"Another Unique Gem The PS2 Fanbase Ignored"

I was a fiend for Magic: The Gathering (the legendary collectible card game, or CCG) back in my high school days, but I gave up on the game once I went off to college. Card-collecting is an expensive hobby, especially for a broke student. Still, there's a unique pleasure to collecting a huge assortment of great-looking cards, and building 'the perfect deck.' Years later, I finally found a fun and affordable way to enjoy the CCG experience on the PlayStation 2 in the form of 'Culdcept,' a fiercely addictive little game that seemed to get absolutely no press upon its release.
Most reviews have described the game as a combination of Magic: The Gathering and Monopoly, which pretty much hits the nail on the head. Each player has a 'book' of fifty cards, composed of whatever cards they choose from their collection. You and your teammates/opponents walk along a multi-colored gameboard, attempting to reach the desired number of magic points first and get back to the castle. (Think of the castle as the 'Go' space in Monopoly.) The best way to gain magic points is to place creatures on the empty spaces of the board. The land beneath your creatures can also be levelled up (the equivalent of building houses and hotels), increasing both the value of the land and the tolls your enemies must pay if they land on that square.
Of course, your foe might decide that he isn't keen on paying tolls, and he'll summon one of his creatures to destroy yours and take your spot. The creature combat is one of the highlights of the game, especially when there's a very valuable land at stake. The owners of the creatures can each use one item to help their beastie prevail, and a big part of the strategy is guessing what item (if any) your foe will use, and selecting yours accordingly. Will you use a sword to beef up your creature's attack strength? Or maybe a counter amulet to send your enemy's attack back in his face? When there's a Level 5 land on the line (and a monster toll), the battles can be really intense. The creature cards even act out the combat a bit, with swords slashing the paper and maces battering holes through the cards. Very slick.
'Culdcept' has a decent-sized single-player campaign for you to trek through. The story adds a bit of cohesion to the many battles, but the plot is rather generic and lame, so don't expect to be caught up in a gripping fantasy tale. Don't worry, though... the enjoyable battles and the prospect of winning new cards will be more than enough motivation for you.
With about 500 total cards in the game, there's a ton of variety. You'll find plenty of typical fantasy creatures to use (elves, vampires, kobolds, etc.), and lots of bizarre ones too, like the giant-eared Chonchon or the wily Fungonoid. There are some fun spells to try as well, including one that makes your foe move backwards for a turn, or a curse that paralyzes a hapless creature. One could easily spend an hour designing a killer 'book,' if they were so inclined.
Of course, half the fun of any CCG is collecting the cards themselves, and 'Culdcept' provides plenty of this pleasure as well. Each victory will provide you with about a dozen new cards to enjoy, and even if you lose, the game will still give you a handful of cards as a consolation prize. The cards are divided by rarity, with some cards being fairly common and others being very hard to find. Rarity does not necessarily equal quality, of course. The artwork on the cards is fantastic, and the game does an excellent job of making you feel like you have a collection of cards, rather than some data in a software program. Making a deck is both simple and fun, with plenty of handy filters to make card-sorting a snap.
If the game has any real flaw, it's in the speed of the board game itself. Creature battles are always kicked off by the announcer naming the monsters in turn. This adds some punch to the presentation, but gets a bit annoying after you've played the game for a while. Sadly, there's no way to turn the fight introductions off. And as with any board game, you'll spend a fair amount of time watching other people roll dice and move around. It's good to keep tabs on what your foes are up to, obviously, but watching other people play isn't terribly thrilling. Still, these are minor quibbles.
The graphics in 'Culdcept' aren't going to thrill anyone in technical terms, but they're packed with personality. The aforementioned artwork is top-notch, and each creature has a cute little sprite representative on the game board. Watching the happy little Cornfolk dance is well worth their summoning cost, trust me. 'Culdcept' is rather like 'Disgaea,' in that the art conveys a great sense of fantasy and fun, which really enhances the experience.
'Culdcept' has a nice soundtrack, too. The tunes are generally low-key renaissance faire-type stuff; pleasant if not terribly memorable. The sound effects are terrific, with all sorts of slashing and banging during the creature battles. The death shrieks of slain beasties are especially effective.
I have no idea why 'Culdcept' failed to make any impact when it landed here in America. It's a pity to watch wonderful niche games get steamrolled by John Madden and James Bond, but that's life. I guess the game wasn't promoted effectively, which is a shame, since Magic: The Gathering and CCG fans would definitely love this game. Role-playing fans (and people who like great games in general) would also dig what 'Culdcept' has to offer. If you're looking for an addictive single-player experience or a great multiplayer game, 'Culdcept' should fit the bill nicely.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/06/04