In my freshman year of college I bought Disgaea: Hour of Darkness on a whim. The cover art and character designs blew me away.  That would become the first title in which my hour count plunged deeply into the triple digits.  I had never experienced a game with so much to do, and I was hooked.  Now, after some financial turmoil, Nippon Ichi has released Disgaea 4.  Do they still have what it takes to churn out the hour-sponges, or has their winning formula dried out?

Story – Iwashi

Disgaea 4 follows a vampire living in the Netherworld named Valvatorez.  His current position in the highly vertical heirarchy of the underworld is Prinny Instructor — in other words, he’s at the bottom.  Valvatorez quite literally trains the penguin-shaped scum of the netherworld how to take abuse — a thankless job if ever there was one.  It wasn’t always like this, though.  He was once a great tyrant, feared by both human and demon.  However, at some point he made a promise to stop drinking human blood, thus becoming considerably weaker and easier to push around.  And when Valvatores makes a promise, he keeps it.  After adopting his new role, Valvatorez and his companion Fenrich notice all is not right in the government of the underworld.  With corruption rearing its ugly head, the gang head off on a journey to investigate.

If you forced me to use one word to describe the story in this, or any Disgaea, that word would be bittersweet.  The series is known for a sharp wit and off the wall jokes.  For instance Valvatorez, unable to drink blood, maintains a portion of his strength by eating sardines.  He is on a vendetta to spread his wealth of knowledge about this modest fish in the hopes that others can be made aware of its greatness.  I learned a lot about sardines.  An awful lot, and Valvatorez’s enthusiasm for the fish was consistently amusing.

So if humor is the sweetness in the bittersweet, the bitterness can be found in each character’s backstory.  While not revealed immediately, the game’s light humor is beautifully dusted with clues to some sad past.  In this manner, the gravity of each helping of bitterness sneaks up on the player until a carefully calculated moment.  While this formula is consistent, through well… nearly every NIS title that comes to mind, it is still executed just as masterfully as the game’s trademark humor.  Still, I would like to see NIS lean on this story mechanic less…  I realize there are constraints from working within a humor-based story, but that is not an excuse.

System – Hi-tech Bribery

Online functionality is more involved than ever, but still the player is just as limited.  I could upload one of my characters to participate in other player’s dark congress assemblies.  If my character was bribed, I could even collect the bribes after the fact.  But I would like to see this go a step further, allowing me to directly affect another player and witness that fact.  I want to be the one who votes.  I want to decide if the bribe I received was good enough.  These desires could easily be game breaking, and perhaps they are, but what I really want is to feel like what I am doing with any online functionality matters.  And I did not feel that way in Disgaea 4 at all.  Upload of player data controlled by the game’s AI is not my idea of successful online functionality.

Most of Disgaea 4’s strategy RPG mechanics are making a return from past iterations.  You still have your base panel, geo blocks and throwing systems.  There are some new features such as the ability to fuse two monster characters into one, much larger, monster.  Oh, and the discipline system, sure to make you blush and laugh uncomfortably.  Ultimately however, if you spent hundreds of hours in Disgaea 3, odds are very good you will spend hundreds of hours in Disgaea 4 essentially doing all the same things.  Let’s face it, grinding is what sucks up the most time, and where grinding is concerned not much has changed.  That’s because  Disgaea 4 is built heavily off the shoulders of Disgaea 3 in terms of system with little in the way of innovation.

Presentation – Moving on up

Visually the franchise has made enormous strides.  Sprite appearances were overhauled resulting in possibly the smoothest most detailed ones I’ve ever seen.  The lush dialog art becomes animated during event scenes, further validating the game’s place on a current gen home console.

Conclusions – Secret Ingredient

If I were a chef and my sous-chef presented me with a bowl of Disgaea 4, I would probably say they did very well but lose points for playing it safe.  The presentation was spotless; in fact, they were a huge improvement.  The execution, while containing some new techniques, is largely nothing new.  Overall the taste is… quite familiar.  Sous-chef Nippon Ichi, I’m afraid this dish needed more heart and less leftovers.

