"Definatly one of the coolest GBC games in existence!"

I loved this game since the Christmas in 2000, almost right after it was released. For even the age of gaming now, it has surprisingly good graphics in comparison with the other GBC games out there. I have given this game a 9 out of 10 because it was VERY good, but no game is perfect. I am grading this game on the five categories of Game Appeal, Story Line, Variables, Quality, and, of course, my own opinion.

GAME APPEAL: definitely a 9. No lower, but no higher. I did not give it a 10 because I think that they make it a tad too complicated in some parts, and I'm specifically talking about the Arena battles. The Traveler's Gates are a pain sometimes, too. On the flip-side, though, I think it has earned its stripes because boredom is not going to leak from the game. At some points it is a little dull, but after the dull moments, you get things that accelerate into a really cool and fun game point. This leads into my next topic: Story Line.

STORY LINE: a close 10. I have never, and I mean never, had a game plot like this. If you really want to dumb it down, most games have the same plot anyways. This one really stands out though because of the many things that happen in the game as you progress. It is a very, very long game, which I love about it. It would easily take you 1 week to complete the storyline from start to finish, but many, MANY months to get all the monsters and max out your gold and get the "Ultimate Team". You get so many different things happening at the same time, too, so you will always have some sort of task to fulfill, which leads me into the next topic of Variables.

VARIABLES: a really high 10 (almost 11). Picture this: over 100 skills, 215 monsters, 9,800,130 total monster permutations, and about 100 items with different effects. You can't get much better than that. Oh, yeah, you can. There are about 30 Traveler's Gates with a different set of differently powered monsters. With so many options to choose from, the ultimate test in this game is trying everything out and seeing what you like best. Also, you reset all of those variables when you restart the game. Amazing. That must mean that you have a really good game, which is the main theme of the next topic: Quality.

QUALITY: a mid-range 9. This category is mainly a compilation of the above three topics and combining them into a mega-topic. The Story Line is fantastic, with its many twists and turns. The Variables allow for a more in-depth and awesome gaming experience. The Game Appeal draws you in, and the Variables in the Story Line keeps you in there until you get bored, but then after a few weeks, you see a black cartridge in your drawer, and you start playing again with equal gusto. Definitely a must-own, must-play game.

MY OPINION: a very high 9. Don't underestimate this game. People think just because it is a sort of "sequel" to the other games that it is not any good. I think that it is probably in the top 5 of the series. I loved playing this game. Whenever I run out of batteries in the car, I get all bored and mad. I wish that everyone could have the gaming experience that I had with this game.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 02/15/07