Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012

 PC
User Score
5.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 114 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 40 out of 114
  2. Mixed: 36 out of 114
  3. Negative: 38 out of 114

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. orctown-troll
    Jun 18, 2014
    9
    A lot of the people who play 'real' Magic with cards were disappointed with this game. Fair enough. The game lacks several key dimensions of the card game, especially building your own decks. Others complain about the DLC. Also fair. It is far easier to pay to win than actually grind the card unlocks. So yes, the DLC is bad. However this is still a good magic game, and it is an excellentA lot of the people who play 'real' Magic with cards were disappointed with this game. Fair enough. The game lacks several key dimensions of the card game, especially building your own decks. Others complain about the DLC. Also fair. It is far easier to pay to win than actually grind the card unlocks. So yes, the DLC is bad. However this is still a good magic game, and it is an excellent product as an introduction to the game for beginners or the curious. If you are a veteran magic player you may wish to avoid it. But if you are an outsider who wants to see how this famous game functions this is a good place to start. And of course the way around the high price of DLC is PATIENCE. Wait for the inevitable Steam sale.

    9/10 as a great demo for magic.

    Orctowngrot.    … Expand
  2. suneater
    Aug 22, 2013
    6
    DotP 2012 is a huge step up from the previous failure "Duel of the Planeswalkers" (2009) which was a terrible direct port from XBL. While much has been fixed from 2009's release, with improved graphics, UI, and controls, DotP 2012 still struggles to properly emulate the actual Magic: The Gathering card game. The devs are so bent on keeping the players from editing their own decks that theyDotP 2012 is a huge step up from the previous failure "Duel of the Planeswalkers" (2009) which was a terrible direct port from XBL. While much has been fixed from 2009's release, with improved graphics, UI, and controls, DotP 2012 still struggles to properly emulate the actual Magic: The Gathering card game. The devs are so bent on keeping the players from editing their own decks that they purposefully include simplistic and poorly designed decks. Many decks are binary with boring win conditions and are missing their color's most basic traits, with unlocks only adding bigger numbers and not wider options. However, compared to DotP 2013 and 2014, I think overall this has the best decks. Besides the boring deck design, the real problem with the decks is the unlock system: although you only have to unlock 20 cards total and multiple can be unlocked at once, they lock you out of all the best cards. As you get deeper into the campaign, you are basically forced to continue using one deck, backtrack (or play MP) to "grind" to unlock more, or pay to unlock a deck. This problem is most visible in the Revenge campaign, where your opponents have every card unlocked in every duel.

