I've actually enjoyed playing some of the Yu-Gi-Oh! games. I don't really play the card game with friends or in events, I don't think that I have enough Yu-Gi-Oh! cards to build a standard size deck, but I'm more into buying the cards in video games instead. It probably helps if you either enjoy playing the card game already or if you enjoy watching the show. For me, having a friend who is very much into playing the actual Yu-Gi-Oh! game helps.
I've actually enjoyed playing the non-World Championship Games. Of course, I just got the 2007 version yesterday and I haven't had that much experience with it compared to Nightmare Troubadour and Spirit Caller. Anyway, I do agree with you on how if they make a Chaotic video game, they'll have to make it like the show since its fans really won't want to buy a game when they could just play for free online instead.
That's true. Since the card game is the basic foundation for the games, it would be hard to like the games if you don't like the card game. I've also found myself playing my Yu-Gi-Oh! video games for hours. It actually surprised me that I played for over a hundred hours, or close to it, in Spirit Caller, by the end of my spring break. Those were a couple of fun weeks.