Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Eternal Duelist Soul

The Good
It's just like the same old Yu-Gi-Oh card game except it's on a Gameboy Advance. If you can't duel all your friends for some reason just go play this game. This game is actually what got me into the Yu-Gi-Oh thing. I learned to play with this game and it's really cool too.

The Bad
It was too easy to get good cards. I had over 5 dark magicians and summoned skulls and more like that, and it was really insanely easy to beat Yugi and his friends. The other duelists are a bit tougher but not really.

The Bottom Line
Great game. You should buy it when you can.

The Good
I found this game on sale in an airport departure lounge and being on the look out for something to replace my recently completed copy of "Advance Wars". I knew very little of card-trading games, except that most people thought Pokemon was a card game and not a ground-breaking RPG. Still, I put aside prejudice and played. Initially I was either thrashed silly or I would win without really knowing how. As the days passed and I accumulated more cards, I slowly became aware of why and how I was losing. I realized that powerful cards were not the "Holy Grail" that they appeared to be, I suddenly discovered the world of tactics. For something I considered so shallow, it's complexity came back and bit me on the backside. I had unwrapped a devious world of pre-planning, deck building, counter attacks and cunning defense. The more I played the deeper my understanding became and the more intricate my opponents battleplans became. I really had to wrack my brain to beat later opponents and defeat their set strategies. The constant deck-boosting opened an almost mind-boggling chasm of enormous depth. I still haven't grasped everything about the game but still return to this amazing experience time and again. I now truly understand what is meant by the phrase "a tactical sweet-spot"...Thanks Yu-Gi

The Bad
The initial confusion was VERY off-putting for me, you must struggle on to reap the (not insubstantial) rewards on offer. Of course this may have been due to my lack of such card gaming experience or maybe my advanced age! Also don't try to play this game on your gameboy player....ack! those moving op-art backdrops will send you blind or insane. Stick to playing it on the old handheld..

The Bottom Line
A very deep and rewarding experience for those players who don't mind working hard for a few moments of intense satisfaction.