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Netherworld Spawns New Characters, Dark Congress, Battle Details
11.08.2005

JORDAN JACKSON
STAFF COLUMNIST
ADRIENNE BECK
TRANSLATOR


Disgaea 2

Nippon Ichi has announced three new characters in their upcoming Disgaea 2. The first is Taro, the eleven-year-old younger brother of the game's main hero Adel. He looks a little wimpy, and he's a bit on the sarcastic side. Due to Overlord Xenon's curse, he is turning into a demon and now has a set of horns growing out of his head. He absolutely adores Rosalinde, and he'll do anything she tells him to. He is also seemingly never gets anxious or worried.

Another of Adel's siblings will be joining him as well. His nine-year-old sister, Hanako, is along for the ride. She is a bright and chipper girl, and like her brother, the effects of the curse are turning her into a demon as well. She sports a pair of bat wings growing out of her back. She loves her older brother dearly, and she dreams of growing up to be a strong, sexy demon. And despite being only nine years old, she is good enough at cooking to make most pros jealous.

The third new character announced is Actale. He is a 2188 years old and used to be a popular teen idol that starred in movies ages ago. Now he is a reporter on a local travel show. He is convinced that his popularity hasn't decreased and even goes so far as to randomly start up action sequences in what is supposed to be just a news show. His sheer idiocy keeps his partner/director constantly mad at him.

Also making an appearance in this game will be the ninja class. But this time around, it is possible to have both male and female ninjas.

In other news, some details surrounding the Dark Congress have come to light. Like in the original, players will select a character to convene the congress and ask them to pass bills to do things like create new characters, increase the selection of shops, weaken enemies, and so forth. Players can once again use bribes to gain favor with a member of congress or simply kill all who disagree to force bills though. But this time, it will be a little more complicated. The demons that appear in the congress are now tied more strongly to their type; bribing one effectively bribes them all. Bribe a ghost, and all ghosts gain your favor, but it can affect other members as well. Not all members like all the others, and jealousy plays into things. Bribing the ghost may make all ghosts lean toward your side, but all monster groups with grudges against the ghosts will consequently be less inclined to vote for you.

To make matters worse, congress members can also show up drunk or simply sleep through the whole session. It becomes pointless to attempt to bribe a sleeping member since they won't be able to appreciate their gift or make their vote. Bribing drunk members with items they seem to want often yeilds the opposite effect. Certain types of demons are more prone to certain status effects; for example, ghosts are known for dropping into dreamland in the middle of sessions. Also, congress members don't have to begin in one of these conditions; sometimes they randomly start up in the middle of the session.

Also making a return to this game is the ability to pick up and throw characters around the battle map allowing for "Towers" several characters high. In Disgaea 2, any character in a Tower retains their ability to attack physically but can't use magic or special attacks. So regardless if a character is on the top or bottom of a tower, they can still pile up in a narrow space and pelt an enemy. But using this strategy is considered cowardly, and if it is overused, it could cause you to be brought before the Dark Court.

Further building on the Lift and Throw commands, battles now include the "Catch" ability. In previous games, characters could throw weapons, enemies, and allies, but if players wanted another character to pick up those items, it would take another turn to do so. This time around, if a character throws something at another character not carrying something, they will automatically "catch" it. In this way, players can drastically increase the movement range of certain characters and even throw Towers of characters to really gang up on enemies.

One final new tidbit is that cellular phones will make an appearance. Characters can use them in the main base or in the middle of battle to call for help, for pizza, or even call up the Dark Congress. In battle, it can be used to call up a powerful sidekick, but they won't show up immediately. Players will have to wait several turns, and there's no guarantee that the sidekick will even be there to get the call. They can't be expected to wait around the phone all the time. Phones are a one-shot item, so they can only be used once in battle.

Disgaea 2 is set to go on sale in Japan on February 23 in both a normal and limited edition containing an illustration book and the game's soundtrack. Those that pre-order will also receive a soundtrack of the original game. The game is due for North American shores, but no date nor any other editions have been announced as of yet.



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