OK, couldn't wait, so I went ahead and bought Disgaea 2 right away. This minireview is based on only 2-3 hours of gameplay, so YMMV. Also keep in mind my background: I've played a lot of RPGs, but as far as SRPGs go, this is my 3rd (both FFTs being the other two). If you've played Disgaea 1, you should probably read IGN's review instead, which tells you of the differences (the game is supposedly mostly similar, with some improvements).
The graphics are 2D isometric, with smoother rotation and zooming. The game flows quick: you always run, and the text display is speedy by default. Some loading times, but nothing annoying.
Music: I like most music. Sound effects are good.
Intros are anime-style. You get 3 intros to start off- when you put them game in, optional trailer intro, and game start.
You start off with 5 characters in your party, and can grow to 10. Lots of stats and stuff to keep track of. Definitely geared to the hardcore gamer, though I can see some newbies playing this too unless.
There is no overworld as such: you kind of teleport into towns and maps right away. This is similar to FFT, except that you choose your destination through menus instead of moving through map connections.
Characters in town are static: they don't even move randomly about. Now I do NOT find fault with this, in fact it works well because the game's focus is combat (for the most part), but one would think that in 2006 an RPG would have townspeople activity be at least a wee realistic. Oh well.
Storyline. The ultimate goal is killing the bad guy. Other than that, the story has been half-original so far. I kind of like the story, except for a few bits here and there (again, I haven't played much). But then again, I'm notorious for having likes and dislikes quite different from other people (as far as storylines go).
And now, since the focus of the game is combat, there's plenty of info below. Please note, some of this stuff I read in tutorials and haven't tried it, so I apologize for any errors.
1. Characters can lift other characters (and presumably items on the field?), and then throw them again. A screenshot in IGN shows a large stack of characters, so it seems characters can lift characters that are already lifting other characters. This opens many possibilities because you could arrange for fast movement across the board, if you play the cards right. Tutorial text in the game states that mastering this is key to clearing some maps. There is plenty of strategy here: this is how you would get characters on high spaces, or get them out of danger.
2. Combos/chain attacks. Sometimes if a character attacks an enemy, and the character is next to a friend, then they both attack together. This gives you bonus points. Bonus points work a little bit like XP in the sense that you raise "bonus levels" every time your bonus points reaches some max. (But you always begin each combat at 0.) Then, towards the end of the map you earn bonus stuff depending on the "bonus level" you've reached. You can gain money, items, experience, etc. You can see which bonuses are available during combat, by means of a menu option (duh). You can replay maps (except tutorial maps), so it may be that you need to come back if you want some of the higher-level bonuses for a map. Because of this bonus thing, it is in a player's interest to use combos a lot.
3. Geo-stuff. There are some colored spaces on the combat grid called geo-panels. There are also some items called Geo-something (I forgot), which are laying about on the field. If a panel has one or more of the Geo-items on it, then standing anywhere on that panel would grant you some effects (sometimes good effects, sometimes bad). You can lift and throw the Geo-objects, so you get to alter the effects on a panel. Some effects apply to enemies, so sometimes strategy here is very important. This gives the game a puzzle-like aspect, without losing the SRPGness. Also, if you destroy the Geo-objects, then the panels change to the color of the Geo-object just destroyed. Why is this useful? Geo-panels are not necessarily contiguous: you can have green panels over here and green panels over there, which means that a Geo-object on one green-panel section grants the effect to all green-panel sections. Also, if you destroy a special colorless Geo-object called the nullifier or something like that, then you destroy the panel that it was standing in altogether. So if you destroy Geo-objects in such a way that you make all panels become of the same color, you can then destroy all of them with the nullifier and earn a bonus.
4. Traveling into item worlds. I haven't done this yet. This carries on from Disgaea 1, where it was apparently a key mechanic of the game. Each item has a dungeon in it. Every time you clear a dungeon level, the item raises a level. Common items have shallow items (you can not level far). But rare and "legendary" items have a very deep dungeon structure, allowing you to level the items a lot. There's also some strange stuff about finding some "Innocent" creatures that, when defeated, grant powers to items. These creatures can also be migrated to other items, allowing you to perform "Item Synthesis". Each item has a limit on the amount of these creatures that it can have, with rare and legendary items having a larger limit. Also, instead of reaching for the exit gate in a dungeon level (which would lead you to the next level), you can go into portals leading to "mysterious rooms", an example of which is a shop inside the item world. I don't know which other mysterious worlds are there.
5. Dark Assembly. You can sumbit "bills" into the dark assembly. If they are approved, then you gain its benefits. There are bills that make shops carry better stuff, maps have stronger monsters, etc. There are many possible bills. But, to get approval you have to bribe senators, etc, etc, etc. (I haven't done this yet.) You can also sumbit bills that allow you to reincarnate. If you do so, your chosen character changes class and starts again at level 1. Now, there is some inheritance factor that determines how much of your older skill set do you carry forward when you reincarnate. This factor is never 100%, but creating the "ultimate character" is still possible. Eventually more jobs open up for reincarnation. The back of the box says that there are more than 200 jobs to choose from. Wow. However, it makes sense when you note that one of the characters is a red mage -- he only does fire magic. Another bill lets you create a new character. Your chosen character then becomes the master of the new apprentice. Master and apprentice deal more damage at combo attacks. Also, the master has access to all of the skillset that the apprentice has learned independently.
6. Dark Court. There is a dark court that rewards you for being bad and punishes you for being good. (This is, after all, a demon world.) I'm not allowed to even look at the tutorial for this yet.
