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Culdcept Saga

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9.4 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 33 critic reviews
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Based on 37 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: Namco Bandai Games

Developer: Omiya Soft

Genre(s): Card Battle, Board Games, Role-Playing Game

Players: 4

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Release Date: February 5, 2008

Summary

Culdcept SAGA follows the journey of a princess and unlikely hero trying to bring peace back to their beleaguered country and free the land from the evil tyranny of their vicious adversaries. Summoning beasts of great power and skill, these adventurers will attempt to control strategic locations on the battlefield until all areas are freed from their enemies' influence. In Culdcept SAGA, individuals known as Cepters move around a game board by the roll of the dice, using magical cards to call upon creatures and cast spells to occupy each area they encounter. Using alluring cards designed by Japan's top illustrators, players can customize different decks to assist in their struggle for territorial dominance. As they maneuver their way around the board and land on occupied properties, opponents can opt to pay a fee for their brief stay or attack the guarding creature to inhabit the zone. Players can fortify their decks and develop strategies in single player mode, then apply those tactics against up to 3 friends on Xbox Live or on a single console. Gamers can further modify the game with their own unique style when they alter their characters' appearances using parts won during matches, providing a distinctive experience for every personality. [Namco Bandai Games]

Also On Metacritic

GAMES: Culdcept

Cheat Codes & Hints: Cheat Code Central

Also On The Web: Culdcept Saga Community Official Website

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Deeko

Try your hand at tactical, collectible, outstanding gaming at its absolute finest.

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Games Radar (in-house)

If you give it a chance, you’ll be amazed by how difficult it is to put Culdcept Saga down. We found ourselves pulled away from Devil May Cry 4, Burnout Paradise and Supreme Commander, all to jump into another match of cardbased tit-for-tat.

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Gaming Target

Culdcept Saga does have one major addition over its predecessor: online play. While local multiplayer is still an option, Namco Bandai has included four-player online play in Culdcept Saga and it works like a dream.

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GameCritics

Culdcept Saga is a true breath of fresh air.

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GamerNode

It may not look it, but it's one of the better 360 titles to date. It's addicting, the gameplay is fun, and anyone can enjoy it.

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GameShark

Regardless of its obvious shortcomings, Culdcept Saga is an addictive, unique and just plain fun little game that is jam packed with content.

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Cheat Code Central

A unique card collection board game that will appeal to more gamers than just the usual suspects. However, if you typically hate this kind of game then Culdcept SAGA will not convert you.

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1UP

It doesn't do anything you haven't seen before in an Xbox Live Arcade title, but that doesn't mean you won't get your money's worth in content and downright clever, addictive design. In reality it's a second chance for an unreceptive Western audience, but card nerds know it for what it really is: a second coming.

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Gaming Nexus

Culdcept SAGA is not for everybody. This is a slow-paced game with ugly graphics, a steep learning curve, and a terrible story line. Yet despite all of those imperfections, this is one adventure game that I will wholeheartedly endorse ... just as long as you're the kind of gamer that can handle it.

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GameSpot

Culdcept Saga is easy for beginners to learn, difficult for experts to master, and fun no matter who you are.

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ZTGameDomain

It is easy to pick up, deviously deep with strategy and extremely hard to put down. While it does suffer from some issues such as uninspiring visuals and complex menus nothing can change the fact that once you get sucked into the world hours will pass without you even knowing, which is always a sign of a great experience.

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GameZone

A fascinating and interesting game. It won’t cause a new generation of gamers to rise up and create a revolution in gaming. Instead Culdcept Saga will please the audience that knows what to expect from the game.

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GameTrailers

While the game offers a lot depth and content, there just aren’t a whole lot of frills and the game definitely lacks mass appeal.

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Planet Xbox 360

Culdcept Saga is certainly not for everyone, but is a damn solid game that everyone should at least give a shot. Those who fall in love with it will fall hard.

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Electronic Gaming Monthly

The interface may be intimidating, but the strategy is deep, and the many come-from-behind victories are near exhilarating. [Feb 2008, p.82]

Worth Playing

Be forewarned that you need to have patience to play this game. Your matches are long, and the gameplay can sometimes seem slow, but any fan of collectable card games should definitely pick up this title because I've never seen the genre represented so well as it was here.

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Team Xbox

If you’re more aligned with Bridge than you are with Go Fish, and don’t mind Lady Luck dropping into the pot every now and again, Culdcept Saga may just be the console game departure that you’ve been craving.

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Destructoid

Culdcept Saga doesn't do its best to be accessible and easy to appreciate, and that's probably its biggest downfall. But, when you get past the incredibly steep learning curve, insane match times, and sometimes cheap AI, you'll find a deep, rewarding strategy gaming experience.

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MS Xbox World

In the end, Culdcept Saga is a title where your mileage is going to vary greatly depending on your tastes.