    So what makes DotP 2012 worth picking up? It has the best game modes out of the three numbered releases; Archenemy is great fun because of the wildly powerful effects of the Archenemy's deck, even just with (or against!) AI. With all the expansion decks, 2012 also has the most decks available at 19 total. My favorite are Dark Heavens (B/W angels & tokens) and Ancient Depths (G/U mana ramp & eldrazi). Despite the multiplayer bugs and lag issues, I think this is the best DotP game available and is the best intro to MTG for new players.    … Expand
  3. WandererTheLost
    Feb 8, 2013
    2
    This game feels like a ploy to get your money. Any attempt at actually making game with magics true customization or feel is just terribly done. They give you some skeleton decks and throw you out to get more preconstucted ones. There is no system for playing to earn more random cards BUT WAIT! If you want to spend money on a game you already bought you can buy yourself more cards (whichThis game feels like a ploy to get your money. Any attempt at actually making game with magics true customization or feel is just terribly done. They give you some skeleton decks and throw you out to get more preconstucted ones. There is no system for playing to earn more random cards BUT WAIT! If you want to spend money on a game you already bought you can buy yourself more cards (which if I wanted to do that I would buy the cards IRL). Furthermore they couldn't be bothered to make the system right as you can sacrifice creatures with hex and a myriad of other problems that they have no intention of solving as they don't care. This game is a waste of your time and money if you like Magic or if you have never played. Do not buy it.… Expand
  4. Ramsey
    Aug 13, 2012
    3
    I have played every PC game in the M:tG franchise and I'm not sure if this is the worst, or the second worse game in it. Having set decks is nice for new players but as someone who's played a lot of these games before I want the ability to easily make my own decks. The controls could have been done a lot better and the user interface is abominable. They have to make it easier to know whatI have played every PC game in the M:tG franchise and I'm not sure if this is the worst, or the second worse game in it. Having set decks is nice for new players but as someone who's played a lot of these games before I want the ability to easily make my own decks. The controls could have been done a lot better and the user interface is abominable. They have to make it easier to know what spells are being cast and to time your spells. How they succeeded doing in 97 but fail almost 15 years later is beyond me. The multiplayer was the worst part of the game. Oh we tried to like it, but at the end we found the game controls did not allow us to know what the opponent was casting without a ridiculous amount of trouble, let alone counter it.… Expand
  5. Cinetyk
    Jun 22, 2012
    7
    I decided to write this review after being surprised at the low user score 5.5 (as of 22-June 2012) and reading some of the negative reviews. I think one thing you have to bear in the mind, and most negative reviews don't, is that this game is targeted towards players new to magic or players who want a casual experience, even if they may be very experienced. For players completely new toI decided to write this review after being surprised at the low user score 5.5 (as of 22-June 2012) and reading some of the negative reviews. I think one thing you have to bear in the mind, and most negative reviews don't, is that this game is targeted towards players new to magic or players who want a casual experience, even if they may be very experienced. For players completely new to Magic, the tutorials may be a little lacking, but that's always the case: the best way to learn the basics of Magic is with a friend/tutor. After handling the basics, the tutorials here and the experience playing will make the rest of the learning. This game features 10 decks of various colours including some multi-colored ones. Each deck has its own "theme" and I found that the themes are well-explored, fun and comprise a good diverseness of Magic/deck styles. Each deck has additional 20 cards to unlock as you win games with it. After unlocking cards you can enter the deck manager and add/remove cards as you please within the pool of each specific deck. The game automatically adds lands for you according to the cards and colours of your deck, and you cannot control the numbers lands you have. Also, you cannot create your own original decks. You begin with a few decks and unlock new ones during the single-player campaign (against the computer) when you beat them. There's the default campaign and the "revenge" version of it, where the opponents have better cards in their deck, the same ones you can unlock, which makes it more challenging and competitive. There's also the Archenemy campaign which lends an interesting twist on the traditional Magic formula. In Archenemy you play with two AI team mates against a single opponent, the Archenemy, which has special "scheme" cards which are powerful and equalize his disadvantage. There are some single-player puzzles which, similar to chess puzzles, will make you push the boundaries of magic-thinking and improve your depth in the game. Lastly, in online multiplayer you can play 1 vs 1, 2 vs 2 and Archenemy. Sometimes online there's a little lag, which may make it you will not be able to play some cards at the exact timing you want, which is a little frustrating and can break some games, especially tight ones. The AI, for the most part, does a nice job in playing Magic, but of course it isn't going as deep as a human player can. The real annoying thing that can happen is, because you don't choose which lands to tap to play spells, sometimes you have lands to play spells of different colours, but the AI will tap some of the coloured lands too much and you end up with no more lands of that colour available. So, the verdict: despite the technical issues I mentioned, Planeswalkers 2012 is a good game, especially for players in search of a good Magic experience without all the magnitude and cost of real life Magic or Magic Online. The decks have soul and interesting cards and the variety of the decks makes for a good magic experience in the vast universe the different colours and game styles provide. This makes sure no duel is the same as before and that things are interesting and fun for a long time. And for 8.99… Expand
  6. Yxanthymir
    Apr 6, 2012
    4
    DOTP 2011 is a bad game. And I say that just to summarize what this game really is. If you believe me, you can skip the rest of this review and forget about this game now. If you don't believe me, continue to read and you will eventually see why I say that. The reasons for this game to be so bad are very clear, so let me explain them in detail. (First) The campaign is very shallow andDOTP 2011 is a bad game. And I say that just to summarize what this game really is. If you believe me, you can skip the rest of this review and forget about this game now. If you don't believe me, continue to read and you will eventually see why I say that. The reasons for this game to be so bad are very clear, so let me explain them in detail. (First) The campaign is very shallow and almost non-existent. It exists just for you to play over and over against the same opponents to unlock your decks. You feel like there is no real reward or history whatsoever in the game besides just unlocking your deck. (Second) There is very few options to customize your decks and to speak truly most of the unlocked cards are almost unplayable. So the customization mencioned at the game features is just a legend. (Third) The game has so many bugs that sometimes you want to break your computer. That is very true. Just read the game forum and you will see a very long list of bugs. (Forth) Unstable internet connection and bad matching for internet. You cannot play at least 20 percent of your games because of internet connection issues. Past games are visible like new games and the interface to start a new game is very annoying. (Fifth) Unbalanced gameplay. Some decks are much better than others that almost anyone just play with them, making your intenet games dull and repetitive. (Sixth) The game is just a demonstration for other game called Magic The Gathering Online (MTGO). A game that can suck a large amount of your money in no time.… Expand
  7. Billick
    Mar 29, 2012
    6
    It's a good game for folks looking for an introduction to MTG or players like myself looking for a quick Magic fix without buying a lot of new cards. You can't really do any real deck building with this game, only tweaking the pre-constructed decks given. The controls can be a bit confusing, and you may miss a chance to perform an action if you're not careful.
  8. i-bs-2000
    Feb 25, 2012
    7
    I found this game to be amazing, the decks are very well put together, as well as the game-play. There have been major bugs as of lately with the new ability to play as a Planes-walker yourself, but these will be resolved soon, when I first played Magic the Gathering Duels of the Planes-walker - 2012 it was flawless in every sense. The decks are just great, an amazing game, I also playI found this game to be amazing, the decks are very well put together, as well as the game-play. There have been major bugs as of lately with the new ability to play as a Planes-walker yourself, but these will be resolved soon, when I first played Magic the Gathering Duels of the Planes-walker - 2012 it was flawless in every sense. The decks are just great, an amazing game, I also play MTG different types of tournament rules (e.g, multiple years of decks, or even decades) and LOVE this game! I hope this was helpful, as well as relatively informative, it was my first review, please let me know how it was. I suggest buying the full pack, I believe it is around 40 dollars on steam, but if you buy each expansion separately you'll spend an extra 20-30 dollars I believe, good hunting every one and enjoy playing!… Expand
  9. twentyfumble
    Feb 14, 2012
    3
    This game is a joke, get the old Magic: the gathering from Microprose that was released some 15 years ago, it's way better than this game in every aspect. I am not sure how can you manage to do a Magic game wrong, but they did.
  10. F4Z3
    Feb 4, 2012
    3
    The game is quite well built and will allow any new players to learn quickly the basic rules of MTG.
    Nevertheless, I've been playing MTG for more than 10 years since 3rd Edition and i felt very frustrated by this game.
    Discovering the game and new decks was a very pleasant time. First above all, the random draw system card is absolutely awful... Full mana, mana death, worthless    The game is quite well built and will allow any new players to learn quickly the basic rules of MTG.
    Nevertheless, I've been playing MTG for more than 10 years since 3rd Edition and i felt very frustrated by this game.
    Discovering the game and new decks was a very pleasant time.
    First above all, the random draw system card is absolutely awful... Full mana, mana death, worthless mulligan...you ll experience those cases many many times.
    Second point : lot of glitches... Taking control of a creature, you ll also take control of the equipment attached to it, sacrificing a creature doesnt work if you only have a shrouded creature...lof of more.. and no update to correct those glitches.
    Third point : IA tapping your lands will also makes you lose your hair....Potentially able to cast 2 spells, you will only be able to cast 1 because IA will use all your mountains, instead of using some other lands.
    Fourth point : customizing your own is impossible.

