Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship 2008

"Best So Far, As Usual. :D"

Konami, the proud producer of all the Yu-gi-oh! Video Games for handheld systems so far, released the most recent Yu-gi-oh! World Championship game: the 2008 version. The game has numerous additions to the previous games, such as a lot more language selection, over 400 more cards, and 2 exciting game modes that are sure to entertain.

The World Championship 2008, unlike the previous games, has a mode where you can actually go to different areas and duel all kinds of different players. The second mode allows you to choose an opponent from a menu. There are over 50 different opponents in this game, and many different kinds of challenges are also bundled together into this one game pak.

Gameplay: 8.3 /10

This game is exceptionally good in the gameplay category, simply because everything is easy to understand and the person playing the game can easily get used to the controls in a matter of minutes without even glancing at the game instruction booklet. The CPU's in this game are a great amount more intelligent; a player may find him or herself repeatedly trying to pass one point in the plot, which is almost always a great feature that represents replayability.

This game definitely introduces an excellent game for people who have played the game before, but people that are new to the Yu-gi-oh! TCG should first get used to the feel of the game before trying to completely beat the World Championship 2008 game. The game does include tutorials, but they aren't too helpful. If you've played the game and you understand, the tutorials are always there for a reference, as well as a glossary, which is a new feature that really lets you understand the game more fully and completely.

Story: 9/10

Despite what other people think, I personally feel that the story mode is what keeps you playing along with unlocking multiple items in the game. The plot of the game definitely had a lot of thought put into it, but unlike other RPG games such as Pokemon and Final Fantasy, there wasn't much that could be done to allow the player to actually feel like he was IN the game world. Konami could only do so much with the Yu-gi-oh card game, and I feel that the story mode in this game was undoubtedly the most that Konami could've done with it.\

Graphics: 8.8/10

I really feel that Konami could have sharpened up the 3D images in the upper screen a lot more than they did. The 3D monsters are strangely animated, that in doing so, some monsters like Sangan and Kuriboh almost look like completely different types of creatures. In some areas, it looks as if Konami attempted to add extensive shading, corrupting what the game would have looked like if they just used the card drawings.

Areas where 2D animation was used, though, were actually very sharp and smooth where needed, and were very easily to follow. The moving of the menus are all smooth and easy to see. Also, the card illustrations are able to be seen and recognized without viewing them in the upper screen, which allows for easier Deck changes.

Sound: 7/10

The music in this game is more disappointing than exciting, especially in the World Championship mode, where the opponents are chosen from a menu. In the story mode, however, the music varies enough that one could enjoy playing the game with the music and humming along. That's a good feature in the Story Mode, which earned the sound section 5 points. This game, like the Yu-gi-oh! GX Duel Academy game for GBA,'s music varies based on what game situation you're in. If your life points are 3000 points under, you'll hear some music that represents that you're struggling. If you're 3000 point above, then you'll hear upbeat and happy music that represents you're in control. That's a great feature, instead of having one song with a repeating chorus throughout the whole duel.

Replayability: 10/10

This game, as you've probably heard from other people, is extremely replayable. There are tons of items and characters to unlock, and many worlds that will keep you busy. On top of that, Wi-Fi duels will really keep you playing the game, since you can never stop dueling different duelists across the world, as there's most likely over 800 people who bought the game and have a working Wireless Connection.

After All, the game is a must-buy.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/03/08

Game Release: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters: World Championship 2008 (JP, 11/29/07)