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Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice

EMAIL PRINT ps3

7.9 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 51 critic reviews
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Based on 29 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: NIS America

Developer: Nippon Ichi Software

Genre(s): Role-Playing Game

Players: 1

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Release Date: August 25, 2008

Summary

Disgaea 3 is a sequel to Disgaea, a hardcore, turn-based, strategy RPG popular on the PlayStation2 and PlayStation Portable. In Disgaea, character units have a limit to their movement and attack ranges, based on level and weapons equipped. There are other special game factors that let you take advantage of the 3D battle map, many of which are unique to Disgaea. One of the many new feature to Disgaea 3 is the addition of a Geo Block, which creates a 3 dimensional battle instead of the traditional 2D. Geo Block is a cube-shaped terrain-altering object. Players can use it to access and attack enemies where normally they cannot reach. Geo Panel is a group of stat-altering elemental properties that are placed upon certain parts of the battlefield. When there are one or more colored panels on the battle grid, it means an element can affect that area. The effect can boost or reduce your unit's stats. Item World is a special randomly-generated battle stage within each and every item you find. By defeating these special battle stages, you are able to strengthen your items. [NIS America]

Also On Metacritic

GAMES: Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories Disgaea: Hour of Darkness

Cheat Codes & Hints: Cheat Code Central

Also On The Web: Official Website Predict this Metascore

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Cheat Code Central

There's potential for hundreds of hours of gameplay. The gameplay is deep, rewarding, and addictive.

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GamerNode

Disgaea 3 is easily the best in the Disgaea series, and if you care enough about gameplay, writing, and characters to overlook old-school graphics you're in for quite a treat.

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Playstation Official Magazine UK

PS3's essential RPG. [May 2009, p.98]

games(TM)

Every quality the game has ever displayed since its 2004 debut is matched or surpassed in this, the culmination of Nippon Ichi’s creative vision and talent and doubtless the best Disgaea yet. [Mar 2009, p.108]

Kikizo

It's Disgaea again and it's bloody wonderful again. As complex as you let it be, as overwhelming as it wants to be and as great as it always has been.

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ZTGameDomain

Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice is the pinnacle of the series and really does cater to the hardcore fans.

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RPG Fan

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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Kombo

Disgaea 3 is the best Disgaea installment. With deeper gameplay, abilities, options, customization, and a whole lot more, this title will please fans of the series.

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Extreme Gamer

Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice pours a tasty offering of addictive gaming cool-aid to its cult of followers. Making the shift to the next generation Nippon Ichi has given more of its heart than ever before.

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PSX Extreme

It’s deeper, more elaborate, and more time-consuming than ever before, and it will reward the diligent and hardcore strat/RPG lover.

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Console Monster

Through the evolution of the series, Nippon Ichi have refined the TRPG mechanics to the levels of Royal Brackla Single Malt Whiskey. Disgaea 3 is a game to be savoured one tantalising taste at a time.

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Pelit (Finland)

A very good and original (if you haven't seen the previous iterations) turn-based tactical fighting game with RPG-trimmings. [Apr 2009]

Gaming Nexus

NIS has got another hit on their hands with Disgaea 3. It's the solid gameplay that will keep you coming back for more

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Game Informer

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]

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GameShark

An incredibly enjoyable game. Cute, almost overwhelming in its depth, and bursting at the seams with value, Disgaea 3 once again demonstrates the care NIS America takes in catering to its gamers.

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PSM3 Magazine UK

Wonderful, but you'll needs lots of free time to see the best of it. [Mar 2009, p.70]

Play UK

Disgaea 3 is probably the most hardcore and uncompromisingly complex tactical RPG you’re likely to play. If you’re familiar with the genre then it comes highly recommended – if not, then try Valkyria Chronicles first.

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Game Chronicles

At the end of a very long demonic road, I was fairly impressed with Disgaea 3.

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Eurogamer

But for series veterans who want to drill down to the bottom, upgrading weapons by slogging through 100-level grinds in the item world, balancing Evilties, managing clubs and alliances to create a squadron that is literally the gigantic sum of its creator's decisions, a blanket recommendation is harder to make.

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Video Game Talk

Taken by itself Disgaea 3 has a lot to offer with some fantastic gameplay, fun mechanics, open-ended customization, and plenty of opportunities to grind for levels.

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GamePro

If you've never played a Disgaea title before, then head out and grab Disgaea 3. For veterans of the series... yeah, it's more of the same, but with this franchise, when has that ever been a bad thing?

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Vandal Online

Disgaea 3 is currently one of the greatest strategic RPG games, with a very fun story, a combat system which fans will love, and a more than exquisite gameplay. Not only that, the game is a very long and replayable one, above all for players which want to squeeze the 100% of it. Unfortunately, and this is one of the things that could undermine buyers -apart from the visuals-, Disgaea 3 is fully en English, and not exactly an easy one. It is a pity it has not been localized to Spanish at all.

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Edge Magazine

That Disgaea 3 is perhaps the finest of its self-referential and casually wicked yarns, is almost an irrelevance. We’ve got numbers to think about. [Dec 2008, p.97]

Playstation: The Official Magazine (US)

In spite of its flaws, it's entertaining and addictive as, well, hell. [Oct 2008, p.80]

Hardcore Gamer Magazine

Disgaea 3 is as brilliant as the other games, but the over-saturated gameplay and less than expected graphic quality are regrettable drawbacks.

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Playstation Official Magazine Australia

Aesthetics aside, this is a feast for SRPG wonks. [May 2009, p.66]

Thunderbolt

Disgaea 3 is a fantastic addition to both the PS3’s consistently improving catalogue and the strategy JRPG genre. With a lengthy story mode and a near enough endless number of abilities and characters to level up this game may just about take over your gaming life altogether.

