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Magic 2014 summons 'Sealed Campaign' walkthrough video
Sean Gibbons, Community Coordinator at Wizards of the Coast, walks us through one of the big additions in Magic 2014: Duels of the Planeswalkers: the Sealed Campaign. Essentially, players open a set number of sealed booster packs and build a deck from those cards, limiting the pool of available cards and adding an element of randomness to duels – a popular play type in the physical format. So with six 14-card booster packs, players construct a custom 40-card deck. During the campaign, three additional booster packs will be unlocked. This custom deck, which you can name, is also available in online play. Past the break, we've embedded a general overview video of Magic 2014, also narrated by Gibbons.
Magic 2014 launches June 26, according to Steam [Update: Trailer]
Magic 2014: Duels of the Planeswalkers, the next installment in the Magic: The Gathering – Duels of the Planeswalkers series, is set to launch on Steam June 26, according to the game's product page. Magic 2014 is priced at $10, which falls in line with every other entry in the series. A special edition, which includes the game, soundtrack, five desktop wallpapers, a "Return to Ravnica" eBook and ten foil conversions, is also listed on the Steam page. Magic 2014: Duels of the Planeswalkers will launch on PC, Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network, iOS and Android this summer – this marks the first time the series will be available on Android. [Thanks, Mitch]
Magic 2014 coming soon with new campaign and cards, sealed deck play
For a long time, Wizards of the Coast would not release anything official on iOS, even though the biggest collectible card game -- Magic: The Gathering -- seemed perfect for Apple's touchscreen platforms. Then, last year, we finally got Magic 2013 on the iPad, and now Wizards of the Coast is preparing Magic 2014. When the update is released in about a month, it will offer lots of new features and content to the iPad and Android devices. That second platform may not matter much to us here at TUAW, but it's a sign that Wizards is continuing to rethink its mobile strategy. The company kindly showed us the latest version of Magic: The Gathering running on the iPad this week, and it's very impressive. It runs faster than ever, and while the campaign is similar (you undertake a series of single-player challenges, or can take on other players in multiplayer), Magic 2014 has a definite emphasis on story that the current version doesn't have. Magic 2014 was designed to attract new players, so the various missions serve as a tour of the game's lore and background, with each section culminating in a battle against a "Planeswalker," one of Magic's big heroes. In addition to the new campaign structure, there's also new content, including lots of new cards from the past year of Magic. There are even some new cards from the Magic 2014 Core Deck, which isn't set to release until after the iOS app has arrived. That means that playing with this game will be the first time some Magic players can officially sit down and play with the new cards. There will also be more of a newer card type called slivers, so even if you've played Magic 2013 completely, the new version should offer up some more twists and turns. One of the biggest problems fans have had with these Magic: The Gathering video games is that in the single-player campaign, you don't get to build your own decks. Rather, you get to unlock cards for a certain deck. While there is some choice in which cards you use, all of the cards are basically tied to specific decks, so building a custom deck is out. Wizards is aware of this concern, and has an answer in Magic 2014. Sort of. The game will introduce a new mode called Sealed Deck play, where players will get six booster packs, featuring random cards from a larger pool, and will then be allowed to build their own deck from those opened cards. It's not complete freedom, because you only get a certain number of booster packs to choose from, and you'll need to make decks from those. But it does allow for a very structured bit of deck-building, and Magic 2014 contains a whole campaign and a PvP option centered just around using these sealed decks. On the game's initial purchase, you can create two total decks in this way, and then you can buy more slots for these built decks via in-app purchase. If you want to play with a sealed deck, but don't know how to build a Magic deck, the game offers an "autobuild" option. There are plenty of tutorials and difficulty options, so no matter what your level of Magic experience, 2014 has plenty to offer. The biggest drawback might be that while there are lots of new options and content, the game itself hasn't changed. Stainless Games is the company that makes both the console and the iOS versions, and as a result, both versions use the same pacing, same graphics and same gameplay. There's no iOS-specific touchscreen moves or fun tablet-specific tricks or graphics. But that's fine. The point of this is to play Magic, and Wizards and Stainless both deserve a lot of credit for producing such a well-made game. Magic 2014 should be available on the iPad in the next few months or so. We'll keep an eye out for it, and let you know when it's finally arrived.
