February 23^rd, 2003 (12:00am) - Altus announced today plans to release Disgaea: Hour of Darkness in North America. Disgaea is a strategy RPG revolving around the death of the king of the netherworld. His son wakes from a long sleep tofind not only his father has passed away, but hordes of demons are vying for the throne. Prince Laharl along with his allies must retake the throne and claim his rightful place as the ruler of the netherworld. The game will feature 100 different spells, 150 character classes, and a pretty nifty battle system that allows players to use four characters at once while still being able to switch charactors at any time.

"Disgaea: Hour of Darkness combines a compelling gothic narrative with a comical twist," said Yu Namba, project leader at Atlus. "With its breathtaking spells and innovative new strategy elements, Disgaea will be the must-play strategy RPG game of 2003 on the PlayStation 2."

Disgaea: Hour of Darkness is scheduled for release in the fall.