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Daily iPhone App: Brawl
Ben Brode is a game designer at Blizzard Entertainment who has created an iOS card game called Brawl (we're still waiting for iOS games from Blizzard, by the way). Brawl is actually based on a real card game, and unlike most turn-based card games, this one's played in real time (similar to Spoons, if you've ever played that one, in that you simply lay down cards as fast as you can). The basic idea is that you pile up cards of a certain color as you pull them off of a bigger deck, and then you can claim or cancel "bases" laid out on a field. The game can be a little tough to get the hang of (though there's a pretty solid tutorial to play through), but after you get it, it's pretty simple to play. It's also tough to master, however. There are a few different decks to play with, and while they may seem similar at first, there's actually a lot of strategy in choosing to either block a base or clear it out at the right time. It's a fun mix of cards and fighting games, and of course playing the game on iOS makes for a nice representation of the action. There's local and online Game Center multiplayer support, and while the game comes with three decks, you can buy more via an in-app purchase. The art's 2D and simple, but it looks great, and the game runs well -- just as solid as you'd expect from someone with Blizzard experience. Brawl's available right now as a universal version for free, and the other decks in the game can be picked up for $1.99 each.
CPU Wars and c-Jump: the nerdiest card and board games ever
Board games and card games are kind of dorky to begin with. And there are plenty of titles out there that hold a special place in the heart of the nerd (just ask one about Settlers of Catan). But, there is a line, a line which even the nerdiest amongst us might not care to cross. For example, c-Jump -- a board game that teaches the basics of programming. Some of the spaces you'll land on in the course of your journey down the mountain include "goto jump;" and "switch (x) {". Then there's CPU Wars, for the three people out there that think Magic: The Gathering is too mainstream. In this card battle game you pit CPUs from throughout history against each other and attempt to collect all your adversary's processors. You can order c-Jump through ThinkGeek for $25 and pledge cash to CPU Wars over at Kickstarter. You'll find a video of the card game after the break.
Cryptozoic announces new WoW card game Clash of Champions
Cryptozoic Entertainment, which puts out the WoW Trading Card Game, has announced a new way for you to enjoy the Warcraft universe with Clash of Champions, a new deck-building card game. This game allows you to take on the role of a major hero of the Warcraft universe such as Thrall, Jaina, King Magni, Garrosh, or Varian Wrynn and fight monsters and epic bosses. As you fight, you level up, and you can add new abilities and loot to your card deck. As you may expect from the basic outline of the rules, this will be a separate game from the TCG, with new rules and new ways to play, but it sounds like an epic playing experience and a fun way to battle with your favorite characters from the Warcraft mythos. The new game is expected in spring 2012.
WoW TCG: Throne of the Tides Alliance and Horde ally previews
The newest WoW TCG expansion, Aftermath: Throne of the Tides, isn't just about monsters like the naga, murlocs, and ogres. No sir, not at all. The Horde and the Alliance are both well represented in the coming card set, featuring new allies for both factions. As with all Cryptozoic card sets, the art for the cards is amazing and worth a look even if you aren't a die-hard TCG fan like so many are. New Alliance allies are hitting the TCG, including Faithseer Jasmina, a Worgen priest with the ability to keep herself alive through preventing lots of damage, making Worgen one of the hardest races to take down in the card game. The other Alliance ally previewed is Mekkatorque, King of the Gnomes, who has the ability to reconstruct lost equipment during the game into strength for himself. The new Horde allies hitting the battlefield include Alana the Woebringer, an Undead priest, and Lordann the Bloodreaver, a Blood Elf warrior. Alana the Woebringer has a dangerous ability that allows her to cut the opponent's deck in half at the start of each turn. She is a total deck destroyer, removing cards from the game until you bring her down. Lordann the Bloodreaver gets big bonuses for having your hero having lots of damage and will be especially useful with aggressive players. Aftermath: Throne of the Tides will be released on Oct. 11. Brace yourselves for what could be some of most exciting updates to the game recently with patch 4.3. Look at what's ahead: new item storage options, cross-realm raiding, cosmetic armor skinning and your chance to battle the mighty Deathwing -- from astride his back!
