Poll: Your favorite Disgaea game?

[scorptatious]

So I just finished the story in Disgaea 4. Meaning I've finally beaten all four of the main games of the Disgaea series.

So I decided to make the obligatory "Which *insert game here* is your favorite?" thread. This time about Disgaea!

And to add a bit more discussion, why not add your least favorite Disgaea as well?

For me? It seems to be a toss up between 1 and 4. I think 1 may have a slightly better cast of characters and story, but 4 pretty much hits all the right notes in terms of gameplay. Plus it had Valvatorez.

My least favorite would probably 3. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the game, but I wasn't really a big fan of the high school setting.

Disgaea 2 was sorta in the middle for me. I liked the little improvements they added going in from the first game. Plus I like the main duo of the game.

 

[King of Asgaard]

It's a toss up of 1 and 3 for the top, with 4 in 3rd and 2 dead last.

D1 had Laharl and Etna, back when she had a good voice actor, but the story is a bit weaker as it was the first in the series, so it's understandable. As the first game, it rocked. Nin-nin-nin! <3

D3 had a much bigger and better cast of characters, and added new gameplay features which spiced up the action, but the post-credits endgame is a pain in the ass because it relies entirely on grinding characters to LV9999 to get anywhere.

D4 is a solid experience, with a solid cast and gameplay, but it's a bit shorter and far easier than previous entries, as I was able to go through the entirety using the main cast in battle exclusively, without ever needing to pull out minions, even in the Item World, and the story never hits the high notes that D1 and D3 did. That said, it's a close 3rd behind either 1 or 3.

D2 was a mess in my mind. A story which forgoes a lot of the charm and humour of its predecessor, as well as being more straightforward and predictable, and the gameplay was largely unchanged. Also, FUCK the constant geo-puzzles. In all the other titles, the geo-effects were used to make fights easier, and would never take more than a few seconds to solve. In D2, the geo-thingies were 'fleshed out' into full puzzles, with a couple of enemies on the side, lest it not be an SRPG any more. This wouldn't be so bad if the puzzles had a way of resetting, or had multiple solutions if you fuck up. But no, fuck up once and you have to reload the game. You'd have to do this too much, and it didn't help that you'd often go through the entire puzzle, which could take upwards of half an hour, only to find out that you done fucked up and would have to start [/b]AAAALLLLLL[/b] over from the beginning.
Fuck. That.
I got to the chapter with the puzzle tower and stopped playing about half way through it.

So for me, the order is D1=D3>D4>>>>>D2.

Also, love your avatar. Valvatorez is by far the coolest looking main character.

 

[Tyrant_Valvatorez]

Disgaea Hour of Darkness is the best one if you ask me, it hit the right balance between serious and comedy which the rest of the series has not quite hit, the original version also had the best VA for Etna which I'm still upset that they replaced her.

I don't really have a least favorite but the closest to that is Disgaea 4's post game seriously they took the most annoying RNG aspects of the entire series and made it mandatory to get anywhere in the post game. Who seriously thought it was a good idea to make you have to build a special pirate ship which is a massive pain in the ass, first you have to hunt specific enemy types and capture them, proceed to torture until they reveal a treasure location which by the way has its own percentage chance of actually being the part you need. Even better once you finally get those parts you discover you are missing the body which just so happens to be a reward for defeating the most rare pirates in the game who even under the best circumstances take an eternity to finally show up... I loved the game but the post game almost made me want to snap the disc in half.

 

[odolwa99]

Regarding D3, the game was fine, but the characters...oh god the characters!!. Mao absolutely, positively never shut the f**k up in those cutscenes, and the whole thing was made even worse when Almaz showed up, with his lovey-dovey goody two shoes shtick. The only character I could stand was Beryl, but she barely got a look in by comparison.

D2 may have had it's faults, but I'd take Adell and Rozalin over those two any day of the week.

 

[Maximum Bert]

The first had my favourite characters but I feel they dragged out the story to long and the grinding was way to much so I would have to go with Disgaea 4 I thought it hung together much better and I found it funny throughout.

The characters were the second best in the series and Desco is awesome also its got Flonne in again and any characters from D1 are welcome as Laharl, Etna and Floone are easily the best Disgaea trio imo. Grinding though still tough was greatly reduced although there was still plenty of end game content to go through if you wanted.

