Magic: the Gathering

"A Well-Made Console Version (with its faults)"

This is a review of the Dreamcast game Magic the Gathering (MtG) that was released in Japan on June 28th for 6800yen. To begin, let me describe what type of MtG player I am. I started playing MtG at the end of the Legends set and played straight until Ice Age. Then, I played off and on since then. But, since coming to Japan, I haven't played at all. I have played the PC version of MtG, but not that terrible Playstation action game.

This version is a good one. There are 354 cards from various sets that you can play, almost all fom the 6th Edition Classics set. There are also ten new Dreamcast only cards in the game. The price of the game, at 6800 yen, 1000yen (or $13US) more than a typical game is not very reasonable. I guess that Sega feels that they probably put a lot of development into this game (especially, AI wise) and wants some of that back. Plus, they are probably figuring that the people that want this game pretty much have played MtG before and are willing to shell out a bit more for it. In Japan, is has been a strange game. It was reported in the magazines over a year ago that it was coming out. Since then, it has barely been in the magazines at all. Then, the reviews, and that was it. It's strange because this is the country with a weekly game magazine and several bi-monthly Dreamcast ones. I was originally worried that it might have been shelved since the halting of the Dreamcast, but it made it.
Is it worth it?

Well, yes and no. I have read basically mediocre reviews of the game in the game magazines in Japan, but most of them admitted that they've never played the card game before. The highest review that I have seen is an 8/10. Japanese Famitsu gave it straight sevens.

The graphics are good. The card effects are generally well done and add to the game without wasting too much of your time. But, I find it tiring to wait for the tapping effect above all. Veteran players will quickly turn off the effects. The bosses that you fight are well-done graphically, supported by English voices. Whenever you play a card, there is an English voice, saying the name of the card. Otherwise, the cards are written in Japanese, including the text.

How is the AI? The AI is not that stupid, but it is not that great either. It will attack you if it can definitely win, or if it has an instant in its hand to offset the result. So, it is pretty predictable. But, it is okay with instants and end of turn effects. I find the AI is the worst with combat. It doesn't take into special effects, so it is pretty easy to fool. The computer opponents play a lot of creature decks. There are a couple of land-destruction decks too. There aren't any real surprising decks.

The sound is okay. I usually don't pay much attention to it. The sound effects are nice. However, every time you access a menu or choose a card, there is a ring, which you can't turn off! So, I usually turn the volume totally off.

The Story mode is a bit easy, to say the least. There is a boss for each color, and two sub-bosses. Then there are three final bosses. None of them are extremely hard for a veteran player. If you are a beginner, the tutorial and basic cards sets would be a great introduction to the game, if you understand Japanese. If you are an intermediate player, you might find this game interesting and worth the purchase. If you are an advanced player, this game will be too easy for you, and you will be limited in cards; playing a computer AI that you will easily beat.

Presentation
+ Well-made graphics for the game, cards and tutorial
+ Tutorial is well-presented (in Japanese)
+ Card effects are nice (and can be turned off)

AI
+ Generally uses instants well
- Counterspells are easy to fool
- AI problems during combat

Sound
+ Sound effects are and music are nice
- Ringing effect is annoying

Control
+ Joystick control is easy to play with
- Mouse support would be best
- Can't replace the feel of the card game

Miscellaneous
+ Ten Dreamcast cards are a nice addition
+ 354 cards in total
- Story mode is too easy and short
- Lack of network play!
- Lack of English support (not intended for other markets)
- Can't trade cards between saves

Hours of play:
Beginner 30-50
Intermediate 20-30
Advanced 5-10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 05/27/02, Updated 05/27/02