Best PC or Switch Disgaea to get into the series?

[Kreddi]

Played a version a decade or so ago on my friends PSP.
Figured I'd like to get into the series, but which version is the best?

[Vexov]

PC, depending on your hardware, is going to be faster for load times, and fps. Use a controller and sit back.

Switch is portable, probably 30fps. 720p, You just need to look it up.


Its just preference. If you like it portable or just don't care about it.

[Kreddi]

I was more thinking about which Disgaea game would be a good starting point.
I'm not looking to get utterly invested in the universe, so I assume 5 would be the one with the most evolved gameplay.
But on the other hand, it's not always that sequels out-do their earlier entries.

[Z3n]

I would recommend Disgaea 5. Disgaea 4 is fine too. Overall, the games have improved with each sequel (gameplaywise at least, storywise it is much more debatable).

By the way, the stories of each game are separate and come with a completely new cast of characters each time (except for a few cameos), so you don't really need to know about the story of the previous titles, but if you do, you will appreciate the references, cameos and DLC characters much more. If you play DLC characters without knowing about them, there may be some spoilers for their respective stories (Rozalin and Flonne come to mind).

[SS6Gavitor]

switch has the features that were removed from the pc version.

[Kreddi]

Originally posted by SS6Gavitor:

switch has the features that were removed from the pc version.

I read about that. From what I could tell it was online features.
Do you know if it's blooming on the Switch? I'd prefer the game on PC, but if the online features are game changing it could be worthwhile checking out

[mathwiz]

Originally posted by Kreddi:

Played a version a decade or so ago on my friends PSP.
Figured I'd like to get into the series, but which version is the best?

Originally posted by Kreddi:

I was more thinking about which Disgaea game would be a good starting point.
I'm not looking to get utterly invested in the universe, so I assume 5 would be the one with the most evolved gameplay.
But on the other hand, it's not always that sequels out-do their earlier entries.

Okay, here's my take. Disgaea 1 is the worst one to start with, after playing the rest, it feels like a chore to go back through it again. Surprisingly, I'd recommend Disgaea 2 over 5 if you're wanting to get one on Steam. Reason for this is the dual magichange in that game gives you the skills of the second monster to use for that battle, which makes leveling up so much faster once you get certain monster characters. there's also more of a hunt to unlock the carnage levels in that game, more satisfying to get to them.

But if you're looking for the game with the most mechanics in it, Disgaea 5 is the choice to go for, purely for the versatility squads offer and the built in cheat shop that lets you tune what % things advance at, allowing you to push a singular thing to 1000% once you hit the land of carnage in 5. I haven't played 3 or 4, so I can't weigh in on those.

Hope this helps you choose, and hope you have fun with the game you pick.

[Kreddi]

How well does Disgaea 2 hold up in terms of menus, UI and such?
I've gathered people think that the first Disgaea game was quite clunky

[mathwiz]

Originally posted by Kreddi:

How well does Disgaea 2 hold up in terms of menus, UI and such?
I've gathered people think that the first Disgaea game was quite clunky

it's not that the first Disgaea game's menus were clunky, it's just the overall lack of things that appear in later ones that make the first such a chore to play again. Honestly, the menus and controls of all Disgaea games are about the same from what I've experienced.

Something 2 does have over 5, and I'm not sure if 3 or 4 were changed in this, with 2, magic skills gain target options as you level them naturally. With 5, you have to buy the extra target options with mana. Of course, being able to strengthen the base damage the same way and all the passives you can get in 5 make that a minor point, but it's still something to consider.

[Pickleton]

I'm usually "that guy" in these threads because I never recommend 1 or 5. Start with 4, preferably the Vita version because it has everything. After that, I would actually recommend one of the "off-brand" NIS games like Phantom Brave or Witch and the Hundred Knight just to get a bit of a better feel of NIS' universe. From there, decide if you want to go full weeb for NIS (ZHP , Criminal Girls , etc.) or keep it tame (Rose in the Twilight , Yomawari , etc.)
If you go the former, don't be surprised if people start avoiding you, though

[Kreddi]

I went and downloaded the Disgaea 2 demo and I immediately remembered that was the one I played on PSP.
For the sake of not retreading 30 or so hours of content I think I'll go with 5.
Thanks for all the posts!

[mathwiz]

Originally posted by Kreddi:

I went and downloaded the Disgaea 2 demo and I immediately remembered that was the one I played on PSP.
For the sake of not retreading 30 or so hours of content I think I'll go with 5.
Thanks for all the posts!

Was it Disgaea 2 or Disgaea D2? D2 fetures Laharl again, while just Disgaea 2 has Adell and Rozalin

[Kreddi]

The one I played featured Adell and Rozalin. I don't recall anyone called Laharl

[MKGDX]

Laharl is the MC of Disgaea 1. Adell and Roz were the mains for Disgaea 2.

[lordbio]

Disgaea 1 was the first Disgaea I played and absolutely loved it. Not sure how well it would hold up today though if you've played the more recent Disgea games

I honestly didn't enjoy Disgaea 2 and 3 nearly as much as Disgaea 1. The characters/story seemed bland in comparison to the colorful cast of Disgaea 1.

Disgaea 4 is probably my favorite Disagaea. Valvatorez is a great and fun character.

Disgaea 5 was pretty good for me, I enjoyed it more then Disgaea 2 and 3, but not as much as Disgaea 1 and 4.

[foxster1701]

For me number 2 is always going to be my favourite, and as for number 5 OMG, tooo much. Like mathwiz said, 5 adds in having to spend mana to acquire the shapes for magic (so you can hit multiple enemies at once) which pretty much ruined the game for me, just turned it into too much of a grind just for that little bit of mana to get the triple/quad/etc shape magics. And thats not even mentioning all the other random side ♥♥♥♥ it throws in (although I do like the idea of quests, albeit rather repetitive at times) I would honestly recommend number 2, even if you have played it before as the OP said, as its just a little more streamlined. Also IMHO, the characters in 5 are just not on par with Adell, Rozy, etc.