A could be stellar game only shows the age of the series and the repetition of the gameplay
This game pits you in the same shoes as you were before continuing with your old character (if you had one) showing that the game is geared towards the returning player more than the newcomer. The story progresses with new characters from the anime which gives the game a sort of fresh feel. What really differentiates the game from its predecessor is the fact now that from the begging of the game you are pitted with a tag partner from which you can choose from a small variety of characters which can grow into a larger roster if you devote the time to multiple play-throughs.
The game does not force you to play with this tag partner every time you duel but fully integrates the character when you need play in weekend tournaments against rival tag team partners. This to the average yugioh player will sound like a dream come true but in fact the idea only goes so far. Instead of being fully integrated with your tag team partner you are separated from him because the level of A.I the computer controlled teammate has. This is not strikingly different from the original as the A.I still makes stupid mistakes that end up spelling your defeat early in the game.
This forces you to completely rely on yourself and use the computer as a desperate back-up but many times this cannot even be done as the computer will forcefully pit itself into a battle with monsters that are many times not strong enough to hold its own especially in the upper tier tourneys. This is extremely grating and gives you not much to work with many times with you ending up winning on pure luck which sure does not seem like a true victory at all. In terms of cards, the most recent cards have been added to the fray as well as some new game originals, of course there are not enough game originals to warrant any praise but there are a few nonetheless. Recipes (Custom Decks) are back and with even more combinations surprisingly for the hardcore play even all the deck slots might not seem enough but of course this being only geared to the most hardcore so it is not a real setback. The combinations that can be made are numerous when it comes to card variety and gives a limitless boundary when it comes to homemade strategies and this itself is widely improved upon. Last game the partner you took decided on a number of things between battling them, talking to them, or giving them food but this game smartly strips off two components that were annoying to begin with, talking to them and giving them food. You had to choose an answer when you talked to them which affected how much they like you which gave everything a randomized feel. This game takes that away in for the simpler system where you battle with them and gain points with them that way which is fine even when you lose as they tend not put you down and encourage you to battle again.
Downloadable content is still present here as it was in the old game which gives a small amount of replay value to let you test new strategies but it will not make any of the gameplay less repetitious than its predecessor. Of course the makers also decided not to add Infrastructure mode to allow battling among everyone owning this game but the game is still left in Ad-Hoc mode which forces you to wonder why they would not think to put in an addition that would send the rating through the roof.
The sounds are the same recycled ones from the original and the graphics are the same as well. In game animations are more frequent but that is only because of the larger card set which the game has to put in more models as many of the cards play an important role in the anime. The game is not exactly value price and for 30 dollars you might want to look towards a better game especially since this game is not really Tag Force 2 but more like Tag Force 1.5.
Ultimately this is easily realized as a game that caters more to the hardcore gamer than the casual fan and with that being said the choice is up to you but for the majority of the players out there you will find this a step up from the original but nothing to really warrant the buy. It was a dying series before and with this installment it only shows its age.