Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice (English language Version)

Imagine a demon child wanting to become a hero. For all the un-heroic reasons, naturally, given his devious nature. So, in Disgaea 3: Absence Of Justice, you have the character Mao wanting to be the lead guy because in all the literature and games he has come across, the person who defeats evil - in this case, Daddy dearest - is the hero. Part of the attraction of the Disgaea franchise is that it never takes itself very seriously and long-time fans will have no trouble going along for the diabolical ride. As a tactics-based RPG (role-playing game), players move their party of players in a playground grid. You have a choice - converge your party to fight one opponent or spread them out across the board. Aside from battles, Mao and his team are always transported back to school to restock and recuperate, before setting off to slay new demons. This makes Disgaea 3: Absence Of Justice extremely time-consuming and not very friendly to new players. While it maintains all the elements of the series, Disgaea 3 doesn't really do the PS3 format any justice: the characters and animation look no different from the previous PS2 or PSP outings. Details are lacking and character designs look faded - it's as if the developers simply blew up the artwork, instead of creating designs for the high-definition format. The end result is a game that looks dated - more of a rehash than a sequel. I recommend waiting a few months for the price to drop. As it stands, you aren't paying more for anything genre-changing.

As for the game itself, the gameplay is pretty much like the previous versions of the series. So if you did not like Disgaea 1 or 2, then you probably won't like this one. The story is fairly entertaining, and there are enough new additions to the gameplay to make it a little more interesting. I would not buy it if you are looking for the latest, greatest graphics, since the game relies on sprites that do not differ much from the ones used in the previous games. All in all, a worthwhile buy for those who enjoyed previous versions of the game or those who like strategic RPGs.