In the animated world of Yu-Gi-Oh!, people fight ritual duels by wielding powerful magical forces and summoning spectacular creatures to do battle on their behalf. The trading card game, based on the show, lets you be one of these duelists and offers hundreds of different spells and monsters to choose from. Now, Konami has brought the trading card game to the Xbox® withYu-Gi-Oh!™ The Dawn of Destiny™.
Hail to the “King.”
If you’re interested in the characters, who they are, and why they’re doing what they’re doing, you should check out the TV show. Like the card game it’s based on, Yu-Gi-Oh! The Dawn of Destiny skips all that plot stuff and jumps right into the monster duels. Here’s a quick run-down for those who haven’t seen the show:
A teenaged boy named Yugi and his friends discover that their favorite monster-dueling card game is actually based on dark and ancient history—and what’s more, powerful and reckless monster duelers nearly destroyed the world way back when. Now, as a modern crop of greedy and ambitious villains seek to unleash the power of those ancient monsters, Yugi must accept his destiny and beat them at their own game. Only one can be the “King of Games,” and if Yugi fails, the entire world will once more be in danger.
The game is played by assembling a deck from more than 1,000 possible cards—mixing and matching a set of monsters, traps, and spells that guarantee certain doom for your opponent. You can play against the A.I. in a one-on-one duel, you can fight a team of three A.I. foes one after the other. With a system link cable, you can also go head to head with a human foe. No matter whom you play or what cards you put in your deck, the rules of the duel stay the same.
Shuffle up and fight!
A Yu-Gi-Oh! trading-card duel consists of two players taking turns placing monsters, spells, and trap cards on the playing field and then duking it out. There are specific stages in each turn that allow you to do certain things. The Main Phase, for example, is the only time when you can place cards on the table or change an already-summoned monster from offense to defense. In Battle Phase, the heart of the duel, you choose which of your monsters and spells to use against your opponent. There are six phases in all, so you’ll have plenty of time to survey the board and gauge your opponent’s strategy both before and after a battle.
The fantastic monsters are a huge part of this game’s appeal, and there’s no shortage of bizarre beasties in the Xbox version. You will find dragons, zombies, fiends, fairies, dinosaurs, spellcasters, machines, and even monsters made from rocks and plants. Some have special abilities, some have to be summoned in special ways (for example, a few larger beasts require you to sacrifice two or more of the monsters you already have in play), but all can attack your opponent and chip away at his health points. They come in all shapes and sizes, too—from the cuddly Beaver Warrior to the terrifying Giant Soldier of Stone. You can use your monsters to attack or defend, and both spell and trap cards can help your side or hinder the enemy, which keeps the Battle Phase interesting. With the right cards, your tiniest warrior can defeat the mightiest dragon.
Monster battle.
Winning duels against the A.I. will unlock tougher opponents, but more importantly, it will also give you access to more powerful cards. You can experiment with these in the game’s extensive deck-building mode, so that you can hone your arsenal to perfection before you take on your opponents.
Yu-Gi-Oh! The Dawn of Destiny provides Xbox gamers all of the action and colorful characters from the trading care game and the cartoon show, combining exciting turn-based action with detailed strategy.
