Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories

"Very good as far as SRPGs go."

Introduction
Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories is the sequel to the original Disgaea: Hour of Darkness, that was released by a Japanese company called Nippon Ichi (N1) both on the PlayStation 2 home console system. One of the most noticeable elements of this series is that it's a rather obscure series, despite it being jam packed with extra content. Indeed, the extra features alone is worth of your money. I enjoyed this game and so will you if you ignore D2's few but sometimes glaring flaws.

Story
Disgaea 2 is the tale of a human trying to defeat Overlord Zenon. Overlords are beings of dark and immense power who conquer worlds and as it turns out, Zenon is known as the god of all Overlords (whether this is just flat out propaganda is unknown). The protagonist of this game is known as Adell. With every storyline, there has to be a purpose for the main character to combat the forces of the unjust, right? Well, here's the grudge; Zenon has transformed his world into a Netherworld and his family and residents of the world has turned into demons as a result of Zenon's dark influence. Although some residents are not complete demons yet so they retain their human forms but the former are your opponents.

Your hub of sorts is Adell's hometown known as Holt Village. This is your sanctuary from a veritable hell. This is where you'll fin all your weapon, armor, and item sellers. Not to mention the Item World Guides and various citizens that are there to offer a kind word or two of encouragement (or as kind as the common demon can be). At points in the storyline, your refuge will change, but it will usually be Holt Village. Home is where the heart is, I suppose.

Overall, the story itself isn't very good as there isn't a lot of actual progression in the story until close to the end of the game. I was far from being disappointed, however. Personally, I didn't mind because the humor in the game was enough for a few giggles-even if the satirical content isn't what you would call best I've ever seen. I found the translation to be average at best. I found typos and errors here and there but it's not frequent enough to frustrate the average player. At times, the personalities of characters can seem to be rather bland or just flat out detestable. Then again, that's why the scene skip option can be quite useful.

Gameplay
Disgaea 2 is a Strategy Role Playing Game (SRPG) with some extra features such as the team combo system which allows two team members chain their attacks on a opponent. Beware, as the enemy are capable of this feat as well. You have a few basic kinds of weapons. The more you use them, the more proficient you are with the weapon type. Bonuses you receive by using a specific type of weapon often include new special attacks that deal massive damage-flashy animations are almost always included in the package. The gameplay uses features from its predecessor plus a few extra features to keep the experience fresh and interesting.

Boasting over a hundred classes (The majority of which you have to unlock) and a mind boggling amount of weapons at your arsenal keeps your interest in this game going until the end of the game which is unknown considering the multiple endings. The downside of this game is a concept called reincarnation, which allows a character start level one again but with stat bonuses gained by a percent of the original level. The percentage depends on the amount of Mana you have amassed during the game. This is the path to become a uber Overlord type of character but at the cost of time for training to get your characters' levels back to average. I could go on forever about the gameplay and side quests as the extra content and the extra classes make up at least eighty percent of the game.

Geo Panels is a new feature N1 has incorporated into Disgaea 2. To put it simply, Geo Panels are panels on the ground that are colored differently than the rest of the landscape. Take caution when you step on one. If you're standing on a Geo Panel, you'll receive various bonuses or ailments that prove to be detrimental. Thankfully, the changes are visible by putting your cursor over the affected area. This adds more strategy to your battle modus operandi. You'll have to be even more careful where you step, and I'm not just talking about the yellow snow and 'mud'.

Once you've completed the game, there's even a replay feature in which you start the game anew while retaining your characters and their levels from your previous game (the exception are storyline obtainable characters) so this is a great way to grind several hundred levels (yes, the Disgaea series allows you to level up up to unprecedented levels) until you're strong enough to take on some of the insanely powerful optional bosses. Let's not forget Item World, shall we? The said area is a method for you to literally level up your items and enhance their usefulness.

The concept is simple. You just have to speak with your local Item World Guide and select what item you want to level up. You will then be sent into the item itself to start your excursion with one goal-to penetrate the depths of the item. You do this by defeating enemies until you get to the next stage, and with each passing stage, the enemies are noticeably stronger. This makes Item World the ideal area to train to reach incredible heights in terms of levels.

To sum it all up, the gameplay in Disgaea 2 is more broken than an Oldsmobile in a junkyard. But that will only be the case if you are willing to expend the time necessary to make your characters virtual demigods. Sometimes, the loading times can take a while as a result of all the content that D2 contains.

Graphics
Like the majority of SRPGs Disgaea 2 relies on sprites. While the sprites itself are by no means breathtaking, the team combos and special attacks are the closest you'll get to breathtaking. Also, the graphics are comparable to those of a Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). The graphics and the camera angle get the point across well, especially when you see a spoiled princess sporting a massive machine gun and wailing on opponents.Therefore, I must include that the graphics can be dynamic but plain flashy at times. A few points are reduced for the unoriginal sprites but a majority of those points are regained in compensation of the dynamics. During cutscenes, the graphics are anime style.


Summary
Dooood... N1 has released yet another great game with even more extra stuff to keep anyone busy for weeks. Kudos, then. This is a great game if you are looking for a game with a game length worthy of your money. My message: I eagerly look forward to your next release, N1! The game is not lacking in any of the categories except in maybe graphics and story. But even so, it's not a big deal compared to this game's positive qualities.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 09/04/07, Updated 03/24/08

Game Release: Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories (US, 08/29/06)