Note havent played Disgaea 2 or Dimensions yet (2 will probably never be played).

 

[hazabaza1]

I'd say 4 is my favourite, with 1 coming in close behind. 2 was good but a little more standard than I would've liked, and 3...

Regarding D3, the game was fine, but the characters...oh god the characters!!. Mao absolutely, positively never shut the f**k up in those cutscenes, and the whole thing was made even worse when Almaz showed up, with his lovey-dovey goody two shoes shtick. The only character I could stand was Beryl, but she barely got a look in by comparison.

D2 may have had it's faults, but I'd take Adell and Rozalin over those two any day of the week.

yeaaaaaaaaaah.
That being said, I did like 3, but there was just too much talking and the whole thing felt really dumb. On top of that... Sapphire? I think that was her name. The princess lady. She's probably the most annoying character in the series and I hate her VA to boot.

4 was certainly the most refined concering most gameplay aspects, and had a great cast, along with all the cameos and major roles of previous games characters. 1 was just really good and simple but couldn't do that whole charming referential thing that the other ones could because... first game, yeah. But whilst they're not as good, 2 and 3 get major bonus points for introducing these wonderful characters to the series.

Spoiler: Probably some of the best side-characters ever

 

[rednose1]

D1 was my fave. Story was very well done I think, and the gameplay was very new to me, so it stood out the most.
D2 was...meh. Expected more.
D3 comes in right after D1, characters were much more likeable, but the high school theme isn't my thing.
haven't tried d$ yet because....I'm lazy.

My biggest shame though, I haven't beaten Baal yet. I grind for awhile, but eventually get bored and forget the game long enough to completely forget about it.

 

[scorptatious]

Also, love your avatar. Valvatorez is by far the coolest looking main character.

Thanks! Val is awesome.

yeaaaaaaaaaah.
That being said, I did like 3, but there was just too much talking and the whole thing felt really dumb. On top of that... Sapphire? I think that was her name. The princess lady. She's probably the most annoying character in the series and I hate her VA to boot.

Yeah, didn't really care that much for Sapphire either. Plus I never really used her as I already had a Gunslinger on hand.

My biggest shame though, I haven't beaten Baal yet. I grind for awhile, but eventually get bored and forget the game long enough to completely forget about it.

To be honest, as much as I love the Disgaea games, I'll probably never have enough patience to grind enough so I can take on Baal.

From what I've heard, D4's Baal is probably the most insane out of all of them.

 

[scorptatious]

On another note: my least favourite cast was from Disgaea 3. Mao was a bit irritating and I found him generally unlikeable - unlike most other Disgaea protagonists.

I sorta have a bit of a soft spot for Mao. Mainly because his VA is also the guy who does Edward Elric from Fullmetal Alchemist.

 

[CrimsonBlaze]

Although I haven't played Disgaea 4, I intend to and it seems like it would a great game due to a lot of its features and characters.

Based on the Disgaea titles that I have played, my absolute favorite is Disgaea 2 for several reasons. On a personal level, it was the first Disgaea title that I ever played and the first that got me interested in the JRPG series in the first place. The intro itself was enough to merit a purchase and the actual gameplay is amazing.

On a more gamer level, having played Disgaea 1 and 3, I feel that Disgaea 2 is the best of both worlds. You can use Stack attacks (absent in D1) and I don't mind the absent of Stack Specials (which I never used in D3); the Master/Student system returns in D2, allowing for several characters using inherited skills (Rozalin as Gunner/Healer, Red Skull knowing all Magic Skills, Healer/Star Mage, etc.) and it is a real shame that it is absent in both D3 & D4; the story is a good length (13 chapters, more than D1 & D3) and there are a lot of bills to pass to access other areas and characters; and the characters are just great (Adell and Rozalin are my favorite Disgaea protagonists).

I feel that completing D1 and D3 allowed me to restart Disgaea 2 and take advantage of everything that is available in this title, as well as the Lovers.

On another note, why is that I never hear any love for Disgaea 2? Everyone adores Disgaea 1 and I always hear about Disgaea 3 and 4, but not Disgaea 2? What's up with that?

