Forum > Gaming Discussion > THE Sleeper-iest Developer of 'em ALL --Nippon Ichi--! (Bonus: The Secret Origins of Phantom_Leo!)
THE Sleeper-iest Developer of 'em ALL --Nippon Ichi--! (Bonus: The Secret Origins of Phantom_Leo!)
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Edited: Sun, 30 Aug 2009 00:13:50
They should re-name themselves as Nippon-Niche!
But I do enjoy their games, although I get a little tiresome of them recycling so much. But I don't blame them since they mostly work with a lower budget.
Atlier Iris, Mana Khemia, and Ar Tonelico...very similar but I guess it does appeal to a certain group of people.
But I do enjoy their games, although I get a little tiresome of them recycling so much. But I don't blame them since they mostly work with a lower budget.
Atlier Iris, Mana Khemia, and Ar Tonelico...very similar but I guess it does appeal to a certain group of people.
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Now Playing: Golden Sun Dark Dawn, God of War Ghost of Sparta, and DKC Returns
ASK_Story said:They should re-name themselves as Nippon-Niche!
But I do enjoy their games, although I get a little tiresome of them recycling so much. But I don't blame them since they mostly work with a lower budget.
Atlier Iris, Mana Khemia, and Ar Tonelico...very similar but I guess it does appeal to a certain group of people.
All those games you listed are published by Nippon Ichi, but not developed by them!
Difficulty-wise how would you compare this with Devil Survivor? Because while I love that game I've been stuck on a boss battle for about a week now and I just don't feel like I've made any real progress in the battle and it's getting a little frustrating. But I'm in an SRPG groove so this could be a Wiiplacement for DS.
There's a definite learning curve to all the Nippon Ichi games that can seem tremendously daunting at first! The beauty of it all though is: If you want to play them as your standard, black and white, cut and dry SRPG, you can --OR-- you could go all out and delve into every last nook and cranny the game has to offer and lose yourself entirely in it for weeks at a time. Totally up to you!
The game holds your hand for the first few chapters (of which there are over 20); it gives you tips on what you can do, if you want to. I know what to expect from these types of games now, so it seems kinda basic to me to start. It would be hard for me to step out of those shoes now and see it through the perspective of someone new to these style of games.
What part of Devil Survivor has you stuck, btw?
The game holds your hand for the first few chapters (of which there are over 20); it gives you tips on what you can do, if you want to. I know what to expect from these types of games now, so it seems kinda basic to me to start. It would be hard for me to step out of those shoes now and see it through the perspective of someone new to these style of games.
What part of Devil Survivor has you stuck, btw?
Disgaea (PS2) Metacritic Score Average: 84
La Pucelle Tactics (PS2) Metacritic Score Average: 79
Phantom Brave: We Meet Again (Wii) Metacritic Average: 82
Phantom Brave (PS2) Metacritic Average: 81
Makai Kingdom (PS2) Metacritic Average: 77
Soul Nomad and the World Eaters (PS2) Metacritic Average: 73
Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories (PS2) Metacritic Average: 84
Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice (PS3) Metacritic Average: 78
Edited: Sun, 30 Aug 2009 02:26:28
"But, but... Leo! NONE of those games scored above 90% and some of those scores are downright average! How can you sing their praises?" you may say...
If you actually click on some of those links and read some of the review synapses, you'll be greeted by some of the most head-scratching-est, totally contradictory, love em or hate em, divided reviews EVER seen cross this entire industry! Some say 'Best Strategy Game Ever' while others say 'Total Trash Not Worth Your Time' when they are talking about the same, exact game! It's the exact kind of effect I would expect from sleeper games such as these!
I, for one, can't get enough of 'em!
If you actually click on some of those links and read some of the review synapses, you'll be greeted by some of the most head-scratching-est, totally contradictory, love em or hate em, divided reviews EVER seen cross this entire industry! Some say 'Best Strategy Game Ever' while others say 'Total Trash Not Worth Your Time' when they are talking about the same, exact game! It's the exact kind of effect I would expect from sleeper games such as these!
I, for one, can't get enough of 'em!
phantom_leo said:There's a definite learning curve to all the Nippon Ichi games that can seem tremendously daunting at first! The beauty of it all though is: If you want to play them as your standard, black and white, cut and dry SRPG, you can --OR-- you could go all out and delve into every last nook and cranny the game has to offer and lose yourself entirely in it for weeks at a time. Totally up to you!
The game holds your hand for the first few chapters (of which there are over 20); it gives you tips on what you can do, if you want to. I know what to expect from these types of games now, so it seems kinda basic to me to start. It would be hard for me to step out of those shoes now and see it through the perspective of someone new to these style of games.
What part of Devil Survivor has you stuck, btw?
