kokorogensou
2019
best way i can describe DRPG is Fate/GO but with a Disgaea skin, but even that descriptor is stretching it a bit. it's a decent enough entry point into the series' setting, but really, you're better off playing any of the mainline Disgaea games (especially since the "Netherworld History" recap battles are nowhere near a sufficient replacement for actually playing the mainline games).
not really much to say about this one. it's an Okay gacha game with some cute stories and character interactions, but there's not a whole lot to offer unless you're a HUGE Disgaea fan. honestly, i mostly just have the battles on autoplay while i'm doing other things in the background.
localization/translation is also pretty jank in general.
not a game-killer by any means, but it gets weird
when the text
boxes are formatted like this.
not really much to say about this one. it's an Okay gacha game with some cute stories and character interactions, but there's not a whole lot to offer unless you're a HUGE Disgaea fan. honestly, i mostly just have the battles on autoplay while i'm doing other things in the background.
localization/translation is also pretty jank in general.
not a game-killer by any means, but it gets weird
when the text
boxes are formatted like this.
a damn great strategy rpg that's unfortunately outclassed by its later installments. i'd recommend starting with D2, D4, or D5 since they added various quality-of-life enhancements to help with the grind that this series is (infamously) known for.
if you absolutely want to start with D1 as your first Disgaea game, might be a good idea to pick up one of the ports since there's extra scenarios and characters, alongside some QOL updates. the "Complete" version available on switch and mobile is the preferred go-to, though the PC, PSP, and DS ports are okay in a pinch.
despite its age, D1's still a fun time for those with the patience to sink into it, with an enjoyable story and cast, and a TON of mechanics to exploit. it's not a "serious" SRPG series by any stretch, but it's one that's a ton of fun to break once you figure out how to do so.
(also lil tip: use reincarnation/transmigration. yes, it does reset your level to 1, but your stats will stack as you progress, and it makes the trip to the level cap of 9999 far less painful.)
if you absolutely want to start with D1 as your first Disgaea game, might be a good idea to pick up one of the ports since there's extra scenarios and characters, alongside some QOL updates. the "Complete" version available on switch and mobile is the preferred go-to, though the PC, PSP, and DS ports are okay in a pinch.
despite its age, D1's still a fun time for those with the patience to sink into it, with an enjoyable story and cast, and a TON of mechanics to exploit. it's not a "serious" SRPG series by any stretch, but it's one that's a ton of fun to break once you figure out how to do so.
(also lil tip: use reincarnation/transmigration. yes, it does reset your level to 1, but your stats will stack as you progress, and it makes the trip to the level cap of 9999 far less painful.)
2016
not a GREAT port per se (especially at launch, damn), but still pretty solid if you can get it for cheap. doesn't have the quality-of-life additions that the Complete versions have, but does have all the content from the PSP version, as well as a few bonus stuff.
surprisingly there's also a couple mods for this version! check out the "Netherworld Content Pack" if you're interested!
surprisingly there's also a couple mods for this version! check out the "Netherworld Content Pack" if you're interested!
2008
ever wanted to play the PSP version of Disgaea 1 with lower-fidelity music, crustier visuals, almost no voice-acting, and a bonus option that lets the prinny commentate over the cutscenes MST3k-style? well boy, i've got the port for you!
okay honestly this wasn't TOO bad of a port for a kid back in the late-00s who had no sony consoles, but man, we've gone a long way since then, huh
but yeah just grab any other port of D1. preferably Disgaea 1 Complete or PC or heck, any other one. at least those don't have a game-breaking bug where one of Thursday's special moves can crash your game.
okay honestly this wasn't TOO bad of a port for a kid back in the late-00s who had no sony consoles, but man, we've gone a long way since then, huh
but yeah just grab any other port of D1. preferably Disgaea 1 Complete or PC or heck, any other one. at least those don't have a game-breaking bug where one of Thursday's special moves can crash your game.
mao's a good protag, you cowards
mao is still a good protag, you cowards
also nis can you PLEASE make a port of this version so it's not trapped on a console that nobody plays
also nis can you PLEASE make a port of this version so it's not trapped on a console that nobody plays
i actually really like this game and honestly think it's up there with ACIT as far as the PS3 ratchets go, but man i wish this was longer than five planets
gedna and the final dungeon made me turn on god mode because of how tedious they were but otherwise this is a pretty okay expansion
my top favorite of the elder scrolls games even with oblivion and skyrim having been out for years at this point.
yes, the learning curve's a bit steep compared to the more modern TES games. yes, there's no fast travel and there's a lot of reading involved for quests. yes, the vanilla visuals haven't aged gracefully. yes, there's no cool things like being able to ride horses or fight dragons. and yes, the combat is quite shit.
but if you can overcome those hurdles, you've got yourself a wonderful little world that you'll spend hours exploring thanks to how intricate it is. once you make your character and get off that ship, you can either go off and work on the main quest to get yourself some nifty treasures, or set off into Vvardenfell's wilds and see what you can discover on your own. for better or worse, morrowind doesn't railroad you down one path or force you to complete a quest before you're allowed somewhere; the world's open from the get-go and there's arguably more freedom in what you're able to do at the beginning than in skyrim or oblivion.
and even if you decide to work on the main quest, it's a fun ride and probably the best main questline in the series. won't spoil it, but it's a far cry from the "protagonist is the chosen one but really ends up being more of a errand-boy for other major figures throughout the main quest" that oblivion and skyrim are guilty of. morrowind's setting also has quite the interesting lore for those who want to dive deeper.
