Magic the Gathering: Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012 (XBLA)

When it comes to the trading card game of 'Magic the Gathering (MTG)' I am no stranger. I actually collected, and played MTG years back with a friend. What always held my interest was the artwork on each, and every card. The art really brings the game to life, and makes imagining a fantasy duel much easier. Without the artwork I honestly think that MTG would have failed years ago, but thankfully they decided to to include the mini-masterpieces on the cards. 'MTG: duels of the Planeswalkers 2012' keeps true to everything the trading card version stood for, and brings it to digital life in a truly amazing way. The game features very detailed customization options as well as lots of unlockable content (via in-game & xbox live marketplace). Wizards of the Coast/Stainless Games (the developer) even went so far as to include the premium holographic cards that veteran fans of the game will likely recognize. Everything about this game is done in great quality. It even opens with an epic cinematic scene that would put most video games to shame. Throughout the entire game there are artistic images of the paintings that adorn the MTG cards. It's eye candy at it's best with quality gameplay that doesn't dilute the core values that 'Wizards of the Coast' set out to achieve.

Whenever you buy a core deck of MTG cards you will recieve a game guide, as well as playmat with your new set. This feature holds true even in this version of the game. The only difference is you are given a visual tutorial that is one of the best I have ever seen in a video game. It will walk you through step by step of a duel preparing you for battle in a way that is even better than the written instructions of the trading card version. The entire tutorial match is told with visual demonstrations, and dialogue that even newcomers to the game can grasp. It has actually been several years since I last played MTG, so I did go through the tutorial a couple of times to refresh my memory. After playing through the tutorial duel, and the first actual duel in the game I pretty much had the rules memorized. The game continues to teach you new tricks in '1-on-1 challenges' located on the Campaign's board as you go along. Learning all of these tricks/game strategies will definitely help improve your game.

The core of 'MTG: Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012' involves the epic story of 'Gideon Jura', a planeswalker who is trying to right all the wrongs he has done in life by teaching those who followed a similar path a lesson. When the intro starts Gideon tells his tale of his fall from grace, his redemption, and the allies he made in a visually stunning way that brings the paintings of MTG to life. At the heart of 'MTG: Duels of the Planeswalkers' is the 'Campaign' mode. In this mode you duel with other planeswalkers (AI) via the decks that you have in your possession. To begin with you start off with 2 different decks. One of the decks is a 'Plains (white)' deck, and the other is a 'Mountain (red)' deck. You unlock other decks by defeating opponents. If you are new to the MTG universe there are five colors that are incorporated into the various card types (instants, creatures, sorcery, artifacts, lands ...) of the game. These colors are 'White (Plains)', 'Black (Swamp)', 'Red (Mountains)', 'Blue (Islands)', and 'Green (Forests)'. Each color deck features it's own unique types of cards, and playing rules. In the 'Campaign' mode there are 3 sub-sections (Campaign, Archenemy, Revenge). Each contain their own unique duels, and 1-on-1 challenges. You actually start of with the 'Campaign' sub-category, and unlock the others as you win duels.

There are two core modes of multiplayer in 'MTG: Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012'. One of the modes is for online/local play (Multiplayer) while the other mode will put you up against AI opponents (Custom Game). Within each of the multiplayer modes are some sub-modes (Two-Headed Giant, Free-For-All, Archenemy). The online/local multiplayer includes 'Player Matches', and 'Ranked Matches' like you see in most online multiplayer games. Two- Headed Giant is a team based game mode where two sets of two players battle it out in a duel. Your life is shared in this mode as well as decisions on which cards your team chooses to use. The creatures for each team in this mode also attack in groups. Free-For-All (FFA) mode is just as it sounds. In FFA it's a 1-on-1 duel to the end. Archenemy mode involves one player taking on the role of the 'Archenemy', and going up against multiple opponents. The Archenemy's deck in this mode is also larger. If I had to compare this mode with anything it would be a sort of domination/survival game mode.

There are a lot of features involved in 'MTG: Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012'. Among those features are a leaderboard that is both global/local, unlockable achievements, and even extras for your Xbox 360 console (avatar items, gamer pics). From the opening intro sequence to the card duels themselves 'MTG: Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012' is a solid experience that offers it's dedicated fans a new way to experience the game. I absolutely loved playing through the 'Campaign' mode, and even learning the game again. Even if you are new to MTG, Stainless Game's in-game tutorial will ease you into the gameplay in a manner that will have you playing like a pro in no time. Practice makes perfect, but with the visual tutorial to go by, learning to play 'MTG: Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012' will be a much easier experience for you. I definitely think this game is worth the microsoft points, and I recommend it to any fan of the card game or even those who have never played before.