Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship 2008 duels onto DS

If there's one thing you can depend to happen every year, like train companies putting the price of their fares up and Big Brother, it's the release of a Yu-Gi-Oh! game. The chances are too that you're either very interested in each new instalment or go instantly comatose at the mere mention of it. Presumably, if you fall into the latter category you won't even have clicked on this news story however, so we'll continue it with the sort of enthusiasm we normally reserve for summer holidays or a free bar at a wedding.

Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship 2008 is coming to DS in March!!

Konami announced news of the game recognised by fans as the official video game of the forthcoming Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship event - the sixth - and one of which will be held in Europe this year for the first time.

The trading card game will include over 2000 monster, trap and spell cards and also faithfully reproduced structure decks from the official card game. Its gameplay is similar to that official card game, however card duels are brought to life in cut-scenes featuring stars from the animated Yu-Gi-Oh! manga TV series.

In a first for DS, a new Duel World single player mode is included, providing a new environment for players to tackle puzzles and witness key events. Also new are Tag Duels which up to four players can compete in, either via the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection or over local wireless. Regular duels are supported online too so you'll be able to compete with players across the world and talk to them using the game's voice chat system.

Finally, as with previous instalments in the series, the game will come with three limited edition Yu-Gi-Oh! cards from the trading card game.

Konami has released new screenshots (above) too which you have to admit, whether you're into card games or not, look pretty. Practice hard enough on its release in March too and you might just stand a chance of winning that official World Championship in Europe. Imagine the fame...