Kaiju Combat Kickstarter on hold over Wizards of the Coast trademark dispute
A Kickstarter project for an indie game called Kaiju Combat: Giant Monsters has been put on hold, due to a trademark disagreement with game publisher Wizards of the Coast. Soon after raising $112,513 for its $100k goal, developer Sunstone Games received an infringement notice from Wizards of the Coast. The notice claimed the name of Sunstone's game violated Wizard's "Kaijudo" trademark, which refers to a collectible card game based on a Hasbro TV show.Sunstone says its lawyer contacted Wizards last December to argue that "Kaiju" (a Japanese word that means "monster") had nothing at all to do with "Kaijudo," and they believed the matter had been settled. But this past week Wizards took the matter to Kickstarter directly, which took the project offline, claiming it was "the subject of an intellectual property dispute."Sunstone's owner Simon Strange says he's working as quickly as possible to get the project reinstated. Going through court costs, he says, would be prohibitive on the company's "limited development budget." Strange adds he's "hopeful" that Sunstone won't have to change the game's name.
Magic 2014: Duels of the Planeswalkers summoned this summer
Wizards of the Coast has announced that Magic 2014: Duels of the Planeswalkers is coming to PC, Xbox Live Arcade, the PlayStation Network, iOS, and (for the first time) Android devices this year. The new game will contain all of the cards from the Magic 2014 Core Set, as well as a new storyline teaming the player up with Planeswalker Chandra Nalaar.Neither the press release or the short teaser trailer for the game (seen below and above) mentions developer Stainless Games, but Wizards of the Coast has confirmed to Joystiq that the same team that made Duels of the Planeswalkers versions is indeed on the job again. Wizards has a demo planned at PAX East this weekend. and Magic 2014: Duels of the Planeswalkers will see release later on this summer.%Gallery-183463%
Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013 taps final two DLC decks
The third and final content update for Magic: The Gathering – Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013 is available today, a double dose of new decks. The first deck is a blue-and-black hybrid called Rogue's Gallery, while the other is a five-colored collection called Mana Mystery.Both decks will set spell slingers back a cool $3 (240 MS Points) on Xbox Live, PlayStation Network and PC through Steam today; however, iPad owners will have to wait until tomorrow before they can download these final decks.
Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013 gets two new decks on Nov. 7
The second booster pack is set to grace Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013 on Wednesday, November 7. Major Nelson has priced the DLC pack – which follows September's five new decks – at 240 MS Points ($3).Top Tier Tactics got the exclusive on two of the upcoming decks in this planned five-deck pack. The first is a white-and-red "Act of War" deck that is a modified version of "March to War" that was introduced in the first DLC pack for Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012. The other deck is a hybrid green-and-blue deck called "Sky and Scale."We followed up with a Wizards of the Coast rep who confirmed all of the details. The DLC will extend to these two decks alone for 240 MS Points ($3).
Wizards of the Coast sued over 'Electronic Trading Card' patent infringement
Wizards of the Coast is being sued by Texas-based Wildcat Intellectual Property Holdings over an alleged patent infringement. Courthouse News reports Wildcat believes Wizards of the Coast's 2002 game Magic: The Gathering Online infringes upon the former's 'Electronic Trading Card' patent, and is seeking an injunction to prohibit the transgression.The patent in question, US Patent No 6200216, was filed by Wildcat on March 6 1995 and issued on March 13 2001. It describes. among other components, "taking the traditional trading card metaphor and uniquely updating and enhancing it for application in consumer digital media." Wildcat claims the patent applies to its game 'Unit Commander' which it calls "the ultimate mercenary trading card game."Wildcat's allegations seem to date back to a lawsuit filed last year against Wizards of the Coast and 11 other companies, including Nintendo, EA, Sony Computer Entertainment America, Sony Online Entertainment, Konami, and Zynga. The complaint pertains to the same patent infringement Wildcat is presently suing Wizards of the Coast over.According to The Cardboard Connection, as of August 2 of this year Chaotic USA and Nintendo were dismissed without prejudice, leaving both open to being sued by Wildcat again separately. It's unclear if Wildcat's present case against Wizards of the Coast is a retooling of the previous one following a similar dismissal.
