It's been an undeniably good year for RPG fans. Arc the Lad, Breath of Fire, Knights of the Old Republic, and Gothic 2; with Fable and Temple of Elemental Evil on the horizon. Good times. In the midst of this renaissance, however, one niche has gone woefully ignored - the strategy RPG. Exemplified by Final Fantasy Tactics, strat-RPG titles can trace their lineage back to the Genesis and beyond, to games like Shining Force. The essence of the strategy RPG is an equal balance of storyline and tactical battles - turn based affairs where you maneuver your troops in glittering ranks, and crush your enemies like so many grapes. To be sure, these games aren't everyone's cup of tea, but for me, and many other fans, it's been a long hard wait since the last offering, Front Mission 3. Now, finally, the draught has ended, and in a spectacular fashion. From Atlus, that quirky little publisher, comes Disgaea, a new title in the turn-based strat-RPG mold.

In Disgaea, you play as Laharl, prince of the Netherworld. As the game opens, you awaken from a two-year nap, to discover that in your absence, the underworld has gone to hell. Your father, King Krichevskoy, died shortly after you entered your nap, and with you out of the picture, his former vassals and opportunistic warlords have set to staking their claim to his domain, trying to establish themselves as the new Overlord. Needless to say, Laharl, an aristocratic prince with no shortage of ego, isn't about to let this go on. With the assistance of his vassal Etna, a squad of exploding penguins, and all the characters you can recruit, it will be your task to take back the throne and make sure that all of the Netherworld recognizes your authority.

In doing so, you'll utilize what is, perhaps, the most innovative control system in the history of the strat-RPG. Not content to simply replicate the grid-based games of old, Disgaea adds several unique quirks into the mix. First and most noteworthy, a geo square system. On most maps, you'll notice anywhere from two to a dozen different colors dotting the map. If a geo-crystal is placed on one of those squares, it will lend a status effect to every square of that color on the map. These effects can range from the relatively insignificant +50 gold per enemy killed, to the awesome "invulnerability" effect, that makes any character, enemy or friendly, standing on a square of that color immune to any form of harm. The game uses these squares to force the player to adopt a wide variety of strategies and skills to succeed. One battle in particular takes place within a map where all but one square is subject to the invulnerability effect. There's only one way to win, and that brings us to the second innovation: throwing.

In lieu of attacking or casting a spell, any human character can choose to pick up a nearby ally, enemy, or geo crystal, and fling them several squares in any direction. In so doing, you can multiply the movement potential of a character, line up an enemy for a devastating combo attack, or, by throwing a crystal into an enemy, create a chain reaction that both destroys the crystal and damages anyone standing on a like-colored panel. You can also throw one monster into another, merging their levels, to create a single, tougher, enemy.

Disgaea doesn't limit its innovations strictly to the combat system, however. During the periods between fights, in addition to the straight-forward tasks of healing and equipping your characters, you're also presented with a number of unique options, most of which are found through the 'Dark Assembly' system. Any of your characters can petition for a hearing with the Dark Assembly, sort of a Hell-spawn Senate, and attempt to get motions passed. The type of motions you can propose range from adding higher level gear to the stores, increasing the level of enemies, upgrading the class of a character, tripling the XP of the next enemy killed, or even unlocking secret dungeons. Initially, senators will be unreceptive to your motions, but there's a simple way to improve their disposition: bribery. Every senator has items that they like or dislike, and by giving them items they favor, after proposing a motion, you can literally buy their votes. And if that doesn't work, even after showering them with gifts they still vote "wrong", you can resort to the oldest trick of all: brute force. If you can manage to defeat every senator who opposes your proposal, your proposal will be passed, just as if they'd voted for it in the first place. This is harder than it sounds, however, as senators can range in level anywhere from level 1 wimps to level 300 juggernauts. In addition, every time you beat a senator up, they remember the punishment, and are more likely to vote against you in the future. Demons hold grudges, you see.

Disgaea doesn't limit its innovations strictly to the combat system, however. During the periods between fights, in addition to the straight-forward tasks of healing and equipping your characters, you're also presented with a number of unique options, most of which are found through the 'Dark Assembly' system. Any of your characters can petition for a hearing with the Dark Assembly, sort of a Hell-spawn Senate, and attempt to get motions passed. The type of motions you can propose range from adding higher level gear to the stores, increasing the level of enemies, upgrading the class of a character, tripling the XP of the next enemy killed, or even unlocking secret dungeons. Initially, senators will be unreceptive to your motions, but there's a simple way to improve their disposition: bribery. Every senator has items that they like or dislike, and by giving them items they favor, after proposing a motion, you can literally buy their votes. And if that doesn't work, even after showering them with gifts they still vote "wrong", you can resort to the oldest trick of all: brute force. If you can manage to defeat every senator who opposes your proposal, your proposal will be passed, just as if they'd voted for it in the first place. This is harder than it sounds, however, as senators can range in level anywhere from level 1 wimps to level 300 juggernauts. In addition, every time you beat a senator up, they remember the punishment, and are more likely to vote against you in the future. Demons hold grudges, you see.