Exclusive: Referee Ruby plays Treasure War in Free Realms
Referee Ruby is back again this week with another exclusive Free Realms video, this time showing off the Treasure War card game. Accessible through Greenwood Forest, Treasure War is a simple, card-styled rock-paper-scissors game in which players pit their cards against opponents' cards in an attempt to steal -- you guessed it -- treasure. The game features three modes: Quickplay, for low-risk, speedy, and fun matches vs. other players; Campaign, which requires the participant to face off against increasingly difficult NPCs for prizes; and Tournament, a competitive version of Quickplay that offers lucrative rewards. Ruby notes that Treasure War isn't a standard TCG in which you build a custom deck; instead, your cards are chosen at random from your collection by the game itself. Of course, the Free Realms cash shop sells gems that can boost your odds of winning if you really need that extra edge. You can also purchase card packs for a chance at rare prizes like the glowy phoenix mount Ruby's riding at the end of the trailer. Enjoy the full video just behind the break!
The Daily Grind: What pen-and-paper RPG would make a great MMO?
This weekend thousands of gamers and geeks are descending on Indianapolis for GenCon Indy. Over four days, countless board, card, LARP and RPG games will be played, merchandise purchased in mass quantities, and new friendships formed. GenCon's always been a good reminder that we MMO fans have roots in a much larger community of gamers, and that our interests often converge in unexpected ways. For all of the MMOs we have, there are even more pen-and-paper roleplaying games out there, some of which might just make a good online game if put into the right hands. So how about it? What tabletop RPG would make a good MMO -- and for kicks, what studio would you want handling it? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Bright Shadow Online announced
MMO collectible card games aren't quite as prevalent as their traditional RPG brethren, but titles like CardMon Hero, Urban Rivals, and even BattleForge have been making their online presence felt in recent years. Today Gamania Digital Entertainment Europe is adding another title to that mix with the announcement of its Bright Shadow Online MMOCCG. Bright Shadow's beta begins this Friday, July 8th on Gamania's beanfun! platform. Interested players can grab a beta key by playing the Bright Shadow Memory Game at the title's website. The minigame involves matching six pairs of monster cards, at which point you'll unlock your key. Careful, though, you've only got four lives to spend. Bright Shadow Online features 20 classes, 60 randomly generated dungeons, over 600 collectible monster cards, and extensive character customization according to Gamania's official website.
Cryptozoic announces WoW TCG Twilight of the Dragons expansion
WoW Trading Card Game fans are about to get really excited, as Cryptozoic has just released details on the third installment of the Worldbreaker set, Twilight of the Dragons. From the details released, this set will be Deathwing's break into Azeroth, releasing the Twilight dragonflight upon us all. Hit the jump for all the details and an awesome artwork gallery. %Gallery-122227%
WoW TCG Assault on Icecrown Citadel 4-player game now available
Grab three friends and roll the dice to see who gets to be the Lich King -- Cryptozoic Entertainment just released the Assault on Icecrown Citadel four-player game! The game is built on the WoW Trading Card Game, but rather than having to build and use your own deck, you take control of decks themed around Icecrown's biggest heroes: Tirion Fordring, Sylvanas Windrunner, and Jaina Proudmoore. Each hero plays differently, and you'll need all of their unique abilities and weapons to defeat the Lich King, also controlled by a player. To top it off, it's packaged with a special Treasure Pack containing cards unique to the set and Worldbreaker loot cards. I was lucky enough to get to play the game before its release, and I can vouch for its fun factor. Being able to play as a lore hero instead of an average Joe gives the game a really epic feeling. The Assault on Icecrown Citadel game retails for $39.99 and is available at retailers now.
Choose My Adventure: An interview with Wizard101's Kevin Battleblood
Ah, Wizard101. I've had so much fun with the game over these last few weeks. Despite my having some distracting real-life issues pop up, I found the game was a steady source of entertainment. The further you get into it, the more you understand how the game became successful. It's not just a "kid's game" for sure -- calling it that is almost an insult. Think about it for a moment, anyway: What separates a "kid's game" from a "regular" (adult? grown-up?) game? After all, there are 12-year-olds raiding in World of Warcraft probably as you read this, so perhaps it is the cartoony look of a game like Wizard101 that qualifies it only for juveniles? Don't let the look fool you. There is a great game there with a massive, passionate and lively community. The gameplay itself is top-notch and beautifully simple. Like many MMOs, it is easy to learn and hard to master. The level of challenge all depends on the passion of the player. I found myself just poking around and decorating my house a lot of the time; meanwhile, players like Kevin Battleblood spent theirs forming groups of digital amateur scientists to study PvP, pets and spell issues. In fact, Kevin's work in the community has impressed me so much that I decided to get his advice before jumping into PvP myself. You voted on it, and I will get to it, but since this is my last Choose My Adventure, I will have to do it off the clock. Luckily, Kevin is one of the top-notch players in Wizard101 -- so let's skip past the cut and see what he has to say to a noob like yours truly!
