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Magic 2015 now available on Steam, Xbox 360, Android, Kindle
Following last week's iPad debut, virtual collectible card game Magic 2015 - Duels of the Planeswalkers has now arrived on Steam, the Xbox 360, Amazon's Kindle Fire and Android devices. The 2015 installment of this annual series offers the typical sort of high-fantasy plotline fans have come to expect: "Magic 2015 - Duels of the Planeswalkers challenges players to 'Hunt Bigger Game' and confront the deadliest hunter in the Magic Multiverse – Garruk Wildspeaker," reads the game's official description. "Players must attempt to stop Garruk as he turns his instincts away from beasts of the wild to a new quarry - you, his fellow Planeswalker." More crucially, Magic 2015 is the first entry in the series to offer players a "full deck-building experience." Prior Magic games only allowed players to modify pre-built decks, a baffling design choice that removed one of the most crucial aspects of the series' card game inspiration. Whether this inclusion was inspired by the overwhelming success of Blizzard's similar, more fully-featured Hearthstone is unknown, but it's nice to see the virtual Magic franchise finally live up to its full, addictive potential. Both the Xbox 360 and Steam versions of Magic 2015 bear $10 price tags, while the Android and Kindle incarnations are free-to-play games supported by in-app purchases. [Image: Wizards of the Coast]
Check out Magic 2015's list of card-contributing game developers
Magic the Gathering is arguably the most iconic trading card game out there, and when a game is played for more than two decades, its legacy is bound to pick up some notable fans. The upcoming Magic 2015's Core Set, due for release in July 18, reflects that truth, incorporating ideas contributed by game developers into 14 cards in the Core Set. The Genesis Hydra, seen above, was fittingly spawned from a concept submitted by Plants vs Zombies designer George Fan. While the remaining cards in the set have not been shared, other designs include the ideas of Team Meat's Edmund McMillen, Mojang's Markus "Notch" Persson, and Penny Arcade creators Mike "Gabe" Karhulik and Jerry "Tycho" Holkins. You can check out the full list of contributors after the break, as well as the full scan of The Genesis Hydra in the gallery below. [Image: Wizards of the Coast]
Magic 2015 deals in Xbox One, out in the summer
This summer, Magic 2015: Duels of the Planeswalkers brings the collectible card game series to Xbox One for the first time, but it looks like the game isn't coming to PlayStation platforms in the near future. Wizards of the Coast announced Magic 2015 for Xbox One, Xbox 360, Steam, iPad, Android and Kindle, with PS3 and PS4 conspicuously absent from the deck; previously editions have traditionally come to PS3 at launch. As for the summer due date, that's only specified for Xbox One, and Wizards of the Coast notes its releases may vary from platform to platform. Talking of decks, you'll be able to build customized ones in Magic 2015, and Wizards of the Coast promises "more robust" deck-building features to boot. Meanwhile, the story pits players as the prey of primal hunter and generally deadly dude Garruk Wildspeaker. Of course, we might be seeing Magic: The Gathering on bigger screens in the future, after 20th Century Fox's purchase of the series' screen rights earlier this year. We look forward to the inevitable video game based on the collectible card game based on the movie based on the collectible card game. [Image: Wizards of the Coast]
