Not too friendly for newcomers. More to love for old fans!
What people need to realize is that this is NOT a pretty game. They've pretty much copied/pasted the old PS2 graphics and added some anime-ish character designs. The first thing I think when I see anime style characters is that the developers were lazy, and in some cases, that's true with Culdcept Saga.
The most important thing to remember is that Culdcept isn't about graphics. It is 100% about the gameplay, which is just as good as ever. (Really, really GREAT). Who says a next-gen title needs next gen graphics anyway? Games with 2D sprites can be great, no matter what generation of consoles we're talking about.
There's not a lot of new card art in Saga, but what's there is really great looking. There's quite a few new cards. I'm still unlocking them, so I couldn't say how many were added.
The online play takes awhile, and yes, the rumor about seeing your opponent's cards is true. Old players will remember that in the original Culdcept's story mode, you could see the the computer opponent's hand. I honestly feel this just adds another layer of strategy to the game, and isn't a hindrance at all.
Overall, sometimes it feels like the developers of Culdcept Saga were lazy, and the whole game probably could've been a downloadable expansion back to Culdcept (if Culdcept were made for Xbox360). If you played the original title until you were sick of it, then you probably won't find a lot of content here worth getting back into. However, if the idea of hours and hours of board game stratagem and collecting cards sounds good, there's no better title than Culdcept Saga. It's truly a unique experience, and well worth the steep learning curve.
UPDATE>
I've earned quite a few new cards, and it seems there's more new art than I previously thought. Also, the feature of earning parts to customize your Cepter is pretty neat.
The biggest problem I have with the game right now are the poorly translated menus.