    So, be aware... if you are a beginner only want to play for fun, game is ok. If you are a true MTG player and expecting a true MTG experience, you get nothing but frustration.    … Expand
  11. Bizzenya
    Jan 25, 2012
    5
    This game is horrible. The game mechanics are hard to utilize (especially in multiplayer and the incredibly short timer that often prevents players from responding due to horrible de-syncing), it is glitchy and is especially laggy in multiplayer and the interface suffers greatly from being a shoddy 360 port. In spite of all this, there is fun to be had in the game. Unlocking new cards forThis game is horrible. The game mechanics are hard to utilize (especially in multiplayer and the incredibly short timer that often prevents players from responding due to horrible de-syncing), it is glitchy and is especially laggy in multiplayer and the interface suffers greatly from being a shoddy 360 port. In spite of all this, there is fun to be had in the game. Unlocking new cards for the decks is surprisingly fun and playing with friends is fairly enjoyable when it isn't frustrating you into cursing up a storm, which it does with shocking regularity. The decks are pretty balanced, save one in particular which is so much better than all the other decks that it is laughable.

    The inability to truly customize your decks (even with the limited card set in the game) is disappointing. There are mods that add this feature, but you can't use them online with your friends and largely kills the fun of using them. Long story short: The game is deeply flawed, but it can be pretty fun. I don't think the developers deserve to be rewarded for putting out such a mediocre product, but you may feel otherwise.    … Expand
  12. andrys8
    Jan 14, 2012
    4
    I played M:TG throughout most of college but eventually stopped due to how expensive it was, plus changes in the gaming environment. I picked this game up from steam when it was on sale and I'm pretty disappointed.

    The UI is a bit of a pain. Controls are not consistent, and the UI pesters you to prompt it to continue at weird times. Example: enemy summons a creature and I can click    I played M:TG throughout most of college but eventually stopped due to how expensive it was, plus changes in the gaming environment. I picked this game up from steam when it was on sale and I'm pretty disappointed.

    The UI is a bit of a pain. Controls are not consistent, and the UI pesters you to prompt it to continue at weird times. Example: enemy summons a creature and I can click "continue" or press the space-bar to continue. But if I am in my main phase and have actions I can still make, I must click on "continue" to proceed -- the space-bar does nothing here. The same with combat damage -- every time it shows combat damage being done, you have to click continue.

    I am irritated at their "timer" system too. The game seems designed around mouse usage, but you have moments to react to things that are occurring. You can always pause the timer, but that requires mousing over and clicking on the button, or pressing the space-bar. It's like if playing solitaire or minesweeper required keeping a hand on the keyboard... just in case!

    You're extremely limited in what you can do with decks, but I expected this. What I didn't expect is for a chunk of land to be taken up for a single spell of that color in the entire deck. Or not being able to dictate how many lands you have of what color -- the game doesn't trust you to do that and insists on performing that balancing itself. I removed the single white spell after I unlocked more cards, but it wouldn't even let me remove the spell and replace it with a 4th copy of a card, when 3 were already in the deck.

    The game also automatically determines how you spend your mana too. I was pretty frustrated in one game where I had 3 islands and 2 swamps, and needed 3 colorless to cast an artifact. The game decided to use 2 of my islands and 1 swamp... which made it so that I didn't have the 2 blue in my enemy's turn to counter his spell. At that point I just conceded the match (AI opponent) and exited the game.

