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Disgaea 5 Review Thread Dood

C

Cow Goes Moo

Member
YianGaruga said:
The only thing I'm not really sold on (and find kind of offputting) is the season pass. How essential do you guys think the DLC will be?
Click to expand...

most of the dlc in disgaea games are just extra characters and scenarios from other mainline games, 1-4 in this instance and some other NIS games like makai kingdom and maybe asagi

so it's not really essential unless you want to see whacky crossovers or just use laharl
 
A

AuthenticM

Member
So from what I understand, Disgaea 5 is the The Taken King of the series, in that it fixes and streamlines a lot of stuff to make the whole package better?
 
P

Parakeetman

No one wants a throne you've been sitting on!
Dio said:
You said grinding with bits of story in between. Unless you consider gameplay 'grinding,' that's being misleading.

It's more like

[Playing a regular SRPG with story] -> [Finish game] -> [Postgame hundreds of hours of grinding for postgame content]
Click to expand...

Thats because it is grinding with story bits in between.

The very basics of its design is leveling your characters, even more so when you get new ones opened up. Which means dragging them along repeating stages, gaining cash, outfitting them with new stuff, doing the item world etc.

The game is literally designed to make grinding as painless as possible with how everything is set up. But its still grinding in the end.

This is just talking about the general design with the series, in terms of gameplay mechanics, characters and content its a fantastic series. But lets not wear rose colored glasses and try to say that the game isnt about grinding.
 
OmegaDL50

OmegaDL50

Member
AuthenticM said:
So from what I understand, Disgaea 5 is the The Taken King of the series, in that it fixes and streamlines a lot of stuff to make the whole package better?
Click to expand...

It's the penultimate version of the series in terms of mechanics and gameplay. Everything was refined and sharpened to a razor edge.

The story and characters may not be the best in the series, but from a gameplay perspective it is the pinnacle, until NIS somehow outdoes themselves again.
 
M

Metroidvania

People called Romanes they go the house?
Cow Goes Moo said:
most of the dlc in disgaea games are just extra characters and scenarios from other mainline games, 1-4 in this instance and some other NIS games like makai kingdom and maybe asagi

so it's not really essential unless you want to see whacky crossovers or just use laharl
Click to expand...

To be fair, though, usually, at the very least, there's been Laharl and Co. included in the game proper, along with Axel, and one member from the 'last' game.

Here...there's nothing, save for one of the regulars
Asagi
. It's all DLC.

Anywho, good scores, though I'm curious how many of them actually got super into the endgame.

The low % aptitude gains from the chara-game world do not seem appealing compared to DD2's dojo.
 
D

Dio

Banned
Parakeetman said:
Thats because it is grinding with story bits in between.

The very basics of its design is leveling your characters, even more so when you get new ones opened up. Which means dragging them along repeating stages, gaining cash, outfitting them with new stuff, doing the item world etc.

The game is literally designed to make grinding as painless as possible with how everything is set up. But its still grinding in the end.

This is just talking about the general design with the series, in terms of gameplay mechanics, characters and content its a fantastic series. But lets not wear rose colored glasses and try to say that the game isnt about grinding.
Click to expand...

No. The beautiful thing about Disgaea is that you can beat the story mode of any Disgaea with little to zero grinding, but if you want to use the Item World (optional) Character World (optional) do postgame (optional) you can spend hundreds of hours there.
 
Z

Zippedpinhead

Member
I love disgaea, but I can't dedicate the time required to really play these games on anything but a handheld.

Seriously, so much love for the series, but I just can't do it. I've got kids.... They need to see their father
 
D

dark_prinny

Banned
GZPCprA.gif
 
OmegaDL50

OmegaDL50

Member
Dio said:
No. The beautiful thing about Disgaea is that you can beat the story mode of any Disgaea with little to zero grinding, but if you want to use the Item World (optional) Character World (optional) do postgame (optional) you can spend hundreds of hours there.
Click to expand...

