Yu-Gi-Oh! Forbidden Memories

"It's time to duel!"

Yu-Gi-Oh: Shin Duel Monsters, or Forbidden Memories as it is known in North America, is one of the greatest games for Playstation.

PSOne may seem like a dead system, but it isn't.

Made back in 1996, Shin Duel Monsters is a great card-dueling game. With the likeness elements of Magic the Gathering, and Pokemon.

The Story:

The main story takes place in Ancient Egypt, where you play as a pharaoh prince (The name is chosen by the player) and try to stop an evil force of Mages from getting the seven special totems to save the world. You battle people by playing the game ''Duel Monsters'' which is the reincarnate of an ancient game known as the ''Shadow Games''. Every time you defeat a person in a duel, they usually give you some useful information for your journey.

The Graphics:

The graphics on this game are very decent for the Playstation's aging abilities. You can view battles in 3D or standard card-mode. The Three-Dimensional battles may sound really great, but it is really only nice for a once in a while thing. You will probably use the card-mode battle more when dueling, because the 3D Mode takes up too much time.

The Gameplay:

The gameplay is basically reading and choosing when your in the outside world of the game. Inside the duels though is a different story. The game is played like ''The Pokemon Trading Card Game'' or ''Magic the Gathering''. The rules for the duels are simple enough, deplete your opponent's Life Points (Both players start with 8000 LP) or make your opponent run out of cards in their deck.
In the duels, there are three main types of cards you use, ''Monster cards'', which are the most common, and used to fight with, ''Magic cards'', which do different effects depending on the card, and ''Trap cards'' which you lay on the field, and are activated under special circumstances.

The Music:

There isn't much music in this game, but it is still very good. The music keeps with the ancient style theme of the game, and the music during the battle sequences are excellent, and makes you want to duel to the end.

Fun Factor:

This game may seem repetitive, but it definitely is always different. It is a very fun game, though it gets hard, fast.

In Conclusion:

For someone it might not be a game they want because it is a trading card game, but it is still worth a rental. For fans of the television series though, Yu-Gi-Oh Shin Duel Monsters/Forbidden Memories is most likely a buy.

Buy or Rent in my opinion:

This game is a definite buy.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 04/17/02, Updated 04/17/02