Cryptozoic announces Assault on Icecrown Citadel raid deck for March 1
Coming soon to a store near you is the latest offering from Cryptozoic's World of Warcraft Trading Card Game: Assault on Icecrown Citadel. This new raid deck pits players taking the part of Tirion Fordring, Jaina Proudmoore, or Sylvanas Windrunner against the Lich King. Complete out of the box, the four-player game features loads of new art and allows players to take the part as one of the three heroes or as the Lich King himself. The best part? Each deck comes with that hero's legendary weapon, from Ashbringer to Frostmourne. And of course, there are other perks to be had -- each Treasure Pack holds the chance of getting a nifty loot card that can be used in game. The Icecrown Citadel Raid Deck and Treasure Packs are scheduled for a release date of March 1. Check out the official WoW TCG site for more information about the game, galleries of TCG artwork and tutorials on gameplay, as well as information on where you can pick up the game for yourself! Follow after the break for the full press release from Cryptozoic Entertainment.
Fan transforms Killzone into a card game
Love the Helghast, but hate getting schooled in Killzone's online battlefield? Then you may want to try your hand on a fan-made CCG adaptation, instead. Created by "thepineapple1," the Killzone card game has you dueling one-on-one against another player. With your "Action Points," you'll be able to command and promote soldiers, equip weapons, and even use vehicles. But don't expect to jump into the game immediately. Like many other games in the genre, you'll have to sit down and learn the rules; the downloadable starter kit includes a detailed nine page rule book. With some patience (and a decent color printer), the Killzone card game looks like a rather interesting diversion. Download the Helghast starer pack here, and the ISA starter pack here.
Cryptozoic unveils new WoW TCG community site
After picking up the license for WoW TCG, Cryptozoic Entertainment has done a great job supporting the game and fostering its community. The only thing missing so far has been ... a functional website. The old Cryptozoic site just wasn't cutting it. Thankfully, today marks the release of the brand new WoWTCG.com, and it's a beauty. Visitors to the site can find hobby stores in their area, tutorials on how the play TCG and what they need to play it, galleries of TCG's fantastic artwork, and even special pages for each loot card. That's on top of the regular previews and strategy articles. Nice job, Crypto!
David Sirlin's card-based fighting game Yomi available for pre-order
David Sirlin is best known around these parts for helping re-balance Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo HD Remix and Super Puzzle Fighter 2 Turbo HD Remix. Now, he's releasing a fighting game that can actually be played in the street (or any other flat surface!). Yomi is a card game for two players that uses its cards to represent one-on-one fights. Sirlin's been developing the game for the last six years, balancing it with tournament play, and it's finally available to pre-order for $100, which includes instant access to a printable version. That may sound expensive, but at least there's no more collecting after the initial outlay. In addition, a new printing of Sirlin's previous game, Puzzle Strike, is also up for pre-order. Please don't actually play these games in the street. You'd inevitably lose cards when scrambling to get out of the way of incoming cars. Alternatively, you'd die. [Thanks, SpicyCrab]
Guest Post: Getting into the WoW Trading Card Game
This article has been brought to you by Seed, the Aol guest writer program that brings your words to WoW.com. Are you someone who plays World of Warcraft and purchases booster boxes of each World of Warcraft Trading Card Game expansion in order to get its loot cards? Do you know how to play the World of Warcraft Trading Card Game? If not, then you are one of many online gamers I've heard of who help make the trading card game a hot property but have not discovered that those cards you are packing up and burying in your apartment or house are actually a lot of fun to play with. For those of you who haven't taken a look at the trading card game at all, I'd highly recommend it. I have been playing card games since 2003, and the WoW TCG is no exception. I spent over a year writing about the game, as well as playing and working at some of its biggest events (with a short break in 2008 to finish school). It was because of WoW TCG that I ended up getting into the WoW MMO in the first place! The WoW Trading Card Game has been around since fall 2006 and has continued on through a transition from one company (Upper Deck Entertainment) to another (Cryptozoic). Organized play has had its ups and downs, but the game is starting to get more popular and attendance is once again picking up at events everywhere. However, a recent addition to the weekly tournament at my local comic book store mentioned that he knows plenty of people who buy the cards but never learn how to play. Why is that?