    I really wanted to like this game, but it's just a frustrating experience all around. If you've never played M:TG you might find some enjoyment in it, but I'd recommend that experienced players just leave it alone.    … Expand
  13. Eisensapper
    Jan 8, 2012
    8
    I had one played MtG once before getting the game and decided to give it a try, since buying it I have logged around 102 hours on it and still love playing it. I can see were if you were a die hard fan of magic this game would be unappealing since you are chained to an archetypal deck, but I have learned to accept this and once you do it can be quite a lot of fun. There are issues with theI had one played MtG once before getting the game and decided to give it a try, since buying it I have logged around 102 hours on it and still love playing it. I can see were if you were a die hard fan of magic this game would be unappealing since you are chained to an archetypal deck, but I have learned to accept this and once you do it can be quite a lot of fun. There are issues with the multiplayer interface, a major one being connected at random to other players. I would much rather see a list of possible opponents as well as a point based system which would determine your playing level in multiplayer. Other than that small issue I think this is a great game and well work the money.… Expand
  14. Ginjarou
    Jan 6, 2012
    8
    I can't decide whether I truly love Duels of the Planeswalkers or hate it for what I believe it could be. I love it because I love MTG and trading card games and MTG was my first collectible card game that used to consume all my pocket money when I was a youngster. No matter how much I liked that original card game I just couldn't continue it as I couldn't afford it but now this game hasI can't decide whether I truly love Duels of the Planeswalkers or hate it for what I believe it could be. I love it because I love MTG and trading card games and MTG was my first collectible card game that used to consume all my pocket money when I was a youngster. No matter how much I liked that original card game I just couldn't continue it as I couldn't afford it but now this game has come along with at a much more sensible price though of course lacking much of the fundamental assets that made me love the original card game such as trading and customising / building my own deck. Though through its sleek interface and lovely illustrations (which is something Magic: Online seriously needs to improve upon) I can't help but feel it's that original money snatcher from Wizards of the Coast come back to haunt me from my childhood only this time using Duels of the Planeswalkers to tempt me as to how great MTG is and what I'm missing back in the expensive card / virtual card version. Though tempting as it may be to return, Duels of the Planeswalkers is so fun and so nicely designed it has also encouraged me to stick with this much cheaper version. Despite there being a large number of bugs that can be so frustrating at times it ends games before they get going Duels of the Planeswalkers is a great game for MTG enthusiasts and novices alike.… Expand
  15. DantheMan
    Jan 4, 2012
    3
    As someone who has never played Magic: The Gathering in any form before I found this game a major disappointment. I wasn't expecting much but I was expecting more than this dull and boring game. While the single player campaign pretends to have some lore/story it is randomly throws it at you and I could never make any sense of it. It is basically one card game after another whose soleAs someone who has never played Magic: The Gathering in any form before I found this game a major disappointment. I wasn't expecting much but I was expecting more than this dull and boring game. While the single player campaign pretends to have some lore/story it is randomly throws it at you and I could never make any sense of it. It is basically one card game after another whose sole purpose is to unlock more card and/or decks. While it's true that every deck plays differently they most certainly do not play evenly. Some decks you will find are impossible to win with while other decks you can just steamroll opponent after opponent. Neither solution offers anything more than fleeting entertainment value. The card play itself is highly random; there's nothing like drawing six landscape cards in a row or no landscapes and six creature cards. Despite all the decks and cards the game is simply a glorified coin flip. Additionally, the game control options are minimal. You can't turn off the annoying sounds. You can't speed up the game automatically but have to continuously click the continue button. The multilayer mode does offer some enhanced value but I didn't find it so compelling as to make up for the obvious deficiencies of this game. I bought this game after playing the somewhat similar Runespell:Overture and despite that game being an small indie title it was more fun than Magic. Magic isn't a total waste; it is one step above solitaire or mahjong. So now I am something new to put me to sleep at night.… Expand
  16. murlochieftain
    Dec 25, 2011
    10
    With the addition of the Archenemy campaign, and being able to play as the arch-enemy online, as well as the two-headed giant mode, I found my $10 was well spent. The game is a lot of fun for magic fans, well-balanced, and the DLC is worth the buy for different styles of play, (I found that the Dark Heavens deck suited me very well.)

    I only wish they would allow us to decide how much mana    With the addition of the Archenemy campaign, and being able to play as the arch-enemy online, as well as the two-headed giant mode, I found my $10 was well spent. The game is a lot of fun for magic fans, well-balanced, and the DLC is worth the buy for different styles of play, (I found that the Dark Heavens deck suited me very well.)

    I only wish they would allow us to decide how much mana is in a deck, choose which cards we want to add from other decks, and how to spend mana on the battlefield. I haven't had any problems with not being able to block or not being able to cast instants at the appropriate times, so I am not sympathetic towards those that do. This was probably addressed in a patch before I purchased the game.