For more of my thoughts on Disgaea 4, please listen to my recent appearance on the PSNation podcast.

Yesterday the official website for NIS’s upcoming PS3 title, The Witch and the 100 Calvarymen launched.  This title is definitely taking NIS into new territory, described as a dark fantasy sandbox game developed by the same team behind the Prinny: Can I Really Be the Main Character? games.

The story surrounds a witch named Metalica (here’s hoping they change that for the western release) and her summoned familiars.  Metalica is the swamp witch, and she is on a quest to bump off the forest witch — gangsta style.  You know: make her an offer she can’t refuse.  No, but for real, she handles it like all powerful women in NIS titles: by sending their underlings to take care of it.  In this case, Metalica’s underlings consist of 100 animated suits of armor.  The player will assume the role of Metalica’s animated armor familiars and they are free to accomplish her goal in true sandbox fashion: by being a goody-two-shoes, or by being a total jerk.

The dialog art closely resembled that of Disgaea 4 which is promising.  As for the sandbox exploration, that will be in 3D — a dimension which NIS has proven isn’t their strong point:

The action is looking a bit confusing and there is a lot going on all over the screen.  Also, when I first saw this (which was before I knew what system the game was for) I immediately assumed it was for a handheld console and NOT the PS3.  Yikes — if you’re going to be late to the party at least dress up a bit.

Thankfully this sandbox game does feature some RPG elements which will no doubt be explained in greater detail in the future.  I do know that you can level up your 100 Calvarymen and that damage is shown in numerical value.  You can also use some of Metalica’s magic spells via a system called GIGAcal (short for giga calorie).

My initial reaction to this game is concern.  Nippon Ichi has been on thin ice with investors in Japan and that is mostly due to some bad decisions to experiment with different genres and outside development.  Still, unlike the games that rocked the boat in the past, The Witch and 100 Calvarymen does wear the NIS badge a little more openly.  I will be watching this one cautiously, but hope for NIS’s sake they know their limits.

The day has finally arrived: Disgaea 4 is out in the West today!  Nippon Ichi America was kind enough to send me the game a few days early to get started on my review.  While the review may not be ready yet, I can at least offer some valuable information to those starting the game today based on the hours I’ve spent with it.

If you’re the type who prefers to not look up any hints or tips, then by all means ignore the following post.

Controls and UI

There are a number of hot-keys and controls the game does not make clear to the player.  Here are a few:

• R2/L2 = Can be used to scroll through enemy or allied units in battle — as well as show you where portals are in the Item World
• Movement = In battle, while hovering your cursor over a unit, hold square.  This will show you the character’s movement range.
  • Zoom = While holding square to examine movement, you can press R1/L1 to zoom in and out of a map.  Zooming all the way in really highlights the game’s awesome sprites!  Zooming out can help give you an inventory of some of the more complex maps.

Chances are pretty good that Zides will not survive this attack

Disgaea has always provided an accuracy projection before executing an attack.  It’s generally shown in a percentage between 1% and 99% like you see above.  A cool new addition to this feature in Disgaea 4 is damage projection.  You can see both displayed in the screen above.  The red bars signify a character’s HP, while the yellow bar is the projected damage.  If the yellow bar extends beyond the enemy’s HP, the enemy’s HP bar will turn red, meaning it’s fairly likely you will get a kill.  Do note however, that this system does not account for critical hits, so if you’re feeling lucky, go for it!

Valvatorez and Fenrich

So right out of the gate you will start with the obvious story characters: Valvatorez and Fenrich.  The two are inseparable in the story, and should be for all battles as well.  The main reason for this is Fenrich’s Evility, which grants a 30% boost to all his stats when on a panel adjacent to Valvatorez.  No matter what level you’re at in the game, 30% is a huge boost.  The pair are also very well synchronized for team attacks.   Valvatorez’s Evility grants him a 5% stat boost for each enemy he kills, so a good strategy is to maximize the number of units he kills, while Fenrich provides support via team attacks and his high number of counter attacks.  It’s also a good practice to check the Evility of any and all new units you encounter.

