Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice

 PlayStation 3
User Score
8.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 131 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 103 out of 131
  2. Mixed: 14 out of 131
  3. Negative: 14 out of 131
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  1. Number11
    Sep 17, 2011
    8
    A wonderful game with limitless amounts of content! Players of the previous games in the Disgaea series will feel right at home with this game, and although the story and characters may not be on par with the previous games in the Disgaea series, the gameplay and user interface are very much improved. Absence of Justice has an intricate and enjoyable story-line, featuring wacky andA wonderful game with limitless amounts of content! Players of the previous games in the Disgaea series will feel right at home with this game, and although the story and characters may not be on par with the previous games in the Disgaea series, the gameplay and user interface are very much improved. Absence of Justice has an intricate and enjoyable story-line, featuring wacky and unpredictable characters that will have you laughing or make you wonder if the things they're talking about are allowed to be talked about in a T-rated game. After the the main story-line, players will have access to the near-limitless post-game, which will mainly have you levelling up your favourite characters, finding and/or upgrading new items, and exploring the all-new class world. New systems such as the "homeroom" keeps this game from seeming like a rehash of it's predecessors. Although the gameplay is certainly not for everyone, it will definitely be enjoyable for fans of the previous games.… Expand
  2. StevenA.
    Oct 10, 2008
    0
    I really did not enjoy this game, I guess I just don't like tactical RPG's or something, although I do enjoy RPG's in general and have played dozens over the years. This one rates pretty low. Also, the characters are incredibly annoying and the voice over work is suicide inducing.
  3. NathanBoy
    Aug 24, 2009
    10
    This might be the best Disgaea game. It is certainly the deepest. I don't know how long it takes before you feel like you gotten to the bottom of this well, but it is certainly greater than 100 hours. This game is the yardstick by which I will be measuring all future tactical rpg's.
  4. Elf-Healer
    Jan 12, 2012
    10
    I love this game. The story and characters are amazing. Prepare for hours and hours of one of the deepest gameplay. Graphics is outdated, but that's not Uncharted or something. Disgaea 3 is cool for those strategy maniacs who appreciate complex game rules and get an orgasm on success.
  5. anthonyc.
    Sep 9, 2008
    5
    Very average game. The story just goes on for ages lucky you can skip it. It would be a good rpg for kids but its something better left on psp or DS it just doesnt transfer properly with the graphics over to ps3. I have it on psp and much rather it on the hand held unit. I think it should have been offered as downloadable content on psn for like $20 cause that is all i would pay for it i Very average game. The story just goes on for ages lucky you can skip it. It would be a good rpg for kids but its something better left on psp or DS it just doesnt transfer properly with the graphics over to ps3. I have it on psp and much rather it on the hand held unit. I think it should have been offered as downloadable content on psn for like $20 cause that is all i would pay for it i am trading it in luckily for another game this week.… Expand
  6. Marvinarguis
    Mar 3, 2009
    10
    Excellent installment to a classic cult series. Disgaea 3 is the best yet in my opinion, though the series is certainly not for everyone.
  7. RandyT.
    Aug 27, 2008
    10
    I thought nothing was going to better than Disgaea hour of darkness. Sure Disgaea 3 didn't pull off the soap opera like it's first game, but this sure as hell beats a lot of things. As far as gameplay. i wish more tactic series can be as fun and quick instead of your average strategy limited srpg. And to add, i'm not even done.
  8. Hammy
    Sep 20, 2008
    10
    Having played through all in the series I have to say hands down Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice takes the cake with even more depth and quirks such as the characters constantly breaking the 3rd wall.
  9. YuraT.
    Oct 16, 2009
    10
    No comment
  10. AndrewL.
    Aug 27, 2008
    10
    If you're a fan of Disgaea, graphics shouldn't matter. The pure epicness of Disgaea 3's story, characters, and gameplay are more than enough to make this a great game.
  11. RJ
    Aug 27, 2008
    10
    Truly excellent game. maybe more of a "disgaea 2.5" but as someone fresh to the series it has very deep gameplay and is incredibly addictive. The writing, including abilities, item descriptions and team actions, is laugh out loud funny at times as well. if you like strategy RPGs at all there is no excuse not to support this title. easily 200+ hours gameplay (with extras, secrets etc)
  12. MichaelF
    Dec 25, 2008
    9
    As deep, intimidating, and as odd as they come, Disgaea 3 is a quirky, self-indulgent, humorous, obsessive grinder through the bowels of the Netherworld. Looking dated, but playing sharp, Disgaea 3 is one of the strongest titles in the SRPG genre, although may be simply too weird and too plain-looking for the mass market.
  13. ArkonBlade
    Aug 13, 2010
    9