    I would give this game a 9, but the User Score is always inaccurate, as far as I can tell, and the critics whine a lot less, directing negative attention at specific flaws that were not fixable.    … Expand
  17. grom358
    Dec 19, 2011
    7
    A worthwhile purchase bringing the magic of Magic the Gathering to newer players. The pro for me is for only $10 you gain access to a number of decks and a streamlined interface for playing matches against friends. However it really needs way better deck customization for the more experienced Magic players. The current deck customisation is very limited. You can only remove/add cards thatA worthwhile purchase bringing the magic of Magic the Gathering to newer players. The pro for me is for only $10 you gain access to a number of decks and a streamlined interface for playing matches against friends. However it really needs way better deck customization for the more experienced Magic players. The current deck customisation is very limited. You can only remove/add cards that belong to a deck. I would like to see being able to choose any card included in the game. Also the GUI is very buggy at times, and still hasn't been patched yet. Fix the GUI bugs and full deck customization and this game would be a 9.… Expand
  18. AndreaGriffin
    Dec 3, 2011
    3
    As a long time player of Magic: The Gathering (I have been playing since the Revised edition), I have had a lot of experience with the game itself. I hoped that it would have been given a nice translation into software - unfortunately, this was not the case.

    Those unfamiliar with M:tG will find that the introductory materials, reminders, and hints sprinkled throughout the game will teach    As a long time player of Magic: The Gathering (I have been playing since the Revised edition), I have had a lot of experience with the game itself. I hoped that it would have been given a nice translation into software - unfortunately, this was not the case.

    Those unfamiliar with M:tG will find that the introductory materials, reminders, and hints sprinkled throughout the game will teach the basics in easy-to-learn steps. It shouldn't overwhelm the average player.

    Visually, the game is nice though occasionally excessive with the cards flying around.

    You are provided with different decks of cards as you progress through the game, each with a theme, and you can unlock additional cards for each deck. The decks all play very differently and have a unique character.

    Aside from matches, there are also challenges which require creativity and a deep knowledge of the rules to complete. Not only are they intereting but they can teach a player new ways of thinking about a specific card or mechanic.

    This is, however, the end of the good news. The rest is pretty terrible. Where to start?

    The user interface is a disaster. This software should be used as an example of how NOT to design a UI. Example issues:

    * The main menu is a horizontal scrolling list; you can only advance one option at a time. Quitting the game, for example, takes 7 clicks (5 to get to the option, 1 to select it, 1 more to confirm).

    * Enchantments and Equipment attached to a card are nigh impossible to select and view individually.

    * Buttons are sometimes unresponsive - especially in multiplayer - which means you will miss windows of opportunity because of the short timers.

    * ArchEnemy games place character portraits badly, covering up crucial areas of the playing field. You will not be able to see, much less select, certain grave yards for example.

    * The playing field is "viewed" at a large distance - meaning that the cards themselves end up being very, very small. The player will waste a large amount of time zooming in and out between cards to see what each is.

    * When being asked to make a decision with a dialog window, you are unable to view the current game state. This can make it very difficult to make good decisions.

    * The Deck Customization screen is a disaster. You can only see a few cards from the deck at once, making it impossible to see the deck at a glance or easily find a specific card to remove or add.

    This is just scratching the surface. To whomever designed this atrocity: Shame on you. You should feel bad.

    Speaking of deck customization, it is very limited. You can NOT create your own deck from scratch. While this does enforce the flavor of the stock decks, it really cuts down on what makes MtG fun and personal. You can only add and remove cards from the pre-made decks.

    As far as decks go, some are far more powerful than others. They are simply not balanced very well. Additionally, they are designed to produce extremely quick ending games. Many games are over by turn five or six. While this may be a turn-on for hardcore tournament types, it is a terrible experience for the casual player.

    Because the decks are so very munchkin in their builds, winning and losing has far less to do with your deck customization skills or strategy and a lot more to do with simple luck. Any game that depends so much on luck ends up being very frustrating.

    The game uses timers. Lots of timers. And if you don't complete an action within a timer's period (1.5 seconds), then you're out of luck. This becomes absolutely infuriating when the UI itself is unresponsive and, especially, during multiplayer games. A player with a not-so-good connection will find that he may not see the timers at all, or have such a small window that he simply won't have a chance to pause the action.

    Some of the text is confusing. For example, a window may appear asking you to select a certain number of targets for a spell's effect. This window will have a Continue button. Clicking Continue does not mean, "Continue to select your targets." It means, "I am done selecting targets."

    Forget about tapping your own land. This is done for you. Expect to be in situations where you will want to cast card X, then card Y, but be unable to cast card Y because the auto-selection of land screwed you.

    Multiplayer is very strange. Aside from the aforementioned timer issues, players will sometimes find themselves playing cards they never selected, unable to participate in combats, and even having a complete desync with the host to the point where the host and client will see two separate games.

    A two-headed giant game with 2 players and 2 AI opponents will use approximately 15Kb/s in bandwidth. This is a very, very large amount for a game that needs to send little more than send events and card IDs around.

