HonestGamers - honestgamer's Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten review

Rob Hamilton Staff Aug 31, 2011

Strong review. One of my minor regrets is trading in the original Disgaea. I'd bought it when I was married and got overwhelmed a bit, as there was so much stuff to do with item worlds and mastering how to use the different floor tiles and whatnot and I just didn't have the free time to really get into it. And now, as I have more free time, something like that would work well for me. Or, it would after I get finished with a few of my time-consuming projects like Baldur's Gate II and whatnot.

I'm not afraid to die because I am invincible
Viva la muerte, that's my goddamn principle

jerec Sep 3, 2011

The Disgaea games are awesome, and the mechanics pretty much stay the same between games with a few new features. So far the original game had the best story and characters. I really miss the Laharl, Etna and Flonne trio.

I can avoid death by not having a life.

Rob Hamilton Staff Sep 4, 2011

Yeah, I was looking online to see if replacing the first would be affordable via Amazon a few days ago (for whenever I get into a purchasing mood...likely after I beat a few of the games I'm currently working on) and was disappointed that due to having a 360 instead of a PS3, I'll only be able to play the first two in the series. At least there's about four other Nippon Ichi strategy games on the PS2 that I'll be able to get to make up for this horrible slight against me personally.

I'm not afraid to die because I am invincible
Viva la muerte, that's my goddamn principle

jerec Sep 4, 2011

Jason will probably disagree with me, but I found those other strategy games really poor next to Disgaea, gameplay-wise. Well, I only played Phantom Brave and La Pucelle and gave up on non-Disgaea games from them after that.

I can avoid death by not having a life.

Jason Venter Staff Sep 4, 2011

I really enjoyed La Pucelle Tactics, but it was developed before Disgaea and it's not as advanced. Disgaea did represent an improvement over it, just not (I didn't feel) as significant a one as some suppose. I still need to finish Phantom Brave, but I prefer Disgaea over it based on what I've experienced so far. Makai Kingdom was quite enjoyable and you'd probably dig it if you gave it a shot, Jerec. Still, Disgaea does seem to be the best thing going. I still want to try Soul Nomad (which I do own) as time permits.

"Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." - John F. Kennedy on reality

"What if everything you see is more than what you see--the person next to you is a warrior and the space that appears empty is a secret door to another world? What if something appears that shouldn't? You either dismiss it, or you accept that there is much more to the world than you think. Perhaps it really is a doorway, and if you choose to go inside, you'll find many unexpected things." - Shigeru Miyamoto on secret doors to another world

alison jones Sep 6, 2011

Really good review. It helped to have the game put into the context of the other ones and you whetted my appetite for another Disgaea game with your excellent description of the Item World. Wasn't sure about this one as I didn't like D2, copy of D3 never even arrived, and I've been put off with all the myriad versions released, but the pirate ship sounds fun.

And La Pucelle is fantastic!

Don't panic!