Magic 2013 brings (the Xbox version of) Magic to the iPad
The iPad is ideal for card games -- its size and wonderfully inviting touch screen makes it excellent for representing physical cards on a digital device. That's why, back when the iPad was first introduced, one of the most popular apps was a simple deck of cards, a virtual set of graphics that you could move and slide around the screen as needed. Traditional card games have always been well-represented on the iPad, and collectible card games really shine. As the iPad has matured, we've seen more and more virtual card games arrive, from Hothead's popular Kard Combat to enjoyable titles like Ascension and Shadow Era. For the longest time, however, Wizards of the Coast has declined to bring its monstrously popular collectible card game, Magic: The Gathering, to iOS. There have been popular versions of Magic on both PC (and even in the browser) and on game consoles, but up until this summer, there was no official way to play Magic on iOS. Fans had even released makeshift versions of the title on the App Store at times, all of them crushed by Wizards of the Coast's legal threats. Finally, about a month ago, we got what we'd been waiting for. Magic 2013 is an official version of Magic, the full game playable on the iPad's gorgeous screen, with all of the modern game rules and strategies (mostly) intact. But is this the version we've been waiting for, or is it yet another stopgap to let Wizards exploit the brand on iOS without actually pulling players away from its core physical card game? In short, this is the game you've been looking for if you're a Magic fan. It's as close as you'll get to playing real Magic almost anywhere, and it's plenty effective at imitating the real thing. The biggest drawback of Magic 2013 is that it's basically a port of the popular Duels of the Planeswalkers console series rather than an all-new iOS version, so all of the complaints about that series (that you can't truly build your own decks, and that most of the content is buried in a segmented campaign) are still mostly valid here. But otherwise, this is Magic, and all of the features that you'd hope to find in an official Magic game, including multiplayer online play, unlockable cards, Two-Headed Giant and custom game modes, and any other little extras, are all here for the taking. The base game is free and that is just a tester version. It offers just five levels, and doesn't include any of the larger features or card unlocks. A very reasonable US$9.99 unlocks everything else. While you can buy other cards or packs, the single $9.99 charge will get you most of the Magic you want: A full 30-match campaign, 10 decks to choose from and multiple opponents, including that online mode. There's no problem with content here at all. The digital game obviously isn't as flexible as the offline game (where you can put together your own strategies or play any number of custom rules), but given that Wizard definitely doesn't want to stop selling physical cards, all of the limits here are completely understandable. The biggest issue with Magic 2013 isn't in what it has, but in what it doesn't, and that's an iPad-specific interface. Again, the interface is lifted straight from the console version, which itself was originally designed to work with an Xbox 360 controller. As a result, Magic's digital cards just don't feel as real as they should. You do swipe cards up to play them, but tapping to attack simply moves them into position, and cards tap themselves rather than having you push them to the side. It's mostly an aesthetic argument, but still -- the iPad's screen is so well designed for tactile interaction that it's disappointing the developers didn't take more advantage of it. Wizards is probably leery of investing too much in a brand new version of the game, so hopefully later versions will have a more touchscreen-specific interface. The other issue with porting over from the console version is that games tend to run a little slow. The game moves through each phase with plenty of time for either opponent to jump in and cast spells or play cards, and all of that waiting seems less workable on the iPad's closeup screen. Again, this is the fault of the way the game was designed (and, to a lesser extent, the way Magic works in general), but I can't help but think that if the game was remade completely for the iPad, it would run just a little smoother than it currently does. Once you figure why everything moves as slowly as it does, however (and you'll have no problem doing that if you're an expert Magic player already), there's not a lot of other issues. The cards are clear, colorful and easy to read, and matches work just as they do in real life. The game's graphics are actually a little flashy for Magic, I thought, but they're also well-designed, and the music is pretty good as well. I don't know if this is the ideal version of Magic. Personally, I will probably tend towards playing the game on the Xbox, since that's where this version started and that's what I'm most used to. But we do finally have Magic: The Gathering on the iPad, and it runs as well as you'd want an official Magic app to run, with all of the boxes checked that you'd need. Hopefully, when the next version of the game comes around (Wizards has been releasing both new digital and physical versions on a somewhat annual basis), iOS will get a copy of the game that's been designed just for the excellent touchscreen it's rendered on.
