An actual improvement on the PS2 original.

User Rating: 9.5 | Makai Senki Disgaea 2 Portable PSP
By jdunk1971 | Review Date:
I've been a fan of the quirky humor and original graphics of the Disgaea series since the first game. I was a bit disappointed with the PS2 version, as it felt like the game did not take advantage of the capabilities of the platform. I found the PSP game while I was shopping for a different game and bought it almost on a whim to play when I wasn't level-grinding on Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions. Almost from the opening song, I felt that the PSP was the ideal platform for Disgaea 2. The game soon sucked me in to the point that I lost an entire weekend playing it. Graphics, sound, game play, complexity; Disgaea 2 seems to have it all.

Graphics: 9.5. The graphics for the Disgaea series have a charm all their own. A mix of painted backgrounds and female characters that are a mix of cute and sexy (some of the characters look like rejected character designs from a fighting game like the King of Fighters or Vampire Savior/Darkstalkers franchises) make the game instantly recognizable. The attack graphics range from 'interesting' (Samurai-like multiple sword strike attacks) to 'cool' (whipping out a Predatoresque Vulcan cannon and obliterating a line of enemies) and tending into 'holy s***!' (a fire mage nuking 9 enemies in one shot is the best I've seen so far).

Sound: 8.0 The voice acting for the main characters is on par with most PSP games, fitting the character designs without going into scenery-chewing. The fighting sounds can get a bit repetitive after 30 battles of level-grinding, but no more so than most RPGs. The music is good (the opening theme is one of the best examples of J-Pop I have heard in a game since Sakura Taisen), and the ability to choose the background music for battles comes in handy.

Game Play: 9.5 The game play for the Disgaea series is easy to learn and flexible to use. The battles are turn-based, and unlike most turn-based RPGs you can execute moves without ending your turn. This enables you to do things like moving characters to help out in executing a four-person beat-down, and then returning the three characters not involved back to their positions at the start of the turn to move elsewhere and attack. GEO panels add another level of complexity to battles (at times, hair-pullingly frustrating) that you must compensate for. The biggest change between the PS2 and PSP versions is the addition of downloadable content to add more to the game.

Replay Value: 9.0 While the storyline of the game is very linear, the value of the game is not in the conclusion of the story but in the journey to reach the conclusion. There are an almost unlimited number of character combinations you can have, and the use of Item World level-grinding can help your characters execute their best moves during the game (though after all that grinding, the in-game battles can seem easier than expected).

Overall: 9.5 Disgaea 2 shows what a PSP RPG should be: entertaining, fun, and with enormous replay value.

Other Helpful Reviews for Makai Senki Disgaea 2 Portable

Load Comments (0)