Fullmetal Alchemist: Trading Card Game

"One of the best game I bought..and it was $10!"

I really love playing card games. Magic the Gathering, Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh, Duel Masters, etc. So I find it obvious to get this game. So, let be be clear on this, if you say yes to any of this, then you'll likely enjoy this game: Do you love trading card games, especially something difficult but because of that it has much more depth and strategy? Do you love Fullmetal Alchemist enough to buy this game? You love art? (actually, that doesn't count, but it's still pretty neat!). My guess is, you love trading card games, that's why you are checking in, right?

Once you learn how to play the game, it would feel really smooth when playing. The learning curve is pretty steep, but I took maybe four hours. If you know how to play Magic, then you'll likely learn how to play this game fast. As a card game, there aren't really that much story. There's a few lines before playing against someone than you'll finally start. The lines are a brief story from the anime, such as when Maes Hughes and Roy Mustang is talking about something. There isn't really any extra stuff except the profile and a few pictures from the anime. Basically, if you buy the game just for extras, you'll probably won't be satisfied by this game since all it centers around is the flow of the card game.

Gameplay: 10/10 At first the game is hard, but after you learn how to play, everything would be way too easy. Still, the game is really fun. Every battle is random and certain opponent's have a different strategy. The controls are really easy, which makes such a complex card game easy to maneuver. For example, you may use the touch screen to look at your hand, a card, discard pile, or your opponent's side. With all the strategy you could come up with, it keeps the game fresh every time you play.

Story: 7/10 Just think about it, a card game doesn't really need a story. So, there isn't a lot to go by, but if you saw the anime, you'll get what the character is saying. If you're wondering, there aren't any voice-over during the story lines.

Sound: 10/10 On the screen, you'll get to hear Edward Elric or Lust when you go on another screen. All characters on the profile page will have a voice from the voice-actors on the anime, which is nice for Fullmetal Alchemist fans. During battle, you could hear your leader (which is a special character card in the card game that is crucial to play allies and such) voice during the start of the game, when he levels up (something only your leader could do), and when his team loses a battle or wins the battle. Of course, the game also has music from the anime. "Melissa" is played on the start screen for example. The music sounds really nice, though repeated a lot. Even with that circumstance, you wouldn't get tired from the music. All the sounds from the voice-actors are crisp and clear with the background music loud enough to get recognized. In my opinion, other than the gameplay, this is one of the best quality in the game.

Graphics: 8/10 Let's face it, card games don't really need that much graphics. Since this is the NDS, there isn't really a whole lot much to do. The alchemy effects looks really neat, but that's pretty much all the action you get. However, the art on the cards, which should still play on the graphics, are really neat and clear. It's exactly all I need to be happy. Even though there wasn't any running scenes or the characters pop up in 3-D or anything like that, this game stuck simply to convince people the card game is great, you don't need all that extra stuff. If you really want all that stuff, then I guess you should look otherwise.

Replay factor: 9/10 You did said you love card games. Basically you challenge people to gain a booster pack, or three on the end of that character's story. This game is really fun, so you'll come back for more. You collect cards, make your deck better, and then battle with your improved deck. With as much cards as 1,300+ cards, the combinations are endless. You'll have more than nine decks to choose from, so you'll get to play with different characters. With that, it's exactly all a card game needs to succeed.

So to conclude, I think it's a really great game. You might be able to buy it at a game store for $9.99. With a price like that, it's probably one of the best games you could buy with a cheap price like that. Of course, you would have to commit some time to learning this somewhat complex game. A Fullmetal Alchemist fan should expect most of the main characters in this game. Although, from my understanding, not all the cards from this card game isn't added to this NDS game. There is about 1,500+ cards total in the card game with new leaders and allies. If it so happens you find it in a game store, I recommend you buy this game. I'm still playing this game and it's just getting funner instead or losing the fun factor.

This game deserves 9/10.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 10/30/08

Game Release: Fullmetal Alchemist: Trading Card Game (US, 10/15/07)