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. 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
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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
  5. 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
  6. 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

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.
    Read full review
  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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