
It’s been well over a decade since I played _Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories_ on the Playstation 2. I adored the game and would often bring the 600 page strategy guide with me to read on the schoolbus. So, after reviewing _Disgaea 1: Complete_, I decided to boot up the absolutely vintage PSP port of _Disgaea 2_, _Disgaea 2: Dark Hero Days_.

&nbsp;

When the opening cutscene began, a huge wave of nostalgia washed over me. _Sinful Rose_ is absolutely my number one _Disgaea_ theme song--they just don't make 'em like that anymore. While the opening sequence played out, I found myself quickly caught up in the early 2000's _shonen_ of it all. I was excited to experience this fun story all over again. Then, about 30 minutes into the first chapter, I realized this was the game that moved me to establish my rule of playing _Disgaea_ games **strictly** for the gameplay.

&nbsp;

Gameplay in _Disgaea 2_ is largely the same grid-based combat, with a few new tricks that would become important ingredients in the _Disgaea_ recipe. Now, _Disgaea 2_ didn’t just introduce jumping and tower attacks to the series--it brought something else that was pretty huge: unique hub locations. There are multiple unique locations you operate from at various points in the story. This rocked.

&nbsp;

_Disgaea 2_ immediately feels more challenging than subsequent games as you progress the main campaign. This is because there are no convenient ways to power level until the post-game. There are a few techniques you can use on specific stages, but leveling is still slow. The main exploit for early leveling in the original version was fixed for _Dark Hero Days_ so I didn’t get to cheese the story mode much during my play through.

&nbsp;

Like always, the Item World will play a huge part in your journey to level 9999. An important part of efficiently leveling characters in _Disgaea 2_ is getting subpoenaed to appear in the Dark Court, in the Item World, to rack up felonies. Subpoenas are items with innocents called Bailiffs that replace experience-boosting Staticians entirely. The Bailiff's level on the innocents list indicates which floor in the Item World your hearing will be on. This concept is super on brand and really stood out to me.

&nbsp;

Unlocking Cave of Ordeals to get started with post-game leveling was especially a pain in the ass for me this time around, dood. Since nobody in my party was a good level to fight the senators, I had to spam Item World runs and pray that every Mystery Room portal I came across lead to the Black Market. When I did find the Black Market, I could only buy a handful of gold bars and angel cake at a time. Then, even with a full inventory of bribes, I still had to reset a hand full of times because my bill was getting hit with more _Nays_ than a barnyard.

&nbsp;

My final thoughts on Disgaea 2: Afternoon of Darkness all point towards “just having to be there”. That, and the music rocks. _Sinful Rose_ and _White Tiger_ are two of the coolest songs in the series. The original game did release to very positive reviews and did add a lot to the core gameplay introduced in _Hour of Darkness_. At the time, it rocked.

&nbsp;

I wouldn’t call this entry a classic, but I will acknowledge it was for what it brought to the Disgaea recipe. With that being said, I don’t think I’ll be making it to Baal this time, chat. Disgaea 2 can stay in the vault; there are just far better Disgaeas to sink 100+ hours into now.


Disgaea 2: Dark Hero Days


In its first three days _Splatoon 3_ sold a reported 3.45 million physical copies in Japan, making it one of the biggest Switch releases to date. With its ridiculous charm and extremely competitive gameplay, it's no wonder. This was my first _Splatoon_ so I was a little skeptical about giving it a shot. With more than 100 hours and a few particularly brutal Splatfests under my belt, I only regret not giving _Splatoon_ a chance sooner.

&nbsp;

The _Splatoon_ universe is one where humans are extinct due to climate change causing the entire world to flood. After a long period of time, water levels returned to normal and sea creatures, now the dominant life forms of the world, began to evolve and adapt. This is how the series' famous Octolings came to be. When sea levels began to rise again, turf wars broke out to control any remaining land. Those turf wars are what we now throw our controllers at the tv over while screaming for someone to please "nerf the paintbrush".