 

[scorptatious]

On another note, why is that I never hear any love for Disgaea 2? Everyone adores Disgaea 1 and I always hear about Disgaea 3 and 4, but not Disgaea 2? What's up with that?

I agree with this. While it's not my favorite of the series, I do feel Disgaea 2 is the most underrated in the series. I hear a lot of people say they disliked Adell, but I don't know, I kinda like how he plays the straight man in a series filled with oddball characters. And Rozalin is up there as one of my most favorite Disgaea characters. Plus I feel it has the best Item World theme:


Also friggen Axel:

 

[CrimsonBlaze]

On another note, why is that I never hear any love for Disgaea 2? Everyone adores Disgaea 1 and I always hear about Disgaea 3 and 4, but not Disgaea 2? What's up with that?

I agree with this. While it's not my favorite of the series, I do feel Disgaea 2 is the most underrated in the series. I hear a lot of people say they disliked Adell, but I don't know, I kinda like how he plays the straight man in a series filled with oddball characters. And Rozalin is up there as one of my most favorite Disgaea characters. Plus I feel it has the best Item World theme:


Also friggen Axel:

Thank you; glad someone out there appreciates Disgaea 2. Also, I have heard that about Adell, but it didn't really deter from having him as one of my favorite protagonists.

On another note, I've noticed how Valvatorez seems to be an "upgraded Adell archtype," as he is hellbent to keep his promises, uses a lot of tact to get through situations, and having a level head at times while still being a likable nut like other more favorable leading protagonists like Laharl and Mao.

Maybe Valvatorez was meant to replace Adell's archtype and hence why Adell is often left out of the conversation.

 

[ten.to.ten]

Ranked in order of my personal preference:

D3: I'm surprised so few people seem to like it, and everyone's criticisms of it are what I love about it. It was very silly... but I think if a Disgaea game wasn't silly it wouldn't be a Disgaea. The characters and their interactions with each other were ridiculous in a good way, especially Mao and Beryl's rivalry, I thought the school setting worked really well, the battle system and music weren't the best in the series but they were certainly very good.

D2: Definitely the black sheep of the series, I thought it had the best music and battle system by far, but I thought the characters and story were a little dull. Not terrible, I did grow to like them, plus Adell is probably the sexiest guy in the whole Disgaea universe, but it's a lot more serious than the other games in the series.

D4: I haven't completed this one yet so maybe it's unfair to rank it, but I feel like I have a pretty good idea. I really like the political theme, but just about everything else I feel falls flat. The characters are good, but not as good as D3's, the battle system is good, but not as good as D2's, the music is average, the story's not as interesting as it could have been.

D1: The unrefined gameplay compared to the games that came after it makes it hard for me to play this one. The characters were okay, but I didn't love them, I thought the humour often fell flat, and the story is pretty dull.

 

[Lunar Templar]

I only played 1 and 2, but I liked 2 more, mostly cause of Rozy, and there where some plot twists and suggestions in 2 I just liked more then 1.

plus, Etna and Laharl? annoying as fuck.

 

[scorptatious]

On another note, I've noticed how Valvatorez seems to be an "upgraded Adell archtype," as he is hellbent to keep his promises, uses a lot of tact to get through situations, and having a level head at times while still being a likable nut like other more favorable leading protagonists like Laharl and Mao.

Maybe Valvatorez was meant to replace Adell's archtype and hence why Adell is often left out of the conversation.

I suppose. I mean usurping the regime was pretty much Fenrich's idea due to his loyalty to Val and what he personally wants for him. Val really only started to go after the corrupterment due to them attempting to exterminate all the prinnies. If that didn't happen, he would probably still be in Hades teaching prinnies and munching on sardines.

...

Actually even if he did become absolute ruler of everything, he would still be doing that. He doesn't strike me as the power hungry type like Laharl and Mao.

 

[verdant monkai]

So I decided to make the obligatory "Which *insert game here* is your favorite?" thread. This time about Disgaea!

I hate to cut in off topic but you seem like you are passionate about this series and I was thinking about getting into it, so I was wondering if you could answer a few questions for me? Such as...

