This week, a new sequel has been released to a classic game - Disgaea. A quirky, anime style game that tweaks the turn based strategy realm, was released by Atlus in typical limited numbers a few years ago. It featured a satisfying storyline and endless leveling (it’s possible to get into the thousands) and entertained me for many hours.
Now there’s Disgaea 2, with a new many character and a new story, but almost entirely similar gameplay. So now, is it worth $50 to play practically the same game over again?
I pulled out the original Disgaea again this weekend and picked up where I had left off. I had forgotten that I had already invested 70 hours in the game, but soon found myself happily leveling up my swords and shields. I played for a good ten hours this week all told, and I found something interesting. I had no desire to play the sequel.
The problem lies in it’s greatness: unending gameplay. It’s too hard to ignore the amount of time and effort I’ve put in to this game to just start over with some new characters. With my free time dwindling down less and less each passing day, choices like this become easier to make. With the release of the massive Final Fantasy XII on the horizon, I can tell that it’s too hard to set aside enough time to enjoy Disgaea 2. It’s no so bad though, because it already feels like I’ve played through it.
-mlbradley
durden26@comcast.net