Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness from Nippon Ichi is shaping up pretty well as it gets ready for the battle of Strategy RPG remakes, going up against Square Enix' Final Fantasy Tactics: The Lion War. One of Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness' main draws though, is its new multiplayer mode which is seasoned with a lot of enhancements such as Geo Cubes, a trading system, and some new battle elements.

The most notable new feature is the use of Geo Cubes when battling other players. Series fans will already be familiar with the Geo Panel system, but Geo Cubes take it a notch higher as you'll need to buy them using Geo Souls to harness the effects. Even when your party is severely out-leveled by an opposing team, these Cubes can be your winning edge.

Geo Cubes have different effects which must be used with some planning to have good effects. Some can alter unit positions, other can randomly destroy units, and some can even blow base panels. This adds a puzzle element that will compel players to be careful with how they play to make for a more cerebral match.

Also added to Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness is a trading mode where items - from the cheap to the legendary - can be sold. What's unique with this system is that even if you sell an item, it remains in your inventory. Given how easy it is to make money in approved glen's "New details on Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness' multiplayer mode" in the endgame, will this mean we'll see Yoshitsunas everywhere? Let's hope not.

A "Fog of War" mode has also been announced where player views are limited within a certain range. This hasn't been introduced in the series before and should alter the tactical field drastically.

Looks like Laharl and the rest of his Netherworld gang are set for another fun time aboard the Sony PSP. We'll keep you updated for more juicy details on Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness that will have you itching for the release.