Yu-Gi-Oh! The Eternal Duelist Soul

"Possibly the best strategy game I have ever played."

When Yu-Gi-Oh was first introduced to America, I was very interested in the show. I liked the whole card game idea, but I wouldn't blow all my money on trading cards, yet I still wanted to learn how to play Duel Monsters. When I found out that there was an American version coming out for the Game Boy Advance in the U.S., I was excited that I was going to have a chance to learn how to play Duel Monsters.

Gameplay:

Gameplay-wise, this game shines. You start the game with the option to choose between three starter decks (all of which include 60 cards each), and then your all set. You start out with 5 opponents to choose from, all of which have their own strategies, and you must beat each opponent a certain amount of times in order to reach the next bracket of Duelist, and so on and so forth. While doing this, you are constantly building your deck up after each victory over an opponent. How are you building your deck up? Simple. After each victory, you get to choose from 3 booster packs (you unlock more booster packs as you progress further into the game). Also, every so often, you enter a weekly dueling tournament with an oppurtunity to win more cards. You can also get more cards by receiving various books which include The Weekly Yu-Gi-Oh!, and Yu-Gi-Oh! Magazine.

Dueling is where the heart of the Gameplay is. The rules are simple, you and your opponent start out with 8000 life points each, you duel with a deck that ranges from 45-60 cards, and you use these cards to lower your opponents life points to zero. Card-types include:

-Monster Cards - These are cards your deck will mostly consist of. You use these cards to attack you opponent's monsters, destroy them, and then attack you opponent's life points in order to deplete them to zero.

-Magic Cards - These are very helpful cards that your deck should always have. Such actions for these type of cards include the ability to raise your monster's attack/defense points, raising your own life points, or to just completely wipe out all of your opponent's monsters.

-Trap Cards - These cards have the ability to seriously change the pace of a duel. Such actions for these cards include the ability to infect your opponent's deck, or to reflect your opponent's monster's attacks back at them.

-Fusion Monster Cards - These cards are used to fuse with other fusion-type monsters to create a new, more powerful monsters. In order to summon a fusion monster, you need the Magic Card ''Polymerization'', or have Effect, Trap, or Magic cards that allow you to Special-Summon them.

-Ritual Cards - These cards allow you to perform rituals which end up with the summoning of a special ritual-type monster.

-Effect Cards - These cards are in the form of monsters, but they have certain affects that follow them. To activate the effects of some Effect Card monsters, you sometimes have to flip the card face-up, or you can activate it by simply putting the card on the field.

With these cards, you are able to use almost any strategy you need to become victorious over your opponent. This is why the game is so fresh, because no match is ever the same, EVER!! Matches are always different, and can go either way depending on what kind of strategy you and your opponent uses.

Gameplay-wise, this game is marvelous.

Graphics

The graphics for this game are hard to determine. The cards look exactly like their real-life counterparts, and our brought to life with great art, but that is just about it. The playing field has little detail, and looks very plain. Overall the graphics are a mixed bag.

Sound

The game has some catchy tunes, especially when you get to the later opponent's of the game. The menu's have fitting music, and fit the game well. That is about it for the sound department.

Replay Value

The game's replay value is through the roof. With the ability to earn over 800+ cards, a two-player link cable support, and plenty of challenging AI opponents, this game will last a VERY long time.

Overall:

The game is a must for anyone who is a fan of the series, and is a great start for anyone new to the series. A must have for gamer's looking for an excellent strategy game.

Gameplay - 10
Graphics - 6
Sound - 7.5
Replay Value - 10
Overall - 10

A must have!!

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 03/03/03, Updated 03/03/03