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Gamers.at

A must-buy for fans of Disgaea, even though there's no telling why this was only published on PS3 – the graphics (not the style, mind you) are anything but up-to-date.

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Teletext GameCentral

You'd never believe this was actually a PS3 game, but apart from the graphics this is the best Disgaea yet.

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Level7.nu

If you're a Disgaea junkie, having enjoyed the previous installments in the series, you will love this game. For the enthusiasts there are hundreds of hours of quirky strategy to be found and enjoyed here. There are few new features to be found though and the game camera is far from perfect. More of the same is the keyword here.

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Gamer 2.0

Though Disgaea 3 certainly lacks in presentational value, it impresses where it needs to with a lengthy main quest and potentially hundreds of hours of end game content to please the most hardcore of Disgaea fans.

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GameZone

Best suited for the Disgaea fan who loves the series solely (or at least primarily) for its gameplay, and for newcomers who will skip the story regardless of its quality.

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Worth Playing

The grind feels fresh and compelling, even if you know it isn't and really shouldn't. So much of what makes a game fun to play is "feel," and in Disgaea 3, Nippon Ichi has balanced the feel of the game's long and bewilderingly complicated grind into something that always feels satisfying, where you always feel like you're making progress.

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GameSpot

Pure, unadulterated fan service for the Nippon Ichi faithful and strategy RPG enthusiasts, though outsiders may find it incomprehensible.

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Destructoid

I do appreciate the writing in this title a lot more, because like Super Paper Mario, it really hit home with a lot of otaku and geek tropes, giving me my own personal glee during the dialogues.

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Gaming Age

Overall Disgaea 3 is a good solid SRPG, and just like the other Disgaea titles, the fun really comes from playing the game itself. Players will find themselves wanting to play just to level up characters.

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GamingTrend

If you enjoy the Disgaea games and the sense of humor behind it, then you'll definitely get a kick out of the story that is crazy even by Disgaea standards.

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SpazioGames

Disgaea 3 has an unique wacky-style that make the game a must-try. Orchestral music is simply wonderful and the power-up system works well. Perhaps, there are serious problem that waste the experience: controls aren’t intuitive and the graphics are reminiscent of PS2 titles... If developer had used real HD sprites and implemented better controls, this game would be a real Killer Application.

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Multiplayer.it

Disgaea lovers will like this third chapter in the series, however casual players will hardly be charmed by a product which offers on PlayStation 3 almost the same gameplay and visuals the prequels delivered on PlayStation 2. Disgaea 3 is a good product overall: the deep gameplay and bizarre plot are its strongest points and as such every fan of strategy games should give it a chance.

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InsideGamer.nl

Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice is a very decent RPG for everyone with a shitload of time on his hands. The deep and tactical turnbased gameplay can give players up to a hundred hours of strategic battles and bizarre humor. The only major downfall is the graphical quality, or lack thereof. Though Disgaea 3 doesn’t offer completely new content, it is definitely worth your time.

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RPGamer

For those who love Disgaea, Disgaea 3 is a welcome addition to the series. With a hilarious, upside-down storyline and the battle system's tricks still intact, there's no reason for these fans not to play Disgaea 3.

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PS3bloggen.se

Disgaea 3 is a weird, twisted and enormously fun game. It brings back the lost genre of strategic role-playing with a huge portion of japanophilia, which is also the main reason why it's not suitable for all players. It's an awesome combination though, if you're a Japan buff with an urge for 2D-sprites and lots of laughs.

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AceGamez

If you're interested in a solid tactical RPG then Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice is certainly worth a look.

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Meristation

Justice is not the only thing that's absent from Disgaea 3, we also have a poor graphic engine that works perfectly combined with a gameplay style that offers hundreds of items, characters and options for their use in combat. It's a nice game, but it's a shame that Nippon Ichi didn't realize soon enough that this engine is not worth enough for the PS3.

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Games Radar (in-house)

For gamers who are willing to obsess over the stats and intricacies, Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice will give you an excuse to chain yourself to your couch.

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GameSpy

Though Disgaea 3 comes with a steep learning curve, there's so much depth to the game, both apparent and hidden, that you could literally spend thousands of hours with it. It's a niche experience, but one that's exactly what its target audience is looking for.

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IGN

Ultimately, I think Absence of Justice is just the repackaging of a formula that's passed its prime.

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1UP

Still, while the setting, strategy, and sprite-based visuals -- this wouldn't have been impressive in 1998, let alone 2008 -- are a tad disappointing, they're also all quite serviceable.

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Game Revolution

Bottom line: If you’re looking for deeper, goofier, more obsessive, more fan-service-oriented, more grind-those-characters-up, Japanese-wonkoid strategy than this, then you are up Shitake Creek without so much as a broken oar… and you are also one scary, scary otaku.

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3DJuegos

Perhaps Absence of Justice is not the best way to enter in the Disgaea universe, but it is a fascinating roleplaying videogame for a specific kind of public: Only for hardcore gamers.

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XGN

Are you a fan of the tactical RPG-genre and you like crazy Japanese story's? This game is absolutely worth playing. Unfortunately the graphics look a little oldish.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 7.9 (out of 10) based on 29 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Nathan Boy gave it a10:
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.

phinn gave it an8:
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.

Marvin arguis gave it a10:
Excellent installment to a classic cult series. Disgaea 3 is the best yet in my opinion, though the series is certainly not for everyone.

Josh S. gave it an8:
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.

Michael F gave it a9:
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.

Steven A. gave it a0:
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.

Hammy gave it a10:
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.

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Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice

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