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Game Revolution

Culdcept Saga has a great deal of gameplay potential, but it runs into a few notable flaws that keep it from feeling like a top-tier game.

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GamePro

While it is initially daunting, Culdcept Saga is a game whose potential grows the more you play it. [May 2008, p.84]

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My Gamer

If you ever wanted to play Monopoly with a new twist, have a passion for board games, and like a slower paced game, the Culdcept Saga will definitely fill your plate.

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Game Chronicles

This game will require a lot of patience to play and master.

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Hardcore Gamer Magazine

It doesn’t seem fair to say Culdcept SAGA is bad, because it’s not. Still, it’s missing too many obvious features to really pass muster as well-designed software.

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Play Magazine

The deck-building and card-collecting aspects of Culdcept Saga have a powerful appeal, but the game-board mechanics aren't quite interesting enough to justify the excessive length of the matches. [Jan 2008, p.50]

GameSpy

The visuals and story aren't going to bring anyone new to the fold, and you have to be a very dedicated sort to want to invest the incredible amount of time necessary to play a single game from start to finish. At $39.99 dollars, though, you do get a lot of game for your money.

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Game Informer

As a strategy board game, Culdcept Saga integrates luck and skill well enough to be generally entertaining, and even more so if you are prone to obsession when it comes to collection and optimization. [Feb 2008, p.101]

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Official Xbox Magazine

If you love surprises yielded by the collision of inventive card abilities, you'll get a respectable kick from Culdcept Saga. [Feb 2008, p.78]

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GameTap

I could see the beauty that still lurked underneath her obvious heartlessness, but it was so much harder to spend time with her now. Eventually, our every assignation devolved into the bitterest of fights, and I’d storm off, vowing never to see her again.

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IGN

Culdcept Saga isn’t a good game. It rests too heavily on the original’s mechanics and doesn’t tread any new ground aside from the requisite Xbox Live play.

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Xbox360Achievements

For the type of game it is, it really does well. Very unique, very fun, very addicting. It most definitely is not for everyone, but fans will be ravenous and doubters will be many. That right there is my type of game.

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G4 TV

The simplicity of Culdcept hides an incredibly deep system, but one that almost everyone will grasp immediately.

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Gaming Age

Gamers who are into this genre will no doubt enjoy what Culdcept Saga offers, but with the game’s dated visuals, poor voice acting, so-so solo mode, and slightly broken online play, one can only recommend this for hardcore fans of this genre.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 9.4 (out of 10) based on 37 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Dawn O. gave it an8:
This game is surprisingly addictive. If you ever played a CCG your going to love this. If your looking for superior voice acting you should already know this isn't for you. It's about the cards, the fantastic artwork and the inexplicable joy of collecting them all and whooping *** in an online match. Magic players will know what I mean. Everyone else should at least take a look at the demo.

[Anonymous] gave it a10:
Wow. This game is what every game should be: not some glorified tech demo but a game with truly fun and addictive gameplay.

Daniel A. gave it a7:
Culdcept Saga blends luck and strategy in a refreshing way. It's unique to the xbox 360 lineup and provides compelling gameplay for both single and multiplayer. Creating decks with new found cards to play against friends or other Xbox live opponents is surprisingly fun and simple. The lack of an option to speed up AI play is frustrating and playing large games can be time consuming and tedious. Beating the AI can be a challenge, especially if lady luck is not on your side. I would question the randomness of the dice when playing the AI. Example scenario... suspend a single player game, return to the game and play 5 turns noting the dice rolls. Quit to title menu and go back to the save point. Play five turns again and your first few 3-5 dice rolls will be identical.

Jonman H. gave it an8:
Culdcept Saga has so many glaring flaws. The cutscenes are some of the ugliest I've seen since the PS1, featuring the kind of voice acting that B-movies would be ashames of. The story is truly excrable, being not only boring, but utterly indecipherable to boot. So it's truly a feat that the gameply is sufficient to overcome these hideous shortfalls. The tactical and strategic depth is such that the allure of deck design is truly enthralling. The opportunity for underhandedness late in a game is thrilling. The achievements are reasonably well designed, giving another twist to the desk designing and gameplay required. Ultimately, if you're looking for depth and personality over looks and voice, you'll get your moneysworth and then some on this game.

HooRah gave it a9:
Bad= Terrible Story Bugged Online Takes time to find and play games Good= Addictive game play Many different and unique cards Involves deep strategy but is user friendly This pretty much sums it up Overall= Its worth the forty bucks go out and buy it

Ozwaldo R. gave it a10:
I've been a fan of this series since i played on the PS2 and was extatic when i found out over a year and a half ago that it was coming out on 360. This is one of the most addictive games you will ever play. I highly recommend picking it up since it also has one of the lowest pricetags you will find for new 360 games.

[Anonymous] gave it a10:
The story is shit but the mechanics and depth are amazing. If you like CCGs, pick this up. I've been averaging 4 hours a night on this since it came out in the US.

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