Pretty much. For example Statisticians are given to you through equipment found in the bonus board. Also the Innocent farm allows you to raise innocents like Pokemon Day care, because of this grinding for innocents is not even an issue anymore. Unlike Disgaea 4 for example in which Statisticians could only be obtained through Pirating / Reverse Pirating.

Also there is the Cheat Shop with stacked Statisticians. A character can go from level 1 to 9999 in a single battle simply by hoarding as many Statisticians you get through bonus gauge items during the story game and raising them well with the Innocent Farm and being totally ready by the post game.

Yes a lot of the grind is truncated and streamlined compared to previous titles in the series.
 
A

AwShucks

Member
I'm disappointed at the criticism of the story. Disgaea 4 was my favorite Disgaea story yet. Also not thrilled with surprising difficulty spikes, but it sounds like they made those easier to overcome.

In the end, the reviews are pretty good and it's Disgaea. Some small hits, especially when most still say the gameplay is the best it's ever been, are not going to deter me. Pre-order still in full effect!

AmethystEnd said:
Could remote play be an option for you?
Click to expand...

As somebody with a three year old myself, if it wasn't for the Vita (games and remote play) I have no idea how I would get through RPGs.
 
P

Pai Pai Master

Banned
I love disgaea games but I never actually finish them. They're kinda long but I always have a blast with them. Maybe I'm doing it wrong and spending too much time on shit I won't benefit from.

Only one I ever finished was the original because I liked those characters the most. Maybe I need to try D2.
 
T

Torraz

Member
Still playing the japanese version and treading water in the post game...

For the first time I had the feeling that most game systems are squarely aimed (in a somewhat congruent manner) with regard to assisting the player. It's still quite grindy, but in a doable / relatively fun way.

I actually really liked the cast and story (for what it's worth). No bullshit like the sardines etc, but it has its own tropes.
 
F

Flarin

Member
OmegaDL50 said:
It's the penultimate version of the series in terms of mechanics and gameplay. Everything was refined and sharpened to a razor edge.

The story and characters may not be the best in the series, but from a gameplay perspective it is the pinnacle, until NIS somehow outdoes themselves again.
Click to expand...

I think that perfectly sums this game up.
 
S

Shinjica

Member
Torraz said:
Still playing the japanese version and treading water in the post game...

For the first time I had the feeling that most game systems are squarely aimed (in a somewhat congruent manner) with regard to assisting the player. It's still quite grindy, but in a doable / relatively fun way.

I actually really liked the cast and story (for what it's worth). No bullshit like the sardines etc, but it has its own tropes.
Click to expand...

Well, D2 really polish the grind system so i cannot think that they made a foot back on this one
 
OmegaDL50

OmegaDL50

Member
Shinjica said:
Well, D2 really polish the grind system so i cannot think that they made a foot back on this one
Click to expand...

The biggest improvement in DD2 in my opinion was the return of Weapon Mastery being like Disgaea 1 and 2, and Item Rarity no longer needing to have identical numbers for the rarity bonus. Also the thing in which Items such as Common could be promoted to Rare, and Rare items promoted to Legendary. Simply going through Item World increases the items Levels and Rarity. This mechanic returns in Disgaea 5.
 
S

Sonofyama

Neo Member
Kenzodielocke said:
Can anyone summarize in one sentence what this game is about ? It always reminded me of FF tacitcs.
Click to expand...

Its a fast paced, tongue in cheek SRPG with an amazing amount of depth, particularly post game and if you don't mind a bit of a grind.

Had it pre-ordered since it was announced I cannot wait to dive in DOOD!
 
V

Verelios

Member
I don't think Disgaea was ever difficult aside from some extremely shitty enemy and geo placement.

God, I love/hate geo panels, those damn things.
 
M

Murkas

Member
I might give this one a miss, after 4 games I don't think I can sink hundreds of hours anymore into this series anymore, starting to feel burnt out, plus it seems to get more "otaku" (if that's the word I'm looking for) as the series goes on, Disgaea 4 got too much for me in some parts with that stuff.

Might wait out in hope for the complete edition to be honest.
 
