Magic the Gathering ( 1 DVD )
Of course, Duels was always meant to be a limited
experience to some extent. It's the video game version of the most
popular physical card game in existence, a simulation that allows
interested parties to avoid the massive money pit Magic is associated
with creating. The built-in Campaign mode also means you never need to
worry about finding someone to play with, because the AI is more than
capable of piloting the wide variety of enemy decks the developers
programmed into the game. The game exists as a convenience, leveraging
the power of the medium of video games to give us a way of playing Magic
on our own terms, even connecting players across the world thanks to
online play.
Ultimately,
however, the primary function of Duels of the Planeswalkers is to be a
big, fat advertisement for the physical game aimed at the video game
enthusiast crowd. You need only look at the menu for proof, as an entire
section is dedicated to promoting Friday Night Magic, the centerpiece
of Wizard of the Coast's organized play for tabletop game stores, even
going so far as including a store locator. As such, Duels condenses 20
years of Magic into a complete, standalone package designed to entice
people to check out the paper game. A carefully-curated selection of
cards ensures players aren't overwhelmed by choices, and premade decks
eases them into the game without needing to worry about deck building
until they're used to playing. As always, Duels of the Planeswalkers
provides neophytes with a nice little cross section of the game proper
without taking anything away its core.
In this light,
2015 represents a holding pattern. You still get a Campaign mode in
which you face AI opponents using your pick of premade decks, you still
win cards that can enhance your base deck, and the interface is still as
friendly as it ever was, breaking down the many phases that make up
each turn into easy-to-understand segments. The timer still makes
thinking out turns awkward; you must rush to stop the countdown before
you map out your next, a necessary conceit to make sure people don't
stall out in multiplayer that feels unnecessary in Campaign mode.
One
previously glaring omission that 2015 remedies is in the deck-building
options. Until now, you couldn't meddle much with the decks you're
given: the cards you won could only be swapped in and out of the deck it
was paired with. Switching between decks wasn't allowed, and though
this kept with the innate simplicity of the Duels series, it deprived
players of one of the cornerstones of the Magic experience. 2015 allows
you to put whatever cards you want into your deck; you may even tear the
whole thing apart and start from scratch if you wish. Instead of
winning individual cards, you win boosters from each Campaign game which
let you further customize your deck and build a virtual collection of
Magic cards. As a result, newer players can gain better understanding of
the game beyond what was allowed before, encouraging experimentation
and on-the-fly deck testing, an aspect that should have been possible in
the series in the first place.
This new, necessary
feature comes with an odd limitation: You're only allowed one premade
deck before you're sent on your way and left to your own devices. This
doesn't sound so bad at first; after all, that's how it works in real
life. You get enough cards to build your own deck, and then you add to
it as you get more cards. But giving players access to a multitude of
premade decks in previous games showed off the true breadth of potential
play styles, and, more importantly, what's possible in Magic. Limiting
players to a single deck restricts them to one type of play style no
matter what. It's difficult to change gears if something doesn't work
for you because most of your cards are in the two colors you started
with. Changing to a new color is out of the question until you build
your collection further, which you can't do until you win more matches.
It's a catch-22 that is only compounded by the way in which certain
decks are weak against others, and since you now can't swap out decks,
you will often find yourself bottlenecked.
The
primary function of Duels of the Planeswalkers is to be a big, fat
advertisement for the physical game aimed at the video game enthusiast
crowd.
Beyond
its new deck-building options, 2015 is characterized by a complete lack
of modes beyond the single-player Campaign and multiplayer matches.
Previous versions of the game included extra modes like puzzle matches,
Archenemy, and Sealed Deck, each of which tested Magic skills in
different ways. What you have with Magic 2015 is a stripped down version
of what came before, which is a shame. The multitude of different ways
that people enjoy Magic beyond the base game isn't represented in the
slightest.
Instead, the biggest "feature" in 2015 is a
new in-game store that lets you buy premium packs made up of cards that
you can't earn within the game. Perhaps the game was meant to be more
like Hearthstone or Magic online, games in which you're able to pay to
add to your collection, but in reality, 2015 needlessly nickels and
dimes, making it far less than a complete experience.
And
yet even with all these problems, Magic: The Gathering is still the
fun, challenging game it's always been. Learning the complex
interactions between cards is a joy, and the game is extraordinarily
replayable. 2015 also features newer cards from the Theros block and the
Magic 2015 core set, so fans of previous installments can play around
with cards and mechanics they've never tried before, which is enticing
for existing Duels fans. People who want more Campaign mode and
straight-up online multiplayer of the core game may be satisfied, if
annoyed by the unnecessary deck limitations. Nevertheless, they are
still better served going to their local store and checking out the
physical game.
Duels of the Planeswalkers 2015 gives
players what they've wanted for a long time by implementing
deckbuilding, but it doesn't excuse the bare-bones package and needless
extra monetization. The game within the template is still as fantastic
as ever, and once you get into the groove, you'll enjoy stomping your
enemies with your tuned deck. It's just a shame that 2015 never aspires
to be anything more than a shell and delivery service.