&nbsp;

I am completely invested in the _Splatoon 3_ universe. I think this series offers some of the most entertaining and creative worldbuilding in gaming right now. My biggest obsession is the diegetic pop bangers provided by the in-universe idol groups, like _Off The Hook_. The in-game music being produced by bands and DJs that also exist in the game is so fun!

&nbsp;

If you decide to jump straight into story mode, you'll get to practice with _Splatoon 3_’s vast arsenal of mass splat-struction. There is a good balance of difficulty in the array of stages, with the exception of a certain _few_. I am well at peace knowing I will never get that cosmetic item for completing every stage. Yep, _completely at peace._..

&nbsp;

If you head into the lobby you can meet your online friends to queue for Turf Wars and Anarchy matches. Turf wars are low stakes battles where the team that has covered most of the map in their ink within the time limit wins. Anarchy Matches are the competitive circuit for players looking for a challenge. To keep things fresh, the maps available for each mode change hourly. There's a free battlepass each season that offers plenty of incentive to queue up over and over again too!

&nbsp;

Around the corner from the lobby is the Tableturf station where you can get a starter deck and a rundown on the new card-battle mini game. You can also challenge other players in the square. I had fun with this. There is cool cosmetic stuff you can unlock from grinding Tableturf matches out if you want to stand out from other players.

&nbsp;

Now for what might be my favorite PvE mode I’ve played in
recent memory: Salmon Run! Inside the very reputable and totally
legit Grizzco building you can queue alone or with up to
three friends for a game of Salmon Run. Salmon Runners are flown to
one of several spawning grounds to secure three loads
of Salmonid eggs. Sounds easy right? After hopping out of the chopper, you’re given a randomized weapon load out to fend off the different challenges of each wave.
Good luck!  You’ll need it.

&nbsp;

Splatoon 3 is charming, immersive, stylish, and difficult as shell
to master. Without a doubt, this is my ♔Game of the Year♔. I’m seriously looking forward to the next Splatfest, starting 11/11, where the teams will be based on Pokémon starters to celebrate Scarlet and Violet’s release the following week!


Splatoon 3


Released in the US January of 1998 to critical acclaim,
_Final Fantasy Tactics_ became an instant classic. I’d eventually find
my copy on a shelf at EB Games during the summer of 2003 for my 10th
Birthday. This was my introduction to the series and I’d spend
countless hours after school trying different combinations of jobs,
starting new playthroughs (after getting soft locked into un-winnable
save files), and drawing my favorite sprites all over my homework.
While scrolling through the app store on my
iPad almost 20 years later, I found the iOS port of the PSP remaster, _Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the
Lions_. Quickest 14 bucks(7.99 right now!) I’d spent since my last Starb’s run.

&nbsp;

This port is probably the best, most accessible way to experience
the game. The touch controls are intuitive except for unavoidable
frustration when moving the cursor on craggy maps. In terms of
Tactical RPGs, Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions is one of the
GOATs and absolutely a game that deserves (another) remaster for
modern consoles.

&nbsp;

_Final Fantasy Tactics_ is told mostly from the perspective of
Ramza Beoulve, a half-blood heir to the noble Beoulve House, as he
navigates the harsh realities of war and the rift between
the Nobility of Ivalice and everyone else. Ramza is a
self-possessed young man whose belief in doing what’s right compells him to
renounce his nobility and entreat all parties involved to end the titular War of
the Lions. Growing up with his common-born best friend Delita gave
Ramza perspective on what life is like for most people in Ivalice,
which greatly effected him. The relationship between these becomes a driving force for the story as they soon find themselves under opposing banners.

&nbsp;

Ramza’s journey is notably darker than other protagonists in the series.
The tone of _Final Fantasy Tactics_ is constantly bleak, even when celebrating victories. The focus put on expressing the consequences of war makes for a very grounded and compelling narrative. Many of the antagonists feel especially heinous because they explore the darker sides of human depravity that _Final Fantasy_'s typical flagship villains are just not motivated by.