7. Hospitals give you bonus gifts based on how much you have healed and resurrected your characters. So, as they say, "have fun getting hurt".
Well, that's it for now. Feedback is welcome.
The graphics are 2D isometric, with smoother rotation and zooming. The game flows quick: you always run, and the text display is speedy by default. Some loading times, but nothing annoying.
Music: I like most music. Sound effects are good.
Intros are anime-style. You get 3 intros to start off- when you put them game in, optional trailer intro, and game start.
You start off with 5 characters in your party, and can grow to 10. Lots of stats and stuff to keep track of. Definitely geared to the hardcore gamer, though I can see some newbies playing this too unless.
There is no overworld as such: you kind of teleport into towns and maps right away. This is similar to FFT, except that you choose your destination through menus instead of moving through map connections.
Characters in town are static: they don't even move randomly about. Now I do NOT find fault with this, in fact it works well because the game's focus is combat (for the most part), but one would think that in 2006 an RPG would have townspeople activity be at least a wee realistic. Oh well.
Storyline. The ultimate goal is killing the bad guy. Other than that, the story has been half-original so far. I kind of like the story, except for a few bits here and there (again, I haven't played much). But then again, I'm notorious for having likes and dislikes quite different from other people (as far as storylines go).
And now, since the focus of the game is combat, there's plenty of info below. Please note, some of this stuff I read in tutorials and haven't tried it, so I apologize for any errors.
1. Characters can lift other characters (and presumably items on the field?), and then throw them again. A screenshot in IGN shows a large stack of characters, so it seems characters can lift characters that are already lifting other characters. This opens many possibilities because you could arrange for fast movement across the board, if you play the cards right. Tutorial text in the game states that mastering this is key to clearing some maps. There is plenty of strategy here: this is how you would get characters on high spaces, or get them out of danger.
2. Combos/chain attacks. Sometimes if a character attacks an enemy, and the character is next to a friend, then they both attack together. This gives you bonus points. Bonus points work a little bit like XP in the sense that you raise "bonus levels" every time your bonus points reaches some max. (But you always begin each combat at 0.) Then, towards the end of the map you earn bonus stuff depending on the "bonus level" you've reached. You can gain money, items, experience, etc. You can see which bonuses are available during combat, by means of a menu option (duh). You can replay maps (except tutorial maps), so it may be that you need to come back if you want some of the higher-level bonuses for a map. Because of this bonus thing, it is in a player's interest to use combos a lot.
3. Geo-stuff. There are some colored spaces on the combat grid called geo-panels. There are also some items called Geo-something (I forgot), which are laying about on the field. If a panel has one or more of the Geo-items on it, then standing anywhere on that panel would grant you some effects (sometimes good effects, sometimes bad). You can lift and throw the Geo-objects, so you get to alter the effects on a panel. Some effects apply to enemies, so sometimes strategy here is very important. This gives the game a puzzle-like aspect, without losing the SRPGness. Also, if you destroy the Geo-objects, then the panels change to the color of the Geo-object just destroyed. Why is this useful? Geo-panels are not necessarily contiguous: you can have green panels over here and green panels over there, which means that a Geo-object on one green-panel section grants the effect to all green-panel sections. Also, if you destroy a special colorless Geo-object called the nullifier or something like that, then you destroy the panel that it was standing in altogether. So if you destroy Geo-objects in such a way that you make all panels become of the same color, you can then destroy all of them with the nullifier and earn a bonus.
4. Traveling into item worlds. I haven't done this yet. This carries on from Disgaea 1, where it was apparently a key mechanic of the game. Each item has a dungeon in it. Every time you clear a dungeon level, the item raises a level. Common items have shallow items (you can not level far). But rare and "legendary" items have a very deep dungeon structure, allowing you to level the items a lot. There's also some strange stuff about finding some "Innocent" creatures that, when defeated, grant powers to items. These creatures can also be migrated to other items, allowing you to perform "Item Synthesis". Each item has a limit on the amount of these creatures that it can have, with rare and legendary items having a larger limit. Also, instead of reaching for the exit gate in a dungeon level (which would lead you to the next level), you can go into portals leading to "mysterious rooms", an example of which is a shop inside the item world. I don't know which other mysterious worlds are there.
5. Dark Assembly. You can sumbit "bills" into the dark assembly. If they are approved, then you gain its benefits. There are bills that make shops carry better stuff, maps have stronger monsters, etc. There are many possible bills. But, to get approval you have to bribe senators, etc, etc, etc. (I haven't done this yet.) You can also sumbit bills that allow you to reincarnate. If you do so, your chosen character changes class and starts again at level 1. Now, there is some inheritance factor that determines how much of your older skill set do you carry forward when you reincarnate. This factor is never 100%, but creating the "ultimate character" is still possible. Eventually more jobs open up for reincarnation. The back of the box says that there are more than 200 jobs to choose from. Wow. However, it makes sense when you note that one of the characters is a red mage -- he only does fire magic. Another bill lets you create a new character. Your chosen character then becomes the master of the new apprentice. Master and apprentice deal more damage at combo attacks. Also, the master has access to all of the skillset that the apprentice has learned independently.
6. Dark Court. There is a dark court that rewards you for being bad and punishes you for being good. (This is, after all, a demon world.) I'm not allowed to even look at the tutorial for this yet.
7. Hospitals give you bonus gifts based on how much you have healed and resurrected your characters. So, as they say, "have fun getting hurt".
Well, that's it for now. Feedback is welcome.
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