Fun for a quick game
User Rating: 8.9 | Magic: The Gathering - Battlegrounds PC
I picked this up in a bargain bin for $5. I've never been a "Magic" fan, so I really didn't know what to expect; I was just bored of the "same old shooters" that take SOOO much time to work through. It's nice to play a game that I can get in and out of in 5-10 minutes of fun. I was pleasantly suprised at the way the game is played, but, since I've never played the card game, I got STOMPED alot b/c I just don't really understand it's strategy and how to maximize attacks and defenses. It's a pretty neat game, but the keyboard interface is a little tricky to figure out how to use in a fast action game. For example, when you cast spells or summon, you have to not only hit the right key, you have to figure out how to pick the one you want - it's a beginner's curve thing that takes some getting used to. I cant' imagine how you would play this on a controller..... but then again I'm a keyboard jockey and don't use anything but a wheel for racing games. The basic selection of characters is colorful and decently powered. I still get beaten into the dirt regularly, but that could also be because I don't know what the heck to pick and how to use the people effectively.
It's a fun game for a quick "beat 'em up" battle in Arcade or "Vs" mode (especially if you want to see what the computer would do against your attacks/defenses and you want to see how IT uses the combinations of spells and boogie men.) Overall, it was worth the bargain bin price, but I wouldn't spend $20+ on it. -especially since I don't know jack about the "Magic" system of battle. If you're already up to speed on "Magic" you'll probably have some fun watching all kinds of characters and monsters come to life and enjoy the 3D fights. I can imagine (only imagine b/c I haven't managed to get there yet!) that the upper level monsters and spells are pretty neat and real buttkickers! The graphics are pretty good for this type of game (one on one side-scrolling fighting is notorious for crappy graphics, but this isn't the case here) and since it's older, any machine can run it with high graphics and not worry about any response drags. It looks like the game is compatible with just about ANY machine made in the past 7-8 years, so if you've got an old box, you can still get a kick out a game you may not have played b/c almost every game in existence calls for super-powered giganto-boxes!
