Game: The Fullmetal Alchemist Trading Card Game
Genre: Collectible Card Game
Platform: Nintendo DS 

Before even considering picking up the Fullmetal Alchemist Trading Card Game there are a few things that you must decide. The reason that I believe this game has requirements is because it was made for a specific group of people – if you are not one of them it isn’t for you.  Firstly: are you a fan of the anime? Second: are you a fan of card games? The game caters best to fans of not only Fullmetal Alchemist, but fans of collectible card games (CCGs).

Don’t think that this is a typical card game, expecting to jump into a game of solitaire where matching Ed’s will make the cards bounce off the screen gaily – it is a collectible card game like Magic, Yu Gi Oh, and well, the Fullmetal Alchemist Trading Card game.

The introduction to the card game itself presented by the game isn’t done too well and the interface looks messy and confusing. This are issues that are most prevalent to someone who has never picked up a CCG, but for everyone who has dumped a few bills into colorful cards it isn’t too complicated.

Now I have never watched the Fullmetal Alchemist anime but I hear it is very popular. I just have a general rule of thumbs when it comes to anime on the whole that states that if it comes on the television I am to dive across the room and turn off the TV as fast as possible by hand. I don’t want to risk using the remote in the off chance that it malfunctions and turns the volume louder and I am forced to hear mediocre j-pop as I cry because of the horrible, horrible animation. Not to start a flame war, or anything.

Because of this I was kind of set back from many of the aspects of the game. The cards are not as descriptive as they are in other CCGs so I was forced to stare stupidly at pictures with little text blurbs such as “actor” under them to figure out what in gods name the card does.

When I did figure it out the task became what to do with the card now that I had decided I wanted to act, or something. I guess the criticism I have is more for the game it is based off of then the game itself. After a few minutes I was having more problems finding out the point of the trading card game then I was having problems with the video game interpretation.

Once I taught myself that I didn’t have a bad time. Granted that is because I met one of the predetermined requirements: I enjoy card games. As I write this I am getting nostalgic of my Magic the Gathering days and staring at the boxes of cards I have. From a little research I was able to find out that the CCG is a fairly popular one that has yearly tournaments.

This game has every card available in the CCG with only play via Nintendo Wifi Connect. For fans of the game or the anime, the Fullmetal Alchemist game is a must buy. For the rest of us I say give it a chance – if it doesn’t click right away it might not be for you.