&nbsp;

Ramza's adventures take him through several different locales around Ivalice as he finds himself tangled in political conspiracies. Conspiracies that very quickly cross over into the supernatural. The humility and grace with which Ramza carries himself is compelling and really sets him apart from other _Final Fantasy_ heroes as a cut above the rest.

&nbsp;

_Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions_ added a _lot_ to the base game. New animated cutscenes help contextualize certain plot points while giving life to some of the areas you otherwise only see a single zone from. The voice acting in each cutscene is pretty cool too. Much of the in game dialogue was revised, adding a little flavor to the alread ‘mm-chef’s-kiss story.

&nbsp;

Gameplay involves directing units around a grid-based map. Positioning on each panel is crucial as it can effect a unit's block and dodge chance. Units on both sides will queue their actions up and then execute them individually to end their turn. Any action that is
performed during a turn (except Defending) will earn a unit Job Points
that are used to unlock more powerful abilities for each job.

&nbsp;

_Tactics_' job system is nearly perfect and the core gameplay loop kept me in the job menu after every battle, checking to see if I'd accumulated enough Job Points
for a new spell or ability. Job level is independent of unit level and
certain jobs are locked behind combinations of other job level
requirements. This means units need to switch roles often to round out their toolkits. Further incentivizing job experimentation, each character can be assigned a sub-job to
improve their utility. This means you can have a Knight with Chemist
skills to use potions and other items in a pinch or a Black Mage that
can sling some White Magick support spells.

&nbsp;

There are many unique systems to consider in combat: zodiac sign
combinations working as spell multipliers between characters, a Faith
system that can make units immune to various magicks or extremely
susceptible to them, and even permadeath if any of your units falls in
battle and is not resurrected before a certain number of rounds
completes. All of these systems lend to the game’s unforgiving
difficulty level for new players in the first few chapters. Once you
have a grasp on what’s going on under the hood though, victories
become so rewarding that the game can become hard to put down.

&nbsp;

Two additional jobs were added with War of the Lions, and
are…interesting to say the least. The Dark Knight and Onion Knight
classes are iconic _Final Fantasy_ jobs, however, both require you to go
so far out of your way to be useful that it’s very likely you won’t
even use either job. In my play through, I did not bother with
unlocking either (although Onion Knight is my favorite Final Fantasy
job) and I wasn’t too sore about it. It's very easy to become
overpowered in the last stretch of the game, which was my biggest
gripe playing the game now. I was given so many powerful unique
characters in the last chapter that it felt like all the grinding I
did with my generic units was pointless since you are limited to a
small number of deployable units for each battle.

&nbsp;

I could talk about this game all day, but I'll keep it short and say that if you love tactical RPGs, there’s a good chance you’ve at least heard of _Final Fantasy Tactics_. Believe the hype for this one. This game can be a slam
dunk for anyone looking for an adventure with a rich story and
action you can take at your own pace.


Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions 


I was unsure how I felt about _Xenoblade Chronicles 3_ during my first 10 or so hours
because it was around that mark that I gave up on _Xenoblade Chronicles
2 _ and cast it to the contents of my
“games-I’ll-finish-one-day-just-because-I-spent-money-on-them” drawer.
This time was different because it felt like the complaints
I had been telepathically transmitting about _Xenoblade Chronicles 2_ were
received and taken into consideration during this game's development. Resolved
issues aside, _Xenoblade Chronicles 3_ still asks new players to forgive a lot before it reveals its fun side.

&nbsp;

My biggest gripe with _Xenoblade Chronicles 3_ is the combat. I may have caught myself having fun a few times after unlocking new abilities, but I never reached a point where I could say I really enjoyed combat in the game. The jump from normal to hard difficulty is **massive** which kept me locked between battles being just a little too easy or battles becoming a hard stop for story progression.

