Yu-Gi-Oh!, AKA the Madden of card battle games, has a long history of incremental updates that are cool for the hardcore fans but offer few reasons for newcomers to join in on the fun if they haven’t already had the desire to do so. Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's Tagforce 4 is no different.

It’s a game the Yu-Gi-Oh! enthusiasts will flock to, and for good reason. The battles are as entertaining as ever, the story is half-amusing (which is a step up from most RPGs, even though Yu-Gi-Oh! can be a bit cheesy), the load times aren’t too painful, and while the score isn’t spectacular, its catchy tunes rise above the usual dose of card battle tedium.

Big Ol’ Tag Tournament

Tagforce 4 happily boasts more than 4,000 cards, a number so vast that it might sound like a bit of overzealous marketing. In reality, the number of cards – and the colossal variety of them – is the reason why only the most diligent Yu-Gi-Oh! fans will unearth every treat locked within the game. You don’t, however, have to be the most dedicated duelist to get the most out of Tagforce 4. As expected, the story mode serves as the primary gameplay component, incorporating an RPG-inspired quest that requires you to explore several locations and talk with numerous NPCs in between the game’s mammoth battles.

World exploration occurs on a top-down map that lets you hop between locations just by selecting them. It may not be rocket science, but it frees up your time – which could have been consumed by hours of unnecessary travelling (a common downfall of many RPGs) – to focus on the more important elements of the game.

Upon meeting a duelist, you’ll have the chance to talk to him or her before diving into battle. NPCs like to face the screen when talking, which is the developer’s way of showing that these characters are talking directly to you. The cast retains the series’ trademark anime-style appearance, and while their aesthetics are by no means breathtaking, their designs are a lot cooler than the human characters in most other kid-targeted properties.

Non-battle interactions take place on a colorful 2D (almost side-scroller) playing field that looks like it came right out of the 16-bit era. When combined with anime sequences and real-time battle animations, Tagforce 4 is quite an attractive game. The 3D-esque battle screen won’t knock your socks off, and certainly the PSP can push more polygons than anything seen here. But in the world of all things retro, Tagforce 4’s visuals are delightfully produced.

Cut the Deck

If you expected massive changes from the controls, the presentation style, or the overall setup/format of the game, then you might be a tad surprised by Tagforce 4’s lack of evolution. The cards are still easy to view, use and execute, and the controls are quick and clear. You’ll be able to select and place cards – and ultimately go through an entire turn – faster than you could playing the real Yu-Gi-Oh!

However, the same could be said for the previous games in the series, which brings up the question of validity and whether or not Tagforce 4 is a worthwhile sequel. In a way, the game follows the route of Pokémon: each sequel contains more of everything you know and love, but rarely does the series dare to move in a new direction. Tagforce 4 won’t blow your mind with things you haven’t seen before. But if you’ve ever spent a weekend engrossed in virtual Yu-Gi-Oh! battles – if you could not wait for each new challenge and hated the thought of going to sleep, Tagforce 4 will be right up your alley. The battles aren’t brutally tough but this isn’t a pushover competition; once the game gets going, your skills will be tested.

Tagforce 4 may not be the easiest sequel for novices to break into, but the tutorials/brief in-game explanations will help you make sense of it all, even though the instruction booklet is completely useless in this area.

Once you’ve made your way through the single-player story and have made your way through more AI battles than you could ever keep track of, Tagforce 4 offers another feature to keep you coming back: multiplayer. This may not be the mind-blowing online mode you’ve been waiting for, but if you’ve got three Yu-Gi-Oh!-loving friends who own a PSP and a copy of this game, you’ll be able to take advantage of the one-on-one (normal) and two-vs.-two (tag) duels. Trading cards is another bonus, but by now, that feature is practically mandatory.

What more could you want? Ah, that’s right – innovation. But that’s being saved for another time and place (and, perhaps, another game entirely). Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s Tagforce 4 is what the series has always been, and if you liked it before, you’ll probably like everything the latest PSP version has to offer.

Gameplay: 7.5
Hours and hours of traditional Yu-Gi-Oh! card-battling action.

Graphics: 7.5
While nowhere near the PSP's true power, Tagforce 4 is an impressive anime-style retro-inspired game.

Sound: 7.5
It won't stay with you forever, but the score has a few good moments. (And isn't annoying during the not-so-good times.)

Difficulty: Medium
Many challenges await the Yu-Gi-Oh! enthusiast.

Concept: 6.5
Basically the same Yu-Gi-Oh! all over again.

Multiplayer: 7
The four-player option is certainly nice, but how many players will actually get to utilize it when you've got to have four PSPs and four UMDs?

Overall: 7.5
Another fun addition to the Yu-Gi-Oh! series. Just don't expect anything you haven't seen before.