Is there a lot of grind?
Can you revisit areas to train?
Is there a strong story focus?
Is it anything like Final Fantasy tactics where you all move around on a grid?

 

[A Weakgeek]

So I decided to make the obligatory "Which *insert game here* is your favorite?" thread. This time about Disgaea!

I hate to cut in off topic but you seem like you are passionate about this series and I was thinking about getting into it, so I was wondering if you could answer a few questions for me? Such as...

Is there a lot of grind?
Can you revisit areas to train?
Is there a strong story focus?
Is it anything like Final Fantasy tactics where you all move around on a grid?

Yes. Well, you don't need that much to finish the story if you know what you are doing, but generally yes.

Yes, and you'll be expected to.

Not really. Unless you're REALLY into Anime tropes.

Yes.

EDIT: Oh and also, the game has some pretty darn shameless cheese. Just felt like Id tell ya, since its a hot issue nowdays.

OT: I haven't played D3 and D4 because I don't have a PS3/PSP/Vita, but from the first two, I prefer the 2nd. Mainly because healers get exp from healing, thieves are op and the only character I really gave a damn, Etna (Im not a big anime guy so I don't care about the story that much) was in it anyways. I also found Adell way less obnoxious than Laharl.

 

[scorptatious]

So I decided to make the obligatory "Which *insert game here* is your favorite?" thread. This time about Disgaea!

I hate to cut in off topic but you seem like you are passionate about this series and I was thinking about getting into it, so I was wondering if you could answer a few questions for me? Such as...

Is there a lot of grind?
Can you revisit areas to train?
Is there a strong story focus?
Is it anything like Final Fantasy tactics where you all move around on a grid?

If you just want to play the main story, there isn't too much grinding needed, but it does help in the long run. Post game though, there is a ton of grinding involved. The lv. cap is 9999, and even then, you'll most likely need to do reincarnating in order to boost your stats. Thankfully though, there are a lot of ways to make the process pretty easy.

Yes you can revisit areas to train. In fact some levels are designed around grinding. For example, in some levels, there are a group of enemies in a 3x3 formation standing on EXP+50% panels. So you can kill them all and go through the level multiple times real quickly and get your characters up to a desired level relatively fast.

Story wise, yes, the games do have a pretty strong focus. They are a bit light hearted and don't take themselves too seriously for the most part, but they also have some serious moments as well.
I notice that 3 and 4 spend more time telling a story compared to 1 and 2, but I like to think it's mainly due to the limitations of the PS2.

And yes, the game is like tactics in which you move characters on a grid. The main difference being ( from what I've seen in tactics anyway as I've never played Tactics)is that you can move all your characters at once rather then by going by turn order. As can your enemy.

Hope this helps!

 

[A Weakgeek]

So I decided to make the obligatory "Which *insert game here* is your favorite?" thread. This time about Disgaea!

I hate to cut in off topic but you seem like you are passionate about this series and I was thinking about getting into it, so I was wondering if you could answer a few questions for me? Such as...

Is there a lot of grind?
Can you revisit areas to train?
Is there a strong story focus?
Is it anything like Final Fantasy tactics where you all move around on a grid?

If you just want to play the main story, there isn't too much need to grind. Post game though, there is a ton of grinding involved. The lv. cap is 9999, and even then, you'll most likely need to do reincarnating in order to boost your stats. Thankfully though, there are a lot of ways to make the process pretty easy.

Yes you can revisit areas to train. In fact some levels are designed around grinding. For example, in some levels, there are a group of enemies in a 3x3 formation standing on EXP+50% panels. So you can kill them all and go through the level multiple times real quickly and get your characters up to a desired level relatively fast.

Story wise, yes, the games do have a pretty strong focus. They are a bit light hearted and don't take themselves too seriously for the most part, but they also have some serious moments as well.
I notice that 3 and 4 spend more time telling a story compared to 1 and 2, but I like to think it's mainly due to the limitations of the PS2.

And yes, the game is like tactics in which you move characters on a grid. The main difference being ( from what I've seen in tactics anyway as I've never played Tactics)is that you can move all your characters at once rather then by going by turn order. As can your enemy.

Hope this helps!

Oh by the way, since you probably know. Did they ever return healing exp into the series?