• Publisher: Konami
  • Release Date: Feb 16, 2003
Metascore
59 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 14 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 14
  2. Negative: 1 out of 14
  1. If a small portion of you has always wondered what a game like this is all about, this is the best card game that money can buy. [Apr 2003, p.85]
  2. If you are a true YU-GI-OH fan, into the trading card thing, and have a decent understanding of the YU-GI-OH card’s powers, yada yada, you will probably love this FIRST EVER YU-GI-OH PS2 videogame.
  3. A run of the mill game. When you play this game you feel as though this game should be better than it is.
  4. 71
    The story concept behind the game is surprisingly interesting, diverging from the typical rehashing of a franchise universe seen in many similar tie-ins.
  5. 60
    Probably best appreciated by newcomers to the Yu-Gi-Oh game who want to learn how to play.
  6. 60
    The most distinguishing feature of Duelists of the Roses is that the game is really freaking hard.
  7. A beautifully produced, rule heavy, text heavy, story heavy, lore heavy, chess-like card battle royale that could have Yu-Gi-Oh fans pulling more all-nighters than the graveyard shift at Del Taco. [May 2003, p.61]
  8. 58
    As you get deeper into the game, the attack/defense system starts to make sense, and the whole play experience becomes very tense and strategic. [Mar 2003, p.40]
  9. 57
    Instead of building on everything that made "The Eternal Duelist Soul" a good game, they built upon everything that made "Forbidden Memories" a mediocre game, and then added enough additional confusion and frustration to the game to make it nearly unplayable for all but the most rabid of Yu-Gi-Oh! fans.
  10. The presentation is terribly stripped-down, and as an odd duck sort of hybrid strategy game, it doesn't offer much accessibility or depth.
  11. Strictly for fanboys, PS2 library completists or masochists in search for a higher-than-normal threshold of pain in their interactive diet.
  12. A surprisingly addictive experience. The problem is, it takes forever to learn how to play the damn thing. [Apr 2003, p.120]
  13. Everything about Roses is designed to make you feel like a total loser. The difficulty level is ratcheted up so high, you're bound to lose billions of battles before you can build a decent deck. [Apr 2003, p.98]
  14. When these sorts of loaded odds are all you get in lieu of a competitive computer player, the whole thing feels like you're being cheated rather than challenged.
User Score

Generally favorable reviews- based on 55 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 25 out of 36
  2. Negative: 9 out of 36
  1. As a huge Yu-Gi-Oh! fan I was disappointed with this game, it's not like the dueling you see on the show, it's more like a mix of that and chess, the story isn't all that interesting, graphics are sub par, but voice acting is ok, one good thing is that it does require a large amount of strategy if you hope to win, if your a fan of card games you may like this but I just can't recommend this. Full Review »
  2. JoshS.
    9
    The game is good fun but is very hard sometimes.
  3. SupunW.
    8
    This game is very good but I would recomend it to more "proffessional" dual monsters players because of its modified playing system.