Yu-Gi-Oh! The Duelists of the Roses

"Give it a Chance?"

When I first heard that they were going to release a Yu-Gi-Oh! game on PS2, I like probably every other fan of the game went to the store and put some money down on this baby. For weeks and weeks, I scrounged up the money to buy Duelist of the Roses, so that I could buy it as soon as it came out! All my efforts paid off, and I got my hands on this game as soon as the store opened that day.

I got home, and I popped it in my trusty PS2. I was immediately wowed by the opening credits and scenes. The visuals were stunning. Let me just say that a ''Black Luster Soldier'' attacking looks SO much cooler than I could ever have imagined on PS2! But after that, that is where all of my problems began...when I pressed START...

Okay, it was pretty cut and dry. Simon comes out and gives you a lengthy tutorial. Okay, fine. Pick a side, enter your name...bam! You're either a good guy or a bad guy. Simple right?

First off, what is up with the story? I thought Yami and Seto were rivals in Egypt, not England. Well that's not so bad, but it is confusing for a fan of the show...then we get to the biggest problem: duel monsters.

I love ''Eternal Duelist Soul'' on GBA, and to an extent ''Forbidden Memories'' on PS1. Why? Because they were designed to let you play Duel Monsters. The game of cards where strategy wins the game, not power.

But in Duelist of the Roses, there is no game of Duel Monsters. While all your favorites like Blue-Eyes White Dragon and Dark Magician are in it, the concept of the original game is butchered by the element of movement added. In this game, you're required to MOVE your cards around carefully and with strategy. So what you say? Is it just me or is this game an inflated game of chess?

It's bad enough that no matter which side you choose, they start you out with a really BAD deck. Whoever you choose to face, will ALWAYS have a field power bonus in place. Constantly at this disadvantage, you'll find it hard to ever win. And unfortunately in this game, that is the only way to earn new cards (3 to be exact). With no password system in place, getting good cards is tough and good cards are what win you duels. I can only see twerps like Weevil and Rex dominate me so many times before I even know every trick of this game.

Just face it Yu-Gi fans! The gameplay LACKS. The storyline is WEAK. Duel Monsters is TAINTED. What's left to like about this latest installment?

Well if you like watching a Dark Magician destroy a Harpie Lady with a mighty attack, you'll love it! Just don't expect to be the one with the Dark Magician. Unless of course you have a GameShark. And quite frankly, games like this are why we have GameSharks and CodeBreakers.

So I returned to the store after playing this for 7 hours. All I have to say is: thank goodness I kept my receipt.

Reviewer's Score: 4/10, Originally Posted: 03/05/03, Updated 03/05/03