H

Halabane

Member
If the main sites review this game. Which I am not sure they will, there are a lot of games coming out. I think this is more likely what they will be saying based on playing the demo: The OP cut out the perfect parts. I have only played the demo.

CGMagazine 7/10

"At its best, Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance is charming. At its worst, it’s very tedious. Unfortunately, its lack of flow and terrible voice acting really hurt any momentum the game picks up from the fun and rewarding parts of the game. If you’re a fan of the series, you’ll probably enjoy this because it’s just like any other Disgaea title. If you’re new to the franchise, you can probably find something better to spend your money on."

Niche
", I’d still recommend Disgaea 1 over this title. While the gameplay and visuals might have been vastly improved since 2003, there’s a reason characters from the first game keep finding their way into other iterations—it’s simply as good as it gets."


VA for this game is important to the humor of this game. The characters from 1-4 were lots of fun. What is left is the gameplay which deserves high marks but without fun characters and decent story with humor its going to be a tough sell. Its that irreverence that sells this game.

Most of the sites in the OP are.,..well I never even heard of some of them. So I don't know how the mainstream guys will review this. It starts off poorly. Don't know if will hook them. Starting to think to cancel the preorder and wait for this in the discount bin. There is way to much other stuff to play this fall.
 
A

AwShucks

Member
Verelios said:
I don't think Disgaea was ever difficult aside from some extremely shitty enemy and geo placement.

God, I love/hate geo panels, those damn things.
Click to expand...

Out of all the Disgaea games I only didn't finish Disgaea 3. I beat a chapter boss, with ease. Then I started the next chapter and died to random enemies in one shot. I tried a few times. Did a few level up things. Without putting a few useless hours into overcoming them, I wasn't going to be able to do it. Eventually said "oh well, I'm done".

Sometimes I regret it. Other times I remember that Disgaea 3 was my least favorite as far as characters/story is concerned. If Disgaea 5 is better than that in the story/characters, I'll be satisfied.
 
OmegaDL50

OmegaDL50

Member
You know I find some of the reviews interesting in regards to comment about the cast of Disgaea 1 being as good as it gets, despite the fact each mainline game each had it's own entirely new cast of characters from 1, 2, ,3 ,4 and 5. If truly was a significant issue then I'd say many people would have stopped playing it at Disgaea 2 since only 1 of the characters from D1 is returns as part of the story cast. Just something to consider.
 
E

erragal

Member
Pre-ordered for my Usalia figurine (that beautiful fat prinny). Don't even have a PS4 yet, will probably not actually play the game till December. It will be an agonizing wait for me!

Also since everyone is adding their side opinions: D4 has the best written characters and plotline which perfectly entwined the absurdity/fourth wall breaking along side character growth. I actually have never fully comprehended the steadily escalating love affair for Laharl as a character over time. Probably just an age thing.
 
R

Raticus79

Seek victory, not fairness
Dio said:
They said why. Disgaea 4 on Vita chugged on Item World maps, and that had 30 character max on screen at a time and 10 characters in higher definition:

Disgaea 5 has 100.

http://www.playstationlifestyle.net/2014/12/30/disgaea-5-ps4-exclusivity-explained/
Click to expand...

How has that frame rate been holding up for people, anyway? Can it actually maintain 60 fps with 100 on screen, or is that the new point where it starts to chug like it used to in the classrooms?

Either way, looking forward to the performance improvements.
 
M

Mr. Nice_Guy

Member
Parakeetman said:
Considering Ive been with the series from the start, Id say Im pretty right about it.

He wanted a short description, thats what it is.

Though game gives you all the tools to be smart about it which can greatly raise how fast you level. But grinding is still grinding regardless.
Click to expand...

But it really isn't until post game (been with the series since 1 as well). The main game is very light on grind, and if someone wanted to play just that much they would probably get their money's worth.

Post game oh yeah, the grindiest of the grinds, but I feel like saying the whole series is grinding would be a disservice.

I would sum it up as, "Wickedly off the wall and charming SRPG focused on crazy combos and insane amounts of post game content/grind".'


EDIT: I didn't see Asagi on the DLC list, is she in the main game or absent completely this time around?
 
