Yes, it's broken, yes, the computer cheats, yes, it has nothing to do with the TCG, yes, it's impossible to complete the game and have all 722 cards due to a oversight by Konami, yes, it's confusing, poorly explains its mechanics, is cryptic and unbalanced.

And yet, it's one of my favorite games, one that I replay a few times a year (of course, using mods to make the experience more enjoyable), one that I listen to the soundtrack quite a bit, and always the game I think of when I don't want to play anything else.

To understand the affection that some crazy people like me have for this game, you need to understand the obsession that Yu-Gi-Oh! was for these people when they were kids and how this game, being on the most accessible console, especially in Latin American territories where this game seems more popular in the end.

It's a matter of context, a combination of factors that would hardly be repeated nowadays. Anyway, the game has its merits, with a great soundtrack and a very good pace. It's the kind of game that's hard to get into due to its barriers, but quite interesting to connect with once you remove them. And when you're a kid and have all the time in the world, you remove any kind of barrier like that through trial and error. And behind all this confusion, the game does have a rhythm and reason, a structure that is possible to understand and play and have fun with. THTD FTW.

Played this for years when it released when I had just started collecting and playing Yu-Gi-Oh! (with the official rules).
I almost beat this impossible game when I was 12 lol I was stuck on the final 6.

At first it was confusing seeing as this game had no official rules and an interesting fusion mechanic. But the game easily grows on you and is pretty fun.
Easily has the best music and atmosphere out of any Yu-Gi-Oh! game. Also it is hands down the hardest card game to beat it's story mode (lots of luck needed).

I recently started playing it again and it's still fun. You can also try the many different moded versions of it (increase drops or completely new cards and fusion combinations added to the game) if you don't want the original experience.

Yu-Gi-Oh's early games are interesting to go back to because, unlike basically every other card game I can think of (even ones that went through major publisher changes like WoWTCG's transition to Cryptozoic or the Pokemon TCG away from WOTC), there was a period of time where the rules of the game didn't really exist. The first Yugi major was played through Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters for the Gameboy, for example. What we know as Yugi wouldn't solidify until Konami's OCG ruleset in 2002, which would be exported around the world (banlist changes aside). As a historical artifact of a card game property without a card game (no, the Bandai version doesn't count), this is a really cool video game to have access to, especially stateside.

This game still sucks to play through, though. I wish it didn't. Even as a condensed version of the card game, with the core rules the game has, I think there's some fun to be had with contact fusions and deck building. If you enjoy breaking out the SMT fusion chart, this is the card game for you. The balance of the game is horrendous, with decks and board states that cheat and that the player cannot consistently overcome, even with proper deckbuilding. You're going to lose a lot, and being a PS1 game, getting into another match takes an unreasonable amount of time. I would have rather the game been way too easy, but let the target audience for this game play around in a sandbox full of cards and effects that would only apply to this weird, at the time 3 year old import title than have the game in its current state. It's not like the game can be beaten in an afternoon as is! There's a good amount of fights and over 700 cards to choose from.

If you want to give this a go, there is an active modding scene with tweaks to the gameplay on either end. As a stand alone title, it's hard to recommend playing through the entire thing.

Classic weird Yugioh game. Konami made this before the card game rules were finalized. Hundreds of mods exist for it. The game has it's flaws, balancing, difficulty, AI cheating, but it's definitely an enjoyable experience.

Some of the reviews are lower than mine, and that is definitely going to come down to how you consider a "good" game. If by a fun, enjoyable game, this game fits the definition of "good." But if you're looking for a game with good game design, then this game is not "good."

If judged by modern gaming standards this game would be instead probably a 2.5/5 by my metric.

I think it's an enjoyable fun game though, so that shouldn't discourage anyone from trying.