Title: Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers 2014 (AKA Magic 2014)
Platforms: PSN, XBL, iOS, Steam, Google Play
Genre: Strategy, CCG
Price: $9.99 (most platforms) or 800 MS Points (XBL). ($19.99 for the Special Edition on Steam. Includes the game, e-book, wallpapers, and soundtrack)
Release Dates: June 25 - 27 2013 (specific date depending on platform & region)
Version Reviewed: Steam retail version (bonus content of the Special edition not reviewed, despite having the bonuses)

Magic 2014 simply put, is the 4th in a series of yearly video game adaptions of the now 20 year old CCG Magic: The Gathering. That being said, this is a niche game. If you're primarily into high action games such as Dudebro Shooter 2: Too Dudebro For You or EA's Roster Update 20XX series, this is NOT the game for you. However, if you like a more casual game that requires thought & strategy like a chess game, have played (or still currently playing) the actual CCG, or have had an inkling of interest in it, this game may be for you.

Now, you may be asking yourself "Ok, I have one of the prior games (possibly last year's version). Why should I buy or not buy this one? What changes are involved, if any?" Well, good question.

Aside from the usual modes that are typically present (A standard campaign, online multiplayer for 2 - 4 people (free for all), 2 headed giant (2 vs 2 - be it online 2 vs 2 or 2 people against the AI), or an offline custom games, there's a new mode - Sealed Deck campaign/multiplayer. What this is, is the game basically gives you some packs of cards with random cards in it. You unwrap them & build a deck to play with. The thing is, you only get so many packs of cards & that's it - you're stuck with them, plus you can only have 2 decks without having to pay for extra slots for new decks (The extra slots are DLC). While this is certainly new & different to Stainless Games' & WotC's credit, this isn't Constructed Play (build you own deck with any cards), sadly enough.

With the addition of the Sealed Deck modes, Stainless Games & WotC took out some of the modes found in prior Magic games, which were quite enjoyable in my opinion. Also, they have updated the cards (and the preconstructed decks) to reflect the latest card sets to have been released in real life. In terms of the preconstructed decks, from the get-go you have to unlock most of them by way of playing though the campaign. Additionally, you can unlock additional cards by winning games with said deck, be it online or offline. Whether the unlocking of content by playing through the game repeatedly is a pro or con is merely personal point of view.

My 2 main gripes with the game are that if you want immediate access to the locked content (decks & bonus cards for the decks), you'd have to pay an additional $0.99/deck, which in my opinion seems like a cheap money grab by the devs/publishers. Secondly, there are numerous $0.99 DLCs referred to as "[insert deck name here] Foil Conversion". These DLCs are the game's equivalent to the infamous Oblivion Horse Armor DLC in the sense that they have ZERO impact on gameplay & only serve to make certain cards within a given deck "purdy". Now, if you had preordered the game, particularly the Special Edition, you would've recieved the DLC for each deck in the base game for free, but I feel that paying for this DLC is a waste of money & th DLC in of itself is unnecessary.

Having new decks to play with & against certainly present new challenges. The AI in game seems to be very challenging, especially in the beginning before you unlock bonus cards for a given deck or you haven't gotten the "feel" for a deck yet. For newbies, there is an extensive tutorial in place to help one learn the game as well.

All in all, this is a slightly better than average game. It's kinda hurt by the fact that it is a niche title that really hasn't separated itself too much from previous entries of the series too much outside of new decks & the 1 new mode.

PROS
- New mode (Sealed Deck play)
- new decks/cards to play with & against
- a detailed tutorial for newbies & those that are kinda rusty when it comes to Magic: The Gathering
- moderate to high replayabilty thanks to the unlocking mechanism.
- Challenging AI (at least at first)

CONS
- unlocking content can be obnoxious or tedious for some
- paying extra money for immediate access to certain content seems like a cheap money grab
- Sealed Deck play, while ok, is less preferred to constructed format. Also, Sealed deck modes should've been in addition to previously established modes, not in lieu of.
- Some game modes from previous game entries not present in Magic 2014
- Unnecessary DLC that has no affect on gameplay (Foil Conversion DLC)

Grade: C+

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Protip: Dying in a game is a bad thing. The more you know....

Note: there will be an upcoming addendum to this review that will cover Magic 2014's expansion. Yeah, it'll be a tad late, but I need the time to play though it & form a complete opinion on it.

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Protip: Dying in a game is a bad thing. The more you know....

DLC: Magic 2014 Expansion pack
Price: $4.99
Available on: All platforms listed on original review.
Release Date: September 18
Summary: This add-on basically adds on extra challenges, a new campaign, and several new decks to unlock by way of playing through the expansion's campaign, then play games to unlock additional cards to fill out these decks. The campaign is indeed challenging, even if you are very familiar with Magic and have fully unlocked all of the older decks. Not to say that challenge isn't a good thing - it is, mind you - but I kinda question if the expansion's a little too challenging. A lot of trial and error will be involved to beat the AI & a good deal of the time, you may not pull the card that you'd need to win or the AI seems to pull the 1 card that will throw a monkey wrench into your plans for victory. Is it worth buying? It's kinda hard to say. If you're getting bored with the base game & want an extra challenge and/or new decks to play with, then go for it. If you're the type that's easily frustrated by tough AI, then I'd pass on this.