I'm at the end of Day 3 I think it is when you're fighting Beldr. The vampire mist attack he does hits me pretty hard and pretty much sets me up for a fall in the second round of the fight every time.
Random Praise for Nippon Ichi games:
Kombo on Phantom Brave: We Meet Again (Wii): "With some amazing gameplay aspects and a long satisfying adventure, Phantom Brave is one of the best hardcore titles the Wii has to offer!"
IC-Games on Disgaea: Hour of Darkness (PS2): "Both complex, yet brilliantly simple, deep but immediately playable, and long-term habit forming whilst retaining the ability to kill you in seconds. It makes heroin look like sherbet dip."
Computer Games Magazine on La Pucelle Tactics (PS2): "One of the most in-depth strategy RPGs ever."
Kombo on Phantom Brave: We Meet Again (Wii): "With some amazing gameplay aspects and a long satisfying adventure, Phantom Brave is one of the best hardcore titles the Wii has to offer!"
IC-Games on Disgaea: Hour of Darkness (PS2): "Both complex, yet brilliantly simple, deep but immediately playable, and long-term habit forming whilst retaining the ability to kill you in seconds. It makes heroin look like sherbet dip."
Computer Games Magazine on La Pucelle Tactics (PS2): "One of the most in-depth strategy RPGs ever."
Cheat Code Central on Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice (PS3): "There's potential for hundreds of hours of gameplay. The gameplay is deep, rewarding, and addictive."
TotalPlayStation on Soul Nomad and the World Eaters (PS2): "Though the game isn't without its own ridiculous levels of replay value (for those that really want to go evil without repercussions, a complete side story is unlocked that lets you just tear stuff up as a baddie), it's actually kinda nice to play an NIS game that doesn't take 100 hours to finish."
Sorry, I didn't have any trouble with the Beldr battle for some reason, so I blew by it pretty quickly.
Here's a quote from a GameFaqs:
Here's a quote from a GameFaqs:
Oh yeah. This is a fun battle. Actually, it's not that hard if you come in with
the right demons and the right level. You should be at level 26+ for this
battle, because you can then fuse Kishin Nalagiri. This is necessary for the
MC, as Nalagiri's Double Hit will allow you to attack Beldr twice per turn.
Since the MC's the one with the devil's fuge and he's the only one that can
thus do damage...you'll want him to attack as much as possible. Give him a
Dragon-type with Evil Wave and you could fight Beldr without taking damage most
of the time, even.
Also, if you have Anti-Mystic, put it on the MC for a few reasons. Beldr's
Vampire Mist, which hits everyone on the field, is Mystic-type, so you won't
take as much damage. (Using demons with St/Nu Mystic would be a good idea, but
Vampire Mist comes around maybe once every four turns, so it's up to you.) The
second, Beldr has +Stone, and the last thing you want is your MC - the only one
who can do damage to him - to get petrified. Grr argh and all that.
So. Make your way carefully towards Beldr, and try to gang up on the demon
teams. Get rid of the ones with Evil Wave asap. Have the MC attack Beldr while
keeping everyone else out of his range - Beldr will move to attack someone else
if you give him the opportunity. Not good.
Oh, one more thing, about the reinforcements. At a late point of the battle (at
least, it should be late, or you might be screwed), Beldr will literally revive
all the demon teams you've killed thus far. Very, very fun.
So, in short. Budget yourself for at least one Vampire Mist healing Beldr by
180 HP or so. Keep your party together and very healed, and out of Beldr's
range. Double Hit Beldr into oblivion. At level 26+ with Nalagiri, provided
that you haven't neglected the rest of your team, this honestly shouldn't be as
hard as it's reputed to be.
Just to note: I didn't have the Double Hit skill for this battle, so it's NOT totally necessary, as this quote suggests.
I AB-SO-LUTE-LY L-O-V-E all the mythological demons of the Megami Tensei games, so whenever I play them, I am constantly leveling and Fusing them to see who else I can get! I guess I tend to get pretty powerful that way!
Play some (Hard) Free Battles and Grind! The game only gets better and better after Day 3! Don't give up!
I AB-SO-LUTE-LY L-O-V-E all the mythological demons of the Megami Tensei games, so whenever I play them, I am constantly leveling and Fusing them to see who else I can get! I guess I tend to get pretty powerful that way!
Play some (Hard) Free Battles and Grind! The game only gets better and better after Day 3! Don't give up!
phantom_leo said:Just to note: I didn't have the Double Hit skill for this battle, so it's NOT totally necessary, as this quote suggests.
I AB-SO-LUTE-LY L-O-V-E all the mythological demons of the Megami Tensei games, so whenever I play them, I am constantly leveling and Fusing them to see who else I can get! I guess I tend to get pretty powerful that way!
Play some (Hard) Free Battles and Grind! The game only gets better and better after Day 3! Don't give up!
