"O.o!!! Sega took a gamble, and it sure pays off."

In my opinion, this is the best PSO yet. Why? Well, still reeling off the addiction that was Episode 1&2, the PSO junkie can come right in and feel as if he or she has never left Ragol.

First, let's set one thing straight- this ain't your pappy's PSO. Oh, no. Instead of running around, blasting or slicing everything, you play with cards. Yeah. Cards- like poker cards. Only not. See, the gameplay is so simple, but so addicting. Roll dice. Place cards. Items/monsters appear. Move. Attack. Draw cards. Defend. Lather, rinse, repeat. Doesn't seem like much, but it is something addictive, let me tell you what.

The gameplay is basic, and the premise is just as so. You battle against other players or the computer A.I., and the winner gets more cards and experience. (The loser gets 2 cards and no experience.) While that may seem...bland, just like any card game, the goal is to have the best cards. And that in itself makes it so addicting. The higher your level (referred to as ''CLv''), the better cards you can get. Collectibles + RPG = wholly addicting.

Offline story mode is interesting- you can either play the Hunter storyline (they play with shiny weapons and try to uphold the government) or the ARKZ (they summon monsters from the lowly Rag Rappy to the hulking Hildetorr and are trying to disrupt the government). Like any good story, they often clash...with cool results. However, that's as much as I can tell you- you'll have to play the game to experience the story.

If anyone passes this up as ''just another card game,'' then they are missing something phenomenal.

Now, just like any good Review, I'm gonna critique each part of the game, section by section.

Graphics: 9/10
In a word: [OMFG]WOW. These bright, lush graphics absolutely blow any EP1&2 graphic away. Hands down. (However, I subtract a point because we all know the GC is capable of much, much better.) Bonus: the cards have their own little pictures on them! Sweet!

Music: 8/10
Save for a few EP1&2 tunes, the music of EP3 is much, much better. My only problem with the music is that some are to...boring. (I like my techno more upbeat and fast. However, you may disagree, so add a point or two if so.)

Story: 9/10
My lips are sealed. I can only say that there is enough story to keep you enthralled, and now it's presented in manga-styled cut scenes. Cool.

Control: 9/10
Responds quite well, even though the GC joysticks are a bit touchy.... (I misplaced cards on the battlefield to them!)

Gameplay: 10/10
The card battles may seem like a gimmick, but it really breathes new life into the PSO world. The card battling is flawless, even though some of the A.I. later in the game uses it TOO well.... The Online world is gaming gospel- there are THOUSANDS of players on at any given time, itching for a match. There are so many ways to play with them as well! You could go 1vs1, 2vs2COM, 1+1COMvs1+1COM, etc, etc, etc! If those battles seem too quick (ha- an average battle is about 15-30 minutes long), then play in a nonstop tournament- the winners gaining much money to...you guessed it...buy more cards! Even Offline mode, while not as hectic and varied as its Online counterpart, manages to thouroughly entertain. My only, ONLY problem with this game is that you have two levels- one for Online and one for Offline. That means you can't keep your level the dame in both modes like you could in EP1&2. Minor grievance aside, it's pretty close to perfect.

In my opinion, this is one of the greatest games ever made. This game is awesome. That is as good as I can explain it. This, along with its predecessor, is a must-have title for any Gamecube library.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 03/19/04