Like Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness, Disgaea 2: Dark Hero Days is a re-release of the PS2 version with a few new additions. If you're not a fan of the series or genre, new features won't win you over, but they may be enough to entice fans into a repurchase.

On a big screen, Disgaea 2's visuals looked good stylistically, but still came off as dirty and blurry. What didn't work on the TV works for the PSP's smaller screen. Some elements still look blurry, but the effects aren't nearly as noticeable. Other than the resolution and screen size, very little has changed. Characters retain a simple, anime charm and are bursting with personality. All of the main characters have their own distinct traits while run-of-the-mill troops all look alike, but still stand out compared to similar games.

Visual effects are a standout feature. Basic attacks are a little more than a simple attack animation and bigger special attacks feature an appropriate amount of glitz.

The soundtrack is, as always with the series, great. There's a good variety in the types of music you'll hear - everything from JPop to goofy, bagpipe-infused scores - and you can purchase new songs from the in-game shop. The localization still isn't up to par with the first Disgaea, but the voice-work didn't annoy me nearly as much this time.

The story behind Disgaea 2: Dark Hero Days isn't as well written or clever as the first game, but still provides something better and more interesting than the typical "save the world" plotline.

Years ago, Overlord Zenon cursed Adell's village, turning everyone into demons. For whatever reason, Adell was untouched by the curse, making him the only human left. In an attempt to remove the curse, Adell's mother sacrifices his father and siblings (rather cheerfully, I might add) in order to summon Zenon. The spell backfires and instead of summoning the Overlord, his daughter, Rozalin, is bound to Adell. Neither is happy with the arrangement and the two set out to Zenon's mansion to revoke the contract.

Keeping in line with Afternoon of Darkness, Dark Hero Days includes a lengthy side-story quest. Similar to Etna Mode, Axel Mode follows the once-popular hero through his adventures. The mode is only as strong as its source material, which is entertaining but nowhere near as fun as Etna's story. However, more Disgaea is always a really good thing.

A majority of playtime is spent on grid-based maps that strategy players should be familiar with already. However, where Dark Hero Days differs from the norm is that battles aren't just about achieving victory. You can go through every battle with the simple goal of destroying the opposing army - but by doing so, you're not only missing out on a big part of what makes the game, but it will eventually catch up to you in later, trickier battles. Gameplay is more about getting the most out of every troop movement you can by setting up combo and tag attacks, sometimes doubling or tripling the amount of damage your army can do, as well as earning a significant experience boost for characters. Of course, enemies can earn the same bonuses, adding yet another layer of strategy.

Of course, real world battles are only part of the hundreds of hours you can spend with the game. Between scenarios, you can enter items and fight through different upgrade levels. As you battle through levels, you will also find special characters that you can recruit and transplant into other items, giving the item a stat boost. While in the Item World, you will sometimes stumble across Level Spheres. If a character is holding the Sphere at the end of the match, your item will earn another level upgrade.

In addition to everything included with the PS2 version, Dark Hero Days also comes with a few extras. The aforementioned music shop is joined with a Data shop, where you can purchase DLC characters from different games, like Pram (Makai Kingdom) and Ash (Phantom Brave).

Despite its silly demeanor, Disgaea 2: Dark Hero Days is a tough nut to crack. It's not overly complicated, but at the same time, it isn't something you can just pick up and play. The system can be compared to Chess, where you need to think 2 - 3 moves in advance, but it's a little trickier. You not only need to think about your character's physical movements on the grid field, but you need to take other mechanics into account.

When standing next to an enemy (or ally), you can choose to Lift that character and then throw him. You can use this to throw enemies into each other, overcome obstacles on the field (rivers, valleys...) or get hurt characters out of harm's way. Depending on whom you're throwing where, certain side effects will take place with varying effects. For example, throwing a Prinny causes him to explode, dealing lots of damage to the target. You also need to consider how to get the most out of unit formations and how to use GeoPanels, multicolor grid panels that can add everything from damage boosts to stat reductions.

If it seems overwhelming, it is, but the first few missions make up a decent little tutorial. It won't reveal all the secrets of the underworld, but will offer enough clues to hash things out over the 30+ hours of gameplay.

All orders are given via a turn-based menu. After moving your character, you can choose to attack, use special attacks or items. After giving orders, you select "Execute" on the menu and all the attacks are used. This is where things get interesting. If certain characters are standing next to each other, or in a certain formation, they have a chance of executing a two-four-person combo attack. Combos only count against the person whose turn it is -- so if you set things up just right, you could give some characters multiple attacks.

Disgaea 2: Dark Hero Days introduces a few new mechanics from Disgaea 3, giving veterans new ways to tackle old problems. If you happen to still have an Afternoon of Darkness save file on your memory stick, you can unlock a new female version of the Samurai class. The Magichange system has also been included, which allows you fuse humans and monsters together, offering a significant power boost. A few new monster combinations are available for fusions, as are more powerful versions of certain spells.

Disgaea 2 was already a big game, and Disgaea 2: Dark Hero Days only makes it bigger. There's a whole new quest, new monsters, as well as a few new mechanics that freshen up the original content. Again, if Disgaea hasn't won you over by now, Dark Hero Days probably won't tip the scales in the series' favor. If you're a fan, the new content isn't as great as Afternoon of Darkness, but is still a worthwhile re-purchase.