April and May Writing Contest!

[Ryuzaki]

For the rest of April and May, we will be holding the first ever Disgaea Reminisce Writing Contest! We will have 1 winner and 1 runner-up, both of which will receive a special prize!!

Everyone is welcome to participate~

The question that your essay will answer is:
"What is your favorite Nippon Ichi game and why is it the best?"

Specifications:

Length: 750 word minimum

Topic: Your subject matter can be about any aspect of the game, so long as it answers the question

Judging: Essays will be judged on content, grammar, style, and their ability to convince the reader that your favorite game is truly the best!

Deadline: Sunday, May 31th 11:59PM

Post your essays in this thread.

Good Luck to all!

~Ryuzaki~

[~Flonnedre Scarlet~]

Ever wanted an RPG where possibilities are endless – where a player can level up as much as he/she wants while gaining maximum stat growth at the same time? Based from my gaming experience, Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories is the game I recommend for you! Surely now, more people can afford a PS2 so they can take this game for a spin. 2 other games that I would recommend would be: Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice [you]IF[/you] you’re wealthy enough to afford a PS3, OR Disgaea 2 Portable but unfortunately, the English version [you]isn’t out yet[/you] so we shall be discussing Disgaea 2 for the PS2 in this essay.

Anime fans would love to appreciate Disgaea 2. If they’re hardcore gamers of RPG’s who are very enthusiastic of reaching the top of the mountain, then they can try gaining the maximum level of 9,999 while achieving the highest stats possible for any of their characters! Yes, I may sound like I’m bragging but based from cost of things you need to play this game and your interest for adorable characters (of course we’re talking about the young ladies unless you’re interested with shotas) [you]Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories[/you] is my MOST favorite Nippon Ichi game of all time! Taking the title of this game which is "Cursed Memories", my memories from playing this game for over a year wasn’t what you could call as "cursed".

I’ve been recommending so much about the game but let’s just cut to the chase. The game is truly my favorite among all Nippon Ichi games but of course, there’s no way I could call this game as "perfect" as it is, for you see, every game has its flaws but I won't be discussed here.

I won’t focus on the game’s storyline, since it’s up to you discover. Beating the game is simple. So then it’s time to give an analysis as to why I love playing this game so much. Nippon Ichi is a gaming company that features a system for its games wherein the characters have a maximum level cap of 9,999! Technically, gamers will grind over levels to gain [you]at least 45 billion experience points[/you] to reach the peak. Although it’s a slow process, it’s like it’ll take forever. But nothing is impossible if you accessorize your characters with enough gear, or should I say, "equip" your characters. The ideal method of leveling up quickly is by achieving the most amounts of experience points in the easiest way possible. Therefore, giving your characters the "best" equipment that will boost their stats at least 5-10 times better would be enough to eliminate the highest level enemies so maximum experience points are gained.

But you don’t get the best equipment right off the bat. Of course, each gear you equip to your desired character can be strengthened further, which gives way to the use of the Item World. This random yet dangerous dungeon is something not suited for beginners to face head-on without appropriate weapons and items; therefore, taking your time in practicing this marvel’s features is a must. The strategic, hardcore Disgaea gamer would love to improvise how his/her items will develop as its stats grow while you progress further deep within the Item World to raise your items levels. The catch is that, you don’t just travel downward in smooth sailing… As you go deeper, you will be facing enemies with levels much higher than those from previous floors. This is what makes the Item World very dangerous. You cannot escape if you don’t have the special "item", unless you are ready to take on the boss floor on every tenth floor in which an exit can be located. Whew.. Yes the Item World is a struggle for maximizing the power of your items..

That aside, if you combine together the level grinding along with the maximization of your proud equipment, there are certain challenges waiting for you in game that will test your characters’ strength if you got what it takes to hit the top. Some good accomplishments that you can be proud of upon achieving from this game are:

1. Managing to hit the level cap.
2. Maximizing your stats.
3. Defeat the "toughest" boss in the game.
4. How insanely high the damage you can deal..? Can you hit the billions? This is something that most hardcore gamers would love to brag about. (Yeah, right..)

I was reading some good strategy guides regarding this game 3 years ago. The content of the guide inspired me to spend so much grinding time for Disgaea 2 that I kept on going and going without giving up until I accomplished what I already have now. Just wanted to share you all these since I have never ever spent a year on only one game - the gameplay value is just……so addictive!

