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Laharl and Enta have been waiting for you. Full hands-on preview of Disgaea Afternoon of Darkness for PSP.
August 15, 2007 | 7:32 AM PSTby: Matt Furtado
Originally released back on the PS2 in 2003, Disgaea became a cult hit among Strategy-RPG fans and it quickly became highly sought after title. The game was considered to be one of the best strategy-RPGs ever released because of the deep gameplay, humor, characters, and challenging for newcomers to experts. Last year PS2 owners once again got a chance to dive into the world of Disgaea with the sequel but NIS finally decided that it was time to bring the hit SRPG title into the handheld world.
For the uninitiated, the game takes place right after King Krichevskoy death and the waking of Prince Laharl, who now must fight to keep the title of Overlord. Although the title will be focusing on Prince Laharl, the Prince of the Netherworld, throughout the main story, Disgaea Afternoon of Darkness will also highlight the story of the quirky Etna in her own storyline. Finally players will be able to see what would happen if Etna had killed the Prince at the start of title.
What would have happened of Prince Laharl didn't wake up at the start of the game and Etna actually ended up killing him? This question will be answered in the all new Etna Mode. Exclusive for the North American version, Etna mode will feature a new storyline that follows Etna on her road to becoming the Beauty Queen Ultimate Overlord Etna and players who complete this new mode will have a completely new ending.
Prior to every battle there will be a short story session, which lay out your basic objectives and then it’s time for battle..
Disgaea plays out like your typical SRPG title with the use of a turn-based battle system. The game is basically a game of chess except with demons, magic, weapons, and spells and still retains the simple control. With the use of a basic grid map and turn-based controls the game will be easy to pick up and play. Players will send their party members into the map and engage in combat with the enemies occupying the map. When in battle, players will be able to select either a normal attack or a special attack to use to take out the opposing forces. However, if two or more of your party members are standing close to each other they will attack together in a combo attack. Disgaea will throw several strong enemies at you all at once and it’ll become a necessity to level up your party members by fighting with them more often.
The biggest addition to the US version of the title is the inclusion of Ad/Hoc multiplayer. NIS is already promising that they are being careful with the games balancing and that the game will not always favor the person with the best party or items. One big factor of the balancing will be the use of geocubes, pieces that give off tactical advantage. Before a battle, each player will receive five random geocubes and then can select another five for a total of ten. Naturally, these cubes will not ensure victory but will definitely help if you plan accordingly. In order to use these cubes effectively, players must think strategically and plan things out.
Players will be able to customize the multiplayer game in numerous ways. You can change the conditions for victory, pick from 10 maps, add fog of war, and what items will appear on the map during the battle. After a battle players will be able to purchase items off of their once opponent via the Ad/Hoc connection as well.
Disgaea Afternoon of Darkness is using the same colored sprites from the PS2 title but this isn’t a bad thing. Although the graphics may seem basic they are beautifully drawn and look great on the PSP. The special attacks are bright and colorful with tons of details in them. With the humor of the title the anime inspired look really works well for the game and it’s hard to imagine the title not having this graphical style. Each character is nicely detailed such as the Prinny’s psychotic grin.
Outside of the graphics the games soundtrack is superb. The music and voice–acting sound great even in this early build of the title. The music gives a great feel to the game and builds on the environment and humor the game has to offer.
With a lot of new content and new modes to play through, there is plenty to look forward too with Disgaea Afternoon of Darkness. NIS is promising a number of unlockable characters from previous titles and to be able to purchase background music from Laharl’s castle. Disgaea Afternoon of Darkness is planned to release in late October of this year. Stay tuned for more information on this hot SRPG title for the PSP.
For the uninitiated, the game takes place right after King Krichevskoy death and the waking of Prince Laharl, who now must fight to keep the title of Overlord. Although the title will be focusing on Prince Laharl, the Prince of the Netherworld, throughout the main story, Disgaea Afternoon of Darkness will also highlight the story of the quirky Etna in her own storyline. Finally players will be able to see what would happen if Etna had killed the Prince at the start of title.
What would have happened of Prince Laharl didn't wake up at the start of the game and Etna actually ended up killing him? This question will be answered in the all new Etna Mode. Exclusive for the North American version, Etna mode will feature a new storyline that follows Etna on her road to becoming the Beauty Queen Ultimate Overlord Etna and players who complete this new mode will have a completely new ending.
Prior to every battle there will be a short story session, which lay out your basic objectives and then it’s time for battle..
Disgaea plays out like your typical SRPG title with the use of a turn-based battle system. The game is basically a game of chess except with demons, magic, weapons, and spells and still retains the simple control. With the use of a basic grid map and turn-based controls the game will be easy to pick up and play. Players will send their party members into the map and engage in combat with the enemies occupying the map. When in battle, players will be able to select either a normal attack or a special attack to use to take out the opposing forces. However, if two or more of your party members are standing close to each other they will attack together in a combo attack. Disgaea will throw several strong enemies at you all at once and it’ll become a necessity to level up your party members by fighting with them more often.
The biggest addition to the US version of the title is the inclusion of Ad/Hoc multiplayer. NIS is already promising that they are being careful with the games balancing and that the game will not always favor the person with the best party or items. One big factor of the balancing will be the use of geocubes, pieces that give off tactical advantage. Before a battle, each player will receive five random geocubes and then can select another five for a total of ten. Naturally, these cubes will not ensure victory but will definitely help if you plan accordingly. In order to use these cubes effectively, players must think strategically and plan things out.
Players will be able to customize the multiplayer game in numerous ways. You can change the conditions for victory, pick from 10 maps, add fog of war, and what items will appear on the map during the battle. After a battle players will be able to purchase items off of their once opponent via the Ad/Hoc connection as well.
Disgaea Afternoon of Darkness is using the same colored sprites from the PS2 title but this isn’t a bad thing. Although the graphics may seem basic they are beautifully drawn and look great on the PSP. The special attacks are bright and colorful with tons of details in them. With the humor of the title the anime inspired look really works well for the game and it’s hard to imagine the title not having this graphical style. Each character is nicely detailed such as the Prinny’s psychotic grin.
Outside of the graphics the games soundtrack is superb. The music and voice–acting sound great even in this early build of the title. The music gives a great feel to the game and builds on the environment and humor the game has to offer.
With a lot of new content and new modes to play through, there is plenty to look forward too with Disgaea Afternoon of Darkness. NIS is promising a number of unlockable characters from previous titles and to be able to purchase background music from Laharl’s castle. Disgaea Afternoon of Darkness is planned to release in late October of this year. Stay tuned for more information on this hot SRPG title for the PSP.
November 20, 2009
