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Review - Magic: The Gathering Duels Of The Planeswalkers 2013
13:57, 20th Jun 2012
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It's incredibly telling when even after five valiant attempts, I still haven't made it past the very first battle of a game's Campaign mode. I don't know, maybe it's just me. Maybe I suck at Magic: The Gathering, even though learning how it's played is pretty easy to grasp for someone who's already got a background in other trading card games like Yu-Gi-Oh! and Pokémon. Maybe I'm using the wrong deck, even though you've only got two to choose from initially if you're not prepared to invest in the 'premium' ones hidden by in-game micro-transactions. Maybe I'm playing the wrong cards, even though I'm putting the ones that each draw brings to good use and even following the provided hints to the letter.
Or maybe, just maybe, there's far more to succeeding at Duels Of The Planeswalkers 2013 than just knowing how to play it.
Oh, sure, you can easily work out the flow of the game: you take turns playing land cards to amass mana, using that mana to play creatures and then try to beat down your opponent's life points without having them do the same to you. And obviously, it gets more complicated once you start taking Artefacts (cards that can be equipped to enhance creature stats), Sorcery and Instant (spell cards that do all manner of things) into account. But it's not the process of playing DotP2013 that's the problem - it's the cards. Without knowing the cards and, more importantly, your deck as a whole, you've essentially lost before you've even begun.
In that sense then, DotP2013 isn't a game you can just drop into; in fact, unless you're prepared to commit to it in the long-haul, you might as well not bother. It's almost akin to a beat-'em-up, because playing and winning means knowing your fighter (or, in this case, your deck) inside out, being aware of every weakness that it may present and how to turn that to your advantage, which moves (read: cards) to use at which time to make the most of a situation, how to turn your opponent's strengths against them and, most importantly, having the patience to consider everything carefully, rather than wading in with fists a-flyin'. It's a very deliberate game aimed at a very specific type of gamer, and it'll be damned if anyone else is going to enjoy it otherwise.
Not surprisingly, that's a pretty hard negative to ignore, especially when you combine it with a learning curve that, to paraphrase Rik Mayall, is pretty much f'ing vertical. Does that mean you should write off DotP2013 entirely though? Well, that's the thing - behind the thick velvet rope and menacing bouncers determined to keep you outside, the Magic experience is pretty damn lovely. The high-definition artwork, based on the latest run of real-life cards, is utterly exquisite to look at and you could spend ages just browsing through decks looking at all the fantastic pictures. There's absolutely stacks of things to do, whether it be plugging through the increasingly tough Campaign mode (which in itself comes with everything from basic battles and encounters to puzzle-like challenges, 'revenge' battles and a Planechase mode that mixes the gameplay up with extra rules and opponents), sorting through cards for that perfectly balanced deck or playing (and likely getting slaughtered) online with other Magic fans. And even though it's tough, the rewards for sticking it out and finally getting to that stage where you know what you're doing are worth it, whether you're punching the air at a sudden turn of fortune or smirking when the cards just happen to fall in your favour and let you crush the opposition absolutely.
It's worth noting, however, that DotP2013 is pretty ruthless on the in-game purchase options. Granted, you can make it a fair way through the game with the base packs and use new unlocked cards to mix things up a little, but the game constantly dangles new cards and other options (like upgrading your cards to the 'premium foil' variety, which makes no real difference outside of a graphical effect) in an effort to part you from your hard-bought Microsoft Points. And since the game's so tough, there's a very real chance you'll be tempted to take a little shortcut here, a little extra boost there and suddenly find yourself 500, 1,000 or even more points out of pocket, all for a few extra cards that ultimately might not even show up thanks to the luck of the draw. Admittedly, that's exactly how it is in the real-life card game too but even so, DotP2013 is pretty mercenary in its determination to make you spend more money - it's like having a Wizards PR rep standing behind you, shouting 'Buy! Buy! Buy!' in your ear every few minutes.
Of course, the question of whether to buy or not is somewhat moot if you're a Magic fan; you'll most likely have already snapped it up on release and then slapped down a load of points for extra cards just for good measure. Recommending to anyone else, however, is a big ask; not because DotP2013 is a bad game (it's definitely not) but more because the odds for enjoying it are pretty insurmountable. Come in with experience and knowledge of other trading cards games and you might muddle through to the bit where you finally get it; come in with nothing but the shirt off your back and you'll be beaten down faster than you can say 'Indrik Stomphowler', possibly to the point that you'll be determined to dust yourself off and try again, but more likely so hard that you'll wish you'd never bothered.