    Summary: If you enjoy an exercise in frustration and rage, or are a die-hard MtG fan, by all means buy this game. Otherwise, run - don't walk - as far as you can.    … Expand
  19. jimplunder
    Nov 28, 2011
    8
    Well, let's be honest, a single-purchase computer game about Magic: The Gathering isn't supposed to rival the table-top card game, unless you put it online and allow people to purchase every legal card that exists in the game. What "Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012" is, is an introduction to the world of Magic: The Gathering. The game gives you several pre-madeWell, let's be honest, a single-purchase computer game about Magic: The Gathering isn't supposed to rival the table-top card game, unless you put it online and allow people to purchase every legal card that exists in the game. What "Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012" is, is an introduction to the world of Magic: The Gathering. The game gives you several pre-made decks and you dual A.I. and human opponents in a battle of who can make the better pre-made deck. There is some customization involved, such as has been written before, by unlocking cards and purchasing packs as DLC. But when all is said and done, you have to build a deck that fits your strategy for that particular deck. For those of us who never played MtG very much, this is an excellent way to allow us to play the game too. But the game itself was pretty good. The campaign is just a bunch of single-duels versus an A.I. opponent with some challenges sprinkled in on the side (like you have 1 life, your opponent has 4, beat them in 1 turn). The Campaign was easy for me, although I heard friends who struggled with it. It all comes down to the draw, really... When I got to the Archrival campaign, that was horrendously difficult... It's a 1v3 battle with you and two allies versus a single computer with 40 life and "Scheme" cards (which basically are overpowered equalizers to help the 1 play a good game, or completely dominate you...). For those, I'd say bring a friend (or two) because the AI isn't very good at supporting you and makes some very stupid decisions (for instance, not blocking a creature that's attacking when it has more than enough damage and toughness to stop it).
    Who is this game for: People who are new to MtG, people who haven't played MtG in a while, people who don't like adding/subtracting/keeping track of the math involved in MtG, people who like to casually play MtG but don't have the money to buy all the cards
    Who isn't this game for: Hardcore MtG fans, MtG fans who love customizing decks    … Expand
  20. Pablo92jedi
    Nov 27, 2011
    10
    It's perfect for all who don't want spend a lot of money for cards!
    It's not correct tell: "you can't do your deck", because this is a game that want to teach you how do a deck and what deck you shall to buy in the real life!

    With adds, this games give you 100 hours of fun!
  21. vandana
    Nov 20, 2011
    9
    As someone who played MTG a long time ago and enjoyed it but will not commit to building an advanced collection anymore I was delighted to receive a product allowing me to occasionally jump into the amazing world of Magic: The Gathering for a reasonable price. The game provides a great platform for duels in many modes (1v1, 2v2, archenemy) both in single and multi player. It offers someAs someone who played MTG a long time ago and enjoyed it but will not commit to building an advanced collection anymore I was delighted to receive a product allowing me to occasionally jump into the amazing world of Magic: The Gathering for a reasonable price. The game provides a great platform for duels in many modes (1v1, 2v2, archenemy) both in single and multi player. It offers some basic campaigns and puzzle challenges and ability to play on-line using basic decks with unlockable cards. All this is served in neat and functional environment. The game has a simple aesthetic style, nice music and decent UI. I recommend this to all those who want to try what MTG is without either paying a fortune or committing a great deal of time - the most important thing about this game for me is that it gave me hours of intelligent FUN!… Expand
  22. MightyDrunken
    Nov 19, 2011
    0
    I was an avid Magic player in the past and Steam tempted me to buy the game, I was pretty excited as pleasing me with Magic is easy. This game failed that easy task something that the MicroProse easily achieved in 1997 with the PC game Magic: The Gathering.

    So how did the game fail to achieve this? The game UI is created to look nice as you scroll through the options. Yet as a UI it fails    I was an avid Magic player in the past and Steam tempted me to buy the game, I was pretty excited as pleasing me with Magic is easy. This game failed that easy task something that the MicroProse easily achieved in 1997 with the PC game Magic: The Gathering.

    So how did the game fail to achieve this?
    The game UI is created to look nice as you scroll through the options. Yet as a UI it fails to provide usability, a click and point interface would have worked much better and not had the ability to overheat my graphics card. How do programmers do it? Take the most basic of games and turn it into a resource hog?
    In game the UI is equally as flawed trying to impress with looks where they should have concentrated on usability. The one thing they did get right is each card's abilities are fully described. They have tried to keep the game flowing but the way they did this is my biggest annoyance. Each phase lasts a few seconds, longer if a card or ability is activated. This means most of the time you are sitting there waiting as nothing happens. When you want to activate an ability you have to remember to pause the game at the right moment otherwise you miss it. For some reason regeneration has to be done before battle and therefore before if you know if it is even blocked. Why? The real card game flows infinitely better.

    I could go on about how there is little deck customisation, or that the main campaign consists of you battling the same foes over and over again to unlock cards. But I won't, as I have wasted enough time on this disappointing game. One thing to add is if you go on the steam forums there are large threads about the bugs which have never been addressed. Another program ported to the PC with no support.    … Expand
  23. Wickednin
    Nov 11, 2011
    1
    I have been playing MtG from day one and never stopped. I am not gods gift to MtG, but I know my way around it very well. Here are just some of the absolutely unforgivable truths about this game.