For the moment it has been ditching for Layton, but I'm only about a dozen puzzles or so away from finishing that game so once I'm done there I'll head back and grind some more in Devil Survivor I guess...
I've thought before about picking up Disgaea 3. Although I think I lack the balls to tackle this game head on. Sounds complex.
Speaking of the Shin Megami Tensei games, are there are any that are less repetitive than Persona 3? I loved the design aspects, and the battle system was decent, but it was insanely drawn out.
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Tell me to get back to rewriting this site so it's not horrible on mobileKikizo on Disgaea 3:
"Yes, it can take over your life if you let it. The hours can rack up into triple-figures if you're so inclined to allow them to. Characters can become obscenely powerful and of ridiculously high levels if you put the time into them. But never forget this is a game that - while allowing you to get lost in the ever-present Item World for days at a time - will let you play as a straightforward SRPG, completing the story in a matter of hours and feeling pretty satisfied with yourself as a result.
Just so long as you remember that it's only a game, and when you've racked up hundreds of hours' worth of play you may want to take a step back to smell the roses. Then get Mao up to level 999,999,999,999,999."
"Yes, it can take over your life if you let it. The hours can rack up into triple-figures if you're so inclined to allow them to. Characters can become obscenely powerful and of ridiculously high levels if you put the time into them. But never forget this is a game that - while allowing you to get lost in the ever-present Item World for days at a time - will let you play as a straightforward SRPG, completing the story in a matter of hours and feeling pretty satisfied with yourself as a result.
If you are so inclined.
Those that want to actually do more than scratch the surface, however, are more than provided for with this infinite chasm of grinding, levelling, equipping, item-worlding and story-skipping. It may well be one of the most overwhelmingly complex series of recent times - if not all time - but Disgaea 3 provides for the casual and the hardcore with great aplomb, and neither side is let down by it.
Just so long as you remember that it's only a game, and when you've racked up hundreds of hours' worth of play you may want to take a step back to smell the roses. Then get Mao up to level 999,999,999,999,999."
^ That's just silly! You can't level your characters past Level 9,999...!
**Watch this video to see just a portion of what Disgaea 3 has to offer!**
Don't be afraid Steel! The beauty of ALL Nippon Ichi games is you can go as deep or as shallow with them as you want!
"...but Disgaea 3 provides for the casual and the hardcore with great aplomb, and neither side is let down by it."
**Watch this video to see just a portion of what Disgaea 3 has to offer!**
Don't be afraid Steel! The beauty of ALL Nippon Ichi games is you can go as deep or as shallow with them as you want!
"...but Disgaea 3 provides for the casual and the hardcore with great aplomb, and neither side is let down by it."
Edited: Sun, 30 Aug 2009 04:14:59
I totally neglected to mention before: Another new element in Disgaea 3 is the Monsters you create can Magichange! This means they can transform into a weapon one of the human/demon characters can wield during battle! Yup, they have their own special attacks as well! Watch for it in the video link above!
Yodariquo said:Speaking of the Shin Megami Tensei games, are there are any that are less repetitive than Persona 3? I loved the design aspects, and the battle system was decent, but it was insanely drawn out.
Nocturne, if you haven't played it yet!
Beautiful graphics. FAST paced battles. TONS of Demons to Fuse and Discover. Multiple Game Paths and Endings. Dante from the Devil May Cry series. Total replayability. Awesome, awesome, awesome game!
ASK_Story said:They should re-name themselves as Nippon-Niche!
But I do enjoy their games, although I get a little tiresome of them recycling so much. But I don't blame them since they mostly work with a lower budget.
Atlier Iris, Mana Khemia, and Ar Tonelico...very similar but I guess it does appeal to a certain group of people.
I love the idea of these games but I just couldn't get into FF: Tactics. I sucked at it and it was boring. 
And I obviously get that vibe from them!
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It was a board I created on a whim, mostly because before that time, I was NOT a regular poster! I considered myself a phantom lurker; I would occasionally reply to topics but I would very rarely make one of my own. My how the times have changed, eh?
There was something about THIS game in particular... The side-splitting humor? The fact that you were a bad boy? The demonic theme? The deep but accessible strategy? The anime look? The combo/team attacks where you could gang up on your foes? The totally over-the-top specials? No. It was ALL of those things, combined with what would become a signature trait of ALL Nippon Ichi developed games that captured me. NEARLY EVERYTHING in the game could be changed to suit your will: You could create characters. You could reincarnate those characters with skills intact to level them up into even stronger characters. You could enter the 'world' within every, single item to increase ITS stats. You could replay every map to grind your characters. You could mess with the governing body of the Netherworld (The Dark Assembly) to vote to get better items within the stores in the game (via bribery or force!) The battles themselves had almost mini-game like challenges included in them in the Geo Panels scattered across the fields.
