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Disgaea DS Review
October 13, 2008 | 12:09 PM PST
by: Matt Furtado
Kombo's Review Policy: Our reviews are written for you. Our goal is to write honest, to-the-point reviews that don't waste your time. This is why we've split our reviews into four sections: What the Game's About, What's Hot, What's Not and Final Word, so that you can easily find the information you want from our reviews.
What the Game's About
By now, the chances of you knowing what Disgaea is are pretty high. The franchise started on the PS2 with the highly critically acclaimed title, Disgaea: Hour of Darkness. Unfortunately, the title became scarce soon after it launched, and many were left hunting and paying massive sums to play the SRPG gem. Thankfully, we saw the title appear on the PSP last year. By sporting several new additions over the original, Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness became the definitive version of a classic. Now it's time for the DS owners to get a crack at this SRPG classic. The question still remains, will the DS trump the PSP version as the definitive version of Disgaea: Hour of Darkness?
What's Hot
The biggest addition to the DS edition is the use of the touch-screen. Much like Advanced Wars -- and soon to be released Fire Emblem -- Disgaea is making use of the touch-screen to make navigation and move selection much simpler for players. The touch-screen controls work nearly as well as you would expect them to. You are given the options of customizing the touch controls. You can choose from 1 touch activated controls or double touch -- much like using a computer mouse. I, personally, found the single touch much quicker and easier to deal with during combat situations, whereas the double touch better for menu options and customizing my characters abilities. In case touching isn't your thing, you can always opt out to use the d-pad and face buttons, if you see those better suited for your personal playing style.
Once you get by the newly implemented touch controls, you are greeted with the delectable cake of the title. The gameplay is what Disgaea is all about. Now, I don't want to spend a lot of time describing the gameplay of the title in grave detail, mainly because it's identical to the PSP version of the title. You traverse through the same Netherworld storyline, and lead Laharl to become the King of the Netherworld. To accomplish this feat, you must battle hundreds of demons with your loyal servant Etna and defeat all Overlord hopefuls. You can read up on all the great addicting gameplay elements of the title here.
Surprisingly, considering this was originally a PS2 title, this version holds the graphically quality to a high degree. Of course, it may not be as sharp, crisp, or detailed as the PS2 and PSP titles, but the DS holds its own against the superior hardware of those machines. The sprites -- while lacking noticeable detail -- look really solid on the DS screens.
What's Not
Unlike the PSP or PS2, the DS is constrained thanks to the DS cart. Unlike the DVD or UMD, the cart is much smaller and this forces developers to cut and compress information. Disgaea DS suffers from both. This version is plagued with compressed music, and the voice-acting from the PS2 and PSP versions are gone. Yes, the title does open with a small fragment of voice-acting, but you won't hear much more after that brief introduction. Are there detrimental to the overall experience? No, because the gameplay is still there and that's the main appeal of the game.
Even though the title makes use of the upper screen, it's pretty useless. The top screen offers a bird's eye view of the battlefield, and is pretty useless. It could have been more beneficial had it showed useful stats or served a valid purpose to enhancing the gameplay experience to a higher level.
Final Word
Overall, the DS version is not the definitive version of this title. If you own a PSP, get that edition to have the must satisfying and engaging Disgaea experience. However, if you only have a DS, then this version will satisfy you plenty. With the core gameplay intact and every key element that makes the game a pleasure still there, this is a solid DS pickup.
What the Game's About
By now, the chances of you knowing what Disgaea is are pretty high. The franchise started on the PS2 with the highly critically acclaimed title, Disgaea: Hour of Darkness. Unfortunately, the title became scarce soon after it launched, and many were left hunting and paying massive sums to play the SRPG gem. Thankfully, we saw the title appear on the PSP last year. By sporting several new additions over the original, Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness became the definitive version of a classic. Now it's time for the DS owners to get a crack at this SRPG classic. The question still remains, will the DS trump the PSP version as the definitive version of Disgaea: Hour of Darkness?
What's Hot
The biggest addition to the DS edition is the use of the touch-screen. Much like Advanced Wars -- and soon to be released Fire Emblem -- Disgaea is making use of the touch-screen to make navigation and move selection much simpler for players. The touch-screen controls work nearly as well as you would expect them to. You are given the options of customizing the touch controls. You can choose from 1 touch activated controls or double touch -- much like using a computer mouse. I, personally, found the single touch much quicker and easier to deal with during combat situations, whereas the double touch better for menu options and customizing my characters abilities. In case touching isn't your thing, you can always opt out to use the d-pad and face buttons, if you see those better suited for your personal playing style.
Once you get by the newly implemented touch controls, you are greeted with the delectable cake of the title. The gameplay is what Disgaea is all about. Now, I don't want to spend a lot of time describing the gameplay of the title in grave detail, mainly because it's identical to the PSP version of the title. You traverse through the same Netherworld storyline, and lead Laharl to become the King of the Netherworld. To accomplish this feat, you must battle hundreds of demons with your loyal servant Etna and defeat all Overlord hopefuls. You can read up on all the great addicting gameplay elements of the title here.
Surprisingly, considering this was originally a PS2 title, this version holds the graphically quality to a high degree. Of course, it may not be as sharp, crisp, or detailed as the PS2 and PSP titles, but the DS holds its own against the superior hardware of those machines. The sprites -- while lacking noticeable detail -- look really solid on the DS screens.
What's Not
Unlike the PSP or PS2, the DS is constrained thanks to the DS cart. Unlike the DVD or UMD, the cart is much smaller and this forces developers to cut and compress information. Disgaea DS suffers from both. This version is plagued with compressed music, and the voice-acting from the PS2 and PSP versions are gone. Yes, the title does open with a small fragment of voice-acting, but you won't hear much more after that brief introduction. Are there detrimental to the overall experience? No, because the gameplay is still there and that's the main appeal of the game.
Even though the title makes use of the upper screen, it's pretty useless. The top screen offers a bird's eye view of the battlefield, and is pretty useless. It could have been more beneficial had it showed useful stats or served a valid purpose to enhancing the gameplay experience to a higher level.
Final Word
Overall, the DS version is not the definitive version of this title. If you own a PSP, get that edition to have the must satisfying and engaging Disgaea experience. However, if you only have a DS, then this version will satisfy you plenty. With the core gameplay intact and every key element that makes the game a pleasure still there, this is a solid DS pickup.
November 20, 2009
