*****This Is The Best Nightmare I've Ever Had!!!*****
How to solve this problem? Two letters: D S. The dual-screen format of Nintendo's second handheld coupled with the touch-screen interface make it an ideal system for any video game adaptation of a trading card game. Obviously, Konami knew this from the get-go, as Nightmare Troubadour, the franchise's DS debut, was first announced not long after the system's debut. Now it's here, and duelists everywhere can harness the heart of the cards like never before.
Nightmare Troubadour is perhaps the most complete Yu-Gi-Oh game ever, combining the fundamentals of the WCT line with a story loosely based on the Duelist Kingdom and Battle City sagas. You play as a duelist working your way to the top. Along the way, you earn KC Points to buy cards, make friends (and foes) with familiar characters from the anime, and battle the forces of the Shadow Games. The game contains the full expert rules, more than 25 different opponents, more than 1000 cards, a tutorial for rookies, puzzles to test your skill, and a time mechanic that triggers different events depending on the time of day the game is in. However, the key to this game is its use of the features of the DS. You summon your monsters and activate your spells on the bottom screen using the stylus, while the creatures emerge in 3D on the top screen to do the duel. The extent of the 3D, however, is kept to a minimum; you don't even see the monsters attack.
Possibly the only other flaw in this game is finding the duelists on the map. You use the Duelist Radar to search the map, and the duelists don't appear until your right on top of their location. The level of interactivity with the duelists is staggering, however. As you duel with certain characters, you can actually form a friendship of sorts; when it reaches a certain level, you can register them to duel anytime, as well as trade with them and even obtain their deck formulas! Of course, there's nothing like doing the duel with a human opponent, and NT allows you to duel with another player wirelessly. You don't need cables when dueling with cards, so why use it with a game system?
But one thing that sets this game apart? Three words: Egyptian God Cards. NT marks the first time in an expert rules game that you can actually use the three most powerful monsters ever created. Of course, if you're good enough, you might not even need them.
All these things come together to form the complete package. DS owners who love Yu-Gi-Oh will absolutely fall for this game. Expect the DS to host future WCT titles if NT proves successful.