Disgaea PSP Hands-on

March 30th, 2007, 21:27 Posted By: wraggster

via ign

When it was released in 2003, Disgaea: Hour of Darkness was one of the best strategy RPGs ever released. Incredibly deep, full of humorous characters and challenging for everyone from novices to experts of the genre, Disgaea was an unexpected gem for the PS2. It's almost four years later, while console owners received a sequel last year, handheld owners have been left in the cold until now. This August, PSP owners will get a chance to enjoy the Netherworld when Disgaea PSP is released.

Unlike many titles that migrate over to the system from the console, Disgaea PSP isn't a port of the PS2 game. Instead, the story of the title is actually a prequel to the original title, and takes place right after the death of King Krichevskoy. However, instead of focusing primarily upon the adventure of Laharl, the prince of the Netherworld, Disgaea PSP highlights the story of Etna this time around. Not only will players wind up waking up Laharl and helping him along in his quest, they'll also work on turning Etna into the Beauty Queen Ultimate Overlord that she's always wanted to be. In fact, if players manage to achieve this status, they'll wind up unlocking a new secret ending for the game.

All the strategic goodness from the console has returned in Disgaea PSP ... Fans familiar to the turn-based format of the Disgaea franchise will easily be able to pick up and play this title, which still retains the standard grid map. Players send their party members around the map and select targets, performing either regular or special attacks against their opponents. As you gain new levels, you acquire new skills and powerful attacks that can be used in combat to devastate your foes. You'll need to build up your skills too, because you'll face off against large numbers of opponents with varying strength levels. Just in case you were wondering, players will still have the opportunity to level up to 10,000 also, which should provide a ton of replayability.

However, even if you've become accustomed to the console version, a number of surprises are waiting for you when you pick up Disgaea PSP. For one thing, players will have to contend with geo cubes, new randomly distributed items that bestow special effects on the battlefield. For another thing, the portable title features a new multiplayer duel system that was specifically developed for North America. That means that you can challenge your friends to see who the better Netherworld strategist is. You'll also have the option to manipulate almost every option for the game, including changing game rules, win/loss conditions and even creating new battle maps to fight over. Finally, along with a large roster of NIS America characters that have been hidden away in the game, players will have the option to purchase and replay their favorite soundtracks, giving them another level of customization during play.

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