It was in the Dood's Den, that I was able to disclose to IT'S members, exclusive information about the NEXT Nippon Ichi game that was scheduled for release in the US. You see, Disgaea was an incredible game, but it was not very popular sales-wise, so the future of Nippon Ichi in the US was very much in doubt. At a trade show, I was told by a marketing person, that Phantom Brave had started translation and was going to be released, but the publisher was in question at that moment. It was at the same time, I believe, GameSpot was changing its Terms of Service and informed users that their names were going to become permanent. I was sooo excited about being able to break exclusive news to my forum members that I adopted my name as it is now, and Phantom_Leo was born!
La Pucelle Tactics
Again, ironically enough, neither did my namesake Phantom Brave! IT had sooo much depth to it, almost more-so than Disgaea, plus the fact that my career had taken off at the time, that I never was able to devote any time to it, so I had to let it go! Now that it was re-released on the Wii, I am giviing it it's due and... Wow! ...am I glad I did! Imagine cut-scenes that resemble the battles in La Pucelle (big, colorful sprites), Battles that incorporate Disgaea-like, over-the-top attacks and a STAGGERING amount of customization...! The shtick of PB is: You are Marona the Chroma (monster-hunter); your parents were killed when you were a child, but in an act of last-minute desperation, your Dad casts a spell on his comrade Ash, giving him just enough energy to sustain himself as a phantom, but not bringing him totally back to life. Ash becomes Marona's guardian but it is through her association with him, Marona finds herself able to speak to other phantoms. This is good in the sense that she can 'Confine' these phantoms to physical objects to use them in her battles, but bad in the sense she is now persecuted by other people, calling her 'Possessed' and going as far as wishing her dead in letters sent to her in-game!
This is where the uniqueness of this game comes into play, though. There will be objects scattered across the battlefield that Marona can confine these spirits to. WHAT you confine them to affects their stats for that battle... --BUT ALSO-- once you confine a phantom both he/she and Marona can pick up --OTHER-- objects on the battlefield and use --THEM-- as weapons. Rocks, Trees, Weeds, Mushrooms, as well as Swords, Spears, Crystals, Spell Books, even other Characters or Downed Foes --ALL-- have Special Attacks associated to them...!!! Imagine the infinite possibilities!!! But wait, there's more!!! The objects you confine your Phantoms to may be Captured and returned to your Home Island after the battle is over. You can choose to equip these items --OR-- Combine them with your Phantoms to increase their Stats or Learn their Skills! But wait, there's more!!! You can even combine your Phantoms!!! BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!!! Every object and Phantom has a 'Title' in the game; Nice Blacksmith, for example. Create a Titlist and change Titles as well; change the Nice Blacksmith to a Dense Blacksmith or Harried Blacksmith or Cool Blacksmith to get different stats!!! You want to grind your newly created Phantoms? Have a Dungeon Monk create a Random Dungeon to send your party into (these dungeons could number into HUNDREDS of floors themselves!)... Once you finish said Dungeon, you can use ITS randomly generated 'Title' to further customize your creations!!! Again... INFINITE POSSIBILITIES! Much like Disgaea, you'll find both humor and heart-wrenching moments in the story line and, easily, HUNDREDS of hours of game play, should you delve that deeply into the game!
Phantom Brave
Makai Kingdom
Soul Nomad and the World Eaters
The Item World returns. The Dark Assembly returns. Geo Panels return. There's even a Dark World thrown in there for good measure. This was the least played Disgaea game for me, but again, due to time constraints, NOT because there was anything 'wrong' with the game!
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I could go on and on about any single ONE of these games. The REAL magic of Nippon Ichi games go even further than anything I've mentioned yet:
The only valid complaint I've consistently heard when mentioning Nippon Ichi games is the lack of graphical updates over the years. Can you tell the difference between Disgaea 1 (PS2) or Disgaea 3 (PS3)? Phantom Brave (PS2) or Phantom Brave (Wii)? Neither can I. The thing is, it doesn't matter in the least! Any ONE of these games gives enough play time to fill MONTHS worth of your time! They may have graphical quirks here and there but for the amount of customization the games offer --NEVER-- have I heard mention of game-breaking glitches or issues. THAT says A LOT!
Steel posted a Sleeper Topic in these forums. I can think of no other developer that fits the description to a 'Tee!' If you love SRPGs and haven't played one of these games yet, If you love sprites, If you love color, If you love customization, If you have a sense of humor and you are the type of gamer that loves to squeeze every last cent of your money's worth out of a game, well here ya go!
It takes a few hours for these games to grow on you, but once they do, Watch Out! These little gems are unrivaled in the entire industry and you may just find yourself desperately hooked! If you got a PS3, get Disgaea 3! If you got a Wii, get Phantom Brave! Play at your own risk, but enjoy every moment! You can Thank Me/Hate Me later!