HeroClix gets a TabApp, combining physical figures with digital gameplay
HeroClix is an official superhero collectible figure game that's been around for a while -- I remember the thing first starting to get popular when I was a kid. The company has just released a tie-in app for the iPad called the TabApp, and it sounds very interesting. You can supposedly use the app to unlock special maps and scenarios figures, plus there's a game to play that's tied in to the collectible game. HeroClix fans should give it a download. Unfortunately, for the rest of us, it sounds like the app is disappointing. While there is a little interaction with the figures (you need to place one on the screen at a certain point), it's not like this is a full version of the collectible game, and the app won't do things like animate your own figures. There's one review on the app right now, and it's pretty devastating: Apparently the game has nothing to do with the figures you own, and the feature where you place your HeroClix figure on the iPad is nothing but a button. That's a shame. I'm intrigued by the possibilities of the interaction between established physical games and iOS releases, and an app that really took advantage of the large HeroClix universe would be really cool. It could be that Wizards of the Coast doesn't want to cannibalize the existing figures game, but the Magic app was finally released and that seems to have done well, so maybe the company will reconsider in the future.
Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013 summons first DLC decks
The first supplementary decks have been added to Magic: The Gathering – Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013, with five new packs in total. This first expansion is available for 400 MS Points ($5) on Xbox 360, and $4.99 on PS3 and iOS.In addition to the new decks, this expansion adds 10 new campaign levels, five new puzzle challenges, five foil conversions and five deck key add-ons for the expansion decks. There are also some more specific tweaks to individual cards that address certain balance issues, like Serra Ascendant – the card essentially broke Two-Headed Giant games and has had its lifelink ability removed in the mode.
Daily iPad App: Magic 2013 finally brings Magic to iOS
Magic 2013 arrived on the App Store recently, and it was a long time coming. It's the first real version of Magic: The Gathering that we've seen since Apple's platform was first created. The iPad's touchscreen seems like a no-brainer for collectible card games, and there have been quite a few of them out there already. But we haven't had a real, official Magic: The Gathering app until now, which means Magic 2013 is the first app that actually lets you play the official game that's been so popular for years and years. Unfortunately, Wizards of the Coast has had to make some concessions, and those shortcuts are problematic. First of all, this game is actually modeled off of (and created by the same team as) the Xbox Live version of the game, which means it isn't a "pure" version of Magic (where you can create your own decks at will). Instead, it's sort of a "sampler" version, with a bunch of different decks to play with and only slightly customize, rather than free access to the collectible cards. The other issue is that because this version is based on a controller-driven game, it's not nearly as tactile as you'd imagine Magic on the iPad to be. That's a shame -- instead of designing a different version of Magic just for the iPad, Wizards essentially ported the (already popular) Xbox Live version. Not being able to do things like interact with the cards in a realistic way is a bummer. There are obvious reasons for all of this. Wizards certainly doesn't want to cannibalize sales of the actual cards, and the Xbox Live version is already a proven success (not to mention relatively cheaper to port over than to create a whole new game). Magic 2013 is an excellent title if you like Magic. It definitely allows you to play cards, make moves, and play out the full game, against the AI or other players. It's just too bad we didn't get something a little more suited to this platform, instead of a copy of Xbox Live's big title. #next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; }
Magic 2013 now (finally!) available on the iPad
The wait is over: Wizards of the Coast has finally brought an official, real version of Magic: The Gathering over to the iPad. Magic 2013 is now available on the App Store, and while there have been plenty of Magic-style card games before, and even an official Magic tracking app from Wizards, this is the first time that we've been able to actually play the real Magic game with official cards and everything. This version of the game is modeled after the very popular XBLA Duels of the Plainswalkers titles (and in fact, there's a new one of those out today as well), so it doesn't offer full control over your decks. Instead, cards are divided up into decks for you, so you can only customize your decks inside of the offered options. But that's not a huge problem: This is still full-on Magic play, with a single player campaign, three decks, and the option to play Plainchase mode for free, and then lots more via in-app purchase, including more decks, challenge modes, Two-Headed Giant and custom game modes, and even, yes, online multiplayer. It's been a long time coming, but we finally have a nice full version of Magic: The Gathering on iOS. Magic 2013 is a free download, and additional functionality can be purchased inside the app. If you're a Magic player, you've probably already headed to iTunes to grab it.
Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013 gives returning players free deck key
As a bonus to returning Magic: The Gathering players, a free deck key will be granted in Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013. I discovered this when first booting up my review copy from Microsoft, discovering a message of thanks for my continuing patronage.You can use the key to unlock a full deck right away, including all of its 30 unlockable cards, or you can turn all of your cards in one particular deck into foils.
Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013 adds manual mana tapping
One of the big improvements in Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013 is manual mana tapping, which lets players pick which exact lands they want to tap to play any given card. In previous games, this was something the game automatically decided, much to the dismay of advanced players the world over.
Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013 launches on June 20
Time to break out your good staff of summoning because Wizards of the Coast will launch the next installment in its Duels of the Planeswalkers series later this month. Magic: The Gathering: Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013 will launch worldwide on June 20 for Xbox Live Arcade, PSN, Steam on PC – and, for the first time, iPad.As for pricing, it's not necessarily a given that Duels 2013 will be a $10 title – Wizards reps would not confirm pricing.%Gallery-157177%
Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition arrives this summer [update: more news!]
Nope, we still don't really know what this Baldur's Gate announcement business is, but we sure do know its name now: "Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition." Huzzah! As previously reported, Beamdog is working on the Baldur's Gate project, though the developer's Overhaul Games division is taking lead. Atari is handling publishing duties, and Wizards of the Coast is licensing its (D&D-based) IP.From the few details we have, the project sounds an awful lot like an HD remake to us – especially given the fancier logo and "Enhanced Edition" subtitle. We've reached out to Beamdog for clarity on what the game actually is, and what platforms it'll end up on (among other things). For now, know that Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition will land on whatever those platforms are at some point this summer. We're gonna take a wild guess that it'll be on PC at the very least.Update: Beamdog reps tell us that the team at Overhaul is adding "new, original content" to the original game to make up the Enhanced Edition. "This is the Enhanced Edition, it's not a repackage. We have the original source code and are doing a significant update." He also confirms that no platforms have been announced just yet.Update 2: A Beamdog rep also confirms that the company is self-publishing. Though he wouldn't go into detail regarding the new content, he says that "it's being lovingly crafted in the spirit of the original with the help of some of the original developers." Additionally, Cameron Tofer and Trent Oster have been working on the project ("planning and organizing") for "over a year now." We'll also hear more soon, as the team is planning "regular announcements every week with more details."
DDO's Menace of the Underdark releasing June 25th, opens up pre-orders
Speaking of Guinness World Records for video games, I wonder whether Dungeons and Dragons Online would be eligible for "Longest time between game release and launch of its first expansion?" Six years may just be the longest we've ever witnessed, as DDO released in 2006, and it wasn't until 2012 that Menace of the Underdark was revealed. The good news is that come June 25th, the drought will be over. We asked Turbine why now seemed like a good time for an expansion. The devs said that Atari had made some noise back in the day about one, but it never came to fruition. With the success of free-to-play, Turbine wanted to see whether the expansion model was still viable, so Lord of the Rings Online was chosen as a test subject. When Rise of Isengard became the best-selling expansion for the company, the company felt secure letting DDO have a chance, although there was quite a lot of wrangling with Wizards of the Coast about the details and permissions. Record or no, it's an exciting event for DDO players, and the today, Turbine has announced the two biggest details for the expansion's schedule. The first is that Menace of the Underdark has a release date, and the second is the opening of pre-orders. Read on to get all of the juicy infos.
Unraveling DDO's Web of Chaos: Turbine talks Update 13
The vanguard of the free-to-play MMO movement is bearing down on the industry this spring, as Dungeons and Dragons Online prepares for its sixth birthday, its 13th update, and its first expansion. We sat down with Turbine Executive Producer Fernando Paiz and Senior Producer Eric Boyer to talk about this coming Monday's Update 13 and what players have to look forward to once it goes live. Update 13 comes at what could be seen as a renaissance in the game's history. Following DDO's transition to F2P, Turbine saw an upsurge in players and profits that continues to this day. Paiz said that "the game is doing very well," and while he did not disclose numbers, he feels that DDO's status as one of the first F2P adaptations gave it a lead that others have yet to overtake. Even so, with only five updates in 2011, it's hard to deny that DDO has faded into the background somewhat as newer titles and more recent F2P transitions hogged the spotlight. Turbine means to rectify this: "I think it's safe to say that this year we're making some noise again," Paiz said confidently. He went on to share just why this Monday's patch will be one of the most pivitol in DDO's history.
South Korean rating outs Magic: The Gathering: Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013
Game Rating Board, South Korea's premiere games rating board, has listed another entry in the Magic: The Gathering series of games, presumably for the PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 again. As things look, Stainless Games and Wizards of the Coast have no plans of stopping the annual installments.It shouldn't come as much of a surprise: both the original Duels of the Planeswalkers and Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012 performed well, the former having sold over 500,000 copies on XBLA, while the latter was one of PSN's top performers last year. Considering both previous installments launched in the summer, we're betting we'll be hearing about Duels 2013 soon.