M

Mifune

Mehmber
KuroPyonyo said:
Besides D2 every game is self contained. Every itteration added lots of quality of life features, so you'll be fine starting with this one.
Click to expand...

But what's the BEST one to start with? If one of the earlier ones is better I'd rather start there since it will be cheaper.
 
D

desmax

Member
Mr. Nice_Guy said:
EDIT: I didn't see Asagi on the DLC list, is she in the main game or absent completely this time around?
Click to expand...

She's in the main game. You can even see her hidden in the opening cinematic

Raticus79 said:
How has that frame rate been holding up for people, anyway? Can it actually maintain 60 fps with 100 on screen, or is that the new point where it starts to chug like it used to in the classrooms?

Either way, looking forward to the performance improvements.
Click to expand...

Yup, can maintain solid framerate.
BennyBlanco said:
How's the OST? D3 had a great one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nx6Au9hKcoQ
Click to expand...

Good stuff
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIhYK-wg_bE
 
G

Gentleman Jack

Member
Mifune said:
But what's the BEST one to start with? If one of the earlier ones is better I'd rather start there since it will be cheaper.
Click to expand...

It's a tradeoff. The first two games are less overwhelming to newcomers and have very strong stories in their own right. Subsequent games heap on equal measures of new mechanics and gameplay refinements. None of them take very long to get through the primary story if you're not a stickler for 100% completion.
 
Yoshi

Yoshi

Headmaster of Console Warrior Jugendstrafanstalt
Dio said:
Nope, wrong. Almost all of the grind is postgame content.

The reviews seem to state that there are spikes of difficulty, but those aren't going to be much of an issue at all.

The 'Disgaea is all about grinding' meme is unfair, since if you just want to play a 25-30 hour long SRPG you can play the story mode and not really need to grind.

The heavy grind is optional. Grinding has never been a major thing in the story mode of a single Disgaea, EVER.
Click to expand...

The problem with the Disgaea games is not that the grinding is strictly required to get through the story, because I think it is not, but that it is heavily promoted and that grinding completely trivializes the game. You can play the story content mostly grind-free, and it will be difficult, but it is discouraging to know that instead of coming up with a more clever way of approaching a mission, you could just grind like a dummy and brute force yourself through any mission easily. The end result is a completely unbalanced and strategically less interesing game.
 
S

Servbot24

Banned
I'm guessing this will be the first Disgaea game without a portable version, so I'm probably going to have to skip it. Looks good though.
 
R

Raticus79

Seek victory, not fairness
Mifune said:
But what's the BEST one to start with? If one of the earlier ones is better I'd rather start there since it will be cheaper.
Click to expand...

I'd say just play through the story mode of the first one. It'll give a good feel for the series. Don't bother trying to grind through all the postgame stuff - save that energy for 5.
 
M

Mifune

Mehmber
Gentleman Jack said:
It's a tradeoff. The first two games are less overwhelming to newcomers and have very strong stories in their own right. Subsequent games heap on equal measures of new mechanics and gameplay refinements. None of them take very long to get through the primary story if you're not a stickler for 100% completion.
Click to expand...

Raticus79 said:
I'd say just play through the story mode of the first one. It'll give a good feel for the series. Don't bother trying to grind through all the postgame stuff - save that energy for 5.
Click to expand...

Thanks, guys.

So the only question remaining is: PSP or PS2?
 
OmegaDL50

OmegaDL50

Member
Mifune said:
But what's the BEST one to start with? If one of the earlier ones is better I'd rather start there since it will be cheaper.
Click to expand...

Mechanically Disgaea 5 is the best game in the series.

Story and Plot for each game isn't connected outside some cameos of some of the cast of the previous game.

You can start with Disgaea 5 and the overall premise with the Netherworlds and Overlords is explained.

Also the Handheld versions always have the DLC and added content included for free that had to be paid separately in the console versions.

Disgaea 1 PSP is digital for PSN and works on the Vita and PS TV...if you want a entry level game, start from the beginning then you can jump into 5 if you are comfortable with the first game.
 
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