"These Dice Will Take You to a Whole New Dimension of Gaming"

If you haven’t heard of Yu-Gi-Oh, I’d suggest crawling out of your cave. The lesser known Dungeon Dice, seen only in a special in the Yu-Gi-Oh anime, is also picking up in sales over in Japan. Heck, put the name Yu-Gi-Oh on ANYTHING and it becomes gold!

Of course, Dungeon Dice Monsters (which will probably get a dubbed title before it hits shelves) is the latest installation from the biggest fad since Pokemon. In it, you get to play Dungeon Dice against a myriad of opponents while staving off madness induced from the horrid sound tracks. Without a doubt, I’d say it’s the best game based on a game!

Dungeon Dice (the concept): 10

Being familiar with the game within the game is essential before you make that decision on buying it. Table-top gaming is hardly a new concept, things like Warhammer have been around for ages. However, the quirky randomness of Dungeon Dice gives it a nice feel.

Beginners may be overwhelmed with the number of variables facing them in a duel. The monsters within the dice are just as important as the characteristics of the dice, so just picking what to use seems like a major task. Then you have to decide whether you want to try and get lucky with a large die or take the more reliable lower level dice. Couple that with trying to anticipate your opponent and you’ve developed a major head-ache!

Really though, it gets easy. Tactically, you’ll either aim for monster superiority (bigger is better idea), swarming your opponent with weenies, or trying for an early stab so you can lock down their summoning space. No matter what you decide to do, the quirky interaction of the dice is enjoyable

Gameplay: 5
Huh? What’s with all the squiggly lines?!

The controls are so simple to master that I was able to pick them up while using the Japanese version. Unfortunately, the game is also extremely easy to beat. Depending on how you play, the match can take anywhere from 5 minutes to half an hour (I’m estimating the second number, even my worst games end in under 20). The dumb A.I. will also make most matches seem monochrome, the only real variable being the strategy it messes up. I’ve only lost once and that was during the match where I was figuring out the controls. Since then I’ve watched the A.I. blunder away from the right path, guard useless areas, and mess up attacks! Heck, it’s rare that an A.I. monster actually finds it’s way near my DM and I’m not a great player

Storyline: 0

Okay, I SHOULD give it leeway, afterall, I can’t possibly know what they’re saying, right? Have you ever played a Yu-Gi-Oh game? There’s all that “Heart” this and “Soul” that BS that makes me ashamed to be a gamer. Even if the text was remotely interesting (which it wouldn’t be), the dubbed junk will be sappy enough to make me cry

Graphics: 8

The figure graphics are pretty impressive, considering what they’ve done for something that size. The card art and the player art are pretty decent, but the battle graphics reek. Even how the monsters attack makes me groan and the fact that the vast majority of them look corny doesn’t help things

Sound: 0!

For the first five minutes, I thought the soundtrack had a good beat. After that, I had to turn the sound off. It’s the most mindless, moronic beat that numbs the mind so you can’t play properly. Perhaps it’s the A.I.’s secret weapon, the little programmer’s trick to take your focus off how your foe blunders his every move, but the music WILL drive you insane. Not ha ha insane or ‘crazy’ but stark-ravin’ mad. TURN IT OFF! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD MAN, TURN IT OFF!

Replay: 6

It’ll take a while to find all of the dice. It’ll take even longer to save up the dough to get all the ones you want. In this regard, you’ll get extra play value (although it’s still great for a long car ride)

Buy, Rent, or Avoid like the Plague?

This is by far the greatest game about a game that I’ve ever had the honor… nay, the privilege to play. I can’t wait until the game comes out in the US so I can be the first in line to get it… well, at least I’ll buy a copy within a week or month of it coming out. Yup, probably

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 12/20/02, Updated 12/20/02