&nbsp;

**Okay, there is a _lot_ that can be said about _Xenoblade Chronicles 3_ combat to someone who is new to the series, so I’ll hit some of the highlights for the sake of keeping this review brief.**

&nbsp;

The arts and fusion arts combo systems are very engaging and
I genuinely enjoyed the challenge of timing my arts just right to
string each of my attacks into combos. The key to quickly filling
gauges (and the gauges within those gauges) needed to perform the most
potent arts is cancelling attacks--using a different art right as
your current attack connects. With each class using different attack
animations, the combo system can take a while to master. Adding more
complexity to the mix, fusion arts involve mixing abilities from both
Agnus and Keves classes to create interesting new combinations with
customizable effects. This rocks.

&nbsp;

The class system is another great feature that provides plenty of
party customization along with interchangeable clothing options that
persist in cutscenes. However, the large number of classes means that
certain ones are naturally going to outperform others in general
content, and that only a few will get regular use in most
scenarios. The way you go about unlocking new classes also feels fun
and rewarding, even if the story attached to each class is not always
the most interesting or fleshed out.

&nbsp;

Ouroboros and interlinks add even more depth to the combat formula as
you customize each character’s soul tree. You have direct control over
the growth of each ouroboros form and can decide how to use each
member best from a strategical standpoint. This was pretty cool
and I spent a lot of hours stressing over how I wanted to outfit each
character for battle. I do have to mention how the ouroboros
forms are some of the most _mm’chef kiss_ designs I’ve seen in the
series.

&nbsp;

Now for the meaty part, _Xenoblade Chronicles 3's story_. Before the game's release, I saw popular reviewers with early access describe Noah as an annoying, goody-two shoes hero. Having an aversion to insufferably cool and aloof heroes like Cloud Strife and Lightning Farron, I love a protagonist who isn't an Edgelord. After a few hours I realized that he was actually insufferable.

&nbsp;

_Xenoblade Chronicles 3_’s world gave me the same distinct feeling of mundanity that many free to play anime MMOs from the past decade gave me growing up. It’s bright, colorful, and inviting but without any defined identity or soul. Perhaps this is intentional, given the story revolving around (technically) 19 year olds who haven’t had the opportunity to go outside their colonies for anything besides battle. The multitude of insignificant, named NPCs you encounter and complete requests for and their unique bios and dialogue also lent to this feeling of quantity over quality. Ultimately, while the world is PACKED with places to go and monsters to slay, it just didn’t always feel unique or interesting to me.

&nbsp;

There is a lot to love about _Xenoblade Chronicles 3_ for a fan of the series. As a _Xenoblade_ hater I don’t think my views on the trilogy have changed. I’d still say it’s worth checking out for anyone who’s curious about the series but can’t find a copy of the first game or was warned against playing the second one. And I'll just come out and say it: Eunie's voice actor sounds like Peppa Pig to me.


Xenoblade Chronicles 3


_Disgaea: Hour of Darkness_ sits high on the list of games that inspired me as
a kid. I remember reading a review for it in a copy of GamePro and seeing a reviewer describe it as “_Final Fantasy Tactics_ meets _Nightmare Before Christmas_”. I had never needed anything so badly before in my life. When I finally got it for my Playstation 2, I was losing nights of sleep trying to grind my way to level 9999. Even after almost 150 hours, I wasn't able to make it very far in the juicy (for the time) post game.

&nbsp;

For perspective, my most recent forays into the multiverse of netherworlds and demons was in _Disgaea 5_ on Playstation 4. This made revisiting the barebones systems of the OG...kinda jarring. Still, I had a blast accomplishing simpler goals without having to interact with any of the complex systems of the newer Disgaea entries.

