Dynafire has 132 chronicles

1. Magic: the Gathering Duels of the Planeswalkers review
   

   Player Chronicle -- Posted on Jul 08 2009

   I bet that there are plenty of people on here who have heard of Magic: the Gathering, but I'll give a a quick breakdown of what the game is for those who don't know much about it. Magic is a game where you throw magical creatures and spells at your opponents until you reduce their life total to 0. Oh, and this is done with cards. Yes, it's kind of dorky, but the game's a lot of fun. I've dabbled in Magic: the Gathering, or MTG for almost a decade now. I started back when Invasion was the newest set, and while I have mostly stopped playing, I occasionally get the urge to do a booster draft, or play some casual games with friends. When I heard this was coming to Xbox Live Arcade, I was skeptical. When you look at the previous MTG video game, things don't look good. MTG Battlegrounds came out for the original Xbox, and was, to my understanding, nothing like the card game. It wasn't until I actually saw screenshots of the new game that I actually wanted to play it.
   
   MTG DotP is the actual card game. For hardcore players, this game will likely turn you off, and I'll explain why in a second. For people looking to get into the game, or simply hone their skills using the new rules, MTG DotP is a great tool. It teaches you all the basic elements of the game, as well as showing you how the phases work, and teaching you a few tricks in the process, all for less than the cost of three booster packs. (You also get a code redeemable for a card that is currently selling for at least $10, so you could pretty much get the game for free if you sold the card.)
   
   In DotP, you are initially given a couple of preconstructed decks with which to play. By beating opponents, you can unlock extra cards and decks to get further replayability and fun out of the game. There are 8 decks in total. Each deck has 60 cards, with between 15 and 17 unlockable cards per deck. All in all, there are 170 items to unlock, which will keep you glued to the couch for many hours should you decide to go for them all.
   
   Now, for people that already know most of the intricate parts of the game, here's where you'll likely hate DotP. There is no real deck customization. All the decks are pre-constructed, though to their credit, Wizards of the Coast made them very well balanced. You can earn more cards by winning games and add them to your deck, but you can't remove any of the core deck's cards. You are able to remove the cards you unlock, but this still means that if you want to play with an unlocked card, you have to play with a deck of more than 60 cards. What's the significance you ask? It affects your ability to draw land (which is needed to cast spells) and other potentially useful spells and creatures. If you start off with a 60 card deck containing 20 land, 1 in 3 draws should net you a land. If you have a 70 card deck with 20 land, it becomes a 1 in 3.5 ratio. It doesn't sound that bad, but you run the risk of not drawing enough land to play spells. Now, I'm no pro or anything like that, but it has been at least 5-6 years since I built a deck with more than 60 cards (the bare minimum) in it. Not to mention that every other card you unlock seems to be a giant turd that isn't worth playing.
   
   That's not to say DotP isn't fun though. It's a faithful re-creation of the tabletop game, but without having to shuffle, worry about pop getting spilled on your cards, or having to deal with the occasional smelly person. (Those who have played in a local tournament know exactly the kind of people I'm talking about.) DotP allows you to play the game at your own pace, rather than a tournament that thrusts you into an environment full of netdeckers (people who look up, then build the best decks in a given format rather than creating something of their own.) where you will find yourself the victim of ridicule for attempting to have fun with the game. I know I ramble, but that's the reason I hate playing in tournaments, and haven't done so for a long time.
   
   The game sports a fair amount of different formats, featuring a 1v1 campaign, 1v1 with either the AI, a buddy, or random people online, as well as 2 headed giant (2v2), or up to 4 player free-for-all. You can also do a co-op campaign, but sadly, this mode is not available to do online. Again, you're limited as to what decks you can use, so there's only so much to get out of DotP. You'll also run into people who would rather quit and deny you a win than lose with dignity, which is annoying because there's an achievement for getting 5 ranked wins that takes way more time than it should because you have to both win the game, and make sure the opponent doesn't quit on you. There is also a mentor mode where you can seek help from other players, or even be a mentor yourself. I haven't used the mentor feature myself, but I hear it works well.
   
   Overall, the game is worth $10. I was somewhat disappointed by not being able to build decks from scratch, but it's still an enjoyable game even with preconstructed decks. Definitely look into it if you're even remotely interested in playing the game in real life, as it will teach you all you need to know, and for less than the cost of a starter pack.

   
   

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Dynafire has 1 comment on this chronicle.

1. BEN
   Posted On Jul 08 2009

   I never got into the card game, but for only $10, it seems like if someone missed this boat, the game would be a nice chance to dive right in. I don't see myself playing this game, but that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy this video game review from yesterday's birthday boy