    1: Can't pick the mana to spend. AI does that for you and sucks at it. Are you kidding me? That's half of Magic. Knowing when to save those two blue over the black or the one white over the    I have been playing MtG from day one and never stopped. I am not gods gift to MtG, but I know my way around it very well. Here are just some of the absolutely unforgivable truths about this game.

    1: Can't pick the mana to spend. AI does that for you and sucks at it. Are you kidding me? That's half of Magic. Knowing when to save those two blue over the black or the one white over the extra green.... moving on.

    2: Can't cast an instant after blocking is assigned but before damage is done. At critical times the game just breezes on as if you could do nothing.

    3: Game crashes in multiplayer. Well done.

    4. Can not decide how much land you want in a deck. AI does this for you. That's a very big part of deck building and ....never mind...

    5. Will, at times, decide you can't block with anything and just skip your block. Usually involving creatures with trample it seems.

    There is more, but this stuff here should stop you from buying this if you don't just want to fart around with a shell of the Magic: the Gathering. If that's all you want, then perhaps it's worth a look. Even then, I don't know, smash your head into your desk. It's less frustrating and you know what you will get at least.    … Expand
  24. tetris556
    Oct 20, 2011
    1
    This game is absolutely nothing like the card game. First of all, there is no deck building. You unlock starter decks and slowly unlock better cards for those. The enemies in the campaign apparently get even the locked cards, so unless you only use one deck throughout the game you will consistently lose. One of my biggest peevs however, was that grand story you see in the opening scene, isThis game is absolutely nothing like the card game. First of all, there is no deck building. You unlock starter decks and slowly unlock better cards for those. The enemies in the campaign apparently get even the locked cards, so unless you only use one deck throughout the game you will consistently lose. One of my biggest peevs however, was that grand story you see in the opening scene, is not the plot of the campaign. There is no plot to the campaign. All it is is a series of unconnected battles. They could've done alot better with this game without that much effort, but this is just lazy.… Expand
  25. ten100
    Sep 22, 2011
    1
    Anyone who gives this game a positive review no doubt only played it for couple of hour. The game is easy to pick up; graphic is good, presentation is excellent; however, that's it. initially, as you play the game, you might go "WOW", then you'll go "WTF" and disappointment sets in. The game has no depth: there's no story; you'll compete the "story-line" mode within couple of hours. AfterAnyone who gives this game a positive review no doubt only played it for couple of hour. The game is easy to pick up; graphic is good, presentation is excellent; however, that's it. initially, as you play the game, you might go "WOW", then you'll go "WTF" and disappointment sets in. The game has no depth: there's no story; you'll compete the "story-line" mode within couple of hours. After that, you can pretty much uninstall it. There's no deck customization to enjoy, and I can only imagine playing other MTG fanatics with 10 per-constructed decks.
    The "Archenemy" mode has potential; however, one can't help but feel frustrated when you get hammered by godly cards effects. To make the experience even more gut-wrenching, you'll taking on a supremely superior opponent with a deck you have no attachment with and probably detest by the time you get around to this "challenge" mode. Listen, if MTG 2012 allows fully customization, I would feel eager and excited to test my creativity, strategy, and intelligence against superior opponent.
    I think Wizard is almost there, but until they allow fully customization or put more effort into the storyline, Duels of the Plan-walkers series is garbage. Just rent the garbage if you really want to smell it, but I would strongly suggest staying as far away from it as possible.    … Expand
  26. LevelsAndGear
    Sep 19, 2011
    6
    Magic: The Gathering â
  27. Blehme
    Sep 14, 2011
    8
    First: Limited deck customizing, but for balance reasons this is an obviously a pro. If they gave the ability to completely customize decks from a pool of cards A: There would be major balance issues that would be nearly impossible to deal with and B: There would be 2 or 3 deck lists that are used by everyone, because most other options are pretty useless. Eliminating deck building givesFirst: Limited deck customizing, but for balance reasons this is an obviously a pro. If they gave the ability to completely customize decks from a pool of cards A: There would be major balance issues that would be nearly impossible to deal with and B: There would be 2 or 3 deck lists that are used by everyone, because most other options are pretty useless. Eliminating deck building gives bad players nothing to hide behind. Its easy to look up a posted deck list, copy it and the strategies an experienced player came up with, and then winning with that deck. It takes a lot of skill however to play 1 on 1 with a player with the same deck, and win. When the cards and decks are very closely balanced, skill is one of the main thing that's going to take the cake.

    Second: This game is really smooth I think. It seems to have a great flow, and I think they did a really great job on balancing decks. The only deck that I consider useless is the Strength of Stone deck, but all other decks are pretty balanced if you are a decent player. I hate to see people complaining about balance, when most of the time they get mopped its because they are probably fairly new to MTG, or their opponent drew a really good hand. Some of this game is luck, some of its skill.

    Third: I pre-ordered this game, and I was very disappointed with the release state of the game. There were so many clunky/buggy issues with Xbox AND PC versions. They seemed to have cleaned most of them up now, but there are still major lingering bugs that need to go away.

