Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012

In an attempt to right the wrong that was Duels of the Planeswalkers (2011), gaming giant Wizards of the Coast and toy giant Hasbro have released a newer, updated version of the game on Xbox Live, Playstation 3, and Steam.  The launch of this title coincides with Wizards of the Coast's new Magic: The Gathering physical set, M12, which releases in gaming stores on July 15th, 2011.

With DotP 2012, was Wizards of the Coast aiming to redefine their gaming genre, or were they simply updating an existing product?  The answer is, simply, 'somewhere in the middle.'  After logging several hours into DotP 2012 this week, it's clear that Wizards of the Coast was determined to fix a lot of the key issues of the original DotP, but the game falls shy of redefining the original concept.  What you're left with is something in between, which is actually superior to the original but still miles behind the Wizards of the Coast physical game.

The Story -

Duels of the Planeswalkers, or Magic in general, doesn't really have a straightforward storyline.  What you are playing is a card game that happens to have had a backstory created for it.  As a result, the company has spent the last several years designing 'villains,' 'heroes,' and those in-between for you to represent with cards.

Ultimately, Magic: The Gathering is a customizable card game which puts players versus one another in heads-up matches.  Each player begins with a life total of 20, and the goal is to do damage with creatures and spells to effectively 'end' your opponent's life (the game ends when your opponent has a life total of 0).  There are many methods of play which can lead to victory, and players are given multiple pre-made decks to use to defeat their opponents.

The story elements enter play when it comes to creatures and, the center of the game, planeswalkers.  Planeswalkers are characters who can travel back and forth between planes (think, different worlds).  In the card game version of Magic, these planeswalkers are physical cards that one can cast and use during gameplay.  In Duels of the Planeswalkers, the planeswalkers are merely opponents; the ones piloting your opposing decks (ie, the AI).  It can all be a bit confusing. 

The story presented here isn't really relevant, nor does it make much sense.  You are playing a card game which happens to have a backstory.  Whether you want to follow it or not, it really doesn't affect any aspect of the game.

Gameplay -

Rather than trying to teach you how to play Magic within this review, it seems best to tell you the following: Gamers unfamiliar with how to play Magic are treated to various instructions throughout the early stages of the game.  Gamers familiar with how to play will feel right at home, once they establish how a few of the game's difficult interactions work via mouse/keyboard/game controller.  Wizards of the Coast does a pretty reasonable job at explaining how the game functions, though obviously the more you know about Magic before hand, the better.

There are several different game options available to players, with campaign and multiplayer being the two biggest draws of DotP 2012.  Online play is available with DotP 2012 as well, so gamers aren't limited to only playing against the computer.

For gamers who know the game of Magic well, Duels of the Planeswalkers can be quite frustrating at times.  Major elements of the physical game have been removed for simplicity reasons, and makes the DotP game feel like you are playing Magic with training wheels on.  That's not a great feeling, but that doesn't deter from the fun, oddly enough.

The biggest complaints heard over the original Duels of the Planeswalkers focused on the lack of real customization to the decks provided.  With the physical game of Magic, players are free to build their own decks with little limitations involved.  DotP 2012 removes most of the freedom from Magic by forcing players to play with custom decks.

These decks can be added to by unlocking new cards as players progress their campaign, however the decks are still limited in what can be added.  In the physical game, players have thousands of cards to choose from when it comes to deck construction.  Limiting this to twelve cards in DotP will infuriate many Magic players. 

However, one of the major saving graces of DotP 2012 is the fact that these pre-constructed decks actually function well.  With the first DotP, players were stuck with incredibly limited and very lackluster deck designs.  The extra cards unlocked provided little help, giving very little incentive to even play the game. 

Here, the pre-constructed decks have been fully detailed, giving gamers specific ideas and goals.  The decklists are actually fun to play and don't feel compromised.  The outcome is a pre-constructed deck that functions somewhere between a 'real' deck and a deck one might build from playing Magic in a limited environment (sealed product as opposed to constructed formats).  That's honestly not a bad thing, as long as you don't go into the game hoping for a completely open environment.

Graphics -

The graphics in DotP 2012 are shinier and glossier than the original game.  Things look better, but only because Wizards of the Coast have really just polished up the original game's graphics.  This is frustrating, because it keeps the game in a very 'middle of the road' position.  Much has changed from the original, but it essentially all looks the same.

The best comparison would be to say that the original DotP is like the original Xbox, whereas DotP 2012 is like the Xbox 360.  Newer, fancier model that does more but is ultimately still the same gaming machine. 

New package, essentially same product.  It is better than the original, but it's still not like playing the physical version of Magic.

 

Overall -

Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012 is a great teaching tool for new players, and also provides a decent amount of fun for gamers familiar with Magic.  It isn't a must-purchase, but for just $10 it's really hard to go wrong. 

There are enough options here for people who like card games to be entertained, but it certainly won't hurt if you are already familiar with Magic.  The deck limitations are frustrating, but this time around they've fixed conceptual ideas and the decks at least feel more fun to play.  The same limitations are still present that existed in the first game, but enough changes have been made that you'll never play the original over this.

It also doesn't hurt that multiplayer, in the form of Archenemy, was included here.  It's hard to tackle this concept of a game in a review, but suffice it to say that it allows for four player matches (3 vs 1) rather than only heads-up play.  The fact that you can play these types of matches online make purchasing the game more appealing.

Fans of Magic will want to pick up Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012 as it is a fun time, even if it is limited in form.  Hardcore gamers and players of Magic will probably want to give it a pass, opting instead to spend their money on physical cards and obviously less limitations. 
 

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