&nbsp;

Gameplay in _Disgaea 1: Complete_ consists of navigating a hub area with shops, a healer, and gatekeepers to the many different stages. After traveling to a stage, combat begins on a grid-based map and you’re allowed to summon 10 units to put the hurt on the enemy’s team. These 10 units can be swapped out as long as they haven’t executed an action. However, if one dies, the amount of units you can have on the field will drop to 9. After choosing your units, you will queue up spells, abilities, or items to use for your turn and your enemies will do the
same. You can then choose to end your turn to progress the battle.

&nbsp;

With combat being grid-based, different spells and abilities target different numbers of tiles in different areas of effect. Hitting an enemy you otherwise couldn't touch with a long area of effect spell is oh, so satisfying.
Special attacks and abilities also all have some of the most entertaining, over the top animations that I’ve seen in the genre.

&nbsp;

_Disgaea 1: Complete_’s looks fantastic. I appreciated the updated sprites, even if they sometimes make some of the low-res environments look a little worse. Because of the update, certain sprites were lost and replaced with ones from newer games such as the thief, cleric, and fighter classes. This was bittersweet for me
because of how much I love and miss the old Treant sprite.

&nbsp;

After the first cutscenes, my gamer instincts kicked in and I felt the visceral urge to jump. I was immediately reminded that this sexy feature wasn’t added until the second game. This revelation lead me to realize just how small this game's hub is, and then I started to think about how small _every_ map in the game is. Of course, I only mean small in comparison to the sprawling, often frustratingly big maps introduced in later _Disgaea_ games. In its hay day, nobody was doing it like _Disgaea Hour of Darkness_. It’s nice to see how far the team’s come by
building onto the original formula.

&nbsp;

I would consider the first Disgaea’s story to be the
strongest and most tolerable in the series. Most of the story is
ridiculous and silly, like when the party is in a state of panic over
an enemy possessing a powerful weapon known as the Horse Weiner. There
may be some typical trope-heavy drama, but there aren't nearly as many
overly dramatic dips in the story as there are in later Disgaea games.

&nbsp;

Disgaea 1’s climb from the main game to the first meaningful post game
encounter is long and unpleasant. Here’s where some of modern
Disgaea’s bloat acts as a nice padding. The random event floors in the
item world, squads, and even the universally despised Chara World bust
up the monotony of grinding a bit. That is, until all of those things
are required to progress farther into the postgame. You will spend a
lot of time repeating the same map for little reward until you’re just
barely able to make it out of the Cave of Ordeals at around level
1000-ish. Unless, of course, you exploit the monster capture system
and get a level 9999 monster before you’re halfway done with the main
story like I did.

&nbsp;

While building my Baal takedown squad this time around, I was able to
see what I think the fundamental flaw of _Disgaea_ is. At its worst,
it's a thankless grind with little regard for the 'S' in SRPG. Say
you've completed the main campaign with a level 70 unit leading your
team. Your introduction to post game content will be a stage with
fodder units to destroy over and over again until that character gets to level 1000. At this point, maps will begin to trade interesting Geo Effect puzzles for a handful of über-powered enemies for you to stack your
units on and pummel. If you can't overpower these baddies, it's time
to go grind your stats and equipment so that your skills will hit for
a few thousand more points of damage. Your reward for grinding is
always a new goal post to aim for while doing the same thing you just
did for hours on end. And well..that’s it.

&nbsp;

At its best, _Disgaea 1: Complete_ is a fun, over the top strategy RPG with loveable characters and hours upon hours of content. I can recommend this remake to anyone who's ever been interested in giving the series a shot. There is still plenty of challenge in the main story as well as an unlockable secret game mode with its own alternate story. I had a great time revisiting the Overlord's Castle and I'm excited to see which
direction the series takes when Disgaea 7 releases next year.


Disgaea 1: Complete


On your way home from school, you and your friends are caught in an earthquake and transported to Da’at--a bleak alternate dimension overrun with demons. Before long, you are ambushed by some spicy little guys with wings and pitchforks. It's at this very moment a man in a cybersuit appears before you. Now you're given an ultimatum: accept the help of this mysterious stranger or be unceremoniously skewered by a pack of lesser demons. To be honest, I'd probably pick the latter.