Magery

You will be given a random assortment of generic allies early on.  This includes a Cleric, Mage (M), and Warrior (M).  Try to pay attention to what elements enemies are weak against.  Your Red Mage can one-hit a lot of early enemies which are weak to fire.  To examine an enemy’s elemental weaknesses, hover over them and use your right analog stick to scroll through their stats and equipment.   Negative values mean the enemy is weak to that element while positive values mean the enemy is strong to that element:

This senator is weak to wind attacks

Expanding the range of your magic can mean tons of EXP coming your way, so this is something you should maintain regularly.  This can be done via the same NPC who teaches you Evilities and new Skills.  It won’t take long before your Mage can be easily killed by enemies if left unprotected on a map.  If this is becoming a regular occurrence, it may be a good idea to Reincarnate your Mage into a Magic Knight, sacrificing a bit of intelligence for some vastly improved defenses.

Generics

Below is a quick list of how to unlock each generic humanoid character class in the game.  Remember, however, that you must also pass a bill with the Dark Congress to actually be able to create these jobclasses:

• Warrior (M) = Available from start
• Warrior (F) = Available from start
• Mage (M) = Available from start
• Mage (F) = Available from start
• Cleric = Available from start
• Thief = Available from start
• Archer = Cleric and Warrior (F) at level 15
• Gunner = Thief + Mage (M) at level 15
• Shaman = Mage (M) and Mage (F) at level 15
• Beastmaster = Warrior (F) and Warrior (M) at level 15
• Professor = Onmyo Monk and Cleric at level 15
• Heavy Knight = Warrior (M) at level 20
• Masked Hero = Thief and Warrior (M) at level 25
• Ninja = Warrior (M) and Thief at level 30
• Samurai = Warrior (F) and Archer at level 30
• Magic Knight = Any Warrior and any Mage at level 30
• Onmyo Monk = Ninja and Shaman at level 30
• Bouncer = Clear Chapter 8
• Battle Suit = Clear Chapter 9 + Warrior (M) and Heavy Knight at level 30
• Android = Clear the game

If you guys would be interested in more Disgaea 4 support, let me know in the comments and I will start to compile everything the way I did for Disgaea 3 (1,2).

My review should be up soon, hopefully before Tokyo Game Show.  In the meantime, this information should provide an excellent springboard into Hades.  So get out there and start converting your life energy into hours of gameplay — I know that’s what I’ll be doing just as soon as I get out of work!

I have written reviews of other anime series NIS America has localized (1,2), and each time I champion the fact that I am not an “anime person”.  I don’t go out of my way to look for anime, licensed or otherwise — same for manga.  But I daresay NIS may be showing me that there is some hope for the medium.  One of their newest titles, Katanagatari (literally: Katana story), was released last month and I have been given the pleasure of reviewing it.

Let’s start with the tangible: the packaging.  As with every series NIS America has released to date, in addition to the DVDs you get a bonus art book and a sleek box to store it all in.  For the first time however, the bundle includes format options: both standard DVDs and Blu Rays are included.  Odds are good that if you support NIS America, you own a PS3 — meaning you can watch it in its full stupefying beauty.  No ghosting or interlacing issues here — no, this is easily the best quality NIS America has given us.  Which is nice, but I can’t help but feel somewhat slighted with their previous series released in only DVD format (for essentially the same price).

Now let’s move onto the anime itself.

Premise

The story begins with a bit of feudal history surrounding a once heroic bloodline exiled to a small island off the coast of Japan.  There we meet Yasuri Shichika, the current head of the Kyotoryu style of sword fighting and his sister Nanami — the only living members of the exiled bloodline.  Shichika has been on this island alone with his sister his whole life, so to say that he is out of touch with society is an understatement.  He has no concept of the value of everyday commodities and finds the taste of saké to be revolting.  He and his sister are essentially hermits living off the land in peace — a luxury afforded to few during this period of Japanese history.

The title’s leading duo — they are in love. Seriously.

One day a boat arrives carrying with it a clumsy young strategist employed by the reigning shogunate named Togame.  She has taken it upon herself to try and acquire twelve legendary katana, each forged by an expert swordsmith.  The power contained within these blades could be used to either fuel or quell an upcoming rebellion against the shogunate.  The only problem is that once a skilled swordsman comes into contact with one of these blades, they are overtaken by a desire to wield it — perpetuating its rampage.  So how do you pry a sword from the hands of a swordsman without using another swordsman?  Well, it just so happens that Kyotoryu sword fighting is the art of unarmed swordfighting, making Shichika the ultimate tool for helping to collect each weapon.  With Nanami’s blessing, the two head back to the mainland on a quest to collect these legendary katana.  This blend of history and fiction is not uncommon in Japanese media, but in my opinion it’s successful at creating an exciting landscape of different situations and characters.

Tone

Katanagatari has an engaging episode formula.  Since the series is 12 episodes long and there are 12 katana total, each episode will revolve around the lore and current possessor of one of the legendary blades.  The idea of good and bad is nonexistent: just because someone happens to have one of the 12 blades, doesn’t mean they are evil — it’s not that black and white.  The blade owners, like our protagonists, have their own interests and reasons for what they are doing and this aspect of their characters is well developed.  So much so that often times I found myself not wanting the heroes to fight the sword’s owner — I didn’t want there to be a winner because that meant there had to be a loser.  The fact that all the characters were painted in such a way is a real credit to its writing and character development.

One complaint that may turn some away is that the show gets a bit wordy at times.  I pride myself on an exceptional attention span and comprehension, but even I found myself nodding off during some especially lengthy ninja soliloquies.  Considering the number of characters whose motives and backgrounds need to be established, it makes sense.  It’s like building the pyramids: they’re a work of art but damned if it didn’t take some labor to get them there.  In my opinion, the payoff is worth a bit of yawning.

Presentation

NB: Japanese audio only with English subtitles.  Volume one contains episodes 1-6 (of 12).

In the mass of anime out there, homogeneity weighs the medium down like a brick of depleted uranium.  The only thing rarer than a creative story concept is a unique aesthetic.  Katanagatari boasts both of these.  While facial features are simplistic, this is balanced with elaborately flowing costume design.  Lush dramatic scenery with rich textures can stand on its own in the stead of character engagement.  The colors and textures make you feel like you’re reading a sumi-e scroll, updated will all the modern trimmings.  Being able to experience all this on Blu Ray, well…that is just worthy of awe.

Don’t believe me?  Take a look at the Japanese trailer:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Conclusions

I can say with no hesitation that I must have volume 2 of Katanagatari.  The exceptional development of the characters has caused a deep investment on my part — not knowing what becomes of them is too painful to consider.  This combined with awe-inspiring visuals, unabated by format restrictions (Blu Ray: “DVDs lol”), results in a truly valuable package.  If you can get past the pricetag ($55.99) and some epic gabbing, I assure you that Katanagatari will be one unforgettable series.

Yesterday NIS America released an official press release regarding a change to Disgaea 4’s western localization scheduled to be released September 6th.  The map editor feature has been altered due to “regulation differences between regions”.  The press statement goes on to explain:

“Regarding Disgaea 4’s map edit system, regulation differences between regions made it very difficult to keep in. However, thanks to all the help from our development team and SCEA, we were able to keep the system by making just some minor design adjustments. Players won’t be able to create a completely detailed map, but this new system is still a great way to expand the Disgaea universe and share your own creations with players around the nation.”

