Disgaea 3 Play Thoughts

Still watching videos at NicoVideo. The story is easy to understand so far, which makes me happy...

Thoughts on Episode 1; Please Highlight - might contain slight spoilers.
As we all know, Disgaea 3 was officially released today in Japan. Thanks to the efforts of a NicoVideo account owner, we're able to get a glimpse of the first chapter while waiting for our copies to arrive stateside. What do I think about it so far? This is actually a really tough question, I'm - in all honesty, not too sure what to think for myself.

I am enjoying the game greatly. Even by just watching, I really enjoy Mao and Almaz's interractions so far. Almaz interrupting the battle between Raspberyl and Mao because that's his job as a hero... his voice acting is exactly like Ash, if only for his much higher pitched screams and squeaks. He's quite a bit of a coward, but he does mean well. He's always thinking of his princess and how he'll do anything for her sake, he's very cute.

Jiiya seems like a sort of enigma so far. He's very to the point and very much proud of Mao.

Mao... Mao. I admit, while Almaz will be the "star" character to me (I really like him for many reasons), Mao is slowly growing to be a very lovable character. He's extremely adorable in his mood swings and his fears. The reason he wants to kill his dad... is interesting. Poor Almaz, he wasn't expecting something like that... to be Mao's servant and - Mao-sama. Ahaa. I still can't get over that Almaz must call him that. That's so interesting. Mao doesn't seem to really think things through it seems. He's quite easily excitable... but so is Almaz. What a strange hero combination those two make. Where will things go from here? I do not know~

I think the commercial breaks are a cute touch. How wonderfully silly, it really does feel like we're watching an anime- not playing a game.

I enjoy how fluid Mao's sprite is. He stomps his feet, points out at Raspberyl, yells, and is overall just a very animated character. Almaz- Almaz makes me laugh, he thinks he's lucky for finding a coin... oh, how terrible his luck truly is...

So far, I deeply enjoy the scenes. My understanding of them is subpar and somewhat limited, but I understand the situations that are going on. The added touches to gameplay really make the game interesting looking and - when I get my copy - fun.

I only hope the story in Makai Senki Disgaea 3 continues to impress me.

Disgaea 3 First Impressions

Oh, NicoVideo never fails me! ♥ (If you want to watch the scene, you must have a NicoVideo account. I'm sorry!)



Thoughts : [Light Spoilers?]

Mao is late for school, but he's almost done reading his Legend of the Hero comicbook. He seems really into it, until he slams it down and yells that he finally understands. He wants to become a hero in order to defeat his old man. The prinnies are startled by this, they just came in to tell their young master (bo-chama!) that he's late for class ... yet I somehow get the feeling that's nothing new.

Jiiya seems to be quite happy with Mao's reasoning and decides to help. You go, Jiiya! You go! Before Mao's able to run off and do anything, though- Jiiya makes sure he has henchmen to help him. All good students should be ready for anything, of course.

Jiiya's voice completely took me by surprise. I certainly wasn't expecting that level of pitch when I pictured Jiiya. He's quite comical.

Mao's voice, on the other hand... wow. I'm not sure what to say, his voice actor definitively has "obsessive" down to a notch. His Haa-Haa (which sounds more like a Aah-- haaaah ) is definitively something I'll remember well. Honestly, it sounds like Mao gets a little too excited about information pertaining to heroes. That's not... exactly a good thing. (Justice...! LOVEEEE....!!! No, Mao. Honey- stop. You'll give the neighbors bad ideas.)

I absolutely love the base theme. Is that Mao singing? It certainly sounds like his voice actor. I can't wait to see more scenes, my copy of the game itself won't arrive for a while, so I'll do my best to wait patiently.

(Jiiya is level 100. Machiko-sensei is level 500. Wow, I guess she's a teacher for a reason.)

