Capcom Culdcept Strategy Review

masonik4

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 0 of 5

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5,
1 votes

Price Paid:  $30.00 from Electronic Boutique

Summary:
It's been easily compared to two games, Monopoly and Magic the Gathering, and for good reason. Culdcept is the game that maybe Magic the Gathering could have been (or still could be). This is a highly addictive and easily played game for the PS2 that has anyone who has played it screaming for more. Oddly enough, this is also a rare game here in the US, but highly popular in Japan, where there is talk of a Culdcept 3. If you have ever played Monopoly, and are familiar with the property rents, you already know half of the game. Throw in a twist of cards with monsters, items and spells, and you got yourself a game that has high replay value.

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 0 of 5

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5,
2 votes

Price Paid:  $40.00 from EB Games

Summary:
From what I've read, this is the third game in the Culdcept series of games, which have a big following in Japan. But it is the first one translated into English and the first for the PS2. The game is vast...

Review sites have all said that it's a mix of Magic-like card gaming and traditional board games. Well, to be more precise, it borrows many concepts from one board game in particular, and that is...Monopoly! That's right. If you know how to play Monopoly, then you will know about 1/3 of the gameplay dynamic that Culdcept has to offer.

And that's a good thing, because the other 2/3 of the game can cause you to get very vexed trying to understand it.

The underlying fantasy based story with Culdcept actually has bearing on the game. Culdcept is the Book of Creation and Destruction, and was made by the Goddess Culdra. Cepters are individuals with the power to summon from within the book, in the form of Cards. If you can obtain all the Cards, you become God. You are a Cepter, though a lowly beginning Cepter at first. But, there is a bad guy out to gain control over the Book for evil purposes. And he is already quite powerful. Hmmm...sounds like a RPG.

In fact, the main Story Mode of the game is very much like a RPG. And completing the various stages of Story Mode is key to unlocking more Cards. And it opens up more stages for you in Versus Mode, which will be explained below.

Culdcept is very deep, intricately interwoven, extremely absorbing, and it can really tick you off. In fact, Culdcept's biggest fault is that it is, in the final analysis, a dice based game. And this means that no matter how well you can strategize, or how well you select cards for your playbook, and no matter how much you've gotten familiar with the many different play elements that interact with each other in this game, the bottom line is, the roll of the dice will make or break you. Just like Monopoly. However, if you go up against your opponent again and again, with more and more powerful Cards, you can and will win.

This is not a pick up and play title. There are several hours of learning hump to get over, and that's just to get the basics down. And then, there is a whole new level of frustration due to the fact that every new level you attain involves fighting a new opponent with brand new, ultra powerful cards that you've never seen before. Meaning, you get your butt kicked. And this happens a lot, because there are more than 480 cards in this game.

And there is a ton of text to read. During the game, each card has to be studied for it's stats, and there is a huge online help manual as well, and you will have to use it. You cannot wing your way throught Culdcept via trial and error. The printed manual is packed full of data and charts, but it has translation glitches too.

Still, Culdcept has a strange addictiveness to it. After 30 hours, I am still curious to know what the other 75% of the cards I've not seen yet can do. And to see what they look like as well, since the cards themselves have been designed by some of the top Japanese illustrators. So far, the trend has been towards more and more powerful cards, so it should be interesting.

Culdcept can move along fairly quickly, but it cannot be considered an action game. And, individual matches can take several hours. It has some very advanced gameplay options and concepts, and though it's touted as a family game in Japan, it is way beyond the mental grasp of younger gamers. In fact, I would say that Culdcept is a waste of time and money for most gamers. There is no instant gratification to be had here. In fact, your first pathetic tutorial-based victory won't occur until several hours after popping the disk in. And that will only be because luck has swung your way.

But if you enjoy weird Japanese games like I do, then give Culdcept a try. If you found, say, Jade Cocoon 2 to be a lot of fun, or liked Ephemeral Fantasia, or Ico perhaps, or any of the other more bizarre titles available on the PS2, then Culdcept might be for you.