The third installment of the Disgaea series offers a sense of deja vu. Disgaea 3 follows the same formula as its predecessors and feels like more of the same. It's got the same crabby protagonist, the same off-kilter style, and the same time-tested turn-based strategy gameplay. But despite the lack of originality, Disgaea 3 serves as a reminder of why we loved the original title in the first place.

Disgaea 3 puts you in the shoes of Mao, an honor student at the Evil Academy, who also happens to be the son of the overlord of the netherworld. He's a crabby sort, bent on destroying his father and taking the mantle of overlord. During his research on how to achieve this goal, he discovers that only a true hero has the power to defeat evil on that scale. When he finds a hero in the flesh, he quickly dispatches this champion, and steals his title of "hero." Though Mao finds that the stolen title won't do much to aid his efforts, he has a hard time ridding himself of the heroic mantle, and slowly learns that his deepest desire may not lie on the path of evil.

The story is nonsense, but it does manage to entertain. The narrative is light and rarely takes itself seriously. As in previous games in the series, it has pop-culture references out the wazoo, with nods to everything from the Power Rangers to "Iron Chef," making for some great laughs. Naturally, there isn't a lot of depth to this tale, but it's charming and difficult to turn away from.


Step Into the Light

Where Disgaea 3 really shines is in its gameplay. It provides a level of solid turn-based strategy that you'd be hard-pressed to find elsewhere. The biggest issue is that it won't hold the same appeal to the uninitiated. Disgaea 3 assumes that you've played turn-based strategy games before and doesn't do much to help you get a grasp on things. It shows you how to deal with the unique combat elements that make this title different, but that's about it.

Battles consist of a simple strategy layout with a few key tweaks. As you enter a skirmish, a grid-based map is laid out with various foes strewn throughout. You'll have a starting point, where you can bring out your troops and place them on the battlefield where you see fit. On every turn, you'll be able to move your characters wherever you like, limited only by their movement range, and execute attacks. The beauty of this is that you can queue up attacks for as many or as few characters as you'd like. You can dole out some hurt with one or two characters, reassess the situation, and go about things with a new plan, allowing you to be a bit more methodical with your onslaught.