This is mostly speaking to Disgaea D2, but I have seen it in most entries of the series.

For a series that seems to be all about watching numbers get disgustingly high, the way that the campaign is set up drives me insane. I don't want to do throwing puzzles one after another. I actually wish there were more brute force levels so I can flex my badass muscles. Did anyone else feel this way or is it just me dishing out hate because I'm bad at those levels?

I'm kind of with you, there are too many of those levels. The things they set up with the geo panels are cool and creative, but it's not really what I come to these games for.

I'm specifically talking about the more elaborate puzzle levels. I think the geo panel system in general is great.

Is this a situation where everybody pretty much wants this game to be Final Fantasy Tactics/maybe Tactics Ogre in gameplay (because lord knows those series are all but dead despite being relatively beloved), but NIS doesn't seem to understand that and seems to think you guys must fucking love geo panels and throwing puzzle bullshit?

I've only watched friends play Disgaea games, but that was my takeaway.

That was my experience with the first Disgaea game years ago. That's pretty much my reaction to any Strategy JRPG.

"Hey, I love this genre. Oh wait, no I just really like FFT/Tactics Ogre and hate all the other bs of grind to level 9999 and reset or whatever and do some weird dumb gimmick that I don't really care for. Maybe I should just play those games again instead."

@bisonhero: I like geo puzzles and almost every other thing that Disgaea does differently from other SRPGs.

The grind to level 9999 is a bit much for me but up to 1000 is fun.

I feel like the geo panels are pretty key in varying up each level and keeping you from just doing the same thing over and over. They make for a lot of interesting combat situations. Disgaea's power is in its situational diversity, I think.

I guess I can see them being one element too many for some folks, but I wouldn't want them to go away. Too many of my favorite stages are built around them.

Disgaea D2 was just kind of a bad entry in general.

@superkenon: Still better than 3.

I have put too many hours into the Disgaea series. Typically, once you reach a certain point in the game you log on with a purpose, and that purpose is almost never to go do a story mission. Like it has been said, the point is making your characters more badass and there are a thousand ways to do so in this series and the story missions are the only ones that are not clear the map with your strongest, overpowered Rune Knight for xp missions. The story missions are mostly puzzle based because it allows a certain diversity of game play and can break up the monotony of grinding.

You are not alone. I love Disgaea, but it can often be...tiring.

I put a bunch of time into Hour of Darkness on the PSP and enjoyed my time with it. I think a lot of the ideas unique to this series are cool in concept (geo panels, item dungeons), but I guess I just find those aspects of it to just be way less interesting than the more raw tactical experiences of your Final Fantasy Tactics, Tactics Ogre, Fire Emblem, etc.

I feel like you are right. I can't get past the weird slowdown gaps for attack animations and stuff. It might be me, but the game seems to crash a decent amount too. I'm hoping to finish up the story and shelve it though.

I've tried so hard to get into Disgaea and will likely try again when the one on the PS4 comes out in the US. Unfortunately, I'll probably feel the same way about this new one as I have about the few hours I've spent playing the older ones (1 and 2). Those games are "tiring", as someone above me so perfectly put it. The idea of a game where I'm leveling characters to 9999 is like a DBZ level of power fantasy for me. But actually doing it should be more... fun.

Once you find the right method and get some statisticians getting to max level is a breeze, but yeah, the journey to that point is a grind.

I love me some grind. Disgaea is too much grind. Grind to gain levels. Grind the item world to make your weapons stronger. Grind items to bribe cabinet members to pass bills to improve grinding. The throwing puzzles never bothered me very much.

I've only played the first one.