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> Results: Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness
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The ESRB Says
Mild Blood: GamerDad saw some blood in the turn-based battles and cutscenes, though it is not memorable. Mild Fantasy Violence: The core of the game is turn-based strategic battles. Mild Language:There is use of Hell and Damn, but nothing stronger. Suggestive Themes: There is some light-hearted flirting in some cutscenes. Ported games are sort of like people working in customer service (stick with me for a second) - the best ones make you feel like everything is about you, while in your head you know that they are doing the same exact thing for everyone. The point is that you feel like you are being taken care of, which is much better than feeling like you are interrupting a conversation to buy something that is costing you a month's salary. The PSP got three games from the Final Fantasy franchise in 2007, and all of them felt like eating someone else's leftovers. The RPG's were particularly bad in that regard, but despite updates and additions Final Fantasy Tactics felt like last week's dinner reheated with some new gravy. All this serves as introduction to a single observation: while Disgaea was originally a PS2 game (see our review of the PS2 version of Disgaea 2), the PSP porting has been done so nicely and has so much stuff added that is so well integrated that you really feel as though you are playing an all new PSP game. And a really good one - I'll leave it to you to decide if you prefer this game or Jeanne D'Arc - I prefer the latter, but both are truly excellent strategy-RPG's that should be on your 'must have; list if you are a fan of the genre. The game is centered around a young demon buy named Laharl who comes out of a two-year nap to discover that he was nearly assassinated, and that his father - king of the Netherworld - has died. This sets up your quest - you need to recruit allies, put power-hungry overlords in their place, and do whatever it takes to assert your dominion over all aspects of the netherworld. There are plenty of fun - and funny - cutscenes throughout; they tell the story, recap events, and generally keep things moving along. Once you get into the heart of the game - combat - you will find this a deep and satisfying tactics experience. It is much friendlier and more accessible than Final Fantasy Tactics, but don't mistake that with ease or simplicity. There is loads of replayability in addition to the 100+ hours you will spend conquering it the first time. This is the sort of game that is fun yet serious, deep yet accessible, and one that you will want to keep within easy reach of your PSP. It was great on the PS2, and it remains great on the PSP - with enough new stuff that even if you have already played it you will have plenty to keep your interest. Wait - you're still here? Go, get on, and go buy it already!  
As mentioned in the Disgaea 2 review, these games look at the world with a male teen -oriented anime view of the world: everyone has a certain chibi look about them, many of the female characters are improbably clothed and impossibly proportioned ... all while being characterized as young teens. That, along with some minor blood and language, aims the game squarely at teens, and gets the game a T-rating and a GamerDad Age Seal of 14+. Yet this is another game I have let my 11 and almost-10 year old sons play around with for two reasons - it is really good, and 99% of the game is about thinking your way through dynamic turn-based strategic battles. Any opportunity to make your kids' brains hurt is a good opportunity in my eyes.
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