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Moutful of a name, but an amazing game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 36 / 39
Date: March 31, 2006
Author: Amazon User

The Yugioh! card game doesn't translate well into a fully-fleshed out RPG, and each time Konami tries, veterans and fans of the true game suffer a little with each attempt. Games like Nightmare Troubadour are noble attempts, but focus on capturing the spirit of the anime rather than that of the game, and sometimes rules are sent to the side in the name of the story.

But Konami hasn't forgotten about those people who can recite to you the entire Ban List, or those who couldn't care less about the anime and want to play the TRUE card game. Ultimate Masters is simply that, a pure translation of the card game into electronic format.

From the get-go, you pick a name, an image to represent yourself in the game, and a starter pack containing about fifty cards. There's no pretense of a story here. Select Free Duel, pick an opponent, knock his lifepoints down to zero, and earn some Duel Points. Take those Duel Points, buy a booster pack, edit your deck, lather, rinse, repeat. No God cards. No Ancient Egyptian spirits.

For those of you who have played card games in the past, and seem intrigued by this, I give you a word of warning. This game is NOT beginner friendly. The name is Ultimate Masters, and it's for exactly them: people who have mastered at least the fundamentals of the game. There is no tutorial, no training mode, and one giant learning curve. Don't be discouraged, however. Konami churns out four or five Yugioh games a year, so there's one out there that's perfect for a beginner.

If you're still reading this, I'm sure you're at least familiar with the basics then. The game adheres to the current banlist (cards that are forbidden in play), and even features a password system to update the list to stay current with tournament rules.

Editing your deck is a breeze, with a multitude of filters to help you find the exact card you're looking for. One very useful one is the ability to search based on card function. If you're are looking for a card that has the ability to destroy Traps or Spells, select that function from the list, and the game will display all that apply.

Unlike the anime, where a single duel can stretch out over episodes, duels in this game are quick, challenging affairs. Very little effect is added to the game. No 3D images of monsters, no special summoning cutscenes. The most extravagant is a small "poof" as a card is destroyed. There's not much to the game audio-wise, either. The music is VERY forgettable, and sometimes downright annoying. This game's one to play with your MP3 player by your side. The most detail that occurs during the duels is the fact that for those familiar with the cards, it's pretty easy to tell which card is which without going to the Card Detail screen.

Were this minimal presentation in any other game, it would lose major points, but here it works. This game is for the people who want quick, brutal duels and none of that overdramatic flair the anime's famous for. So it works wonderfully.

Despite the fact that the game has Yuki Judai, from the new GX anime on the cover, you're not going to find hide nor spikey hair of Yugi, Kaiba, Yuki, or any of the other characters in this anime. Your opponents are the monsters themselves: a Skull Servant monster duels with an appropriate Undead themed deck. While this allows for a multitude of new strategies, and keeps duels from becoming predictable, I also miss the ability to school the "King of Games" in how a real duelist plays.

Anime based games generally follow the conventions of the show, and require you to focus on building one deck, and finetuning that one over the course of the game. This game EXPECTS you to build multiple decks built around multiple strategies. Any professional player can attest to the fact that in a serious setting, it's impossible to win by just "beating down" your oponnent. 2000+ cards leave the strategic options wide open, and the ability to save sixty different deck "recipes" lets you dabble with every strategy available without destroying a perfectly good deck to build a new one.

The Artificial Intelligence in games like this is the key to it's success. Many otherwise decent Yugioh games have been broken because of a faulty AI. While it's no Kasparov-beating Deep Blue by any stretch of the imagination, it does provide a very robust challenge now and again. Very often, I've won a duel literally by a handful of points because the AI seemed almost ready for my every move.

Should you tire of dueling, the game also provides Challenge Duels, which are a unique spin on the normal game, as well as a way to learn some of the advanced tactics and strategies that make the game popular with professional players. Goals like activating ten traps during a duel, or delivering 10000 points of damage during a battle will test your dueling-abilities, where a Boss Rush mode of Survival will pit you against random opponents, with your lifepoints carrying over from duel to duel.