Oh, and before you ask: yes, that moment when it all finally 'clicked' did come when the first guy fell after I brute-forced him down with my Pack Instinct deck and things just got better from there. Well, until I started getting destroyed by a guy with an entire angelic army on his side. Honestly, angels? Someone's been spending more on DLC cards than I'd ever want to...
Or maybe, just maybe, there's far more to succeeding at Duels Of The Planeswalkers 2013 than just knowing how to play it.
Oh, sure, you can easily work out the flow of the game: you take turns playing land cards to amass mana, using that mana to play creatures and then try to beat down your opponent's life points without having them do the same to you. And obviously, it gets more complicated once you start taking Artefacts (cards that can be equipped to enhance creature stats), Sorcery and Instant (spell cards that do all manner of things) into account. But it's not the process of playing DotP2013 that's the problem - it's the cards. Without knowing the cards and, more importantly, your deck as a whole, you've essentially lost before you've even begun.
In that sense then, DotP2013 isn't a game you can just drop into; in fact, unless you're prepared to commit to it in the long-haul, you might as well not bother. It's almost akin to a beat-'em-up, because playing and winning means knowing your fighter (or, in this case, your deck) inside out, being aware of every weakness that it may present and how to turn that to your advantage, which moves (read: cards) to use at which time to make the most of a situation, how to turn your opponent's strengths against them and, most importantly, having the patience to consider everything carefully, rather than wading in with fists a-flyin'. It's a very deliberate game aimed at a very specific type of gamer, and it'll be damned if anyone else is going to enjoy it otherwise.
Not surprisingly, that's a pretty hard negative to ignore, especially when you combine it with a learning curve that, to paraphrase Rik Mayall, is pretty much f'ing vertical. Does that mean you should write off DotP2013 entirely though? Well, that's the thing - behind the thick velvet rope and menacing bouncers determined to keep you outside, the Magic experience is pretty damn lovely. The high-definition artwork, based on the latest run of real-life cards, is utterly exquisite to look at and you could spend ages just browsing through decks looking at all the fantastic pictures. There's absolutely stacks of things to do, whether it be plugging through the increasingly tough Campaign mode (which in itself comes with everything from basic battles and encounters to puzzle-like challenges, 'revenge' battles and a Planechase mode that mixes the gameplay up with extra rules and opponents), sorting through cards for that perfectly balanced deck or playing (and likely getting slaughtered) online with other Magic fans. And even though it's tough, the rewards for sticking it out and finally getting to that stage where you know what you're doing are worth it, whether you're punching the air at a sudden turn of fortune or smirking when the cards just happen to fall in your favour and let you crush the opposition absolutely.
It's worth noting, however, that DotP2013 is pretty ruthless on the in-game purchase options. Granted, you can make it a fair way through the game with the base packs and use new unlocked cards to mix things up a little, but the game constantly dangles new cards and other options (like upgrading your cards to the 'premium foil' variety, which makes no real difference outside of a graphical effect) in an effort to part you from your hard-bought Microsoft Points. And since the game's so tough, there's a very real chance you'll be tempted to take a little shortcut here, a little extra boost there and suddenly find yourself 500, 1,000 or even more points out of pocket, all for a few extra cards that ultimately might not even show up thanks to the luck of the draw. Admittedly, that's exactly how it is in the real-life card game too but even so, DotP2013 is pretty mercenary in its determination to make you spend more money - it's like having a Wizards PR rep standing behind you, shouting 'Buy! Buy! Buy!' in your ear every few minutes.
Of course, the question of whether to buy or not is somewhat moot if you're a Magic fan; you'll most likely have already snapped it up on release and then slapped down a load of points for extra cards just for good measure. Recommending to anyone else, however, is a big ask; not because DotP2013 is a bad game (it's definitely not) but more because the odds for enjoying it are pretty insurmountable. Come in with experience and knowledge of other trading cards games and you might muddle through to the bit where you finally get it; come in with nothing but the shirt off your back and you'll be beaten down faster than you can say 'Indrik Stomphowler', possibly to the point that you'll be determined to dust yourself off and try again, but more likely so hard that you'll wish you'd never bothered.
Oh, and before you ask: yes, that moment when it all finally 'clicked' did come when the first guy fell after I brute-forced him down with my Pack Instinct deck and things just got better from there. Well, until I started getting destroyed by a guy with an entire angelic army on his side. Honestly, angels? Someone's been spending more on DLC cards than I'd ever want to...
VERDICT
DotP2013's a difficult one to score - on one hand, it does what it does very, very well but on the other, it does it behind a huge wall of exclusion that only those with the tenacity to break through will avoid. As much as it's a cop-out, it really depends how into Magic (or trading card games in general) you are and how willing you are to learn; add two points if you're up for it, but subtract two or even more if you're not.
7/10