Call for Submissions: All about WoW TCG
We're more than a little surprised that there's so little talk around these parts about the World of Warcraft Trading Card Game. After all, players who've been around the gaming scene for very many years tend to have dabbled in card games like Magic: The Gathering. WoW itself would be a very different creation without the influence of games like MTG and the games that inspired it -- so let's talk about WoW's own collectible card game! WoW.com is accepting article submissions from experienced WoW TCG players. What does it take to get started? What's the gameplay like? How do the loot cards tie in, and what's been available so far? Is the game part of the tournament scene? Your article will give readers who've never played WoW TCG a peek into the game and the world of card games.
New Star Wars online game revealed: Clone Wars Adventures [Update]
While we've heard the rumors of a third Star Wars online title coming our way, today it's confirmed: Clone Wars Adventures will launch this fall! Unlike Star Wars Galaxies and Star Wars: The Old Republic, Clone Wars Adventures is aimed at a younger demographic (but may appeal to the older as well), in the vein of what SOE did with Free Realms. Sony is shying away from calling this an "MMO," preferring the term "virtual world" instead as there won't be leveling or quests. Capitalizing on the Clone Wars TV series' popularity, CWA offers a pick of three playable classes (Jedi, Padawan and Clone Trooper) and will be more minigame focused. Players will socialize in hubs, meet iconic Star Wars characters, and head off together or solo for a variety of activities, including spaceship battles, tower defense, card games, droid programming and speeder bike racing. Destructoid is reporting that about 20 minigames will be present at launch. Fun amenities, such as pets and player housing, will be offered as well. Clone Wars Adventures will be free to play with an optional membership, so everyone will be able to sample the goods without worry. The official website is chock-full of info and screenshots, although a lot of the smaller details are obviously forthcoming. We'll be able to get a closer look at this title when we travel to E3 later this month, so stay tuned! [Update: We've gotten our hands on a trailer for the game! Follow along after the break to check it out!]
Yu-Gi-Oh! Decade Duels coming to XBLA this spring
Click on the image and yu-can-go into our gallery The beautiful part about having Yu-Gi-Oh! on your Xbox 360 is that you can still partake in that most guilty of pleasures, but you don't have to wade through the cesspool of people that enjoy that brand of self-deprecation. Konami has announced that Yu-Gi-Oh! Decade Duels is coming to Xbox Live Arcade in Spring 2010 and will feature "the most robust card offering and the opportunity to purchase additional card packs through Xbox Live." There's no word on price right now for the initial game, so we've contacted Konami. We'll let you know what we hear back. %Gallery-90104%
Review: Mü app proves that deep, real card games can thrive on the iPhone
Fans of light, mindless card games should not download Mü [$2.99]. There are plenty of thought-like time-killers in the App Store. Go play one of those. Mu, on the other hand, is a complicated (in a good way) game with a medium-high learning curve that should manage to entertain gamers for quite some time. At its core, Mü is a trick taking game like Hearts or Skat, and the physical card game version is much loved by regular card gamers because it is deep, replayable and fun. The app manages to recreate all three of these important factors in one slick package, giving old hands a way to bring the challenge along for the ride. For new players, the iPhone version is a good way to learn how to play. Read on to see if more Mü would be good for you. %Gallery-89576%
Review: Reiner Knizia's Topas
We don't mind it when iPhone versions of board games differ from their realspace counterparts, but the Topas app ($2.99) takes the basic ideas behind Reiner Knizia's 2009 game Topas and twists them into a mash-up of Tetris, the standard line-up-three-of-a-kind video games, and dominoes. The dominoes thing was in the original, but the video game vibes are all new. Is this a good thing? Well, it kind of is. We like the variety that the app brings to basic Topas, but we don't understand why it was apparently impossible to carry over original gameplay from the physical card game. Even the game mode that comes closest to the card game version – weakest link, which is very similar to the card game's solo play – changes one minor rule. As to why, we have no idea. Still, Topas offers a decent amount of challenge and fun in an attractive package – maybe slightly overpriced in the App Store's admittedly low-cost ecosystem – for people who like their puzzle games to sparkle. Keep reading to find out more about how Topas works and doesn't work as an iPhone game. %Gallery-88891%
