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The fan-favorite finally receives its own game. The whole card-battling thing seems to be “in” now as much as ever. The Pokemon card-game frequently sells well, and Yu-Gi-Oh is as popular as ever. Both of these series also have their own cartoons, videogames and related merchandise, so it was only a matter of time until Duel Masters followed along. Atari’s Duel Masters does a pretty good job of interactively portraying the card game, but it doesn’t do much to woo newcomers to the series.
Duel Masters has a light story which basically places Knight in an attempt to stop the evil plan of Widow, who wants to unleash the monsters from their own dimension and into the world. Knight gathers a group of friends and will make sure that this doesn’t happen. The story isn’t particularly motivating, but it wasn’t really expected to be.
Duel Masters, the videogame, very accurately portrays the card-battling game of the same name. You’ll need to build a deck of 40 cards and fill these with monsters or spells. The game, like the card game, requires that you have a certain amount of mana to use certain monsters. To get this mana, you’ll need to sacrifice one of your monsters. The different characters need a different type of mana, so you’ll need a healthy amount of characters that you’re willing to sacrifice. At first, this takes a bit of getting used to, particularly if you were never into the whole card-battling phrase but it isn’t that difficult and after a few minutes, you should have a grasp on the whole concept.
Aside from the typical mode for newcomers to the series, extreme enthusiasts will be able to partake in a quicker, far more challenging mode. If you have already memorized the rules and are apt at the skill of duel mastering, the extreme mode is appealing but otherwise it is best to stick with the typical turn-based mode.
The game’s visuals are satisfactory, but don’t go above and beyond. The game’s non-battle visuals are reminiscent of the ever-popular cel-shading technique, with typical anime-style characters to be found. In battle, the game has a number of different arenas and although not technically impressive, it is easy to differentiate between them rather well. The monsters in battle are modeled rather well, although you really can’t tell in battle. A video clip of them shows up when you call one of them, giving you an ample opportunity to take a detailed look.
The game’s audio is similarly ordinary. The background music is made up of simple, common rock, and certainly nothing that stands out or is particularly unforgettable. Similarly, the sound effects are all pretty standard, as is the voice acting.
If you are already a Duel Masters fan, the game is going to be perfect. Its portrayal of the card game is fun in its own away and pretty accurate, as well. If the whole monster fighting thing eluded you, chances are that Duel Masters isn’t going to change your mind. -- Jake Wilson, PGNx Media
---- Nov 15, 2004
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