Trading Card Reviews
List price: $29.99 (that's 88% off!)
Used price: $6.97
Buy one from zShops for: $14.98
The story in Pokémon Trading Card Game is basically the same as that of the original Pokémon titles, only with new character and feature names substituted. Instead of Professor Oak, players meet Dr. Mason. Gym Leaders are named Club Masters, battles are duels, and so forth. Learning the card game is a breeze thanks to the inclusion of comprehensive instructions and an in-depth tutorial. Although some minor changes have been made, the method of play is virtually identical to the original card game, and just as addictive. While much shorter than the Pokémon games, the gameplay here doesn't involve random and repetitive battles, and follows a less linear path.
Although Pokémon Trading Card Game would seem to turn a social experience into a solitary one, it allows for and encourages interacting with other game owners. Duels can be fought between players via a game link cable, and cards and decks can be traded using the infrared communications port. The most interesting (although somewhat dubious) feature here is the "card pop!" option, which generates one new card for each player when communicating wirelessly; the catch is that you can't "card pop!" the same person again for a while after doing so, thus limiting the feature's appeal. --Joe Hon
Pros:
- Easy-to-learn and highly addictive gameplay
- Features cards exclusive to the Game Boy
- Excellent game link and infrared communication port options
- Package includes limited edition trading card
- Relatively short game compared to Pokémon Game Boy titles
- Very limited appeal outside the Pokémaniac crowd
what a piece of crap!
Great card game - but this isn't a very good port of itThe good:
It's the Pokemon Trading Card Game on Game Boy! Now you can play card games without a second person (although you can link up if you want, to trade or to battle.) And of course, being on Game Boy makes it portable. The game has a minor storyline (get eight medals and defeat the card champions so that you can get the legendary cards,) obviously added in to make the game more appealing. There are even cards that were made up exclusively for this game! And, of course, you can obtain booster packs by winning duels, so that you can build your dream deck.
The bad:
This game uses very little common sense. Here's a few "stupid questions" that will make you realize all the flaws this game has.
-When my opponent has no Basic Pokemon in his starting hand, why doesn't the game let me draw up to two cards? I'm allowed to in the REAL card game.
-Why does the game ask me to place Pokemon on the bench when I don't have any?
-Why do the starter decks have so many different types of Pokemon in them? This makes the decks so scattershot, that you'll rarely get the type of energy you need. Accordingly, don't plan on winning a lot of duels until you customize your deck.
-Why does this game only have cards from the Base Set, Jungle, and Fossil expansions? And why does the game divide them into four sets that the actual card game never did?
-Why does the game ask me to select a prize card when I only have one left? Wouldn't it be common sense which one I wanted to take if there was only one left?
-Why does the game do unneccessary coin flips? If an attack will knock out a Pokemon and it can also paralyze the Pokemon, there is NO REASON to do a coin flip if the attack is certain to knock out the enemy.
-Why is the text speed so slow in this game?
-How can Booster Packs be sent you you via the internet?
-Why is your character's name written in a different font than everything else in the game?
-Why can you only play as a male character?
-Why is "no" the default answer to most of the game's questions?
-Why is the music different on the subscreen than on the main screen?
-Why does the computer always seem to have so much luck, and you never do?
-Why are energy cards so hard to obtain in this game?
OVERALL:
Take my advice. Don't get this game unless you're a die-hard fan of the card game, or unless you're a Pokemon fan and you find it for a good price. You may be better off waiting to see if a sequel is released for the Game Boy Advance.
A pretty nice gameTheir is a small group of cards which only come in the game. Little custom cards, you might say. You can know this by seeing a little GB on the card information screen. (The Legendary cards are Game boy custom.)
But if you're a "newbie" to pokemon, or mabey just realizing it's existance, it only sports the basic, jungle, and fossil expansions. This is actually pretty good, considering the time it was made. (When those three sets were the only ones "on the shelves" at the time.) And unlike the YuGiOh card game games, youcan't upload cards you have into the game. You must get them by obtaining boosters which you can get by beating club members, leaders, and opening the occasional email from the professor. (There's about twenty of them throughout the game.)
So overall, if you like the card game, get this for protable pokemon tcg action. If you don't like the cards, leave it alone.
List price: $9.99 (that's 40% off!)
- Fast-paced card battle game
- Construct up to three different decks
- Over 100 new cards
- Updated rules
- For 1 or 2 players
Used price: $17.99
Buy one from zShops for: $14.45
Big anticipation. Bigger disappointment.
Not bad and NOT slow if you know the trick!The addition of being able to have 3 different decks is a great addition, but the lack of the password feature is disappointing. I am sure this was left out to even the playing field in the real-life tournaments Konomi is planning for the summer. The editing interface at first seems worse that previous titles, but when you get the hang of it, it actually features more functionality. Nice.
This game is great if you only want to duel. That is enough for me and many CCG fans. But casual buyers beware. No tutorial and no story may back this title less appealing and difficult to learn.
BEST GAME EVER!!!
First, the cards themselves. The artwork was a little off. More towards the Simpsons comics then the TV show. The "Character" cards needed better quotes or something more humorous. The "Action" cards are just gameplay moves, which should be tied to the show.
Second, the card assortment. When the _hell_ isn't Marge Simpson a "star" of the show? And since when is Mr. Burns considered a "star" instead?? Ugh. And why are the most important cards, OFF, rare? _One_ Homer card in the Homer deck, but _Three_ Herb Powells?! Since when is Herb Powell a "common"?? He appeared in only two episodes!! The Bart deck has three Uters, but no Edna Krabapples or CBGs? Travesty!! My fingers cannot type the emoticon I'm feeling!
Gameplay: utterly sucks. Both oversimplistic yet tediously confusing. The simplistic side is this: play a scene. play characters on that scene. Wow, what excitement. When the number of characters reaches the number needed to "complete" the scene, add up the score. The score is some techno-mobulated number derived from the traits of the characters that match the scene divided by the Klavin of the person who played them, times pi (which is exactly 3). Ignore Actions, since they add no fun and just increase confusion. Ignore "scene rules", since they decided every scene needs a rule, so they come off as repetitive and confusing.
Ignore simple acts of physics, since in this game you can play the same character twice to the same scene, or into different scenes at the same time. I guess this is so they could market those "starter decks" with three Uters and no Krustys. For a kid who hasn't been seen since the last field trip, that Uter gets around.
This is a failed game based on a great series. As a guy who enjoys CCGs, here's the way to repackage this series as a successful game. License out Steve Jackson's Illuminati: NWO collectable card game, and replace it with the Simpsons. Make OFF the major illuminati cards, and the game is right there. Sure, the gameplay is more advanced, but WoC wasn't thinking about marketing to very young kids with all the special scene rules and utterly pointless scoring system.
