Hey there everybody. I'll simply cut to the chase and say how the Disgaea series has consumed most of my life. From the time that the very first game was released here in the states back in 2003, up until now, I've kept at least one game in my eternal library of games. It's just been a timeless classic that despite a few aspects of the game remaining the same over the course of 9 years, the game never feels old. Every single title is a joy to behold as the level grinding, strategic gameplay, wacky characters, and nonsensical plot keeps things interesting. It's due to the game's over the top nature that I can honestly say it's in my top 10 list of best video game series.
To set things in perspective, Disgaea is a strategy rpg series in which you move your characters on a grid to attack enemies. Taking place within the Netherworld, you are able to summon both monster and humanoid type demons. This ranges from catgirls, ninjas, ghosts, mages, succubi, penquins, and everything else inbetween. Simply enough, you are constantly taking turns until either you run out of characters to use, or you defeat all the enemies on the field. As I said previously, however, this game is over the top. One of the true beauty shines when using special attacks. It's not uncommon to see numerous video game, movie, or anime references thrown into the mix. To see characters spawn giant mechs, attack characters in a horendous, yet adorable Godzilla suit, or jump onto a giant ball to gather enemies up via Katamari style. These flashy, humourous, and downright epic animations really drew out the inner nerd in me, with me being able to spot several references from series such as Katamari, Bleach(manga), Neon Genesis Evangelion, Pacman, Dragonball Z, and Super Sentai(Essentially Power Rangers in the west), and several others.
Even though this game has flashy attacks and countless references, there actually is quite a bit of depth gameplay wise. Even though the game features an actual storyline, as nonsensical as it can be at times, the fun doesn't stop once you complete it. The game is well known for raising the bar, and making the maximum level cap for every character 9999. Despite you being able to obtain triple experience(for the first enemy you defeat on a single map) you can only imagine how long it would take to reach the maximum level. With there being character leveling as well as item leveling(yes, you can level up items as well), hidden characters, and secret bosses, it shouldn't come to a suprise that this game is very time consuming.
As mentioned previously, the game can't be taken seriously at times. This may turn people away, or bring people closer to the series. For me, I had no problems with it. Characters may die only to appear as a penguin type character known as a Prinny, or cast vengence on their father due to crushing their "Slaystation Portable". Even the fact that one character somehow goes from being a famous rock star/hero to the President shows how wacky the game is. Characters often time reference their own character class, titles, or even parody common themes within other games. Personally I don't feel that this is a bad thing, as the humor allows you to enjoy yourself with the game, not being overwhelmed by melowdrama. Despite all the humor, the game does present interesting takes on good and evil, whether a character is a human, angel, or demon. Definitely a plus there.
All in all, Disgaea is a series that has been apart of my life since it's release. I feel that if I were to rid myself of the series, I would lose something truly important to me. The countless, endless hours that I've spent on these games are overwhelming, if not admittably sad. Despite me owning all of the games of the series, it shocks me even now that I have yet to reach level 9999. Due to either starting from scratch, life issues, or finding a sequel once I've finally made my way through another has always been a problem. Even though all of these factors, I always find my way crawling back to the series, content with the idea that I may always discover something new. Whether your a fan of strategy rpgs or not, I highly recommend this series. The humor is fresh, characters are entertaining, and the gameplay is suprisingly deep. Let yourself be consumed by the random, sleep depriving world of Disgaea.
I felt good when typing this up. How many games of the Disgaea series or video games total? If your talking disgaea games, I have them all. If you mean video games total, I would say around 30-35(counting ps1 games and digital downloads as well as ps3)
