Yu-Gi-Oh! Dark Duel Stories

"Remains very faithful to the original card game with a few interesting twists"

Yet another game based on a monster-taming card game?

Admit it. By now you've already experienced a piece of the monster tamer craze and have played video games based on the card games. You're probably thinking, ''I've just about had it with all of these card game spinoffs'' but think again. Yu-Gi-Oh! DDS is far different from the Pokemon and Digimon card games but it's just as good.

What is Yu-Gi-Oh!?

Don't get the wrong idea. Yu-Gi-Oh! isn't about taming monsters, which many people assume as their first impressions on the series. Instead, it is purely a card game about summoning monsters and trying to pummel your opponent in a power struggle using everything from traps to magic spells and even combining monsters to create more powerful ones. Likewise, the animated TV series doesn't use the theme of taming monsters either. It is about a guy named Yugi who has an artifact called a Millennium Puzzle, which unlocks his dark dueling side. The power-hungry Pegasus (not a horse) wants it and to get it, he kidnaps his grandfather to lure him into a Duel Monsters tournament where Yugi and his friends will need all of his wits to beat other duelists. Apparently, Pegasus is acting as a ''last boss'' duelist, awaiting him at the end of this entire ordeal.

DDS's characters are all from the TV series but the gameplay resembles the original card game. The main difference between the two is that the TV series plays with less Life Points and allows high-level summons without a need to sacrifice monsters on the field. The original card game features higher LP and keeps the sacrificing rule for summoning powerful monsters.

How is the game played?

Both you and your opponent start at 8000 Life Points and both you and your opponent must find a way to send each other's LP down to zero. You do this by summoning monsters to attack and defend and along the way, you can cast spells, set traps, and sacrifice your monsters to summon more powerful ones.

When you look at the game, you're probably thinking that it's nothing more than a struggle to see who can get the strongest monster on the field. Generally the game revolves around that idea but it's far more complicated than that. Cards such as Raigeki, Dark Hole, and Acid Trap Hole can easily dispatch even the most powerful of monsters and there are many strategies that must be used if you're going to get your opponent's LP down to zero, including the Free Fusion system, which allows you to fuse two monster cards to get a stronger one. You generally need some time to learn different combinations but it's not vital to you as you can easily get around your opponent without it. Still, it's a good system to have in times when you're in a dire need for stronger monsters.

Unlike other games based on card games, DDS has a password system where you can input an eight-digit number from various game cards to import them into the game itself so it doesn't take much effort to add a free Blue-Eyes White Dragon to your collection. Of course, it would be cheap beyond all reason for you to be able to use something that powerful early on so each card has been set so that you must be at a certain level in order to use it, which can be done by beating the CPU opponents. As if that wasn't enough to avoid a cheap shot, each card has a set amount of size and your deck can only hold a certain capacity, which raises as you get more levels so even if can use it, you still might not have the space for it. Finally, you may only use each password once so you can't get get multiple Blue-Eyes.

What makes this game very interesting is the fact that you have 800 game cards to choose from. That is a thick load of cards to choose from but trying to scroll through the pages of cards is agonizing when you're trying to look for what to put in your deck. While it does allow you to categorize the cards by different classifications, it's still not very useful when searching around. Of course, now you're wondering why there are numberless slots after the 800th card. Apparently, the game goes even further and allows you to create your own cards from card parts earned from duels but this system is generally not very useful. The combinations are very simple and many of them are not worth putting in your deck as a good number of high-level ones are easily matched by lower-level monsters.

The only problem with the gameplay that is a constant pain is the fact that trap cards aren't permanent. Unlike the original card game, you may only have one trap out out in play, and once you set one, your opponent must fall for it after your turn is over. Otherwise, the trap is gone once your next turn comes rolling around. While some cards like Acid Trap Hole will usually get triggered nearly every time, some traps such as the Anti-Raigeki are difficult to use mainly because there is no guarantee that your opponent will use the Raigeki spell card during his next turn.

Graphics 7/10

DDS has very few animations when compared to other GB games. Still-framed characters have animated mouths and blinking eyes when talking to you, and monster cards shake when used for an attack but other than that, animation isn't quite DDS's strong side. The cards, however, are nicely done. Each card's portrait isn't an exact copy of the original card's portrait, unlike the cards from the GB Pokemon Card Game. Instead, each card is altered but not so much as to no longer recognize them. Also, each card is highly detailed right down to the Dark Magician's magic circle, and the use of the GBC's color schemes is well done. Check out the Celtic Guardian's portrait and you'll be amazed.

Card translations, on the other hand, are a bit on the rough side. Because English words takes up a lot of space when compared to Japanese characters, it's tough to squeeze names into small spaces. Konami did a fairly good job of compacting names as much as possible and many cards are easily recognizable when the names are read but some have cut-offs that are unrecognizable unless you have the original card itself, particularly ''Invitation to a Da'' and ''The Last Warrior From.''

Sound 8/10

Being that this is a Game Boy game, you have to expect blips and bleeps for sound. It's not bad, however. It doesn't have the same emotional and audible quality as Pokemon Gold/Silver but each tune fits the mood of the game nicely. For example, the title screen introduces new players with a mystical tune that gives you the idea of something magical that is about to occur. The rest of the sound is mainly blips and bleeps as you flip through menus and play cards in a duel.

Controls 8/10

Since this is a card game, the controls are very simple. You can easily play cards, discard them, end your turn, and perform other actions without too much trouble. The only problem, however, is that the controls somehow feel ''stiff'' as you move the cursor around your cards. Apparently, DDS uses a lot of processing power so there is actually a bit of loading time as the game loads each card's portrait, even with the GBC's ability to double its own processing speed. Other than that, the controls are fine.

Gameplay 8/10

While the limit on trap cards causes problems, the game is mainly balanced out and resembles the original card game. It's very easy to learn and while it revolves around the idea of who can get the strongest monster on the field, there are many strategies that can make it far more complex than that. However, it can be very irritating to see CPU players use cards that you're restricted from using. For example, Yugi can use Black Hole, which you can't use until you reach a high dueling level. Also, CPU players seem to fall for a bad habit of attacking anything that is hidden in defense mode, which constantly leaves newly-summoned monsters revealed. Aside from that, the CPU's are challenging and the gameplay is tweaked out nicely.

Multiplayer 10/10

Unlike the limited CPU players, human players constantly have varying strategies and decks so if you have a few friends and a link cable, you're in for a lot of fun. You may even set the deck capacity anywhere from a simple 500 to an all-out 9999.

Replay 8/10

After beating all fifteen CPU opponents, it's not over yet. There are secret passwords that you can use to unlock five secret duelers for some extended fun. Even after you're through beating on them, you can still play against your friends with a customized deck.

Overall 8/10

DDS is one of the few GBC games left that brings out the power of the fading hand-held system. With more than 800 different cards, a whole handful of opponents, and a Versus Mode for duels against human players, this is a game that you should check out. Who says monster-taming card games are done?

Rent or Buy

Renting this game just simply does not give you enough time to go through this entire game. I heartily recommend that you buy it.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 04/03/02, Updated 01/13/03