Other pros include a pretty good soundtrack for a PS1 title and some tweaks that improve the game overall- notably, the fact that equip items do not take up a magic card slot and the fact that fusion does not require a facilitating magic card to pull it off

It is far better than Magic the Gathering.

If your monster has a Star Sign advantage over your opponent's monster, you'll receive a small boost to their Attack points, similarly to the boost you might get from using appropriate magic cards