HIGHLIGHT FOR POSSIBLE SPOILERS :
NicoVideo members think that Jiiya will be the final boss. HAHA. I seriously think Jiiya is somehow "evil", I'm not sure why - perhaps it's the ingrained thought that "The Butler Did It". Perhaps I've been reading too much Alfred Hitchcock? That might be a case... but he does seem sort of suspicious, do you not agree?

Dengeki Maoh (March)

x-posted on Cyberdance/Heroticism.

Dengeki Maoh Disgaea 3 Article. This was scanned in by Fujitsubo @ LiveJournal. Thank you so much again. ;o; ♥

These are rough guesses of the heights (due to the height charts on the sketches) for the main characters of Disgaea 3. I like information like this, what can I say?

Mao : 4'9Ft.
Raspberyl : 3'2 ft. (?!!?!?)
Almaz : 5'5 1/2 ft
Sapphire : 5'2 ft
Champloo : Not Listed.
Big Star : 6'5 (unsure, but it looks like it.)
Salvatore : Not Listed.

There's a lot of interest here, my heart "skipped a beat" so-to-say because of Harada's comment about Almaz...
出で立ちや中の人からして、ファントムブレイブのアッシュの生まれ変わりと思いってしまいますが、別に被は成仏はしていないようです。

How would one translate this...? In fashion sense and in spirit, it's as if Phantom Brave's Ash was reincarnated. Certainly, it feels as if he'll never be able to make it into heaven" ... ? I don't really know how to word this sentence well, mostly because the meaning... though I'm sure it's just the artist's comments on the design for Ash, but it still...

... I don't know.

Dengeki Playstation Vol. 410

Scans can be found here. They were brought to you by Nenena @ Livejournal.com

Thank you, Nenena!

There's a couple of interesting notes to be taken about this article. For one, it features four people who have played the game and how they rank some of the starting classes. All players enjoyed using Mao, and only one player seemed to dislike using Almaz. Both are ranked S on average.

(It seems that no one wants to use male healers... ah, the fate of male healers will forever be known as such... )

My favorite part of this article is the beginning battle of the game.
Almaz interrupts an argument between Mao and Raspberyl, like any good hero should-... but he's only level 1.

Level 1.

Rozalin I could understand being level one.
But you, Almaz? Did you ever pick up a sword before going to the Netherworld?!

I... sigh. Anyway, he's a neutral character in the battle, but you're free to whack him upside the head to show him who's boss.

Two days left! How exciting. Not only is Disgaea 3 coming out, but so is Devil May Cry 4 and Super Smash Brothers Brawl in Japan! That's- that's a pretty scary line-up. Could this be the year of the Playstation 3? Who knows, who knows.

Disgaea 3 Official Countdown

These are featured on the Disgaea 3 site.
http://disgaea.jp/3/

Dengeki Maoh March Issue

Dengeki Maoh will feature a game article of Makai Senki Disgaea 3 in their latest issue. (March) It shows the character sketches and portraits that can be found ingame.

Famitsu Score : Makai Senki Disgaea 3

Famitsu Score : 8 / 8 / 8 / 8
Total : 32

Disgaea : 33
Disgaea 2 : 34

Just so you can see where it ranks. I'm overall pleased.

Source: NeoGAF

Netherworld School's Nonsense Battle!

うぅ、早く見てみたいぞ！
恋とは何だ？　愛とは違うのか！？
酸性か?　アルカリ性か？化学式は？！

Translation:
Hurry up and look!
What's love? Is it different from affection?
Is it an acid? An alkaline? What's the chemical formula?!

...

Well, we know what's on Mao's mind all of the time. He really does take his image of "mad scientist" seriously... Today's GPARA Update features a quick rundown of the four main characters, new story screenshots, information on the Berserker and Dancer classes, as well as some ingame activities. The Laharl Trio Cameo is shown as well, they're really throwing that out there, it seems...

Eight Days until Disgaea 3 comes out!
It's very exciting, don't you think?

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The Third Maritsu Evil Academy Newsletter was also released yesterday. You can take a look at it here. It features flaming Afro Prinnies!

