For years the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise has attempted to capture the appeal of the animated series as well as the intensity of the card game. There have certainly been a number of weak offerings that just weren’t able to balance between what fans really like (a game that makes good use of the license) and what is needed (a game that uses all the card game essentials) but there have also been improvements to the series. Sadly, Yu-Gi-Oh! GX: The Beginning of Destiny does not revolutionize the series or really improve upon the franchise but it does deliver an accurate version of the card battles.

Unlike past games in the franchise, The Beginning of Destiny falls directly under Shonen Jump’s latest Yu-Gi-Oh! GX series so you can expect to find all the usual characters associated with the new anime and manga series. The game’s main story mode puts you in the role of a transfer student with great grades but you’re also a prime candidate to make a name for yourself in the Duel Academy campus. As the new kid on campus you’ll be meeting the GZ series characters like Jaden Yuki, Koyo Hibiki as well as a number of other students and faculty members.

Sadly, campus life is not as interesting as it may sound even with the familiar Duel Academy students scattered throughout the school. The game rarely allows you to freely explore the school seeing as you are only given a limited number of areas to visit on campus since all you’ll really do is go to class, duel with classmates and head back to your dorm room. Your routine is true to the campus living and you’ll be given enough time to chat or challenge students before class begins but the repetitive nature will start to wear thin quickly.

It would have been interesting if the campus was wide open for exploration as well as add other activities aside from dueling but unfortunately we’re only left with a thin plotline. You can try to befriend a classmate to use as a partner in the game’s Tag Duels but making friends isn’t easy since characters react unrealistically. You really can’t please all the people all the time and even if you do manage to make a good impression on Monday, by Tuesday you’ll find yourself trying to impress them all over again.

What you will get to do and do right is duel. At any point when you’re not attending classes, you will get the chance to challenge any student you come across on campus. Different characters have different play skills and cards so you will have to be careful who to challenge. Once the challenge is made you will find yourself dueling using the familiar rules of the actual card games. You’ll even use rock-paper-scissors to decide who gets to draw a card first. The actual card duels play out the way a real card duel plays out and you will always find plenty of challenges thanks to the solid AI.

The good news is that you don’t have to be a seasoned Yu-Gi-Oh! card player to enjoy the game’s card duels. Part of the charm of attending class is that you will learn all the basics as well as tips on how to use your strongest cards so anyone who is confused by what to do during what phase will receive an education in all the card-playing aspects involved in duels and the game even allows you a closer look at the cards and the monsters you can summon on the playing field. Tag Duels are also handled well enough so depending on your partner you will have somebody to play to your strengths. You can even skip Story Mode and just duel against a friend in Free Duel mode.

On the graphics front, The Beginning of Destiny is quite hideous. In fact, the visuals are just as dated as the dated RPG feel of the campus interaction. The character models during exploration are deformed to the point that you won’t be able to tell who is who or it you’re speaking to a male or female character until you actually speak to them. There are also some cinematic cut scenes that would look bad even as a PSOne game so don’t expect much in the graphics department.

Unfortunately, the game’s sound doesn’t fair any better than the poor visuals. The game’s music is repetitive to the point that is seems like it’s on a continuous loop that rarely ever changes no matter what situation your character finds himself in nor does it feel like it belongs in a Yu-Gi-Oh! game. This is really too bad since there is no voice acting to be found and the sound effects are minimal.

Yu-Gi-Oh! GX: The Beginning of Destiny is a disappointing game that could have been bigger and better than this flawed PlayStation 2 offering. All the basic elements are present including a main mode filled with recognizable characters and familiar card duel basics but these things aren’t implemented as well as they should have been in this game that feels dated and monotonous. This is a game even die hard Yu-Gi-Oh! GX fans should definitely forget about completely.

Gameplay: 5.0
When it comes to campus life, The Beginning of Destiny doesn’t make an effort in making you feel like you’re a student in this interesting Academy. Befriending a partner is also a chore since characters act unpredictably each day. At least the card duels are true to the real deal.

Graphics: 4.0
The graphics are just a bland as the gameplay and even fans of the anime will be disappointed by the quality of the game’s visuals. This one truly belongs on the PSOne instead of the PS2 and you’ll agree the minute you see the visual effects and poor animation.

Sound: 4.0
The funky jazz might not sit well with others and the fact that it gets repetitive very quickly will no doubt make gamers go for the mute button. Since there’s no spoken dialogue, you won’t be missing a thing.

Difficulty: Medium
The opponent AI is actually bright enough to draw some interesting cards during duels and they know how make due with their current deck. Some characters are easier to beat than others and there are challenges aplenty from main characters.

Concept: 5.5
The card battles are actually wonderful versions of the actual card games and that will impress fans but the poorly conceived story and bland interaction with favorite characters will turn off fans. Even Jaden doesn’t seem as interesting as he does on the show. The game does come with three Special Edition cards inside for actual card players.

Multiplayer: 5.5
True fans of the Yu-Gi-Oh! card game will definitely enjoy sharing this game with a friend but why Konami left out online multiplayer is a question that will be on many gamers’ minds. Sadly, even the multiplayer game runs into the same slowdown as the single-player game.

Overall: 5.0
The Beginning of Destiny had all the makings of a wonderful Yu-Gi-Oh! GX title but its dull single-player story and little interaction with the world make this a boring and repetitive game. Even the hardcore fan of the anime and the card games will find it hard to really like a title that does little to keep the game fresh or fun.