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Magic The Gathering Online

Magic The Gathering Online

List Price: $14.99
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great!
Review: I play magic, but i never really had anyone to play with other than a couple of my friends. I got this, and i can play whenever i want to! It doesnt matter that you have to pay for the cards, because you can sell the virtual ones on ebay for more money than the cardboard ones!

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Magic Online
Review: I simply love Magic cards, and I probably will for a long time. Now, I am 12 years old and I don't know many people who play Magic cards, and this is a fairly good way to play. I don't own it, but I played the beta version. I loved it. But, in the beta version you didn't have to pay for your cards. THIS IS WHY I HATE MAGIC ONLINE!! I wouldn't mind if you had a monthly fee, but paying for cards that aren't real and could buy at a lower price is ridiculous. I think this is the game for people who are too lazy to go out and find a REAL LIFE Magic card tournament with REAL LIFE Magic cards. I, personally dislike this game because of the fact that you have to pay money for virtual cards. Strange...

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Very Well Done!!
Review: I used to play Magic about 5-6 years ago, but I stopped (as did many) due to the lack of normal, sane people to play the game with. Because Magic is a somewhat complicated (and somewhat expensive) strategic game, it was very hard to find a lot of folks to really play good games with. This is now changed. The software that you are buying is the platform used to connect to thousands of other MtG players out there. It is very, VERY well put together regarding the graphic user interface and the artwork. If you know the game already you will have no problem learning the game online. The online gameplay is pretty intuitive. If you are new to the game, the tutorials are perfectly set up to get you in harmony with the software and the game itself.

With this package, you get a $9.99 credit to start an online account with Wizards of the Coast, which you need to play. Now, like the real live game, you do need to buy your own cards and put together your own decks. Wizards have available premade decks for sale to get started with. However, contrary to what some people think, when you set up your account with this software, Wizards DOES send you a credit for a premade deck. You still need a credit card because with the tax a deck will cost like .40 with the credit, but it gets you going. AND, some of the basic decks are even available to you free with the "practice" feature, so without spending any more money you could actually play the game. But, you would be missing out on a lot if you didn't put up some more cash. There are online trading chat rooms, there are online tournaments and much more. Leaping Lizards software has put together the online equivalent of the real Magic world, booster and tournaments packs and all. This, by the way, is a freaking BRILLIANT move on the part of Wizards of the Coast. They are selling cards online with ZERO printing cost. It's going to make them ZILLIONAIRES!!

With that said, I have to warn you, this game is very addicting and in order to create better decks you do need to spend money. Sometimes a LOT of money. While this software by itself is like $20, within 2 months I've spent close to $200 on cards. Now, I'm an obsessive compulisive player so that may not be the norm, but it can be done so be careful.

Overall, this is a very well done attempt at recreating a very tight knit world. I've already experience updates to the game which happen when you load up from time to time, so they seem to be paying close attention to detail. You still run into the occasional over educated, under socialized Magic players that have nothing better to do than make decks and complain about you and yours, but what would Magic be without the hardcores. This is worth the buy if you have the time and love the game. I can see it only getting better with time.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Appalled. Read on to know why.
Review: I want to make it clear right now that I have not played this game and never will. This isn't because I believe it to be a bad game. In fact, I have been waiting for a game with an interface as I've seen described. Right after I heard of it I searched around. YOU HAVE TO PAY TO USE THE CARDS YOU WANT!!!! YOU have to pay to use DIGITAL cards!!!!!!!!
I immediately left the web site after seeing that in search of a SENSIBLE Magic online game. I found the incredible Magic the Gathering Interactive Encyclopedia, which lets you use any of the thousands of Magic cards in existance at your will to battle opponents online. It even had a deckbuilding judge that gave you an analasis of your deck. Alas, this game is no longer on sale, but I urge anyone who reads this review to get the message to Wizards that we just want an updated version of that game! And if you agree or disagree with me, please voice your opinion by voting on whether this review was useful to you or not.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Appalled. Read on to know why.
Review: I want to make it clear right now that I have not played this game and never will. This isn't because I believe it to be a bad game. In fact, I have been waiting for a game with an interface as I've seen described. Right after I heard of it I searched around. YOU HAVE TO PAY TO USE THE CARDS YOU WANT!!!! YOU have to pay to use DIGITAL cards!!!!!!!!
I immediately left the web site after seeing that in search of a SENSIBLE Magic online game. I found the incredible Magic the Gathering Interactive Encyclopedia, which lets you use any of the thousands of Magic cards in existance at your will to battle opponents online. It even had a deckbuilding judge that gave you an analasis of your deck. Alas, this game is no longer on sale, but I urge anyone who reads this review to get the message to Wizards that we just want an updated version of that game! And if you agree or disagree with me, please voice your opinion by voting on whether this review was useful to you or not.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Greedy company, but I'm still playing
Review: I was part of the beta for this game and among the hoards who vowed that that they would never submit to this insane pricing plan. Well, it's less than a month since the beta ended, and here I am meekly licking Wizards of the Coast's boots. It's sad, really. Unfortunately, this really does combine everything that made Magic: the Gathering addictive in the first place with the additional conveniences of always being able to find a player and of having the computer act as an automatic rules interpreter.

I will note that the interface could stand a certain amount of improvement. There's absolutely no scroll button support, even for such simple tasks as scrolling through menus, and some of the right click options are less than intuitive. They could also benefit from such features as a way to print your card lists out, an easier way to find open tables (yes, I am familiar with all of the ways to do so -- they're all substandard), and other minor things that I hope will eventually get patched. Overall, though, the interface is well done and do an admirable job of capturing the play and feel of the original game.

But the pricing scheme is still miserable. Do not buy this product! Do not demo it! Stay far away and don't let it hook you. Pity those of us that it has.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: WOW
Review: I've been playing magic since i was 7 now im 12, i think the fact that you have to buy all of your cards all over again if you have a killer deck and you want to use it online, but it is really fun

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Finally, a great way to play this epic game online.
Review: I've had a passing fascination with Magic: The Gathering for quite some time. When I first tried the game several years ago, I knew it was my type of game. Sadly though, not a single person I knew played Magic. My attempts to teach others failed horribly, resulting in little to no challenge whatsoever. Finally I gave up and learned to live with the pain of seeing Magic in card shops, books, TV, and everywhere else.

I made attempts at finding other ways to play. I tried most of the previous Magic: The Gathering games only to be disappointed. I even tried Apprentice, only to find it a very poor substitute for the real thing.

Well, finally all my Magic: The Gathering troubles are behind me. With M:TG Online, playing a round of M:TG takes less than a minute to get started. The card art is faithfully reproduced and looks relatively good considering the limited screen space. The feel of the game is exactly like the real thing, in my opinion, better.

Why's it better? Well, from my attempts at playing the card game with newbies, I can tell you that it's highly annoying explaining the rules and why your genius finishing combo isn't cheating. For that matter, even the highly skilled players can still be unclear about certain card combos and their effects from time to time. M:TG Online will never let you make an impossible move, and you never have to wonder if you are in fact making a correct move. Everything is clear and precise, with no annoying popup messages or other time wasting dialogs. If something can't be done, it simply won't be possible to do. And don't think that this will give players an edge by making them able to effectively try everything until something works, it simply won't work that way. Anyone who has to rely on a strategy like that would be stomped in 3 seconds flat by a skilled player.

Some people will unquestionably whine about buying digital cards for full price, but I believe Wizards has made the right choice. If the game simply shipped with all cards for a flat $..., the game would simply lose its lifelike realism. It would become just like Apprentice, where everyone uses only the best cards and all of the lower cards are never even looked at much less played with. When I play, I want to play a round of Magic: The Gathering, not a dream deck building simulation. This is the only way that is actually possible. The people that seem to think M:TG is only lasting as long as you keep spending money on boosters are simply incorrect. At just under $... a deck, you could buy a good 4 or 5 theme decks and still be under the cost of one PC game. As any player knows, each and every card pretty much changes how the game is played. Each deck plays different, and feels different. 4 theme decks would not only give you plenty to keep you playing without getting bored for a very long time, it would also give you plenty of cards to build a custom deck or two with. You don't need to spend a fortune for boosters to build and collect if you don't want to. Your cards and decks never expire.

You deck builders out there will love this one. All of your cards are stored in a central collection you own, a master album. Decks are built only when needed, using cards from your collection. So in other words, you never really need more than 4 of any non-land cards, since your decks are seamlessly disbanded and rebuilt before and after every match. No deciding where to put your best cards, no hording tons of a great card, and plenty of tradable cards! If that's not enough to quell any gripes about the price of the cards, nothing is.

So, with so much right... what's there to complain about? Well, there are a few small gripes. Although the interface is sleek and quick, the avatars aren't. They're slow loading, and quite ugly. The skeleton for example has all the quality of a early 90's dungeon crawler sprite. It's a small gripe, sure... but it's annoying. The play area backgrounds are the same way... somewhat pixilated and just nothing that would make you say wow. These graphics problems thankfully don't get in the way, but they don't compliment the game's incredible art either. In a game known for it's jaw dropping card art, you'd think they would put a little more effort into the avatars and backdrops. They could have at least made it customizable so others could step in where they left off. The sounds are also about as plain and dull as humanly possible, but again not so much so it would force you to turn them off. That's pretty much the worst thing I have to say about M:TG Online.

Well, it should be clear by now I love M:TG Online. It's simply must have for anyone who's always wanted to play M:TG but couldn't do so using the cards. The game is equally rewarding for current players of the card game, if you can get over the fact that you can't use your current cards most likely sitting in shoeboxes and albums.

My advice: Download the software, try the demo decks. If you like that, buy one theme deck and see if it feels right. Stick with just one, buy a handful, or go full on M:TG collector. It's up to you.

- Rirath_com

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great game for veterans or beginners!
Review: If you want to learn to play Magic, or even if you've played before, I would highly recommend this game. I am fairly new to Magic, and have really enjoyed my first week of Online play.
Just to give you a honest description of what you will be buying: it is basically an apperatus which allows you to play Magic online, at various levels of gameplay. Yes you do have to purchase decks if you want to explore the higher levels., but the Training room allows you the use of all the 7th edition preconstructed decks in real live games with other people online...
Possible drawbacks: For those who have never played Magic, it could of been designed a little more easy to learn, but there are online moderators and other players who will help you learn very quickly. For advanced players, who have spent years building decks, it may be a bummer to have to start over getting the cards, but I'll bet it will challenge you to play with these limited resources!
One quote from a player I encountered online, who had never played MTG before: "Where has this game been all my life!"

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: All it is cracked up to be
Review: Magic Online is the answer to all of the prayers of those, like me, who love MTG but can't ever find someone to play with. By putting this game into an online community setting, Wizards and Leaping Lizards have made MTG into what is was intended to be. One can trade, play, deck-build and collect online. With the server-side application of the software, you can feel confident that no one is cheating. The singular drawback though, is that those of us with killer physical decks may never get to play those online. Once the game launched on June 24, we all started at square one. Even the best players are scrounging for cards. However, this does make it a great place for newbies to jump on because for a while everyone will be relatively equal.


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