Yu-Gi-Oh!: the Dawn of Destiny

No matter which side of the geek wars you're on—be it card-collecting nerd or dedicated antidweeb fighter—Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Dawn of Destiny is simply no fun. It's a video paper cut, and the nastiest one of your life.

Unlike Yu-Gi-Oh's previous incarnations on PlayStation 2 and GameCube, Destiny is strictly a no-frills package. There's no story mode, no wacky new rules, and nothing that Yu-Gi-Oh!: Forbidden Memories didn't do way back on PlayStation. Forty dollars buys nothing but a video version of the standard real-life Yu-Gi-Oh! trading-card game. The only real variation here is a triple-duel mode that involves challenging three CPU opponents in a row to battle—shock and awe. And forget about Xbox Live support, even though it's a no-brainer for a game like this—the only way to duel a friend is via a local network, as if the typical Yu-Gi-Oh! duelist has two Xboxes and a home LAN in his bedroom.

Even with the dueling itself, problems make themselves prevalent in the interface. There's no way to save or end a game in progress, and the overly complicated control scheme makes navigating the board more of a pain than really necessary. The 3D-rendered creatures look nice, yes, but for real duelists, Destiny is a poor use of money that could've gone toward the purchase of more Yu-Gi-Oh! cards.

Copyright © 2004 Ziff Davis Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. Originally appearing in Xbox Nation.