(Image source: Square Enix.)
Having completed Disgaea, I’ve started Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions. Like Disgaea, FFT is an excellent turn-based strategy game for the PSP. Unlike Disgaea, FFT takes itself very seriously indeed, thank you very much.
I haven’t progressed very far into the storyline but initial impressions are very favourable. This is the best written game I’ve played in a while. The game was first released for the Playstation in 1997 but the game script was apparently written during the Middle Ages. If you can’t differentiate between aught and naught, fain and wain, you will have trouble parsing the dialogue. I’m by no means complaining. The last game I played had dialogue about a horse wiener so any attempts to add class is welcome.
I did these 2 games in the opposite order, FFT, with a filler of Jeanne d’Arc in between, and am now thundering through Disgaea. FFT does take itself much more seriously, and you are more likely to die in the story battles unless you grind a bit between them, but is still extremely enjoyable. The job system is the gateway to hours of tinkering, attempting to get the optimum party!
I am thoroughly enjoying Disgaea, though I don’t (yet) seem to be able to make much impression on the Senate (I am in Episode 5).
The AI in FFT is very impressive which makes battles in FFT much tougher when compared to Disgaea but it also makes victories much more satisfying.
I didn’t bother much with the Senate in Disgaea as I found it a bit frustrating trying to get my policies approved. I found it mainly amusing as a commentary on how easily the political process can be subverted.
Mint Gum: the political tie-breaker.
The AI is FFT has some nice tricks, like sending enemies to stand next to your people to gain from a Cure spell. I am not certain that I would like to play a human though, they are infinitely more evil and devious!
I just started the Episode in Disgaea in the woods and the first battle was hilarious, and great for levelling up!
The Cure spell thing is exasperating but it’s worse when foes march smartly and park themselves right next to your caster immediately before said caster let loose with a destructive spell targetted at those aforementioned foes! However, it’s moments like those that make me appreciate the work Square Enix put into the game’s AI.
There are a couple of stages in Disgaea that are very liberal with the XP but I personally preferred to do my levelling in Item World. I once took a Level 1 Mage to Level 32 by earning a whopping 15,000 XP bonus for clearing a single Item World level.