Now let’s get to the specifics of what player can and can’t do:

• Players will not be able to create their own landmasses; rather, they will have to choose from a number of  pre-designed templates
• Players cannot stack multiples of the same item on top of, or next to one another (with the exception of geo blocks and characters)
• Players may not name their maps or give them a description — this feature has been randomized

Here are my gripes:

1. NIS probably shouldn’t have confirmed this feature in the game’s release trailer
2. One thing they fail to mention in this press release is that the map editing system is the same system used for designing your own base, meaning the player will be limited in that area as well
3. They should probably update the official webpage to reflect this new information, notably ”create unique geography!”
4. Taking something away from us?  Sure would be a nice gesture to announce that you are giving us something for free, like oh I don’t know… DLC!

Don’t get me wrong, even if this feature was wholly removed (which I am relieved it hasn’t been) there is still a lot Disgaea 4 has to offer.  We can count on the fact that there will be hundreds of hours of gameplay, a quirky but touching story, and overhauled graphics which is enough for me.  Still, every time a game is altered en route to a localization, it pains me to think of what could have been.

NIS Japan has released details for their upcoming second installment of DLC for Disgaea 4 in Japan.  The new content will be available whenever the Japanese Playstation Network is resuscitated, as it is still down in Japan.  Three familiar faces may be added to the player’s roster, including Mao, Priere, and Saber Pink from Disgaea 2’s Axel mode.

I neglected to post details on the first bit of DLC for Disgaea 4 (other than Asagi) so here is a list of every confirmed character being released in Japan:

• Asagi (DLC #1)
• Adell (DLC #1)
• Rozalin (DLC #1)
• Mao (DLC #2)
• Priere (DLC #2)
• Saber Pink (DLC #2)

Two weapons modeled after Sony’s feline “mascats” Toro and Kuro are also available, however, I doubt these will make it to the states.  One is a Toro-spear, released in the first pack of DLC; the other is a Kuro-axe, released in the second.  The DLC details make no mention of the cost of the DLC, but NIS America usually separates it so cost is irrelevant to most of us.

I could care less about Mao, but I love Priere and Pink both for their personalities and sheer clobbering power.  I have made a Saber Kitty every game since Phantom Brave. I love the little guys!  But Pink is much more versatile in the special abilities department.  I have had a soft spot for Priere ever since La Pucelle, which features an amazing story despite the gameplay being a little rougher than Disgaea.  Seeing so many beloved characters filling the ranks of Disgaea 4 makes me that much more excited for its release this September.

The other day I finished volume two of NIS America’s localization of Our Home’s Fox Deity (or Our Home).  The show became kind of a ritual at casa del Kotowari, where Sarah and I watched an episode a day after work.  It’s rare that an anime manages to keep my interest for so long (24 episodes), so I feel compelled to review it.

Our Home follows two brothers, Toru and Noboru, who are descendants of bloodline of Japanese shaman.  When a yokai threatens the younger of the two brothers, the family must ask a fox god, or inari okami for assistance.  The fox god agrees despite being sealed for years by the family’s ancestors.  Rather than sealing the inari okami away once the yokai is bested, the brothers decide to make it their guardian spirit, allowing it to live with them.  And thus they become entangled in the supernatural world of Japanese lore.

The inari okami, or Tenko as she is called, is a shape shifter.  That means she may take the form of a man, woman, or fox — leave it to Japan to play with genders as much as possible!  Despite this fact, and a largely female cast, the series remains mostly respectful of all characters.  I was especially worried that with such a female heavy crew, they would all be boiled down to the sum of their anatomy, as is often the case.

There was genuine depth to everyone — even Sakura, Toru’s panicky high school admirer.  Despite being somewhat of a sub character, it was she who ended up becoming my favorite.  Through her I had hearty chuckles as she navigated the tactical world of high school romance (no matter how one sided).  But there were many moments where I felt for her, cheering her on from the other side of the screen.  One episode even used her to explore modern society, showing a taxing diet craze that swept through the female cast.  Versatility like this makes for a great cast and dynamic story.