    well if you are a stratgy RPG fan then this is a game and series you should be playing . about the only down side is , that you may not like its humor or voice acting but i loved it . it gave the game its own sense of style not seen in any games ive played . also the graphics are very dated looking sprite based charicters ina 3d world which on the PS3 some people may expect alot more butwell if you are a stratgy RPG fan then this is a game and series you should be playing . about the only down side is , that you may not like its humor or voice acting but i loved it . it gave the game its own sense of style not seen in any games ive played . also the graphics are very dated looking sprite based charicters ina 3d world which on the PS3 some people may expect alot more but the price of only $40 new when this came out certinly feels perfect for the lowered graphical experiance . now every thing els in this game is just fantastic there is just a ungodly amount of thing you can do in this game . i loved the story its alot like a anime very humorus . the item world has been set up just perfectly prevous disgaea games i had some issues with . the new classworld allows for more customisation for your charicters . the moves are so over the top and fun to wach .and doing damage that can go into the billions is just insane . this is one of the few games ive played where i felt i had to do every thing in it and get 100% trophys . it provided me with 700 hours of fun gameplay in the 15 months i played it. i cant say that about many games. if you are a vet of this series then this is deffinitly the best in the series . if you are new to this series like i was when i got this game . it will deffinitly make you wana check out the first 2 . now i cant wait for a 4th one.… Expand
  14. Coldwave
    Jan 23, 2011
    10
    Best TRPG on the market, not much else to add. I guess it could do with better graphics, but that's not what TRPGs are all about. This game could easily take 150 to 200 hours of your time, once you really get into it.
  15. AndrewCorr
    Aug 26, 2008
    9
    Definitely the best SRPG out there. The story may not be as amazing as the first Disgaea, but beyond story this game is leaps and bounds more deep than the two previous Disgaeas. This is saying something, given that every entry in this series already possesses more depth than almost any game I've ever played.
  16. WillH.
    Sep 19, 2008
    7
    This game is amazing. Just the depth alone leaves this game open for hundreds of hours of play. The only complaint anyone should have is the graphics which im still fine with seeing as i haven't played a full 3-d strategy RPG other than maybe front mission 4 that was any good.
  17. phinn
    Jul 20, 2009
    8
    Disgaea 3 is pure fan service for J-RPG gamers. There is a ton of depth, gameplay, and an amusing story here that can keep many entertained. If the graphics and sounds were modern it would have been a bigger hit I'm sure.
  18. JoshS.
    Feb 21, 2009
    8
    This game is good. There isn't much RPGs on PS3 so this one will do for now. This game isn't a good as Disgaea 2 though.
  19. VermillionHaze
    May 14, 2012
    8
    NIS's first Disgaea in the "Next Gen" is a very satisfying experience indeed. The same tried and true formula time and time again that somehow never seems to get stale. Superior writing, voice acting and gameplay once again allow Disgaea to remain king of the strategy rpg.
  20. Galbias
    Jun 25, 2011
    7
    If you've played earlier Disgaea games you should know exactly what to expect here; a lighthearted, comical story, unimpressive graphics/sound, and very solid, varied Strategy RPG gameplay. The game also turns grinding into an art, which you'll need to do a lot of if you want to play some of the extremely hard postgame content.
  21. ZexenVatenkeist
    Apr 20, 2012
    7
    Even if I did feel stupid now and then for paying for a PS3 game that in graphic terms could run on a PS1, I was not disappointed with Disgaea 3 overall. Core gameplay and mechanics remain practically unchanged since the debut of the series, but that is okay since Disgaea is pretty much the ultimate strategic RPG in that perspective. It is complex yet smart, and the new tweaks introducedEven if I did feel stupid now and then for paying for a PS3 game that in graphic terms could run on a PS1, I was not disappointed with Disgaea 3 overall. Core gameplay and mechanics remain practically unchanged since the debut of the series, but that is okay since Disgaea is pretty much the ultimate strategic RPG in that perspective. It is complex yet smart, and the new tweaks introduced by Absence of Justice are welcome. The story and characters slips a bit, as this is clearly the weakest game in the series in the area. Characters simply don't have the same charisma, specially the new protagonist Mao (when compared to Laharl and Adell). Dialogues are also less funny and creative, but not much. Voice acting is superb and the soundtrack is pretty good. Graphics, on the other hand, are terrible. And I'm not talking about style; I'm talking about how in current day and age Nippon Ichi slaps our faces with low-resolution character sprites. You can almost count the number of polygons that compose characters. Still, Disgaea 3 is a good game, the best strategy RPG of the current generation and extremely addictive.… Expand
  22. tomvs123
    Oct 21, 2018
    6
    It's alright. I play games primarily for their stories and strategic elements. Unfortunately, the strategy in Disgaea 3 isn't nearly as deep as what I was expecting.

