What Happened to the Yu-Gi-Oh Tag Force Series?

The Yu-Gi-Oh Tag Force series was published by Konami and released for the PSP. Though there were six games in the series, why did these games disappear? Let’s investigate what happened to the Yu-Gi-Oh tag force series.

Background

The Yu-Gi-Oh Tag Force series is based off of the Yu-Gi-Oh card game. It follows the rules of the card game and the story connects to different parts of the anime series. Each game when bought new came with cards you could use when if you played the card game. Each game was only available on the PSP, with the exception of Tag Force 1.

There were six games in the series with one spin off. The sixth game in the series was not released internationally. There was also no voice acting in the English versions. Japanese voice acting was apparently removed. The English versions did have subtitles, but the lack of voice acting makes it a little odd.

The premise of each game revolves around dueling and building bonds with characters. Increasing the bond you have with someone leads to seeing events in their story. Through dueling you gain Duel Points, DP, which can be used to buy new cards. Below are some screenshots I took of the games. I did not take many since the layouts stay the same for the most part.

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Yu-Gi-Oh GX Tag Force

About This Game

This game in the series covers events from the first season of Yu-Gi-Oh GX. Events are changed to add your character. The game is divided into three separate parts. For the first part you are tasked with building a relationship with several of your fellow classmates in order to get a partner for the upcoming dueling tournament.

You have to have a partner by the time the tournament comes around. To have a partner for the tournament you need to have a max bond with them. Days left are shown by a counter. The Tournament begins once the counter reaches zero.

In part two you and your partner will duel other duos for points. Ten GX medals are given at the start with you needing ninety to get into the final. After winning the finals the game will transition to part 3. In part three you have to duel a group called Shadow Riders. After you beat all of them and their leader the game will end.

Personal Thoughts

I felt as if this game was the best in the series. It might seem a little cliche, but the other games changed too many good things. The best part of this game was that there was a bigger overarching story. I also enjoyed not being forced to pick a partner and stick with them the entire game. You can choose any partner for the tournament as long as you have maxed your bond with them.

Yu-Gi-Oh GX Tag Force 2

About This Game

This game in the series covers events that happened in season two of Yu-Gi-Oh GX. One big change from the previous game is that you have to choose a partner at the start of the game. Each character shares the same four story events, while the last four events of each character are unique. After scanning through all the events, I found that only a few actually connect to the story from the anime. The basic mechanics are the exact same except new cards have been added, as well as new characters.

Personal Thoughts

I did not hate or like the game. It left me feeling like something was missing. I feel like this game had less structure than the first one. I say that because there is no calendar like in the previous entry. Though I applaud the different character events, I can’t help but feel that the game suffers due to their not being a main story being focused on. This leads to some charterers having events that are pretty insignificant when compared to others.

Yu-Gi-Oh GX Tag Force 3

About This Game

Tag Force 3 has more changes from the previous entries. Like Tag Force 2, there is no calendar system and you choose a partner at the start of the game. This game can be shorter than the others as the bond level has been lowered from eight to four from the previous entries. I think that this game has story elements from the fourth season of Yu-Gi-Oh GX.

Personal Thoughts

Just like the previous entry the different character stories feel disjointed and a little random. I feel like they should have taken more from the anime like the first game. There isn’t much more for me to say as I didn’t play this one much. I think I played one character’s story then stopped.

Yu-Gi-Oh 5D’s Tag Force 4

About This Game

This is the first game in the series that changes the series being followed. Some of the events seem to follows seasons one and 2 of Yu-Gi-Oh 5D’s anime. You are not forced to pick a partner in this game. You also don’t have to start the game over to start another character’s story.

This game mirrors Tag Force 3, where the max bond level is four. The game plays the same as the other series, but adds a new summoning method called Synchro summoning. One thing that is absent from the game are turbo duels, which are a main feature of the anime series.

Personal Thoughts

Tag Force 4 was a little bit of a breath of fresh air. Having a new set of characters to interact with was nice. Once again the game has no kind of tutorials so if you are a newcomer you are going to be a little lost. Once again each character has a different story that touches on certain events from the anime. Not having to start the game over was a good change.

One change that was difficult to adjust to was not being able to see character locations by default. In the previous games you could see the location if every main character. With this game you have to ask people to find out locations. You can also pay a certain NPC to have locations revealed for an extended amount of time.

Yu-Gi-Oh 5D’s Tag Force 5

About This Game

One thing that is odd about Tag Force 5 is that you and the other charterers do not know each other. The player character is known in the Tag Force series as you go through the duel academy in 1 – 3. In this game it appears that the events in four have not carried over. I believe that this game has events from season 3 and onward from Yu-Gi-Oh 5D’s.

Personal Thoughts

I didn’t play this game much. I think I played two character stories then stopped. The tournament mentioned in the beginning of the game was disappointing as it was optional. I believed it was central to the story since that was where your character met with the other characters in the game. Having your character be unknown again was odd especially after in the previous entries your character was remembered.

Yu-Gi-Oh 5D’s Tag Force 6

About This Game

This is the only game in the main numbered series not to be released internationally. This game can still be emulated and played in English as it has been translated. I would not recommend the patch though. From what I have read the person that translated it added some jokes and words that some people, like myself, might see as offensive.

A spin off called Yu-Gi-Oh Tag Force Special was also not released internationally. Once again I would not recommend the translation as once again jokes and language that people might find offensive have been added, according to statements that I have read.

These screenshots give an example of how this individual translated these games.

I can’t really show screenshots of direct statements of the content as to me they were too offensive to share. I am unaware if anyone else has translated these.

Just a small disclaimer. I am by no means attacking the person or the translations. Transparency is what I am aiming for with this information provided.

What I Think Happened

Firstly, what I believe happened to the Tag Force series is that it became unpopular due to a failure to innovate, as well as other changes. The series definitely fails to innovate as the only changes throughout the series are new mini games and that you can get through a character’s story quicker. I enjoy Yu-Gi-Oh and I found myself easily bored as in the later games it’s just wonder around and duel while bonding with other charterers. At least in the first one there was story content to look forward to.

Secondly, I believe the removal of a central story. The only story you will really get, starting with Tag Force 4, will be through events with different characters. Even if you complete each character’s story, you only get a small amount of a full story. While the other games appeared to have a central story, only the story in Tag Force 1 sticks out. In games like Tag Force 2, few character stories connect to the central one. When it comes to story the first game has the best and more comprehensive story. Confusion can happen if you have not seen the anime.

The biggest problem that the series never solved was teaching new players. There are tutorials in the first game, but nothing that takes you through a full duel.

Conclusion

As always thank you all for reading and your continued support. Though I was often critical of the series, I still think giving the first one a try is worth it. Be sure to visit my linktree to keep up with me as well as if you would like to support my blog.