Sure to be a cult hit-- Disgaea gives strategy gaming a serious kick in the ass.
User Rating: 9.5 | Makai Senki Disgaea PS2
Disgaea is a break from the normal "save the princess/world" story found in most RPGs. In it you play as the young, sassy prince Laharl, the heir to the throne of the underworld. His father having died and himself sleeping for two years, finally being woken up by his vassal Etna, all the demons are after the throne. Throughout the game you must fight the demon lords trying to acquire this adornment that is rightfully Laharl's. Etna, Laharl's vassal, is a crazy demon-girl about the same age as the boy. Shes quite funny, providing some hilarious moments, and a integral part of the plot as the story develops. I won't ruin anything. But don't think the plot is too serious or anything, as the box says: Disgaea follows the misadventures of young prince Laharl and his rag-tag army as they battle demons and foul creatures for supremecy over the Netherworld. The game never really takes itself too seriously. It is fun to watch, anime styles abound, but the story is not of utmost importance. That goes to the game play. Excellent; that is Disgaea's action in a word. I found it to be quite envigorating, much better than other strategy RPGs I have played. During a battle you have a portal of sorts which you call your units out. You can have many characters available but only so many on the field. After moving the units out, you may issue attacks, spells, use of an item, or nothing. If the units are in an arrow shaped pattern infront of an enemy (1 in front, 3 in the back), a team attack can be performed, causing more damage than normal attacks. But this team attack feature is balanced, being run by percentage. Each character has some specials as well. You can use these to gain an advantage in battle by attacking more than one enemy in a move, if the situation is right. All in all, Disgaea is a great game for any strategy RPG fan. 
