Disgaea: Hour of Darkness is old enough by now to be considered an SRPG classic. Still the most famous game in Nippon Ichi Software's growing catalog, the title introduced players to the Netherworld and Celestia, two mystical realms populated by fallible angels and loveable demons.

A lengthy campaign and with lots of post-game content; Interesting new ways to tweak your army; Deep characters and plot; Item World is more extensive than ever

Doesn't look much different from the PS3 games; Added features make some older ones feel redundant

Disgaea is one of those franchises with such a fiercely loyal fan-base that any change to the established formula is a genuine risk. As a result, it's part of a strange sub-group of games that might a

Great combat; Old school and engaging; Doesn't take itself seriously

Relies on grinding; Story and characters are a bit dull; Initially complex

'Disgaea 5' is one of the best strategy RPGs I've played in years. The gameplay is fun and addicting, and the rest of the package offers more than enough incentive for me to play until the ending and beyond.

When the latest addition to the long running Disgaea franchise, Alliance of Vengeance was announced for release on Western shelves, expectations were high, and rightfully so. The last game, Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten , gained almost unified praise from critics and fans alike and has,...

Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance marks a fresh start for the storied franchise, which previously was relegated to older Sony platforms (not counting a brief tryst with Nintendo's hardware in the form of a DS port of the debut title).

The Disgaea series was an instant hit during its début on the Playstation 2, taking the familiar Strategy RPG concept popularized through games like Final Fantasy Tactics and Tactics Ogre (same creator, different series) while adding an extra dose of hardcore gameplay revisions and quirky-yet-cute...

It's time to go to hell…well actually just the Netherworlds dood with the release of Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance exclusively for the PlayStation 4. I've been playing the Disgaea series by developers Nippon Ichi Software for years now and this is easily one of my favorites in the series to date.

Positives Tons of stuff to do Memorable characters and jokes Deep combat mechanics

Negatives Not enough hours in the day May be overwhelmingly tough at certain points Story throws off pace of game at times

Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance is the first Disgaea released for current-gen consoles, and the first I've spent any serious time with since Cursed Memories in 2006. To the untrained eye, it appears that very little has changed-the sprites are cleaner and a few systems are streamlined, but it's...

There is a ton of game here to enjoy..

...but far too much is initially locked away

It seems like a lifetime ago that Etna erupted onto the scene in the first Disgaea game. From that moment, massive number crunching became a way of life for many console gamers and there have been few games since that are so humorously twisted and crazy.

If you enjoy grinding numbers, goofy anime antics, and over-the-top style, Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance will give you hundreds of hours of replayability. If you don't like the idea of spending hours and hours replaying levels and building up characters, then you might want to look somewhere...

Solid core battle system; Hours and hours and hours of replayability; New graphics look gorgeous; sprites look amazing

Repetitive gameplay makes replaying old levels drag on; Camera angle issues tend to cause frustration; Little innovation in gameplay