Disgaea 3 Telephone Cards

A set of Princess Sapphire and Raspberyl telephone cards will be released in Japan. They'll be featured in different magazines, so if you want to collect them all you'll just have to take a look around to see. They're quite gorgeous, if only there was a set for the boys too...! We have school girl, cosplay, swimsuits, gym wear, bathing, and prinnies! What's not to love?!

You can see more of them Here.

Dengeki Playstation Vol. 409 Scans

Nenena @ Livejournal was gracious enough to scan in the 20 Page MEGA VOLUME of Makai Senki Disgaea 3 in Dengeki Playstation. This update features synopsis for the game, general battle information, and the starting classes/monsters you get. This is a sort of mini guide for the game once it comes out, to get fans ready! ♥

There's even a Miss Marshmallow contest for Disgaea 3! The nicest pair of jugs was awarded to Princess Sapphire Rhodonite, I don't think she quite enjoys that, Jiiya...

New summons and spells are shown. Both Mao and Almaz have their own "summons". Almaz calls for the power of his Goddess in order to save the day! (Help Us, Goddess! is the name of the skill.) Mao calls upon ... I'm not even sure how to translate this... Vaza Aiglun (?) for his summon.

As you can tell from the above image, Laharl and co make their appearance and they make sure everyone knows of it. The "King of Overlords" (as he's referred to here), Laharl, has never missed an appointment to cameo! What adventures await him as he confronts Mao? We'll see!

Be sure to check this update!

Almaz Von Almadine Adamant

言ったじゃろ？　ワシは、泣くことができね。
母上の死にも涙の出ない、人でなしの姫じゃ。
人々がウワサしているのを聞いた。

ボクが、サファイア様を一生お守りします！
このアルマース・フォン・アルマディン・アダマント、姫様のためならしねます！！

Uwaah, Almaz~ ♥

Dengeki Playstation Vol. 409

This issue of Dengeki Playstation will feature a 20 Page Guide to school life in Disgaea 3, as well as story and system information. What a cute cover, though I'm a little sad it's not regular promotional art. ♥

[ Source ]

Disgaea 3 Animated Opening

Very, very awesome.

New Dungeon : Academy World

Dengeki Online features a new article today. Disgaea 3's introduction to the Academy World and screenshot explanations.

Much like the Item World, Academy World allows you to improve the abilities of your characters. Whether it's speed, attack, throw, critical rate... there's quite a list of things you can improve for a character. Each ability is a ten-floor dungeon you must go down. (Unlike the Item World, you can not leave in the middle of this dungeon.)

You must speak to the Afro!Prinny to ender the Academy World.
(...Jesus Christ, from the screenshot it shows Mao has 130% in both ATK and INT. As well as 120% in SP. )

Huh. Mystery Gates are apparently now MYSTERY ~*~*~CLASSROOMS~*~*~ that you do... mysterious things in. Hmn.

Ah, it seems to also show that Male Archers have a much better ATK modifier than Female Archers. Their dex still is pretty darn hefty, though.

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Another portion of the update discusses character make (which is pretty much the same from the previous two games. The only update is the classroom setting, the new classes, and the desks you get from their level of ability. Uh. Oh, and they talk now! Go Generics!)

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Depending on how often you use a skill, it will get stronger but also cost more SP. This is the same as in the previous games. It seems you can purchase MAbilities in order to help your skills improve.

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The final portion of the article talks about the benefits of Geoblock chaining.

[ Source ]

Asia Game Show 2007

Disgaea 3 was featured at Asia Game Show 2007 in late December.
Site Update this week will include:

Special ...
Character ...
System ...

Updates. Stay Tuned.



Disgaea 3 characters cameo in the Disgaea 2 Manga as a special "commercial"! In the February Issue of Dengeki MAOH, Mao, Almaz, Raspberyl, and her cohorts make their appearance in Veldime! Mao asks Adell why he's trying to defeat the local overlord, which ensues into a series of questions and finally the realization that Adell has no idea what a "school" is. Oh my.

If you can, pick up an issue of Dengeki Maoh!