&nbsp;

After accepting the help of your scrumptious savior and putting the dispatching your first group of enemies, you’re free to start exploring. You start your journey alone (fused with your new friend), making combat especially dangerous until you can convince wayward demons to form a party with you.

&nbsp;

After wandering around for a while and putting the smackdown on some of the hostile residents of Da’at, you discover that a war between the forces of Law and the forces of Chaos has been raging for years in this alternate Tokyo. This long battle has left "#Team Law" on the ropes in denial of their impending defeat. Naturally, this is bad for the world as you know it-which is why you decide to step in and grab the reins. Frankly, who better to save the world, (or destroy it), than a high school student with a cool haircut?

&nbsp;

_Shin Megami Tensei V_ flexes as one of the best modern turn-based JRPGs. Battles utilize the series’ iconic Press Turn system, where you gain extra turns for exploiting your enemy’s elemental weaknesses. The key to victory is balancing your team's elemental affinities to ensure your enemies can’t find a weak spot and wipe you out in a single turn. Keeping a large stock of demons to pool from is ideal, but you are limited to the number of demons you can keep with you. In usual SMT fashion, you can use Macca to summon demons you’ve already acquired or you can hunt them down and convince them to join you again.

&nbsp;

New to this entry, Miracles provide a somewhat nonlinear character upgrade system where you can potentially put yourself at a disadvantage early on if you don’t plan carefully. These costly upgrades include improvements to quality of life such as increasing demon stock or discounts at the item shop, or improvements to combat capability like improving your skill potential in skill affinities which increase your damage and decrease your MP usage. Miracles are unlocked by beating mini-boss encounters at various marked points on the map called Abscesses, and the currency used to purchase them is called Glory. Glory is found in giant glowy disco balls hidden around the map and is also rewarded any time you find one of the adorable Miman’s hiding places.

&nbsp;

While _Shin Megami Tensei V_ might not accomplish anything particularly innovative for the series, it isn’t a bad thing. The most notable change is the introduction of the Magatsuhi gauge, which fills under various conditions to unlock powerful abilities for you as well as for each demon. This adds a new layer of complexity to combat and allows for new tactical strategies to consider.

&nbsp;

The control you have over your roster has also never been this deep or rewarding before. Not only can you collect various demon essences that change your own elemental affinities and individual skills - you can also use those essences to change the skills of the demons in your current stock. This adds a little more longevity to each demon if you have one you really like and want to use for a bit longer. Each species of demon also has unique Magatsuhi skills you unlock gradually by doing quests throughout the world. These demon “ultimates” were not that useful to me in the first half of the game though, and I found myself mainly using a default one until I had purchased enough Miracles to make my Magatsuhi gauge fill several times in a single battle.

&nbsp;

Newcomers to the series expecting a character-driven plot similar to Persona 5-this is not it. While several supporting characters may play an important role in the outcome of your journey in _Shin Megami Tensei V_, most of your adventure will consist of exploring the overworld alone. Most of the cast is not given much screen time until much later in the game, so you might not find yourself pickin' up what they're puttin' down right away. When you do catch up to the story beats, though, the cutscenes are a treat to watch.

&nbsp;

Presentation-wise, _Shin Megami Tensei V_ looks great. Kazuma Kaneko’s demon designs are as iconic and memorable as ever. The soundtrack is also phenomenal and lends to the dark, post-apocalyptic atmosphere very well. Now, whether or not the Switch handles the game perfectly is up for debate. I play all of my Switch titles docked and while I’ve had a pretty smooth experience, there are occasional moments where it will take a second or two for textures to load or instances where things “pop” into the zone. By no means was the game ever unplayable for me but I did notice these things often enough to take note of them.


Disgaea 2: Dark Hero Days

Splatoon 3

Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions

Xenoblade Chronicles 3

Disgaea 1: Complete

Shin Megami tensei V