

Pros:

+A charming story
+Loveable characters
+In depth battle structure
+Several side quests
+A good sense of humor
+Great soundtrack
+A couple of extras
+Looks exactly like the PS2 and PSP versions of the game and that makes it the best looking SRPG the DS has

Cons:

-Not the best voice acting
-Camera is still annoying

Nippon Ichi's famed cult classic, Disgaea: Hour of Darkness was originally released on the Playstation 2 in 2003. It began as an underground title that eventually became a greatest hits on the console. Nippon Ichi is trying to get it to a huge audience apparently. Within the past five years this is already the thrid release of the game (in which the PSP version came out just last year). This bring about the obvious question: Is Disgaea worth getting if you've got one of the two previous versions?

For those who never played the original (or PSP version, for that matter), Disgaea centers on Laharl. The prince of darkness who has been asleep for some time. As Laharl and with a gaggle of allies, your job is to conquer the Netherworld. The adventure is full of a lot of fun. Some hilarious antics as well as a really likeable cast of characters. The story is told through still shots of the characters facing one another and talking.

Disgaea became popular largely because of the game's different approach to the SRPG genre. On the surface its pretty basic. You send your characters around on a grid style map and they attack the enemies and you win usually when all the enemies on the map are defeated. Some battles require different approaches.

There are a couple of things about Disgaea's system that separate it from other strategy RPGs. Some of them bizarre, others not so much. First there's the Geo Panel system. On the maps you'll certain tiles that are a certain color. These are Geo Panels. There are also Geo Symbols which have certain effects. Placing Geo Symbols on a specific color will make that Geo Panel color correspond with the effect of the Geo Symbol. Therefore, if you place a Geo Symbol that increases a characters attack on a yellow Geo Panel, all yellow Geo Panels will have an attack up. However, you can also destroy Geo Symbols. This causes a chain reaction that either turns all Geo Panels into the same color as the one which the Geo Symbol you destroyed was placed on or causes the Geo Panel to be destroyed completely. Either way, it racks up bonuses for your battle gauge. The Geo Panels and Geo Symbols add a distinct puzzle element to the game.

Even better for Disgaea is the senate of the Netherworld. Battling will net you Mana Points which you can use in the Senate to recruit characters (the more Mana you spend the better the character) and assign him a job. Just the same, however, the senate has power over certain aspects of the game such as what items are available in the shops and whatnot. You can appeal to the senate and they'll vote on certain issues. You won't always win, but you can persuade by force, meaning, battle members of the senate who do not side with you. It's kooky and weird, but it works. There are also exams the senate gives you which are battles Laharl must fight alone.

Lastly, there's the item world. Throughout the game you can go into certain items and venture ten floors in and fight a boss. Doing this power ups items. The item world is no joke, however, as it's incredibly hard to conquer. Disgaea itself is not the easiest game around. There are many moments of the game dedicated to simply raising characters.

Disgaea is an all around immense game. The storyline takes quite a bit of time to get through but there are plenty of side quests abound and there's the item world. All this together can make Disgaea seem like a never-ending experience.

The DS version doesn't add a whole lot to the game, however. There's a map of the battlefield on the top screen, which can really help since the camera is still a problem. You can turn the camera but your view might still be obstructed. The map on the top screen makes it much easier to deal with this issue. There are also, of course, touch screen controls, but you'll probably feel much better off using the D-Pad and buttons. There are also a couple of new quests added to what is already an immense game.

The game looks no different than its PSP or PS2 counterparts, however, it still makes Disgaea the best looking Strategy RPG on the DS to date. There's also some good music here as well. In truth, there's little, if anything that's been changed in the production values. The voice acting is still a little subpar, for the most part. It's been an ongoing criticism of the series. There's a lot of humor to the story but some of would've been so much better had the voice work been a bit more lively.

Disgaea has found the perfect home on the DS. This is by far the best version of the game youc an buy. The only real problem is that this is the games third release within five years and if you've already got it... it might not be worth picking up again. When it was released for the PSP in 2007, there were quite a few extras that made it worth picking up even if you'd completely mastered the PS2 version. This time around, there aren't that many extras that weren't in the PSP version.

After five years it's still a fantastic game. Disgaea is still one of the best SRPGs out there and the DS version is by far the best version of the game you can get.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Oceanic depth, rewarding gameplay, December 8, 2008

By 

Sean May (Muncie, IN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Disgaea DS (Video Game)

My experience with strategy RPGs began with Final Fantasy Tactics, and I was happy with it. Then I move onto the Advanced Wars series, again, I was happy with it.