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Protip: Dying in a game is a bad thing. The more you know....

Addendum #2: Since my last addendum there's been 2 more "main" additions to the game in the form of "deck packs", which are $2.99 each. Unlike the Expansion mentioned earlier, these Deck Packs only add 2 new decks (each) to the game & presents new strategies to employ with them, and no new challenges or campaigns (hence the lower price). You can access the decks right away for the most part, but like other decks, the "extra" cards for each must be unlocked via repeated playthroughs or paying an additional $0.99 per deck to fully unlock all the cards.

Also, now that I've reread my initial review of Magic 2014, I noticed that I failed to mention one thing regarding DLC - aside from the $0.99 DLC that fully unlocks decks, there's also $0.99 DLC for each deck labeled as "Foil conversion". This DLC is basically Magic's version of the infamous Horse Armor DLC in the sense that the DLC has zero impact on the game itself & merely serves as a way to "gussy up" your decks to make the non-common cards resemble real life premium foil cards. I will edit my review to acknowledge this omission.

**EDIT** Aside from editing my initial review to include previously omitted info, I made minor changes, namely correcting a few grammatical errors and I did a better job of breaking down the main text of the review into paragraphs, making it easier to read as opposed to the original wall of text. the basic content & the info I attempted to relay remains unchanged.

_________________
Protip: Dying in a game is a bad thing. The more you know....

Great review, Rageinator!

I enjoy the Magic DotP series so much that I simply had to register here on VOG and stop lurking about.. I feel that DotP gets a bad rep and understandingbly so. Wizards basically treats it as a glorified marketing platform for their TCG. I mean, they don't even try to be sneaky about it. They plug local events, new card packs, and all that sort of stuff quite blatantly.

I am 100% with you about how they should be adding, not replacing, features and game modes. This would make us feel far less dirty about buying a new Magic game where essentially all we get is a UI refresh and some new cards. The microtransactions in Magic 2014 are a bit silly, especially when it comes to the Sealed Play and buying deck slots. They are purely nickel-and-diming people there.

That said, there's more good than bad. I do love the gameplay in Magic 2013 the most but 2014 is cleaner, performs better, and introduces sealed play at long last. While they executed sealed play poorly, it's still playable and fun. I dig these sorts of modes because it levels the playing field and makes it less about pay-to-win and more about skill. It keeps the experience fresh, much like Arena in Hearthstone and Judgement in Scrolls.

Believe it or not, I am actually one of the weird people that buys into these games for the multiplayer modes. The campaign is always satisfying and it's a must since you can unlock cards through it.. But it's the multiplayer that I really dig. It's a shame that they don't commit more to that side because, for us more casual duelists, Magic Online is too expensive and elitist... Plus it looks pretty craptastic given the amount of money you need to spend to get digital cards. CRAZY TALK!

I think Wizard would make more money and please more TCG fans if they released these games once every two years instead of yearly.. But that's likely not happening. They should at least lower the prices of the microtransactions and offer bundles after the initial loading period is over. For the really hardcore peeps, there are the foil conversions, playmats, and other prestige/vanity items they can blow their loads on. LOL

Overall, I love the series and this is one of the best in the series.. It's just a shame they don't keep building upon their previous triumphs. Well, at least they kept two-headed giant and the free-for-all modes. Well, last I checked.. Damn, I really have to get back into the game and stream it some more. Admittedly, I've been on a bit of a Hearthstone kick, not that one game is necessarily better than the other. I just feel Hearthstone is far less of a grind. You have a better sense of progression and rewards, whereas MTG only opens up once you get lots of cards to work with. 8)

BTW, I think the Special Edition is silly.. I would have preferred something in between that and the basic buy.. Maybe a Complete Edition with all the cards/decks unlocked? There's still plenty of incentive to play the game thereafter, me thinks.

We should play! Add me on Steam, guys - Yogizilla!

I think we should also set up some game nights. Join our Horseplay community group on Steam. I believe I still have two copies of the game to do giveaways with. Oh man.. You have inspired me, Rageinator! =oD

Well, I do appreciate the extras (well, most of them) of the Special edition, namely the novella & the OST. Now, if you had preordered the game on Steam, they DID give you a bunch of DLC for free, namely all the 99 cent foil conversion DLCs for the decks in the base game & the initial deck (Firewall) is fully unlocked right out of the gate. I can sorta see why DotP is a yearly release, if only so the decks/card sets are current, BUT at the same time that could've been accomplished by way of DLC. New modes also could've been DLC too in worse case scenarios if they couldn't include them in the main game.

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Protip: Dying in a game is a bad thing. The more you know....