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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%
Review: Set card game on the iPhone is oh so close to the perfect puzzle app
The idea behind Set, the now-classic card/puzzle game, can be mind-numbingly difficult to explain. Some people just can't wrap their heads around the "all the same or all different concept." Of course, some people get it right away. For both types, the new Set app [$2.99] for the iPhone and iPod touch is a fine challenge, even if it's not perfect in all aspects. Here's the gist of the game: each card in the 81-card deck has between one and three images on it. These images come in three shapes (diamond, oval, and squiggly), three colors (red, green, and purple), and three levels of shading (solid, lined, and empty). Every possible combination is available on one single card. The goal is to find sets from a collection of cards laid face-up on the table. A set is any three cards where each of these four features are, independently, either all the same or all different? So, a single red solid diamond, a single green solid diamond, and a single purple solid diamond make a set (in that example, the number, shading, and shape features are all the same while the colors are all different). Also, a single empty purple squiggle, two lined green diamonds, and three solid red ovals make a set. Got that? Good. If not, click through the gallery of images from the app starting here to see how the game's designers explain things. If you want to give Set a try for free, you can try an online daily puzzle here, or download the very limited lite version of the iPhone app here. For learning the game, the app's tutorial is tremendously helpful. Keep reading to find out more about how the game works, or doesn't, on the iPhone. %Gallery-88525%
Joystiq's hands-on with the PlayStation Eye
The fanatical crew of card-and-video-game enthusiasts over at Joystiq have apparently had the unique pleasure of a hands-on with the newest and wackiest PS3 accessory, the PlayStation Eye and its bundled game Eye of Judgment. If you'll recall, the interactive, VGA camera is integrated with the Magic: The Gathering-like game, which uses real cards and a mat that the camera is aimed at. We understand the Joystiq team really put the game (and the Eye) through its paces in a 36-hour, pepperoni-pizza-filled, jolt-drinking marathon, which ended when one of the players' chaotic-neutral wizards cast "sleep" on everyone, but exhausted his remaining mana in the process. Browse on over to the Joystiq'ers pad and get all the nasty details.
Taito introduces Surface-like arcade game
Well, it didn't take long for Microsoft's Surface to trickle down into the fast-paced world of card gaming (ala Magic). Feast your eyes on the next device your children will be shoveling money into like it's going out of style, a new Square Enix (makers of Final Fantasy) and Taito collaboration called The Wheel of Eternity. The card-based RPG appears to function much in the same way that Bill Gates described Surface's object recognition properties as working, "sensing" cards which are placed on the game area, and reacting to their status, movement and arrangement. There's no word on when or if this game is coming to the states, but with kids' unnatural obsession with card games (particularly those of a Japanese ilk), it seems likely this will be popping up on these shores before long.
Pet Wars and other minigame ideas
If the response to new hairstyles at BlizzCon means anything to the developers (Frank Pierce told me that he almost didn't even bother mentioning the new hairstyles at the keynote, and was amazed that it got one of the biggest cheers), it's that you can't ignore the little changes. New raid bosses, and bigtime lore storylines are cool, but sometimes people just want to relax and have a little fun with their characters.So Karvoth has a great idea: turn noncombat pets into combat pets (of a sort), and make them into a fun little minigame. Just like the Tonk wars (and doggone it, if anyone on Thunderhorn's Horde side has a Tonk left, come see my Shaman, because he has one and no one to fight with!), setting up a little mode for dueling minipets would create endless fun, and fill in all those hours of group waiting and guild setup pretty easily.Of course, that's not the only game they could implement-- ever since the Darkmoon cards were implemented, I always thought it would be awesome to have an ingame card game. I probably doubled my time playing FFIX just because of Tetra Master, and putting a simple but addictive card game inside of WoW would give me a whole new reason to play even more.Unfortunately, neither of these ideas are likely, because Blizzard has made it pretty clear with WotLK that WoW is some serious high-level business. But just like the new hairstyles, players will always jump at the chance to have more simple fun with all the time they spend in Azeroth.