    Lets start with the bad. Combat is incredibly simple and based on a square grid. Your primary strategies consist of hitting enemies before they hit you and throwing blocks or characters around to give you positioning or    It's alright. I play games primarily for their stories and strategic elements. Unfortunately, the strategy in Disgaea 3 isn't nearly as deep as what I was expecting.

    Lets start with the bad. Combat is incredibly simple and based on a square grid. Your primary strategies consist of hitting enemies before they hit you and throwing blocks or characters around to give you positioning or stat advantages. This is the first SJRPG I've played, so I'm guessing the square grid (instead of hexagons or something else more complex), is a staple of the genre and probably won't change anytime soon.

    As far as positioning it combat goes, it all just feels like a simple puzzle: you put your characters in positions where their attacks will hit targets. And since you don't have a lot of control over enemy positioning (although you can throw enemies), you can't do much about avoiding their attacks besides just being out of range or killing them first.

    Oh, and I almost forgot the most important part about combat: levels and attack power. The real main strategy in this game is just having more levels or attack power than everything else.

    When people mention "depth" in regards to Disgaea, they're typically talking about the leveling and item modification mechanics. I didn't get too much into this since I quit after the main story. But it's really just a grind. You grind exp-rich levels to level up your characters and grind through levels of your weapons and armor to make them more powerful (basically). If you love to grind for levels and power, and have plenty of customization options while doing so, then this is definitely the game for you.

    What made this all bearable for me was that the story specifically mentions this. It knows the types of people who love these games and pokes fun at them (not in a bad way).

    The story is initial a bit hard to grasp, well, if you're trying to take it seriously. You're an honor student in a school where becoming an honor student means not going to class or doing anything good or school-related. And then you have delinquents who go to school and do good deeds. The concept doesn't make sense until you realize that it's just doing the opposite of normal schools/students randomly so that it can flaunt its own silliness. It's not at all believable and doesn't do any good world building, (besides a few main plot points that happen towards the end), because that's not the point.

    The main point of the story is to be silly, and once you realize that, then you'll have a much better time with it. Well, as long as you like the typical comedy anime.

    Without going into detail, the story is good and is the only reason I'm giving this a 6 instead of a 5 (5 is a completely average experience for me). There were quite a few laughs to be had. Even though most jokes weren't original, the strange setting and relatively interesting characters made it worthwhile.

    So yeah, while this is game primarily for grinders who want to see higher and higher damage number when hitting something, it's good enough for regular people too, as long as you like silly stories.    … Expand
  23. Broyax
    Apr 13, 2017
    0
    Un jeu qui plaira éventuellement aux enfants en bas âge mais qui aurait mieux trouvé sa place sur Wii : en effet ses graphismes repoussants sont une vision d'horreur prompte à déclencher des cauchemars pixélisés. L'ambiance y est plus stupide que niaise (une prouesse en soi) et les combats en tour par tour sont d'un ennui redoutable. Une japoniaiserie de plus à éviter !!
  24. Alvokun
    Mar 15, 2017
    7
    I am not an expert on this kind of games, but I played Disgaea 3 enough to realize it is doubtlessly a good JRPG.

    The storyline is just absurd, but it is precisely there where the charm of the game lies. Besides, the design of characters is very attractive and gameplay possibilities are huge. Even if you have not played too many JRPG games, you may get easily captivated by this one.    I am not an expert on this kind of games, but I played Disgaea 3 enough to realize it is doubtlessly a good JRPG.

    The storyline is just absurd, but it is precisely there where the charm of the game lies. Besides, the design of characters is very attractive and gameplay possibilities are huge. Even if you have not played too many JRPG games, you may get easily captivated by this one.

    I actually got this PS3 version by raffle, so I did not even have to pay for it.    … Expand
  25. TheRocker
    Mar 22, 2017
    8
    This game its pretty good , beating the main arc is not that hard however it does require good strategies from time to time, the game has a huge amount of options and classes to choose from, i believe the game has 100+ hours of content for you to play, however i just get my characters to lvl 100 i will never go for the lvl 999 run cause it can get boring. The game has a good story withThis game its pretty good , beating the main arc is not that hard however it does require good strategies from time to time, the game has a huge amount of options and classes to choose from, i believe the game has 100+ hours of content for you to play, however i just get my characters to lvl 100 i will never go for the lvl 999 run cause it can get boring. The game has a good story with very VERY nice characters especially the main one (Mao), also the game is very creative and fun to play a must have. I would say it is definetly better than Disgaea 1 and 2.… Expand
  26. LolcatPlays
    May 29, 2019
    8
    Solid cast of characters and unlike the jump from 1 to 2 there is enough new to warrant it being called a sequel. As usual the OST is excellent.

Awards & Rankings

49
#49 Best PS3 Game of 2008
43
#43 Most Discussed PS3 Game of 2008
38
#38 Most Shared PS3 Game of 2008

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
78

Generally favorable reviews - based on 51 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 37 out of 51
  2. Mixed: 14 out of 51
  3. Negative: 0 out of 51
  1. PSM3 Magazine UK
    82
    Wonderful, but you'll needs lots of free time to see the best of it. [Mar 2009, p.70]
  2. RPG Fan
    87
    The game is certainly a worthwhile purchase; I recommend it to all PS3 owners, particularly those who have yet to experience the Disgaea series.
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  3. Game Informer
    83
    I still recommend newcomers start with the original or its PSP remake for the amazing story, but I'd by lying through my teeth if I said I'm not enjoying the hell out of my time with Disgaea 3. [Sept 2008, p.83]
    Read full review
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