So until recently I've basically stopped playing all video games except sports games. And by sports games I mean NCAA Football.

That being said, I finally managed to finish the grind that was Final Fantasy XII and followed that up with Suikoden IV. Suikoden IV was a solid, but unspectacular title that I thought didn't warrant the criticism I've seen thrown its way on the internet. I'm currently working through Dragon Quest VIII, but as I work through that game I've found my eye on another title.

The Disgaea series. I have yet to invest in a current generation hand-held or console, so I'm relegated to the PS2. I owned Disgaea 1 but sold it as I thought I'd never play it. Ironically I now want to give it a shot. But I'm a bit torn between which title I should pick up.

I'm luke warm on SRPG's in general, but I found myself really enjoying doing some massive stat building in Suikoden IV. I literally spent 15 hours stat building the Stars of Destiny before finishing the game. The Disgaea series obviously has loads of opportunity for stat building. So I guess if you had to recommend the first or second game in the series, which would it be?

I've heard the first title is better, but I'm intrigued by the felony system and slightly different dynamics of the Dark Assembly in the second title versus the first. However, I've heard that the second game is "slower" in terms of how fast your characters level up especially late in the game.

Another aspect I would be interested in is the extra's beyond the main storylines. Which game is better in terms of optional dungeons, bosses, item's, etc. I'm just looking to get the most bang for my buck and not sure which game is the better investment.