Homebrew FFVIII game goes MMO
Triple Triad is no ordinary piece of homebrew. Like Wandria, or Hexaxis, this title is pushing the limits of what we thought homebrew development could produce. But, this game isn't a graphical showcase. Rather, it's pushing the online capabilities of the system, becoming the first ever homebrew MMO game.The game is based on the card game from Final Fantasy VIII, with over 330 cards from Final Fantasy VII, VIII and X (with XI to come later). Not only will you be able to buy, sell and trade your cards with others, you'll also be able to send each other private messages, chat during the game, and more. You'll be able to have a friends list, a blacklist, and you'll also be able to track the movements of other players. Quite ambitious, is it not?Hopefully, this revolutionary project will be able to deliver on all its promises. There won't be too long to wait, though: the game is planned to release this Monday.[Via PlayStation Forums, QJ]
World of Warcraft TCG: Ally Cards
These two preview articles highlight the different allies you'll have access to in-game, and what they can and can't do for you. There are different allies for players playing alliance and horde heroes, which I imagine adds some distinct flavor to playing either side in the game. Each ally has a resource cost (the number of resources you must expend to put it into play), an attack power (the amount of damage they can do to an opponent), a health rating (the amount of damage an enemy has to do to kill them), and sometimes special abilities. One ability of note is the "protector" ability - which I would describe in in-game turns as a warrior's taunt. When one player decides to attack another in the TCG, they choose an ally to attack with and an ally on their opponents' side to attack - however, if their opponent has any allies with the protector ability, they may use those cards to defend against the attack instead. The alliance preview introduces us to the dwarf paladin Maxum Ironbrew (who can heal himself) and everyone's favorite king of Ironforge, Magni Bronzebeard (who summons a dwarf warriors each turn to fight with you and also allows all dwarves in your deck to be protectors). The horde preview introduces us to the Orgrimmar grunt (which becomes more powerful the more grunts you have in play) and Warchief Thrall (who increases the attack power and health of all your horde allies).
World of Warcraft TCG: Quest Cards
The most recent TCG preview features quest cards - three of them in fact: Your Fortune Awaits You, Are We There, Yeti?, and Tooga's Quest. I find it interesting that these cards more or less mirror existing in-game quests, though fit neatly into the TCG's own structure. What's the point of quests? Well, they offer you rewards - usually extra cards, but sometimes other useful things - in exchange for resources. So what are resources? During every turn a player may play one card face down (any type of card? I'm a little unclear on this). You can use this card to pay a single resource cost. Thus, the further into the game you get, the more you can afford to pay for skills, abilities, and interesting quests.
World of Warcraft TCG: Weapon Cards
The most recent TCG preview focuses on weapons cards, highlighting the two-handed polearm Flame Wrath. In explaining how the weapon works, we get a lot of information on how the game's combat system is going to work as well. At this point, I'm curious - the highlighted card is usable by warriors, paladins, and hunters, but I don't see anything that differentiates the warriors' use of this weapon from the hunters' - so will melee hunters be a force to be reckoned with? Will bow-wielding warriors be viable without the in-game advantage that hunters receive from autoattack? There's still a lot we don't know about the dynamics of gameplay. And, again, WoW TCG news gives an excellent rundown of what these text-heavy previews tell us.
World of Warcraft TCG: Armor Cards
This TCG preview tells all there is to know about "armor" cards by showing off the Deathdealer Breastplate card. This article doesn't seem give us as much new game information as yesterday's preview - armor works much as you might expect it to work if you play World of Warcraft. The more I read about it, the more it sounds quite like the Azeroth I know and love, only without the need for an internet connection - and I'm all for that. Again, WoW TCG news has a nice summation of the information given in the preview.
World of Warcraft TCG: Ability Cards
Upper Deck has released another preview of the soon-to-be-released (well, if you consider October to be soon) World of Warcraft trading card game, letting us in on gameplay functionality, one card type at a time. This preview, obviously, focuses on how the "ability" cards work in gameplay, walking us through the "gouge" card. And, again, if the preview is too much reading for you, WoW TCG News has a summary of what the article tells us.
Leeroy Invades WoW Card Game
If this isn't immortality, I don't know what is. In the latest chapter in the saga of Leeroy Jenkins (and if you don't know who that is, just give up now), it seems everyone's favorite raid wiper will now be honored with his very own card in the upcoming WoW Collectible Card Game. The card will apparently be a special card that will be used as 'a reward or a prize', according to this announcement over at WarcraftCardGame.com, a blog dedicated to the development of the game. You can view the official Leeroy art by following the link. You think the guys who originally made that video had any idea the joke would go this far? God, I hope not.