    Fourth: I loved the game play, and the competitiveness, but it gets old. It took me about 50 hours of game play to unlock all of the decks, as well as to get pretty bored with the online play. I have 100% achievements unlocked too. Just very little content it seems

    Overall, I really enjoyed this game and I feel its definitely worth 10$ (5$ on sale right now with steam). I wouldn't consider this more than a casual game though. I break it out at least a few times a week and play a few games, but that's about as far as it goes. But again, for 10$? You really cant beat that.

    I also believe Wizards really need to focus on pushing out decks, balancing decks with new card releases, as well as fix the remaining bugs that have been there since release. If they started coming out with a deck a month or something like that, or 1 new card for all decks each month, this would allow Wizards to control the balancing issues and keep players interested.    … Expand
  28. Ekras
    Sep 11, 2011
    2
    After reading all the critical aclaim this game got, and trying the Demo I went in expecting something a lot more than what I got. The DLC (which came with the edition I purchased) simply unlocks the stuff that you can already get in-game, or unlocks additional artwork. The game itself limits you to pre-created decks and you can't even move cards from one deck to another (which it looksAfter reading all the critical aclaim this game got, and trying the Demo I went in expecting something a lot more than what I got. The DLC (which came with the edition I purchased) simply unlocks the stuff that you can already get in-game, or unlocks additional artwork. The game itself limits you to pre-created decks and you can't even move cards from one deck to another (which it looks like you can in the Demo, but is actually just removing and/or re-adding cards to the same deck). There are no new cards to earn in multiplayer, you can't ante for cards and can't trade for cards with other players. As a long-ago magic fan, I was incredibly disapointed and feel ripped off considering what the Demo showed you could do that you couldn't. I'm only giving the game a 2, because it was fun for the first 15 minutes.… Expand
  29. always-changry
    Sep 3, 2011
    3
    Do not waste your money on this game. There is no real deck customization like it claims. All you do is add or remove cards, no real changes to deck. Can't even build a deck, I hate using pre-made decks. It would be fine if some decks were not overpowered, especially when they're wielded by the computer, while others are just weak and poor. Relies too heavily on the luck of the draw, whichDo not waste your money on this game. There is no real deck customization like it claims. All you do is add or remove cards, no real changes to deck. Can't even build a deck, I hate using pre-made decks. It would be fine if some decks were not overpowered, especially when they're wielded by the computer, while others are just weak and poor. Relies too heavily on the luck of the draw, which rarely comes in general. Some of the combination decks work well with the computer, but you rarely have the same luck.

    Whenever playing the computer, majority of the time, their starting hands tend to be stacked and extremely successful at drawing cards needed at the right moment. Such as the computer playing a spell that summoned six 1/1 elves and having three elven creatures that +1/1 for every elf on the board, thus the computer had three 16/16 creatures at the ready. Then you often either draw too many creatures with little land, or the other way around. Seriously, one game, I played only two creatures, which were both destroyed by spells, and al the computer needed to defeat me was whittle down my life points with two 1/1 creatures and a 2/2 creature. And I've had several games similar to this.

    The lack of choosing which land to tap is ridiculous and hinders gameplay. Whenever you're using decks with two colors, when casting a spell or playing a creature, the game loves to auto-pick land that is needed for your second play. Instead of picking 3 mountains so I can play a black a spell, it decides to tap my swamps. It can really hinder gameplay and ruin "strategy" required to play this game.

    It looks better than previous iterations, but that's the only good part about this game. Such a disappointment and will probably never purchase another game.    … Expand
  30. bobreviews
    Sep 2, 2011
    0
    WoTC refuse to release the game everyone wants. They should, because Cardforge and Magarena are going to force their hands. Duels 2012 is the **** cutdown version of M:TG that might amuse you for a few minutes if you can get past the clunky interface and slow pacing. The free games I mentioned earlier provide a faster experience with more cards and actual deck building. You know, what theWoTC refuse to release the game everyone wants. They should, because Cardforge and Magarena are going to force their hands. Duels 2012 is the **** cutdown version of M:TG that might amuse you for a few minutes if you can get past the clunky interface and slow pacing. The free games I mentioned earlier provide a faster experience with more cards and actual deck building. You know, what the game is *about*.

    What WoTC are trying to avoid is to eat into their Magic Online and card selling racketeering. So they provide you with horribly expensive, or horribly limited experiences. Avoid it, and don't reward them.    … Expand
prev
Page:

Awards & Rankings

67
#67 Best PC Game of 2011
87
#87 Most Discussed PC Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 20 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 20
  3. Negative: 0 out of 20
  1. PC Gamer
    Aug 11, 2011
    70
    For a paltry 10 bucks though, there's plenty here to enjoy, and the new cards and decks make it a worthy upgrade for those who own last year's Duels of the Planeswalkers. [Oct 2011, p.81]
  2. PC PowerPlay
    Aug 8, 2011
    60
    Great card game, and dangerously addictive, but fails to realise the potential of both the Magic system and platform. [Sept 2011, p.70]
  3. PALGN
    Aug 7, 2011
    70
    A faithful adaptation of Magic: The Gathering that offers something for players old and new, hindered only by design and presentation inconsistencies. Good value for money.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »