PS2 Game Reviews - Disgaea: Hour of Darkness

Disgaea: Hour of Darkness

A PS2 Game Review By
Le Chupacabra

The ‘RPG’ genre has a tendency to remain aloof of most ‘deshi gamers with the odd exception of the suitably famous Final Fantasy series. However, there’s a staggering variety of pureblood RPGs (most games contain RPG elements nowadays) that both lack the Final Fantasy moniker yet also happen to be rather excellent; it’s just that us Muggles often fail to notice them.

Disgaea is one such gem.

If you enter this game expecting poignant (read: whiny) protagonists and epic storylines you’ll be better off looking elsewhere. Disgaea places you in the curly-toed shoes of the egotistical Prince Laharl. Rudely awaken from a two-year nap, this heir to the Netherworld finds his father, the nigh-unpronounceable King Krichevskoy, murdered; meanwhile, various demons of noble (and otherwise) blood have been vying for the throne. There is only one way a self-respecting demon can achieve supreme glory – kill off the competition.

The story is charming in its own way, mind you. There are a few predictable twists, but it’s eventually the quirky humour that wins it all. Since it’s set in a rather juvenile version of the Netherworld, sardonic attitudes, witty (read: corny) remarks and much Narcissism is the order of the day. These aren’t the most remarkable characters in the world, but they will offer oodles of amusement at their expense. It’s worth plugging away through the game just to get to the next bit of story where the characters interact. Better yet, the game gets even funnier as it goes on despite how bad a situation our motley crew of loveable demons ends up in!

The graphics are unique to say the least; if you’re looking for a visual tour de force… for the SNES… then you’ve found your game. Disgaea is comprised of 2D hand-drawn sprites superimposed on what appear to be ‘3D’ arenas. Underneath these seemingly ancient graphics lie some incredible anime-style character designs and a lot of personality that is lacking in games with superior visuals. The sound effects are quaint while the music has this silly, carnival-like atmosphere to it. You’ll be surprised at how the voices give a whole new level of personality and charm to the characters! Perfectly over-the-top and over-acted at the right situations, this is truly entertaining stuff.

The true star of the show, however, is the gameplay. Yes, this game is guilty of having a turn-based battle system set on a rigid grid (think Final Fantasy Tactics). However, (like Tactics) it’s also guilty of endless customisation options, unfathomable depth and intriguing strategy.

In combat you have to position all your characters in suitable locations and then order them to do their actions – be it attacking, defending, casting magic, et al. Once prepared, you choose to initiate your stratagems and tactics. After your turn is up, the enemy will begin… and the cycle goes on. This affords you a level of freedom and calculated planning that few RPGs can boast of. As you control your troops to victory (and higher levels), you get a great sense of satisfaction and achievement – this is one of the reasons why this game is so addictive. You can name each character making everyone quite personal to you.

You can also pick and throw people all across the map. In this way, it’s possible set up special attacks or reach greater heights. If you throw enemies into each other they fuse into a more powerful character with a greater level. Then there are Team Attacks. If a character has allies adjacent to him/her/it while performing an attack there is a possibility that they will execute team attacks. Geo Stones and Panels are also distinctive additions. Each coloured Geo panel may or may not give some distinct advantage or disadvantage to you or your enemies. If the corresponding Geo Stones are strategically destroyed you can achieve long chain combos that may help obliterate your enemies in one fell swoop or do insane damage at the very least. Then there’s the fact that each character class has dozens of specific attributes and aptitudes to take into account. A character is also able to have pupils (try not to think about it too much); these pupils benefit their master with unique skills as they level up. Then there’s all the weapons and item customisation and how each and every article can have a domino effect on your characters. Basically this game offers a multitude of ways to earn Experience for and customise your characters. And you know what? These features are barely the tip of the proverbial iceberg!

A really cool aspect that deserves special mention is the Dark Assembly. These are senators of the underworld that have the power to allow or deny your requests (in the form of bills). Requests range from improved abilities to controlling prices at the Item Shop. This is determined by their status towards you which range from Love to a Leaning Yes to Loathe. But it doesn’t stop there. Senators don’t like you? Simply bribe them. They denied your bill? “Persuade” them by force. Remember that higher level senators have more influence than lower ones. This very Bangladeshi-Parliament feature adds more depth to an already fun game and you can spend hours chasing after particular bills, and in making and breaking alliances.

Despite all these complex features, this game is surprisingly easy to get into and once you’ve begun, you will be addicted. However, this is still geared towards RPG and strategy fans and it does require quite a bit of patience and perseverance for reaping the rewards.

If you’ve ever chastised the PS2 for the lack of an RTS, you may want to check the unique brand of RPG-strategy only console games can offer with Disgaea: Hour of Darkness.

Video Games Live - London 2006

By Le Chupacabra

The feverish shouting and incessant babbling hushed down synchronously with the dimming lights until darkness bathed the theatre. Only the softly glowing screen up at the very front and muted spotlights kept the stage in sharp relief. The conductor, Jake Wall, leapt onto the platform, did a quick turn and offered a flourishing bow to the audience. He lightly tapped the holder for the sheets with his baton and all the musicians assumed their positions born of relentless practice and rehearsal. Every pair of eyes, performers and audience alike, followed the tip of the baton as it gracefully rose into the air. The screen faded and bold white lines appeared; it was image instantly recognisable by those present. A furious game of Pong was being played as the orchestra performed a series of blips and bleeps in harmony with the video. This was not going to be your average classical music concert…

Welcome to Video Games Live 2006 in London!

The crowd couldn’t help but titter as the performers turned a simple game of Pong into a musical medley; the minimal sounds became much more than the creators had ever intended. Suddenly the music change tempo again – a distinct Russian influence permeated through: it was Tetris! As the falling bricks came crashing down faster, the tune grew more frantic. It was then, holding onto the theme of freneticism, that the images shifted to yet another classic. Space Invaders had transformed from an arcade game into an important piece in the history of music at that point! As the music became more frenzied, other classic arcade games came into focus. There was Ghosts ‘n’ Goblins of NES fame, followed by the Disney-esque Dragon’s Lair and similarly animated Space Ace, Donkey Kong, Frogger, Gauntlet and finally Outrun… each accompanied with a composition that was far more grandiose than their humble origins. Like the early beginnings of gaming itself, this was but an appetiser teasing us of greater and more majestic events to follow.

Veteran composer and master of ceremonies Tommy Tallarico then bounced on to the stage to give everyone a short yet passionate introduction to Video Games Live. Is gaming just for kids? Hell no! It is for the geeks and nerds? Overwhelming affirmative shouts from the audience on that question... Without further ado, he presented to the audience one of the greatest game developers around, Hideo Kojima. Sadly, he couldn’t be there in person so we got a short video clip of him offering his gratitude and a request to enjoy the orchestrated version of the music from Metal Gear Solid. Being an ardent MGS fan, that was just an amazing moment for me and I wasn’t expecting them to play it so early on! Moving on from the simplistic compositions a few minutes back, a stirring, nostalgic melody resonated throughout the theatre as images of Solid Snake appeared on screen. The famous MGS theme grew in timbre as the audience was treated to a video timeline of Snake from the original MGS game to the upcoming MGS 4. Suddenly the main portion of the theme began as the music kicked into overdrive and the video portrayed likewise. We were offered famous scenes from throughout the MGS series – introductions of favourite (and not-so-favourite) characters, unforgettable fight scenes, et al. As the composition neared its conclusion, the focus was on the supposed last entry of the Metal Gear saga. As the melody started to evanesce, we received a fitting end as old Snake smartly saluted before entering what will probably be his last fight. During this, Tommy Tallarico sneaked on stage in the infamous MGS Box costume and was followed around by a mercenary guard replete with an exclamation mark above his head – great bit of humour there for MGS fans!

Moving on, Tommy called onto stage the French game creator Michael Ancel, famous for Rayman, Beyond Good & Evil and the interactive adaptation of Peter Jackson’s King Kong. After a short introduction, the screen exploded into colour as scenes of Beyond Good & Evil played in rapid succession accompanied by a very grand yet soothing orchestration that reminded me of the Jak and Daxter series. I’ve always wanted to play BG&E but not enough to actively search for it (you can’t find it in Dhaka that easily). However, the intoxicating combination of video and live (and beautifully composed) music gave me glimpses to a game with depth and much substance so here’s a small recommendation from me: get this one if you can find it!

There was also an extraordinary piece to honour none other than Lara Craft, Tomb Raider and gaming legend. The music slowly built up, offering grand allusions of adventure and discovery (that being the point of a TR game…) while the video footage showed Lara Croft giving Indiana Jones a run for his money. I only started playing Tomb Raider from the latest iteration so I can’t say I found this portion particularly nostalgic seeing that it was trying to evoke such (although, my friend would have loved it!) but that didn’t stop it from being a damn good piece! A scene of Lady Croft in a cocktail dress earned a catcall and subsequent roar of laughter from everyone making it a bit of a true highlight.

Speaking of which, clearly this concert was about the high points in video gaming history and therefore, it was appropriate to introduce the one and only Legend of Zelda at this point! Immediately rising to the grand theme of the series, there was yet again a montage chronicling the journey through time for Link. From the original on the NES to the current Twilight Princess on the Wii, one can appreciate how much has changed in the gaming world but one thing remained constant: this is a memorable series that has, is and will stand the test of time. Like with MGS, hearing a well-known theme on such a magnificent scale was quite the experience!

More classics were obviously to follow and the next game in question is obviously as classic and timeless as it will ever, ever get. That’s right… Mario! While the original theme is quite generic and repetitive it’s also addictive and wonderfully playful. Taking it up to the big stage there were subtle permutations that turned the flippant Mario theme into something a lot more majestic. And like the game itself, the montage of Mario games past and present just drew you in and held you. To end it, the orchestra went into the infamous Bowser theme while the videos showed how Mario had thwarted the evil reptile time and time again!

Before the intermission, we were treated to a composition that once heard you’ll never forget: One-Winged Angel from Final Fantasy VII. While there wasn’t any video for this one, it was just magnificently performed. The deep Latin choruses and sombre cello chords were a fantastic combination which goes to show what an incredible track this one was to begin with. I can just imagine the number of FF fans that would have killed to be present for this one!

After a twenty-minute break (accompanied by a cheeky loading screen for “Video Games Live Part II” on-screen) we entered the second and final portion of the performance.

There were other games shown including Advent Rising, Headhunter, Civilisation IV and World of Warcraft. The former two were present since Tommy Tallarico and Jake Wall were responsible, respectively, for the music behind those games. The games were nothing brilliant but the music tipped the scale towards (but not quite reaching) epic. Civ IV had an awesome video spanning the ages and started brilliantly with African tribal music and chants (kudos to the amazing choir) reminiscent of the opening song to the Lion King. World of Warcraft was mostly generic fantasy ministrations accompanied by a finale that sounded a bit too similar to the main Zelda theme. Overall, these ones were actually good but took a backseat to everything else shown.

The final gaming classic portrayed here was the Sonic the Hedgehog series. The upbeat, brisk Sonic theme was performed with a few bells and whistles added to it. Once again, there was a tableau of videos looking through the ages of Sonic from the early days to the most recent title. One thing I didn’t like about this one was how the original theme got somewhat buried under the rest of the composition and it was only near the end that a slower version could be clearly recognized and more importantly, hummed to.

However, the best composition in my opinion was that for Kingdom Hearts. This was the only one not to use game footage – instead it dived right into the source of its inspiration and did something unforgettable. Accompanied by an outstanding and inspiring orchestration of the main theme, the videos showed some of the most memorable moments from Disney history. That was quite a special moment and as someone who’s grown up with Disney films – it was just something that I won’t forget for a very long time. The scenes and the music segued together beautifully and did so more than any other composition I had seen all night!

Since MGS began the main portion of the event, there’s only one other game that has the appeal and lineage to end it. That’s right; it was none other than Halo. The choir started first with the main vocalised theme as the Pillar of Autumn drifted across the screen. Hints of the instrumental theme were slowly heard and then as the camera panned around and found Master Chief, the beginning of the end commenced. The footage was from both Halo and Halo 2 and the music was absolutely amazing. The drums and the heavier instruments kicked in to create an aural experience of legendary proportions. The piece continued and ended aptly with the destruction of the Halo in the first game. Just as the screen faded and the applause began, we were in for a big surprise. Tommy Tallarico raced onto stage and announced that they were going to perform the music from the hugely anticipated Halo 3! The crowd absolutely exploded! The E3 trailer for Halo 3 was augmented by what is probably the grandest rendition of the Halo theme. As the music moved away from the theme and quietened down, the last words of the Halo 3 trailer appeared on screen. Like MGS, Halo will also be finishing the fight in 2007 – the best time to be a gamer, ever!

Surprisingly the true highlight of the night was an impromptu live performance from one Martin Leung – also known on YouTube.com as the one and only ‘Video Game Pianist’. To say that he stole the show would be a severe understatement. He performed some beautiful renditions of ten FF pieces with a great version of One-Winged Angel in particular. However, when he started with the Mario theme – the crowd went ballistic. He performed with a dexterity, speed and passion like no other and clapping in beat with his version of it was certainly a fantastic experience. He certainly got a rousing send-off replete with a standing ovation!

At the end, it made me realise what made this entire event so special were the memories of playing many of these games with others and I wish everyone I knew was there to enjoy this fantastic event.

This is dedicated to all my friends back in Bangladesh, my brother Faiyaz and Arif Dulabhai and all ‘deshi gamers!