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Preview  Yu-Gi-Oh! Dark Duel Stories
- By Michael Loewer
On July 16th, 2001, Konami of America officially announced the American release of Japanese comic book and cartoon sensation Yu-Gi-Oh! Dark Duel Stories. The news release confirmed that the title should hit US store shelves sometime this November, and should retail for around $29.99.
I personally had not even heard of Yu-Gi-Oh! until receiving this press release, so I have to assume many of our readers haven't either. This is honestly surprising, considering the given stats:
Since 1998, the Yu-Gi-Oh! concept has sold more than 7 million games and over 3.5 billion collectible cards. Apparently I need to pay more attention, since these numbers suggest a popularity rivaling even that of Pokemon.
Did anyone else just feel a shiver?
Dick Wnuk, Executive Vice President at Konami of America, nails the point home:
“Yu-Gi-Oh! is so big in Japan that Americans are already getting excited about the launch of Yu-Gi-Oh! Dark Duel Stories for Game Boy Color in the US.”
Yep, it feels like Pokemon all over again.
The storyline and general plot of Yu-Gi-Oh! Dark Duel Stories continues the striking Pokemon similarities. Players can either fight against the game's artificial intelligence or battle against another player's "Duel Monsters" using the Game Boy link cable. One must select from a digital deck of hundreds of "battle cards" resulting in thousands of possible combinations. To annhiliate your opponent, just attack, defend, combine monsters, and set traps to knock those hit points down to zero.
It sounds simple, but you can only choose a maximum of 40 cards for your personal deck. Plus, there are 8 different types of cards: Earth, Wind, Water, Fire, Dark, Light, Magic, and Trap.
Seriously, is this Pokemon's cousin or what?
The original concept behind Yu-Gi-Oh! is based on the Japanese comic of the same name by artist Kazuki Takahashi, appearing in "Shonen Jump," Japan's largest weekly comic book.
Since debuting in "Shonen Jump" in 1996, the comic led to a hit cartoon show, a hugely popular collectible card game (hence the focus of Dark Duel Stories) several other GBC and Playstation games, and assorted merchandise. The Yu-Gi-Oh! storyline follows the adventures of a young boy named Yuugi, who possesses the "Millenium Puzzle" that allows him to transform into the "Game King" whenever his is challenged.
It gets better: 4Kids Entertainment, the minds behind the Kids WB! (which is honestly pretty cool), has obtained merchandising and television rights to Yu-Gi-Oh!. The cartoon will be shown on Kids WB! starting this fall, shortly before the American release of Yu-Gi-Oh! Dark Duel Stories.
Cough--Pokemon--Cough. Subtle enough?
A Game Boy Advance Yu-Gi-Oh! title has already been released in Japan, called Dungeondice Monsters (really, a spin-off), with a follow-up game being released just this week. Neither of these titles are slated for a US release as of yet--but if Dark Duel Stories is coming, perhaps these will as well.
Senior Editor Michael Loewer, signing off.
Shameless Plug: The Necessity
- 7.18.2001 |
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Box Art (Japanese)
Title Screen (Japanese)
They always SEEM cute
Purple Dude
Watch out for my hair
Choose your player
Winged Serpent
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INFO |
Developer: Konami
Publisher: Konami of America
Number of Players: 1-2
Release Date:
November 2001
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