Disgaea is packed with a bunch of good ideas. I’ve logged over 100 hours with the game on my trusty DS (with a sadly defunct R button), and I’m still looking forward to playing more. The game isn’t perfect, and has a few glaring flaws, but I wanted to point out the things they do well first (so yes, I’ll be writing a few articles on the game). One of the best facets of the game is the way it handles classes.
Any character can equip any bit of gear. Each character “class” uses gear a little differently, however.
The ten core statistics (HP, DEF, ATK, etc.) each have their own “inheritance” value. This inheritance value is a percentile, typically between 50% and 100%. It dictates how much equipped gear’s stats carry over to the character. For example, a Mage class character with a 50% HP inheritance value will get a boost of 200 HP from a bit of gear that grants a base boost of 400 HP. A Sniper character with an inheritance of 110% HIT will predictably get a 220 HIT boost from a bit of gear with a 200 base HIT boost.
As such, classes come with a relatively clear role, as defined by how their inheritances balance out, but the player isn’t locked into arbitrary equipping rules. It’s perfectly possible to make an Axe wielding Cleric. It’s not terribly smart, but it’s possible (and random enemies will often have such class/gear mismatches). It’s all up to the player to choose how they want to approach character progress.
This freeform character control is a great way to handle development. Classes are still present, but are more like guidelines rather than hardcoded expectations. If you want your squishy mages to use the most incredible armor and carry pikes into battle, you can do that. They won’t be as effective on the front lines as a battle hardened Ronin, but they will certainly be more durable than they would be in typical mage robes.
This flexibility is especially useful if mages have already learned all the magic they can and want to branch out. Everyone can learn almost everything, taught by weapons, so it may well be smart to crosspollinate a bit for situational tactics. Since you can change gear for free in a fight, you can afford to have several skills “on standby”.
And sometimes, it’s the little things like that that make all the difference in a pitched battle (though, to be fair, there aren’t a lot of those, considering the wide power band and the ability to outlevel pretty much any challenge). It’s certainly most welcome in a game where tactical choices are what make the game tick.
It’s also possible to “reincarnate” a character as a different class, and if you do it right, they retain memory of what they learned in their previous life. The level cap is an insane 9999 (not a typo), and since you can effectively level to the cap in each class, things can get extraordinarily grindy for the completionist. For someone just exploring the system, though, the freedom is excellent.
Tish Tosh Tesh 
My Dwarf Cleric in DDO wields a 2H Axe. It doesn’t look right (to me, I’d rather he wield a 2H Mace or Hammer) but damned if he’s not bloody lethal with it!
I’ve always been a fan of Disgaea and Final Fantasy Tactics. The strategics is not for everyone, but can be very rewarding given the right player.
Loved Final Fantasy Tactics but I’d never heard of Disgaea until now. I’m always on the look out for good RPG games and I don’t have anything on the go for my DS at the moment (still waiting on getting Fire Emblem for it). Will need to check this one out!!
Definitely do. There are quite a few tactics games on the DS. Should give the system a workout XD
I beat disgaea, but I never really enjoyed that aspect of it. The humor was the biggest draw for me, and then the ability to toss characters around and the geo panel system which you had to neutralize enviromental bonuses.
Plus, prinnies D00D. I never beat the DS version, but if you beat it I hear you unlock a Prinny Commentary mode where the exploding penguins do sort of a directors commentary mode.
If you have a ps2 you can check out the sequel, as well as a lot of disgaea-style games from the same company, NIS. I’d really be interested in your take on Persona 3 and 4 from Atlus.
Cap’n, I should have remembered that. DDO is good for letting players go a wee bit off the rails… you just have to set up your build for it. (Or have a Dwarf with a racial perk for axes. ;))
The DS really is a great system for tactical gaming. Throw in the GBA library (Advance Wars, Fire Emblem, Tactics Ogre: Knight of Lodis), and you have plenty to have fun with for a tactics nut.
Dblade, the tossing and GeoPanels are fantastic, and I’ll tackle those in another article. Prinnies rock. I’ll look for that director’s mode…
I do have a PS2, and liked another NIS game: Phantom Brave. The story threw me off a bit, and the turn limit on characters was a bit annoying as well, but that game has some great ideas in it, too.
I’m not going to play the Persona games. I’ve made a personal choice not to play M rated games. (Which is also why I won’t be playing Dragon Age: Origins, despite loving KOTOR and Baldur’s Gate.) I’ve heard a lot of good about the Persona games, though, and the Rampant Coyote has had some good articles up on them, if memory serves.