Score: 7
"addictive, but..."
date: January 25, 2008
This game has a very good concept, but fails in a few crucial areas. My main gripe is that if you are going to have the cards being determined randomly, you MUST allow a person to discard. There have been countless times when I lost for no other reason than I was stuck with four cards in my hand that each would have kicked my ass if I would have played them. Card combos are also extremely difficult to pull off when you can't tell whether you should hang onto a decent card or play it before the opponent comes up with one that turns the game around. This brings me to my second point: There is no way that there should be an equal probability for high-powered and low-powered cards to appear. Most switching cards are either ruinous for a carefully built-up plan (if the computer plays them) or dead weight in your hand. They tend to favour the computer's inferior strategy. In addition, accumulating life, or especially hazumis, every turn gives one an incredible advantage, and the chance of drawing such cards should be rare. Finally, rather than simply increasing the life of computer opponents, it would make for a much more enjoyable game if the AI was strengthened instead. I realize that this would require considerably greater effort in programming, but it would be worth it.
Nevertheless, I wouldn't have taken the time to complain so much if I didn't feel strongly about this game. It IS highly addictive; I just wish it weren't so frustrating.