I'd heard about the Disgaea series on some gaming websites and dismissed it as a super hardcore anime-inspired game that eschewed fun in favor of punishing difficulty.

But then I took a chance on Disgaea DS after seeing some reviews. I thought that the worst that could happen would be that I was out $5 and at least I would learn to steer away from the series.

...well, what happened was that 2 days later I plunked down the extra $25 to buy the game and have since sunk at least 30 hours into the game.

I even sold my copies of Final Fantasy Tactics A2 and Advanced Wars Days of Ruin, because I knew that I would only be playing one SRPG series from now on.

Disgaea DS is, quite simply, the best strategy game I have ever played. The options it gives you on the battlefield are immense. You can rush your enemies with straight brute force and power through the game, or you can sit back, build up your combo meter and gather up some really awesome items.

The Item World portion of the game is absolutely genius. Although optional, it is almost like a full-fledged puzzle game set inside Disgaea's world. Sure, you can play the Item World portions just like the regular battles, but stringing together multi-hundred hit combos with Geo Squares is where the real fun is, and how you snatch up the best items in the game. It also tacks on a near infinite number of hours onto the game as there are hundreds of items, each with a 100-level dungeon inside them. Yes, you can level up anything from the mightiest swords down to a piece of chewed gum...and it's great fun the whole way.

I also really enjoy that the game doesn't take itself all too seriously. So many SRPGs are concerned with being more and more grim and dark while their characters talk for what seems like hours between battles. Disgaea, on the other hand, has a pretty breezy story filled with witty writing and memorable (if not a bit stereotypical) characters. I don't buy games to watch them, I buy them to play. I'm not saying that a strong story isn't important to a good game, but some games have delusions of grandeur that they are cinematic events with long text interludes that are often really poorly written. Disgaea DS doesn't fall into this trap, and it is so much better for it.

If you've ever played a tactical RPG, and you've dismissed the Disgaea series, you are selling yourself so short. Buy this game immediately, you will not be disappointed

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Disgaea DS - Difference from Other Versions, November 4, 2008

By 

J. Chung "iNSPiRE" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Disgaea DS (Video Game)

Disgaea, a little sleeper PS2 hit Turn-Based RPG game, finally came out for Nintendo DS.

Since the storyline / game play are already covered by other reviewers, so I will go straight to the condensed version of why you should consider buying this game:

* Gameplay Style Difference from PS2 / PSP Version:

The most striking difference is the fact game takes advantage of the dual screen of Nintendo DS.

During the battle, upper screen functions as a "minimap" -- which is very useful in some of the bigger maps by letting you see how the map is laid out as whole. This is not available in other versions.

Another bonus is, the function to move characters during the battle have become much easier by being able to directly tap the place with your DS Stylus instead of manually pointing there using your directional pad on your DS (this might take a while to get used to if you are new to the genre or to this type of a game).

* What Else is Different?:

Disgaea DS is largely a port from the PSP version of the same game. This means, the extra features seen from the PSP version (that are not in the original PS2 version) -- including Etna Mode where Etna (one of the characters players control in the game) becomes the lead character instead of Laharl (lead character by default) -- exists in this version as well.

However, due to the lower capacity of DS, graphics details are lesser than what you would see on the PSP version, and voice acting is limited to English and not too many of them exist compared to PSP version of the game (PSP version features both English and Japanese voice-overs, as did PS2).

* Overall:

The game has not changed much otherwise, so I'd recommend Disgaea DS only if you are new to the game or the series -- it is quite... different and unique from other typical RPGs. Storyline is quite wacky, as are the dialogues. Despite the case art design, the game is not about being totally serious, and a sense of humor is recommended!

Replay value is pretty high for this game as well due to multiple endings, lots of additional dungeons and areas, and that the level limit in this game is not 99... not 150... not 255... but 9999! Yes, the characters (and monsters) can reach level 9999 in this game. Players that are obsessed with the perfection will have fun time gathering all the rare items and leveling to 9999 and dealing out not just 9999 damage every hit... but millions of damage.

You might also consider buying it for the Etna Mode and other added bonuses (such as secret characters) if you're a diehard Disgaea fan who have played the PS2 version, but did not buy or try the PSP version of the game. There's also a multiplayer function in this game, but it is fairly minor (restricted to battling another player's party).

If you already own the PSP version, or think these additions are not worthwhile (after all, it does not contain any huge changes to the main game itself), then this game is probably not worth your while.