Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Ultimate Beginner’s Pack Review





Developer: Konami Publisher: Konami
Release Date: July 19, 2006 Also On: None

Ever since the advent of trading card games such as Magic the Gathering and Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh! has been among the most popular of them. Now Konami has come out with Yu-Gi-Oh! GX: Duel Academy, a game that seems aimed at teaching people to play the Yu-Gi-Oh! trading card game. But the question remains as to whether the game is worth playing, and that is the question that I intend to answer within this review.

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Graphically, the characters and locales are laid out in a way that is very reminiscent of the cartoon, at least based on what few snippets of the cartoon I have seen. The graphics do everything that they need to do. However, the game lacks any significantly thrilling battle effects, and is animated very basically. It is sufficient to say that the graphics do not detract from the experience at all.

The same can be said for the sound. The sound effects are basic, and the music is not particularly catchy either. Add to that the fact that the music tends to repeat quite a bit, and you’re left with sound that, like the graphics, does what it needs to do, and little more.

So far as gameplay is concerned, if you are familiar with the trading card game, you should be just fine, but if you aren’t, this game will take a while to become accustomed to. Although there is a tutorial at the beginning of the game, it is a bit lengthy and seems to pack everything in from the beginning, where a more pro-rated approach may have been better. On the bright side though, the game allows you to access the tutorial at any time, so you are able to learn one or two things at a time if you are willing to be caught off guard by the things you haven’t gotten to yet.

I will be quite honest that I can’t understand how young children can understand a game this complicated, as I myself had trouble with it at the beginning. However, this means that there is more depth to the game than I had originally anticipated. The game uses a lot of menus and thus can get dull. Especially things such as deck editing can get old and take a while, but I can’t imagine that it is a significantly faster process in real life, so those who are used to the trading card game might not find it as repetitive and boring as I did.

Basically, what I’m saying is that everything you can do with the trading card game you can do here. You can buy new cards with money that you win from beating opponents in duels, and that is where you get cards with which to upgrade your deck, or decks (you can have 8 different decks available to use in different situations). All of the rules are the same as they are in actual duels, according to the manual, although there must be multiple sets of rules since the manual specifically states that the game operates on expert rules.

For those of you who prefer not to go up against computer AI, you can link this game to another GBA system with the game and go up against a human opponent. Granted, you could just get out your cards and go up against them manually also, but doing so through a game such as this can be more convenient, especially in public areas. All of this adds up to a game with great length, but more because stuff takes a while to do than because there is a lot of stuff to do.

So, if you are in the market for a video game version of the trading card game, this game should be exactly what you’re looking for. Whether you’re just looking to enhance your skill or looking to learn the game for the first time, this game is a good way to do so. If you are a fan of the Yu-Gi-Oh! trading card game at all, there is no logical reason for you to not at least consider trying this game.

Graphics: 6
Sound: 6
Gameplay: 7
Creativity: 6
Replay Value/Game Length: 9
Final: 6.9
Written by Martin Review Guide

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