"Dueling rises to a whole new level on the Nintendo DS"

Yu-Gi-Oh! Nightmare Troubador is the first game of the infamous series to hit Nintendo's hottest handheld, and its anxiously awaited release wasn't without celebration. For years fans of the collectible card game had dreamed of game such as this, and while the title does have its quirks, overall it delivers a unique and enjoyable experience that Yu-Gi-Oh! enthusiasts can't afford to pass up.

GAMEPLAY
I've said it once, and I'll say it again - Yu-Gi-Oh! is an absolutely brilliant game of both strategy and prediction. The rules are a tad complicated, but are a total snap once you get used to the basic flow of a duel. The premise is simple: you and your opponent both start out with a set amount of lifepoints, and using a combination of magic, trap, and monster cards, the goal is to completely annihilate them. There are other ways to win besides eliminating lifepoints, but it's up to you to decide which type of deck, often referred to as a theme, gets the job done efficiently and works best for you. The sheer variety of decks you'll face in the game - from the savage power of the legendary Blue-Eyes, to the dazzling techniques of the fabled Dark Magician - assures that no encounter will ever be the same.

Just about everything is controlled via the stylus, which is incredibly convenient. Deck editing is made easy - just drag and drop the cards wherever you want 'em to go. On the duel screen, a simple tap of the stylus is all you need to deploy your most powerful monsters onto the battlefield. Alternatively, the buttons on the DS and the directional pad can be used to perform the same functions. The game utilizes a time-based system, and although some would argue differently, it works to its advantage. What this means is that you'll only be able to fight certain duelists and unlock certain events during one of four times of day - morning, afternoon, evening, and night. This feature adds an aspect of realism to Nightmare Troubador previously unseen in the series that spices up things a bit. With each victory, you'll earn some credits and experience points. The credits are used to purchase packs of cards, and the experience points allow you to level up if you acquire enough of them. Leveling up nets you new types of booster packs and grants you admittance to the exclusive Kaiba Corp tournaments (which are required to advance the story along, so don't think you'll be skimping out on those.) If you duel someone enough times, you can even add them to your buddy list, letting you duel them anytime when they're roaming the map. They'll also offer you their deck 'recipes' (the cards that make up their deck) and trade cards with you from time to time.

As an added bonus, as you revise and improve upon your own deck, your opponents will do the same. The Yami Yuugi you challenge one day may be different than the one you challenge the next. Eventually you'll be staring down tournament level decks capable of thrashing you into the last millennium, and if you don't keep up with the pace (i.e. modifying your deck by adding better cards), you're gonna be toast. The password machine makes a not-so-triumphant return - only passwords for the cards already in your possession are accepted, and it bears of hefty price tag of 1,000 KC points per go. Most cards have to be obtained the hard way, but fortunately if your pulls are on the abysmal side, you can always reset and give it another try. And for those who are new to the Yu-Gi-Oh! universe, an in-game tutorial is even included.

The gameplay does have a few kinks that could be worked out. While an improvement from the lackluster AI (artificial intelligence) of previous games in the series, the computer still manages to make some stupid, not to mention obvious mistakes. The game goes all the way up to Flaming Eternity in terms of sets, but several key cards required for particular archetypes are noticeably absent. The system you use to locate duelists on the map (moving the cursor around a la Hot or Cold fashion) quickly becomes tedious, and often times the difficulty level can falter between pathetically easy and impossibly hard.

Did I mention the God Cards are included? ;)

STORY
It's a card game. What exactly were you expecting? Amazingly enough, solo play does offer a somewhat interesting storyline. It progresses slowly and it's not, say, Final Fantasy quality, but it looks like at this point it's the best we're going to get without disregarding the expert rules altogether.. and any games in the past that did tended to be miserable failures. Anyway, it seems that someone.. AGAIN.. has hacked their way into Kaiba Corp's systems, and you can imagine Seto's not too pleased. It never really gets much more in-depth than that, though I can tell you that most of the characters you know and love from the show are included. No one from Doma, the Memory Arc, or the Grand Prix is in it, but is that really that much of a surprise? The story's not what you should be playing the game for, but it works.

GRAPHICS
The characters themselves look stunning in their portraits, especially Kaiba and Jounouchi. It was almost as if the artists pulled them straight out of the manga and coloured them. The insides of buildings are designed well, and the cards appear exactly as they would in real life. The 3D models that pop up from the cards when summoned are a mixed bag; some get nifty little animations, some don't. Some are crisp and clear, some aren't. For the most part the graphics excel. It's not the best the DS can do - not by any means - but it's fresh and it suits the game well.

AUDIO
I was actually pretty impressed. It's nothing special, really, but compared to what we're used to hearing in duels, it's a significant improvement. There's different music for different times of day, and you can tell that at least a little bit of effort was put into composing the tunes. The sound effects.. I can't say I honestly care, because the majority of the time I had the volume turned down so I could listen to my iPod. Just your basic hacks and slashes, though it's not really of any consequence.

REPLAY VALUE
There's no point in starting the game over, as you'll just have to collect all the cards again, and that ain't no picnic. This game will last you awhile if you've got your heart set on catching - err, collecting 'em all. If you've got a friend you can play with, it's even better. Basically, the game's as long as you want it to be, though the story portion could probably be completed in a couple of days.

FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS
If you're a fan of the series, then go ahead and blow that thirty bucks without hesitation. Non-fanatics are best to be more cautious, though the game does have a lot to offer them, too. The bottom line is this: for Konami's first attempt at a Yu-Gi-Oh! game on the DS, it's generally satisfying. There's lots of room for improvements to be made, and I am personally looking forward to an even better sequel.

Why should I get this game?
+ in-depth gameplay true to the series
+ awesome out-of-duel graphics and decent monster sprites
+ improved music and incredible replay value, plus the Gods

Why shouldn't I get this game?
+ lack of a captivating story
+ dull AI and missing cards from the sets
+ unavoidable repetitiveness factor

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 09/12/05