Magic: the Gathering: Duels of the Planeswalkers

DLC Review from AJ - Monday, 27 July 2009 @ 3:58pm

I’ve never played Magic. I refuse to play any game that requires me to collect “real” things. The artificial value given to what amounts to a piece paper with some arbitrary rules written on it has always seemed a little daft. I can understand the attraction to perfecting your own collection and getting the balance exactly right...but when all is said and done, it’s clearly just a means of raping the consumer for as much money as possible...albeit very slowly and totally self-inflicted by the gamer.

I was somewhat perplexed then, when playing this XBLA version of the game, that the biggest drawcard (pun intended) of the game has been removed. Deck customisation has been all but removed from the game. You start off with a set deck which becomes upgraded over time by unlocking new cards, and you can unlock other “complete” decks, but the ability to mix and match and create your own deck is conspicuously absent.

For a novice player like me, it isn’t the end of the world. Achieving the correct balance in a deck is all but done for you, leaving you to sit down and just play the game. Hardcore Magic fans, however, seem to be outraged by this omission. To me the reason is pretty simple; the game is targeting non-Magic players. In the scheme of things, an XBLA game is marketing that MAKES money instead of costing money. People who buy the game and are intrigued by the mechanics are all the more likely to do some more investigation into the game, and maybe even start playing. And this is the big point... Wizards of the Coast don’t want existing Magic players to put away their cards and play online. Ten bucks for an XBLA game is dirt cheap when you consider a STARTER pack for Magic starts at about double that and each booster pack costs about $5. For those counting their pennies, a complete set of the latest version of Magic will set you back around $350...

So am I surprised that the XBLA is a little bit “hobbled”? No, not at all. And given the target audience, I think it is probably a good thing. It’s easy to get into without being overwhelmed by the 400+ cards present in some editions of the game.

The upside of this being a marketing exercise is that the game looks great. The cards are reproduced perfectly, and you have the ability to zoom in and read the rules on each card, pausing the game to take a chance to do some learning. In addition to the campaign mode, which exposes you to a wide variety of decks and play styles, the game also features a challenge mode. The challenge mode is really a tutorial in creative uses of a wide variety of cards to win against seemingly impossible odds. It also offers a mentor mode where you can actually play online with another player and let them see your cards and offer advice on how to play.... yet another tool to get you hooked!

As a marketing device, Magic does a fantastic job of giving players a taste of the card game. Just enough to get you to walk down the shop and slap $20 on the counter. It is even worth a look for those who are already thinking of taking up the game, as it operates as a fantastic introduction and tutorial to what is a extremely complex game to learn and master.

Pros

Good introduction to a game I'd never otherwise play.
Good value for money compared to the real thing.
Dumbed down enough to make it playable, but not so much as to ruin the fun.

Cons

Can't create own decks.
Limited replayability.
Attacks take too long resolve