Two versions of Disgaea 2. Now there is an ever more recent version released for the PSP. However, discussing the Portable version here is out of the question..

So for all you PS2 owners, if you can manage to find a copy of Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories, then be sure to grab it! Enjoy and have fun playing the game. The trick is just to give it all you’ve got. Have patience, and never give up! The challenge lies ahead, and if you’re up to it, then don’t hesitate to go for it!

[humarwhitill]

Makai Kingdom: Chronicles of the Sacred Tome is by far my favorite NIS game. With its amount of customization, memorable characters, and quirky story line Makai Kingdom has left a permanent impression on what it takes to make a good SRPG.

Unlike Disgaea, where the only point of reincarnating is to increase your base stats or to learn new abilities, Makai Kingdom actually has a purpose to reincarnating. With each class having different passive side effects, such as thieves having a boost for jump and carrots having an increase in exp and mana. The main differences between these and the passive abilities in Disgaea 2 is that by choosing one class and then reincarnating the new class would still retain the old passive abilities. This system made it so that you could have a unit, such as a spell caster which normally couldn't use swords, that could have access to the highest tier of sword attacks.

This system for gaining abilities also allowed you to get rid of passive skills, or weapon skills, that you chose not to use. Similar to the Evilities and Special Attacks in Disgaea 3 there are a set number of slots that you could have an ability in. Each weapon and spell takes up one space, as well as the passive abilities. So if you needed to gain a new passive ability you would just have to remove a skill that was now obsolete.

Now you may be thinking, "Humar, there aren't that many weapons in the Disgaea games so this system seems like it wouldn't really matter since there aren't enough weapons to fill up the slots," that is where you would be wrong. Though Disgaea have less than ten weapons to choose from Makai Kingdom has over thirty different weapons to pick from. The weapons in Disgaea are relatively normal for an RPG. You have your swords, axes, and staffs, but Makai Kingdom is much more unique in the armory. Though Makai Kingdom does retain the "normal" weapons it also has weapons like magnets, wrenches, drills, balloons, pies, UFO's, and frying pans. These weapons each have unique effects also. Wrenches can be used to repair vehicles and UFO's are used to steal things.

Makai Kingdom also has a far greater number of character classes than other NIS games. Similar to the Disgaea games each class has six tiers that you can choose from, but unlike Disgaea you do not have to reincarnate every time to gain access to the next tier. This makes it much faster to gain access to the higher tiers since you do not have to reincarnate every time you move up a level. Due to the addition of modern warfare, Makai Kingdom has infantry type classes that we would never see in a Disgaea game. Makai also has a far greater choice of monster classes; like vampires, walking suits of armor, and farm products (corn and carrots).

Makai Kingdom has had the most memorable cast of characters out of any NIS game I have played. In the game you play as Zetta, the Bad@$$ freakin' Overlord, who has been changed into a book. Zetta can no longer fight and has lost his Netherworld. In his "weakened" state Zetta must call on his rival overlords to help him regain his netherworld. From the three headed Micky, to Seedle the Demon Samurai, to Alexander the God of Destruction, to Salome the other overlords each have a deep and rich story and with each one stands out as a unique character.

Throughout Makai's story there are many quirky comments, as there are in all NIS games. One of my favorite game story moments ever is when the peasant seen from [you]Monty Python and the Holy Grail[/you] is played out between Zetta and a piece of corn. As Zetta forces himself on the corn as the all powerful overlord we are told how the corn's society is an "Autonomous Collective" where everyone takes turns leading and all decisions must be verified at the bi-weekly meetings. Overlord Micky, who is actually three other overlords who are all attached, also adds for some funny story moments. Each of overlords that share a body, though they each have their own head, have greatly different personalities. Micky is the only one that actually wants to help Zetta where as the other two simply want to exploit Zetta in order to increase their own power.

One of the things that stood out to me about Makai Kingdom is that, unlike all of the Disgaea games, you the main characters do not actually take part in battle until they are unlocked post-game. In the Disgaea games something I never liked was how you could be playing as an overlord but at the same time were at level one and could be killed a random prinny. In Makai though the overlords are above fighting and because of this the battles that take place make more sense realistically.

