Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness

NOTE: As those who follow my Twitter account are aware, this entry is a day late due to technical problems with Blogger. I apologize for the inconvenience.

Platform: PlayStation Portable
Genre: Strategy/RPG
Developer: Nippon Ichi Software/otwo
Publisher: NIS America
Release: 30 October 2007
Rating: Teen
Price: $19

It may come as no surprise that I love offbeat humor in my games. Which also means it should be no surprise that I am a huge fan of the Disgaea series. Excellent turn-based tactical RPG combat stuffed with some of the most clever humor to ever come out of Japan? I'm all over it. I even gave Disgaea the #2 spot on my Top Ten Weird Japanese Games.
All of the Disgaea games are great, but the best place to start is with the first. And when it comes right down to it, the PSP version is the best one.
The PlayStation 2 original was fantastic, sure, but the PSP port adds several new features, including an alternate story mode, and multiplayer. While the later Nintendo DS remake adds even more features, the graphics were downgraded and most of the voices removed, to the point that it loses some of its charm. So my opinion is to stick with the PSP version.
As for the game itself, there's not much to say about it. Anyone who's played Final Fantasy Tactics or any other turn-based strategy game will know basically what they're in for. Disgaea does bring some new things to the table, though. There's a unique equipment system that allows you to level-up your equipment as you play, you can create and customize your units however you want (to an almost ridiculous extent), there's an unending supply of randomly-generated dungeons to explore, and the level cap takes things beyond the insane: it's not 50, or 99, or even 100. It's 9999 (no, that is not a typo).
Disgaea is downright fun, and it never takes itself seriously at all. It's a lighthearted romp through Hell (literally) that will make you laugh until you cry. It's a game well worth the admission price of $19.
Play, save, and enjoy. See you next week.

--Kotaro

Top Ten Weird Japanese Games

10. .hack//INFECTION
It's a game that takes place inside an online game. Hard to pull off, but the .hack series manages to do it well. We will never see anything else like it.

09. Kingdom Hearts
Disney + Final Fantasy = Crazy Awesome. Seeing Cloud Strife fighting alongside Mickey Mouse is just damned cool. Weird, but cool.

08. The World Ends with You
I think the gameplay alone is enough to warrant a spot on this list. You use pins (the kind you wear) to unleash psychic attacks on graffiti-looking enemies. And you control two characters at once, one on each screen of the DS. It's unique, and one of the best things Square Enix has ever made.

07. Ico
An escort mission that makes up an entire game sounds like a bad idea, but Ico makes it work. I can't say much about it, because the game is rather minimalist. But look up some footage on YouTube, or play it if you can find a copy. It's worth experiencing.

06. Katamari Damacy
I don't think anything needs to be said about why this is here.

05. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
CSI meets Judge Judy with a wacky cast and the most insane, mind-bending cases ever. More like an interactive movie than a game, but still very fun and worth a try.

04. Bayonetta
A game about a witch who straps guns to her feet and summons demons using her hair. Sure, why not?

03. No More Heroes
Simultaneously a celebration and parody of American geek culture, with no Fourth Wall, and some of the most insane boss fights ever. This game came from the mind of Goichi Suda, so there's no doubt about its strangeness.

02. Disgaea: Hour of Darkness
Think Final Fantasy Tactics, but even more so. The level cap is 9999. You can make your own overpowered gear. You can abuse any of the game's systems (and are even encouraged to do so). And did I mention the offbeat humor?

01. Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4
A group of high school students solve a murder mystery by visiting a world inside television. Yes, it's like that.