Publisher/Developer: Wizards of the Coast
Genre: Customizable Card Game
Price: 800 MS points
Verdict: Best. Ten Bucks. Ever.
Pros: Fast Paced. Strong AI and great multiplayer modes. Boasts 40 hours of play in campaign and challenge modes.
Cons: “Customizable” is a strong word considering you can’t build your own decks. Turn off the Muzak. Some minor bugs.
The Story So Far…
It’s important to begin by noting that I believe Magic The Gathering is hands down one of the greatest games created in the 20th century. Unfortunately, I was never able to participate fully in tournaments or hobby store round robins because 1) I didn’t learn to play until I was 22 years old and 2) those conniving, snickering children couldn’t be beat. And it was because of those teasing imps that my hand-me-down box of 2000+ Ice Age and Mirage series cards collected dust in a filthy corner of my closet, covered in guilt and shame. I would forever be…sigh…”a closet Magic player.”
Now those days are over thanks to Wizards of the Coast’s best console effort to date. (Both Xbox’s MTG: Battlegrounds and PlayStation’s MTG: Battlemage should be buried alongside the Atari 2600 E.T. cartridges.) Finally, grown men like myself can beat on their chests and declare that they proudly play Magic with no detritus of cards strewn under their beds to scare off less-than-understanding womenfolk.
Tap That Mutha…
The campaign pits you in 16 matches against the heroes and villains from the card games upcoming Planeswalker series with a few pre-constructed mono color decks. As you progressively win, you unlock new cards as well as new decks. (There are 280 or so cards total, within the 8 decks) Each deck has a sideboard of 16 cards available for unlocking, but that’s where the customization ends. Instead of being able to swap cards in and out to create a tight deck, they just add them in, thus creating a messier game. Again, these are little things that have the hardcore players howling “foul”. But why bother? This game only costs ten bucks, a far cry from the extraneous cost of booster packs, core decks and eBay bids that litter the card tables in the back rooms of comic book shops across the world. Which again, might explain the moaning. The game is now accessible to anyone who likes a good card game, even if they only used to play gin rummy or spades.
Gameplay is pretty rudimentary with some nice tweaks: The computer AI and its bean counting abilities are a welcome change to anyone familiar with Magic: The Gathering. Cards that can be used in every phase are highlighted and gameplay is regulated by timers. While much of the automation is extremely helpful (especially for noobs who are just itching to cause some mana burn) there are a few drawbacks. As you progress further into the game, you’ll realize that despite having a multi-color deck, you cannot select which Mana is tapped for activation costs. This holds true in Online matches as well, resulting in more unfiltered profanity across the already crossed lines of Xbox Live.
Visually, the game is solid. The Battlefield board is offered as either a clean backgammon like box-table or as a molten rock monstrosity of evil. Instead of creating a bunch of animated filler during battles, the focus remains on the cards. (There is a short animation you can shut off in options) They look simply gorgeous in 1080i and will suck in anyone who can appreciate the art and flair of each card. Yet, sometimes the game can burp and stall itself. The remedy seems to be switching the table view when you get stuck. Its all rounded out with simple sound effects whose bit rate vary and awful music that should be turned off in lieu of a custom soundtrack no matter what. Again, minor issues that hardly affect the whole.
As if just having a few decks to throw down weren’t enough, there is a Challenge mode that will have even the more seasoned Magic players heading to Google for answers. You are placed in 9 different scenarios where you have 1 turn to win the game against immeasurable odds. Even when I cheated, I learned more about the game than I ever knew. They hardly skimp on the playability either with both a single player and an offline co-op (aka”Two Headed Giant”) campaign mode, allowing couples and friends to get in on the sorcery together. And on Xbox Live, you can play 2, 3 4 person games, greatly increasing your chances for utter devastation at the hands of multi-tasking masters. 4 player is a blast when you don’t have to do the math! Take that, card mongers!
Magic The Gathering – Duels of the Planeswalkers is an Xbox Live Arcade game worthy of our hard earned Microsoft points. Sure, it might not be for everyone. (I’m speaking to those of you who know who Richard Garfield is and have every card since the Mirage series). But that’s not necessarily a bad thing- In fact, if anything, Magic has just unleashed itself to a whole new audience. I’m curious to see what WOTC does with this, as they have already alluded to DLC content in the near future.
Popularity: unranked [?]
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