so yeah, you can tell i have a fondness for this game. and that's mostly speaking vanilla: there's two official expansion packs and a wide variety of mods to explore, with new mods still being made. morrowind may be an old game, but there's a lot of love to given for it.
remember kids: mods are optional, but the morrowind code patch is essential!
yes, the learning curve's a bit steep compared to the more modern TES games. yes, there's no fast travel and there's a lot of reading involved for quests. yes, the vanilla visuals haven't aged gracefully. yes, there's no cool things like being able to ride horses or fight dragons. and yes, the combat is quite shit.
but if you can overcome those hurdles, you've got yourself a wonderful little world that you'll spend hours exploring thanks to how intricate it is. once you make your character and get off that ship, you can either go off and work on the main quest to get yourself some nifty treasures, or set off into Vvardenfell's wilds and see what you can discover on your own. for better or worse, morrowind doesn't railroad you down one path or force you to complete a quest before you're allowed somewhere; the world's open from the get-go and there's arguably more freedom in what you're able to do at the beginning than in skyrim or oblivion.
and even if you decide to work on the main quest, it's a fun ride and probably the best main questline in the series. won't spoil it, but it's a far cry from the "protagonist is the chosen one but really ends up being more of a errand-boy for other major figures throughout the main quest" that oblivion and skyrim are guilty of. morrowind's setting also has quite the interesting lore for those who want to dive deeper.
so yeah, you can tell i have a fondness for this game. and that's mostly speaking vanilla: there's two official expansion packs and a wide variety of mods to explore, with new mods still being made. morrowind may be an old game, but there's a lot of love to given for it.
remember kids: mods are optional, but the morrowind code patch is essential!
i preordered this in 2018 with battle.net currency so even if i got a refund now, i wouldn't get the actual money back that i spent on this
literally the worst financial decision i've ever made in my life, and this is coming from a man who bought a psvita at launch
literally the worst financial decision i've ever made in my life, and this is coming from a man who bought a psvita at launch
BFA feels less like an expansion and more of a mishmash of various content and mechanics you'd see blizzard experimenting with in expansion patches, and not all of it really works in their favor. if that analogy makes any sense at least.
combine that against a backdrop of the horde/alliance conflict that blizzard still has no earthly idea how to write, and you easily have one of the most irritating expansions i've had to sit through in WoW's lifespan.
that being said, the main questlines for Zandalar and Kul Tiras are actually pretty solid; it's rare for me to play both horde AND alliance to experience both sides of the story. but the war campaign, nazjatar questing, and so much else? god
clown all you want on vashj'ir, at least it's less painful to go through that zone than nazjatar is without flying.
combine that against a backdrop of the horde/alliance conflict that blizzard still has no earthly idea how to write, and you easily have one of the most irritating expansions i've had to sit through in WoW's lifespan.
that being said, the main questlines for Zandalar and Kul Tiras are actually pretty solid; it's rare for me to play both horde AND alliance to experience both sides of the story. but the war campaign, nazjatar questing, and so much else? god
clown all you want on vashj'ir, at least it's less painful to go through that zone than nazjatar is without flying.
weird story choices aside (i'm still angry about vol'jin and i still don't get why they NEEDED to bring back illidan), this was one of the most fun times i've ever had with a WoW expansion back when it was current content. world quests were great, class halls were great, artifact weapons and customizing them were great (AP grinding aside), couldn't care much about demon hunters but they were pretty great, and heck! best hub city Dalaran made a comeback!!! just overall a great time and one i really wish i could go back to.
hey thanks actiblizzion for completely outmoding artifact weapons and rendering all mechanics involving them completely unuseable. wanks.
hey thanks actiblizzion for completely outmoding artifact weapons and rendering all mechanics involving them completely unuseable. wanks.
i don't think WoD is AS bad as make it out to be, but it's still the "worst expansion" for a reason. not helped by the fact that its existence just feels more like an "anime filler arc", for lack of better wording.
i liked garrisons, though. yes, i'm a weirdo!
i liked garrisons, though. yes, i'm a weirdo!
the best game wayforward has ever put out and i am 100% serious by that statement
2019
a unique take on point-and-click adventure games and a charming-yet-melancholy tribute to a bygone era of digital history.
Hypnospace Outlaw is so much more than a fake OS to play around with: there's an entire setting built around this weird alternate-universe version of the 90s that is revealed by exploring Hypnospace's many webpages. the main story did leave me wanting more at the end, but the sheer amount of things to do and pages to explore more than makes up for it. and it all does a very good job at feeling "genuine" in is presentation than just simply being a parody of 90s tech (sideeyes microshaft winblows).
very much worth a look if you like point-and-clicks, old 90s computing and net culture, or even software/internet history preservation in general. it can be a bit pokey at times, but take this from someone who worked with a win98 until 2012 (yes, really), old OSes really were that slow and unstable back then bwl
Hypnospace Outlaw is so much more than a fake OS to play around with: there's an entire setting built around this weird alternate-universe version of the 90s that is revealed by exploring Hypnospace's many webpages. the main story did leave me wanting more at the end, but the sheer amount of things to do and pages to explore more than makes up for it. and it all does a very good job at feeling "genuine" in is presentation than just simply being a parody of 90s tech (sideeyes microshaft winblows).
very much worth a look if you like point-and-clicks, old 90s computing and net culture, or even software/internet history preservation in general. it can be a bit pokey at times, but take this from someone who worked with a win98 until 2012 (yes, really), old OSes really were that slow and unstable back then bwl