Corrects, quite literally, everything that was wrong in the past game while still succeeding as a deck simulator.
But wait a second, decent packs were way too hard to get in the last game! Have no fear, because this time around, only a slim few require constant grinding, and you only need to do 3 duels. You can also actually check your records in story mode, so no need to keep track. Thanks to these recent changes, this game, unlike the last, is extremely efficient as a duel simulator.
Speaking of Story Mode, wow. While the last game had a short, incomplete story mode, this time it's really freaking long, and just when you think it's over, you can do Story Mode Plus, which is a harder version of it that's longer, with new areas and such. It's filled with puzzles (and more rewards!), fun challenges, everybody's favorite part of the storyline and way more places to check out. It's awesome.
The racing is probably the most-improved aspect of the game. With the exception of the last track (way too tight roads and turns), all the new tracks are amazing. You can find cards and points (you can get almost 400 points per race in the shops' simulators!), go off jumps, and the camera will sometimes change and there are actually height changes and subsections you can fall through. There are also way more runner parts and side-quests to get them!
The World Championship mode is still just the World Championship mode, and on Wi-Fi you collect a coin for every duel, that you can use to download additional cards aside from the free one you can download every day. You can also go around both modes and find Star Chips you exchange for things like alt. art cards or new clothes. So much has been improved from the past game!
However, even though I haven't been able to put this game down at all, there are a few gripes. First off, sound effects for things like attacks or selecting/destroying have been changed, and the new sound effects don't fit. Instead of shattering glass when you destroy a monster, you hear a sort of magical swirl. It doesn't quite work. Also, predictable, the dueling has gotten uglier (just look at screenshots) as it has every game to make memory room for more cards. Thankfully, though, you really won't notice the yuckier camera angle because of all the fun themes that are actually completed.
You can tell Konami was hard at work making this new entry for the World Championship series, and you'll be having a lot more fun with it. Any gripes you have won't stand a chance against how much funner this game is compared to the past ones. There's so much more to do and see and I can guarantee you won't be let down.