Yu-Gi-Oh! The Duelists of the Roses

"Both Amazing and Disappointing"

As you may know, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duelist of the Roses was a highly anticipated game, as it would be the first Yu-Gi-Oh! game for PS2. Some were amazed, some were disappointed, and like several others I feel it's right to give my view. I will give seperate scores for each sections, but will NOT average them out as I simply do not have the time.. or maybe because I'm just lazy.

Gameplay

Could be better to tell you the truth. For myself, being a veteran, I caught on quickly to the new rules and ''Perfect Rule'', but it took me forever to beat somebody as strategy was easily the key to winning. Setting being in England, during the time of The War of the Roses, it could be a little more interesting as you'll see the plot develops into an average one. I was glad to see my favorite characters in the game. The game itself can be quite hard at times, requiring a bit of thinking and logic (''If I move here, will I be at a better position?'' etc. ). The control is fairly easy, but it took me awhile to figure out which were the R3 and L3 buttons, but they were in the manual (right analog stick is R3, left one is L3) . The style is a lot like playing chess, really. Another little thing to add- Deck Capacity. Some of the enemy's Deck Capacities are every low, and your Deck Capacity has to be lower than theirs, taking out a lot of good monsters, traps, and magic cards, so that stinks. I'd give it a 7.

Audio

Very disappointing. The intro songs were cool, but the duel music is boring and repititive. If really doesn't get you hyped up and in the mood to duel really- I mean come on, everyone wants to be in that energetic and vicious feeling to duel, right? 4 at the best, this was truely the worst flaw in the game.

Video

The graphics and attacks were outstanding for most of the monsters. The monsters were illustrated quite well, so that's something to look forward to to make up for the horrible audio. However, the less known monsters (such as BAT or WHITE DOLPHIN) were not done as well, as well as their attacks. But for that, I only subtract one point, making it a 9.

Replayability

Let's think logically here- if there are over 850 cards to collect, and not that many duelists to choose from to duel, how long will it take you to collect them all? This makes this game great. No duel will ever be the same (And if there was one, who would get bored of the graphics anyway?) . You also must play on both sides to unlock some features. Also, a PASSWORD feature allows you to get stronger cards for your deck, but unlike previous games they're not the codes off the cards. This game you can enjoy over and over- I find myself sitting there playing the game for hours and hours, never getting bored. I give it an 8 though, because if you choose to complete the other side of the story, then you have to get all the cards you want over again, making it a bit boring. Also, using an Pro Action Replay/Gameshark defeats the purpose of the game- sure, you can get every card in less than 5 minutes. And have the game register you beating an opponent 99 times. But what's the fun in that?

Try or Buy?

Rent it first. This game is not for everyone. I had to learn to patient with this game, and I'm a very impatient person. Strategy, like I may have said before, is an important key to the game. I feel it's worth your $50, because of the graphics and replayabilty. Not only that, it gets addicting. However, if you are not a veteran of the game, you may find the new rules hard to learn. So, rent it beforehand, and if you like it, buy it.

OVERALL SCORE- 7

Closing Comments

This game really lived up to my expectations, but I was also disappointed in some of the aspects in the game. Konami tried hard to make this game great, and I respect them for that. I predict a sequel will have many more improvements and will be even more anticipated. Until then, join everybody else.. it's time to duel!

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 04/16/03, Updated 04/16/03