"This is one game which you'll want to play in attack mode!"

Yu-Gi-Oh. The phenomenon that is sweeping across the world in a reminiscence to Pokemon. This game makes a very good attempt at capitalizing on that, and although not perfect, it makes a good effort.

GAMEPLAY: The game is quite simple. A to make choices, B to cancel choices, Z to bring up the in game menu. World Wide Edition has all of the characters from the TV show, and some other who aren't. I won't spoil who these other characters are, but I'll just say they don't seem...human. After every battle, or ''passenger ride'', you progress onto the next day. There are different events and opponents everyday, like a tournament day on Saturday, and a duelist magazine day on Monday where you get a five card booster pack with a magazine. Also, there is a password system, so if you own any Yu-Gi-Oh cards, then you enter the passwords at the bottom of the cards in so you can get them in the game. WWE is also very good for teaching the basic fundamentals of the game to players who want to learn how to play. 10/10

GRAPHICS: The graphics are good. It's kind of hard to comment on the graphics, but they're as detailed as possible for a game which doesn't really need them. The characters look good, and the pictures of the cards look identical to the cards in real life. But like I said, the graphics are as good as required for a game where you don't really need them. 9/10

SOUND: One of the only two let downs of the game. Only around two to three different music tracks, and hardly any sound effects really let the game down. The tracks are a ''happy'' song which is usually the one playing in the background, a ''Dark'' song which is played when you get challenged, or lose a battle, and another darker tune for other moments in the game. There aren't many sound effects, either. The only sound effects I've found are an ''explosion'' effect for when one of your monsters get ''blown-up'' by a magic, trap or effect monster card, a sound effect which I'm not sure of for when you get your 5 card booster pack on Mondays, a tribute sound effect, a shuffle sound effect and a coin effect for when you or your opponent use Time Wizard's card power. Also, there is a fanfare for when you win, but it's only about 10 seconds long, if that. Trust me, if you're looking for Beethoven caliber music, stay WELL away. 6/10

STORY: What story? You go around and duel other people on different days. There is a back story involving the mystery opponents I mentioned earlier, but aside from them, there really isn't much of a story that you can really follow. Sometimes, the taxi drivers will mention some ''weird guys'' (Our mystery opponents) but apart from that, nothing really major. The ''Story'' is the other let down of the game. 5/10

REPLAY VALUE: While there's no real story, the game does keep you coming back for more. You can collect all of the cards and still want to play on, because the duels are fun, and there are tons of characters to unlock. Yu-Gi-Oh World Wide Edition keeps you coming back for more, regardless of whether you're bad at it or not. 10/10

OVERALL: Overall, Yu-Gi-Oh WWE is a good game. While the lack of a good story and good sound takes its rating down a little bit, it's still quite a good game for people who are new to the Yu-Gi-Oh card game. Even if you don't like the Yu-Gi-Oh cartoon, give this game a shot. There are many cards to collect, characters to unlock and challenges to meet. Trust me, you won't be disappointed. Overall, Yu-Gi-Oh World Wide Edition gets a hearty 8 out of 10.

ALTERNATIVES: Yu-Gi-Oh: The Eternal Duelist Soul (GBA), Yu-Gi-Oh: War of the roses (PS2)

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 06/12/03, Updated 06/12/03