If you’re reading this review you’re no doubt a fan of theYu-Gi-Oh series, but in case you’re not… and happen to just be very bored, I’llgive you a brief synopsis.

The world of Yu-Gi-Oh capitalizes on the idea that kids liketo collect, trade, and compete. Spinning off the idea of Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh usesmonsters that only come out when “played” as a card in a dueling tournament.Opponents use different combinations of cards to win (think the strategy game“Magic the Gathering” meeting Pokemon, and you’re pretty much on board withYu-Gi-Oh).

Imagine the fun, the thrill, and the excitement as you watcha cartoon about two people playing cards. If this isn’t your thing, please stopreading now and go visit Nathan Steven’s riveting review of Sweeny Todd. IfI’ve still got your attention… imagine getting to role play as a new dualist inyour very own Yu-Gi-Oh match. That’s pretty much what this game is.

There is an attempt at a social element for this game, whichis a good idea that is poorly executed. The idea is that there are days, and ondifferent days, different things happen to advance the game just a little bit.The problem is, this isn’t really a big factor in this title. There are onlyminor differences, and hardly anything changes from day to day that reallyentices you to talk to every character.

All your interactions lead to the same destination anyway,which is ultimately, the card battles. You do need to recruit a partner alongthe way, but given the target game demographic… this is probably one of theeasier aspects of the game.

One important note… if you don’t know anything aboutYu-Gi-Oh, you’ll probably have a difficult time with this title. Yes, thesocial aspect of this game is lame and pretty easy.

However, the card playing itself is actually ridiculouslycomplex. Talking to people who have played the card game before, I’ve been toldthat this game very closely resembles the actual game. There are many rules andidiosyncrasies that show me that I am an old man and really have no businessplaying this game. Of course, when I was your age, we just played with milkcaps, and we had fun… now get off my lawn!

Graphically Yu-Gi-Oh isn’t anything to call home about. Granted,this is a dated platform… but I’ve definitely seen prettier games for the PS2.The audio was as redundant as the dialogue, you get the idea… I wasn’t reallythat impressed with what this title has to offer.

If you really likeYu-Gi-Oh you might enjoy this title. I have trouble recommending this to anyonebut the most hardcore fans of this series.