I should mention that I don’t care for anime that takes itself very seriously.  For the most part, Our Home does not.  Episodes are light and funny with everyday interaction between the story’s unique characters given precedence over any real conflict.  However, for a few episodes in the second volume the series gets a little lost.  It felt like the writers were compelled to have something happen, as something is defined in your run-of-the-mill anime: a bad guy who wants to do something bad. Yawn.  Thankfully this slight blemish only eclipses a portion of the series, leaving plenty of episodes focusing on culture fairs, shrine festivals, and what’s for dinner.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Japanese PV for Our Home’s Fox Deity

When it comes to packaging, sadly NIS had a mix-up which caused some of the premium sets to have their slipcovers printed at low quality.  There was a replacement program in effect, so I believe moving forward this is not an issue.  I also did not notice any “ghosting”, which plagued the company’s first attempts at anime publishing.  Both sets are available for $47.99 each at NIS’s online store.  Hopefully they will also be available on Netflix and/or Crunchyroll — I have contacted NIS America to see if there are any plans to do so and will update this post with whatever I find out.  Oh, one more note: subtitles only — no dubbing whatsoever.  I realize this may turn some people off, but I found it a blessing to not have to constantly go into “setup” before picking an episode.

I enjoyed Our Home’s Fox Deity and am sad that it’s over.  It was refreshing to have experienced a show which isn’t afraid to avoid anime blueprints and rather weave some interesting characters and just let them interact.  If you want something to watch besides reruns of Everybody Loves Raymond, and can get past the comparatively high price-tag, Our Home won’t disappoint.

She may not be a main character yet (and she most likely never will be) but come the end of April, Asagi will be given the chance to become a real hero for those effected by the devastating earthquake in Japan.  NIS has announced that the proceeds from her 100 yen Disgaea 4 DLC sales will be donated to reconstruction efforts until June 30th.  This is especially selfless of NIS considering their financial troubles as of late.

Asagi’s sprite looks awesome; I am pleased to see there is no more constant air-guitar-playing as there was in Disgaea 3.  I also like her gun with the bow tied around the hammer — what a cute touch.

If you know me, you know I am a huge Asagi fan.  Everything from her character design to her ever-changing persona makes her the character I most look forward to returning with each Disgaea title.  I am happy to see that she will have a positive impact on people’s lives in some way.  Stay strong, Japan: Asagi has your back.

The Android was one of the first new jobclasses to catch my eye in early Disgaea 4 artwork and screenshots.  Her color and design is certainly eye catching, but only now do I realize the true power of this unit!

How to unlock: Unlocked for second playthrough
Weapon proficiency: None
Movement: 4
Jump: 20
Counter: 2
Throw: 3

Evilities

The Android serves to replace the almighty end-game units of the past, such as the Majin.  She is a true powerhouse, and, with enough work, can put just about any other job to shame.  I generally don’t like these units because they are just too serious; their power takes the fun out of the game a bit. I mean, relax, guy, why can’t you be more like a Prinny?

Look forward to more translated info on Disgaea 4. For the complete backlog, visit the Disgaea 4 articles page.

The next of the new humanoid jobclasses in Disgaea 4 is the Bouncer.  Personally I have never seen a bouncer this dashing or well dressed, but hey: it’s a video game, right?

How to unlock: Automatically unlocked at the start of chapter 8
Weapon proficiency: Fist & Gun
Movement: 5
Jump: 20
Counter: 3
Throw: 5

Evilities

The bouncer excels at being a target; in fact, I rather believe he enjoys it.  His high number of counter attacks means tangling with this dude directly is bloody suicide.  He also sports a number of evilites which protect surrounding units.  Having a mage literally surrounded by bouncers is both a humorous and very real strategy.  I should note that he appears to have replaced the fighter or brawler of the past, so if you love fist characters the bouncer is your go-to man.

Look forward to more translated info on Disgaea 4. For the complete backlog, visit the Disgaea 4 articles page.