For the serious player, Yu-Gi-Oh! Ultimate Masters: World Championship 2006 will be the very game that you have been looking for: A challenging AI, more ways to win than a player would ever need, and none of the overdramatic trappings of the anime. Beginners beware, but experts: This one's for you.

More Cards, Tougher AI Opponents...

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 13 / 16
Date: March 29, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This game boasts more cards than any Yu-Gi-Oh GBA game before it. That's a plus. Cards are gotten from packs mirroing the actual game card packs. Another plus. The AI opponents are much tougher than previously (ie. you need more than a beat-down deck to handle everyone). Another plus. You can store "recipes" for 60 decks. A huge plus. The only thing that takes the game down one star for me is the graphics on the gameboard/layout. The one used on Duel Academy and other games was much easier on the eyes. Still, a great game. Get it if you love playing Yu-Gi-Oh!

The best Yugioh video game.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: December 27, 2006
Author: Amazon User

1) It has the largest card pool

2) The opponent's are smart and there are plenty of them

3) You can duel in plenty of modes

4) The game will last a long time

5) You can multiplay on it

6) You can duel your own decks

7) Great deck editing system

BUT... This is only for people who know how to play. This game gives no tutorial. Other than that, this is a great game and better than those other mediocre Yugioh games

Yu-Gi-Oh! Ultimate Masters Review

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 5
Date: May 16, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Ever since I started watching the show, I wanted to play the games. However, the RPG-style games left me to be a little dissapointed. There wasn't any challenge! So I kept asking others, "Where do I get a challenging yu-gi-oh game?" a neighbor of mine suggested that i try this game. For you who want to try this game, I tell you, this is not a game you can just breeze through! This game does NOT offer any tutorials, modes or anything to make you life easier. Konami hasn't put any cheats here so don't get any ideas! This game is very challenging from the start. Even the Tier(Level) 1 monsters can kick your [...] if you're just starting. My advce, pick the Zombie Madness Deck, earn thousands of DP, buy the warroirs booster deck and find good Magic and Trap Cards. This games can totally kick your [...] if you're not careful. Aside from the Free Duels, you can have a linked duel with a friend or complete the challenges. There are different challenges such as the Duel Puzzle, Limited Duel and so on. So for those experienced duelists, show these opponents what you've got and kcik [...]!

the greatest yugioh game ever

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 15
Date: March 29, 2006
Author: Amazon User

it features 2000 cards more then any yugioh game to date i have to duel monsters and thats a plus for me!!!!!!!! i hate dueling the characters from the show. anyway one thing you should know about this game there is a glitch in the game that doesnt let you comeplete one of the theme duels so beware!!!!!!!!!!

my mind is set!!!!!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 13
Date: April 24, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I have read the reviews, and my mind is set on buying this game!
the cards are "Helios-The Premorial sun", "Helios Duo Megistus", and " golden humunculus". These cards are solid peices of crud!!!!!! By themselves, but in the newest booster packs coming out there are a bunch of cards that belonged to Amnael in yugioh GX and they will really help with these promo cards! I don't know if they come with cards if you buy them off amazon.com but the game sounds really, really awesome! I got a job from my neighbors and I'm gonna have big $$$ to buy this game with! so I hope this review is helpful to you!

Best one so far, but with one minor bug

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: June 07, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This is, by far, the best Yu-Gi-Oh! game I have played to date that sticks with the actual rules and actual cards (aside from Yu-Gi-Oh! Virtual Desktop). The only problem that I have with this game is that none of the opponent's decks conform to the banned/limited/semi-limited list. This gives almost every opponent in the game a serious advantage over the player that is really just not fair. Maybe the makers of the game could offer some kind of patch with the next banned list code that could address the issue and make this game more like the actual card game to the point of perhaps being the first true Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG trainer for experienced players. Also, it would be really nice to see this game moved to other platforms and portables (perhaps the PSP, Nintendo DS, PS3, and Nintendo Wii, just to name a few).

so, so game...

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: July 11, 2008
Author: Amazon User

not as good as the 2007 championship game! But it rounds my yugioh collection of games.

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