Many of us know of the existence of a Digimon Trading Card Game from Digimon Tamers. Not as many knew that this game was ever made, and I bet many people would believe this game was released after Tamers. There could be another type of people, maybe me, who did know of the existence of this game but rejected it because card battles aren't what Digimon revolves around.
I must say I'm impressed with this game. Simple, easy to learn and play, a huge card database for the time it was released, the many combinations available... It has a few disadvantages as well, but no game is free of them, and as long as the good things overpower the bad things, there's nothing to worry about. Let's get into business.
Graphics: Being a card game, it doesn't focus much on the graphics, except for one thing: the in-battle animations. They are really good and realistic, and the characters are also very well designed. Outside of battle, graphics play a minor role. Maybe something can be said about the maps, but I don't see anything bad in them. The backgrounds are also great, except when they are white-coloured, because it completely hides the texts that appear when both Digimon exchange attacks. Some animations have also flaws, but outside that, the general view is outstanding. The battling Digimon animations are the only reason why graphics deserve a 10.
Sound: The music isn't amazing, but shutting it off would be disrespectful. It's true that there are very little sounds aside from the background music, only in the battles between Digimon, both when performing their attacks (or receiving an opponent's strike) and the cries they emit in different situations. I must say that the cries aren't that great, there are very few of them and shared with a lot of Digimon. The in-battle sounds are exaggerated, mainly when the attacks revolve around launching projectiles that create explosions, and it has to be noted too that the higher the level of the Digimon means more brutal sounds, like to showcase their increased power. Sound earns a 9.
Addictiveness: Card games have always the so-called "Luck Factor". Indeed, when you have a good opening hand and the opponent doesn't, you can win easily 3-0, or the situation can revert itself leaving you unable to even land a blow on your opponent's Digimon. These "Luck Factor" can completely kill you before even starting the match, and the frustration of getting bad luck drives you to challenge your opponents over and over. Also, when you are on a winning streak, you also want to stretch it as much as you can. It's really hard to determine when to stop in any of the above situations, and this means the game has a great level of addictiveness. In my opinion, level 10.
Story: A normal boy comes to Digi-Land to discover the Digi-card battles. His increasing mastery over the game opens him a lot of new gates, leading to the toughest places on the way of becoming Battle Master. However, something evil is behind this. Digimon Emperor? No, he's just a pawn. The mastermind is someone called "A", who can completely destroy Digi-Land with his knowledge in computers. Our hero manages to defeat him and seal him away, where he won't cause more problems ever. Will someone believe me if I say that this is not even 50% of the game? Yes, after beating "A", there's still more than half of the game to complete. The next step is to battle all the Digi-Destined and their Digimon (evolving into anything playable) and then beat the Dark Masters (like in the first anime). The game doesn't end here neither, and goes on to the final part where... nothing happens. Just some more battles to get the 100% completion of the game, and also to get the rarest of the cards in the game. Good story, but really, the most difficult opponent defeated before reaching 50%? That doesn't make sense, so story gets an 8.
Depth: There are a good bunch of cities to visit and battle. Completing the game isn't easy neither, but even harder is to get the whole card collection. It takes a lot of tries to defeat some of the bosses, or sometimes you can have a hard time before them too (if you're not prepared, that is). It can take a couple of weeks or so to finish the first part and take "A" down. The second part shouldn't take that much, since the opponents aren't that tough and your decks have improved greatly as you advanced in the game. Getting the whole card collection can take a lot of time, but it doesn't count towards the completion of the game, so many players will opt to not collecting all the cards since there's no need for it. Depth earns a 9.
Difficulty: Overall, the game isn't difficult, since it doesn't have a lot of effects to care about and all the information, except for the Last Gamble, is at your disposal everytime, so you can always check your opponent's hand and know how they can counter your strategy. Even then, tough opponent's are always tough opponents, and then there's "A". This guy will cheat like a bastard, so much so that winning against him the very first time is as difficult as catching a full health Legendary Pokemon with a simple Pokeball. First, he sends your Partner cards, if any, to the bottom of the deck. Then, since he doesn't shuffle the deck, he always draws the exact same hand, so after a few times you can read his strategy and develop an effective counter, if it exists. He also uses overpowered cards, so a bad hand in this battle isn't an option. One more thing: he appears right after defeating the Battle Master at Infinity Tower, so you have no chance of saving the game and he won't allow you to leave Infinity Tower either. Remember, this guy appears before half of the story is completed. It doesn't make any sense, but it's like this. If you manage to beat him, celebrate it, because you have beaten the hardest opponent in the game. You will be driven into a corner a few more times though, but this time the opponent won't cheat, so bad luck for him becomes your greatest ally. No wonder why the third 10 this game earns goes to difficulty.
Overall: A nice change from the classic Digimon games like Digimon World or Digimon Rumble Arena. I must say that, as a card game lover, I recommend playing this game. And also, an update wouldn't have been bad, at least to make a difference between Ultimate and Mega Digimon. Mega Digimon in this game are considered Ultimate, which means that there exists a huge difference between strong and weak, ranging from 1000 attack power to 600, and ranging from +2500 HP to -1500. I doubt that we will get a card game as simple as this one nowadays, but even then, seeing another Digital Card Battle with all the additions from the anime series wouldn't be bad. |
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| ID: 1002244 | 1196 Words
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