Makai Kingdom has been my favorite NIS game and I hope that someday NIS will fulfill my dream of finally having a Makai Kingdom 2, with just as much to choose from character wise, all powerful overlord, and witty jokes that aren't funny because they are stupid but will actually make you life, that is if you can get the references.

[boogieknight]

When judging a game, it’s insufficient to fixate on a single aspect. Only by evaluating the overall game experience can a particular title be selected as the best. NIS developed a series of strategy RPGs that both raised the bar for insane levels of power and quirky humor in a genre that deserves to have a few laughs. While there have been a few twists on the formula, it has been the Disgaea series that stands supreme, and among them it is the third installment which surpasses them all.

Most NIS titles take place in a Netherworld with hints of a society and world building have been somewhat sparse until Disgaea 3. The entire Netherworld functions as a school, and this aspect permeates into many aspects of the game. While it could be argued that these are superficial modifications, one must appreciate the conscientiousness which went into tweaking elements like the Dark Assembly to fit the school theme.

That said, story and characters give the game strong appeal. The twists and turns can surprise even a veteran Disgaea player, yet the storytelling never lets the comedy take a back seat. During the early parts of the game, the dynamic between Mao and Almaz reminds me of buddy comedies, and when more characters get entwined into the story it only gets funnier. As much as Raspberyl has a fanbase as the rebellious do-gooder, Sapphire definitely gets points for inverting the cliché of the princess in peril, and let us not forget the sagacious madman serving as Home Economics teacher. As colorful and interesting as the normal characters are, I like that generic characters are used to play minor characters. With the menagerie of characters to create for participation in battle, it was a disappointment that generics were almost completely ignored as participants in the plot.

All strategy RPGs require a puzzle element to gameplay, and this was brought to perfection with the upgrade from the Geo Symbols to the Geo Cubes. Using strategic positions is not a new tactic to the NIS games, but with stacked Geo Cubes and multiple effects the land itself can be an enemy and an ally. Few moments in battle are as striking as the devastation unleashed by the destruction of the Geo Cube created landscape. And among other things, I’m glad that at long last a Geo effect that boosts ally stats has been included in the list of possible effects.

Progression and flow is where NIS learned the lessons of earlier games, there had been a discrepancy in the bonus stages which take place at almost any point in the story regardless of what was going on at the time. Disgaea 3 has taken the bonus stages outside the House of Ordeals into its Post-game (more on this later). Further, the extra stages are linked together logically, as opposed to Disgaea 2. Item World’s Pirates and special rooms give the player chances to acquire Illegal Tickets, which in turn opens up Dark World stages, and once the player manages to defeat enough of these stages it is possible to wage war in the coveted Land of Carnage. In the previous titles, the Dark World was just something extra that let the player solve some convoluted puzzles, and offered little incentive to conquer them all. Getting into the Land of Carnage was notoriously difficult, and if a player carelessly sold a map piece by accident they blew their chance permanently. The bar is set at a far more reasonable level, allowing more players to accomplish their goal in a reasonable amount of time, and thus makes grinding to the max within reach.

Ultimately, it is the postgame and the downloadable content which make Disgaea 3 the best of the NIS titles. Once the player beats the game normally, the story does not grind to a halt and leave the player high and dry to play entirely on their own determination. Like Phantom Brave, a series of special boss battles lay in wait for the player, and unlike Phantom Brave there are more means to train and level adequately to prepare for subsequent stages. On top of that, the player is able to restart the story at anytime during the postgame and we didn’t have to wait for a reissue or a DS port to get that commonsense problem solved. Thus, the player receives a story reward for reaching the right markers in prerequisite strength. Once the player is tough enough to beat a certain baddie, they are rewarded with the climax of the postgame plot. DLCs are a new innovation to the console side of gaming, but quickly NIS has learned how to show love to the fans with a large cast of selectable characters that gives Disgaea 3 the most possible cameos in the entire NIS universe. Further, bonus competitions let players compete for high rankings and the privilege to open up new classes and characters. Further updates we can anticipate include a Beryl Mode which takes place between the normal game and the post game, as well as trophies and real Home support such as the ability to show off said trophies in the room of a player. As complete and near perfect Disgaea 3 already is out of the box, NIS has put in a great deal of work to tweak and expand this wonderful game.

[Ryuzaki]

Due to the epic failure of this contest, I will be awarding all participants with prizes. Thank you to you three who still seem to enjoy participation.