Yu-Gi-Oh! The Dawn of Destiny

"A fun game, but nothing special..."

Intro- Yu-Gi-Oh! The Dawn of Destiny is more than what I expected. After the Duelist of Roses disaster, (I do not have gamecube, so I haven't played the Falsebound Kingdom) I was not expecting much. The biggest thing is that the game is exactly like the real card game.

Gameplay- 8/10

This game is very fun, and the AI cheats a fair amount less than in other Yu-Gi-Oh games. If you're a card fan, as am I, you will be very pleased to find that this is the real card game for TV. The controls are fairly simple using mostly the A, B, and the directional pad. In the beginning, the game seems very easy, with the AI killing itself with cards that cost life points, etc. So don't be too judgmental early on. As you go through the game, it gets harder and I have been frustrated at several points.

Story 7/10

There really isn't a story at all. Well, you do go through the duelists in a sort of TV show related fashion. You duel in tiers of three with, out a break. (Each opponent has a third of you life points) Example: First you fight Yugi, Grandpa, Simon, and then, if you choose, to fight Joey, Tristen, and Tea. After that you go on to Yami Yugi, Bakura, Marik, Yami Marik, etc. (Not correct order) Anyways, I still loved it, as sometimes Story Mode gets really irritating. (Especially stupid ones)

Graphics/Sound- 6/10

The graphics are actually pretty good for the Xbox. However, after a battle, there is a short animation in which the winner strikes the loser, and a bunch of monsters have the same attack. This is kind of a bummer, since I actually kind of like the battle sequence from Duelists of the Roses. But, most of the cards look like their real life counterpart, which is pretty cool. The sound is pretty average, nothing special, but I'm not going to burn the game over it. As it seems with other reviews, I was disappointed with no voice animation.

Play Time/Replayability- 6/10

There really isn't much of an end to this game, just collect cards, and it only took me about a week to beat it, and that was with a lot of homework. Unfortunately, there is a very limited selection of the decks at the beginning, and you get pretty pathetic cards at early on after beating a tier, which does make the game a little more challenging. After I beat it, I tried to replay it, but the decks are pretty similar, with only a few changes. I just let it collect dust. (Loved the promos though)Gave it points for being kind of challenging.

Final Recommendation- 7/10

If you like Yu-Gi-Oh TCG, I would definitely recommend that you buy it. This is probably my favorite Yu-Gi-Oh game, next to The Eternal Duelist Soul. (don't know why I love that game so much) If you are just getting into Yu-Gi-Oh, rent it or borrow it from a friend, because this game is not half bad!

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 04/29/04