Customer Reviews

Magic the Gathering: Duels of the Planewalkers

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I began playing the card game several years ago, and when the PC software came out, I knew I had to have it. I have just about worn mine out playing it over and over again. I would say it is a must have game, but since the online version was released they have shown no interest in upgrading this version. Therefore, if you are running Windows 2000 or XP, or plan to upgrade soon then you are out of luck as far as enjoying this marvelous game. I recently upgraded to XP and now I wish I hadn't. Only the oline version works on a newer OS, but you have to buy electronic cards. This really ..., especially for those of us who started out playing the original game and spent hundreds of dollars on the cards already.

In closing, the game is awesome and if you have Windows 95/98 and plan to stick with that OS for a while then definitely add this to your gaming collection. Windows 2000 & XP users, on the other hand, are just out of luck!

Look, if you guys do not have the game, it is not nice to keep it posted that you will have it in. Either supply Duel of the Planeswalkers, or take it off your page and stop wasting our time and taking advantage of us and our hopes to get a hold of that game.

"Duel of the Planeswalkers" is a GREAT game. It was released in 1998 AFTER the initial release of "Magic the Gathering" (for PC) and the expansion pack "Spells of the Ancients". "Duel of the Planeswalkers" includes BOTH of the initial releases and also allows you to play online or via LAN. There are even a few "cards" that were designed specifially for playing on the PC... you will never find this in an actual MTG deck, they have random effects assigned by the computer when you play them!

My biggest complaint about MTG the CARD game was that it was impossible to keep up with all the rules... banned cards... and if I use this card with that card in this particular circumstance this will happen... MIND boggling problems. Its true MTG was the "father" of all other card games since 1992, and most are a far cry from MTG... but trying to seriously play and keep up on every expansion set was insane!! THUS MTG Duel of the Planeswalkers was born and is the answer to every "causal" MTG player's Prayers.

My 2 complaints about this game are as follows:
1) On today's 1.5+ Gigahertz machines this game needs to be slowed down if you play the "single player" theme game. Not a problem at all during actual DUELS, but in the "Shandalar" world everything moves WAY too fast. No big deal, just find a CPU reducer utility on the internet. Older machines might not have a problem in the "Shandalar" area, but might bog down in the middle of a duel where over 20 cards are on the "table". The CPU really has to do some massive computing to figure out it's next move.... (newer machines DON'T have this problem!)

2) This game hasn't been updated/added on to since 1998... great game... an expansion would be exquisite!

I have yet to take advantage of the online/lan playability... and I wonder if anyone is STILL playing this online... I'm not sure.

It's 2003 and I still find myself going back to this game... fun to play, easy to walk away from when necessary, no long term monatary investment.

If you are a casual player or fan of Magic the Gathering, this game is an excellent purchase. Serious players might find the game slightly old and outdated... but may yet enjoy it.

With the release of the new MTG Online game and the ludicrous rarity of this older version of the game, you might wonder why you should even be looking for this at all. The good and bad news is that this game was originally released without an online option, so it came with a LOT of fourth edition cards. When it was re-released (still a few years back) with an online option (which is what this item is, the re-release), they still kept the plethora of cards intact, and the game is a lot of fun. Unlike the nee Online version, you won't get bored too quickly and have to PAY for new cards almost right off the bat. You get the game, the action and can build some cool decks with some old school Magic cards.

However.

The game flew so far under the radar that even if you can actually find a copy of this, you probably won't find anyone online to play with now and will have to resolve yourself to playing against the computer. There was an expansion set that was released for this ("Spells of the Ancients"; 2 more themed sets), but it's almost as hard to find as the game itself.

In the end, you're left with a game that's GREAT for beginners of Magic (it automates all of the turns and asks your permission along the way so you get to learn the flow of the game) or for old heads who want a low-impact version of the game to put on a computer that may not be stocked with vast amounts of hardware or memory. I played it on a pretty stripped down laptop to completely adequate effect.

Magic: the Gathering has always been a great CCG... far and away the favorite of the handful I've tried. This software allows you to play the game against the computer or friends in a network, building any decks you want from it's stock of several hundred cards. It's awesome to have that kind of freedom without having to pay for it... the cards in this game are from the first sets of cards released, so any deck you build would no doubt cost you thousands of dollars if you tried to recreate it in real life! That's the main reason I loved this game, it let me indulge in the strategy of Magic without turning it into a game of who-has-the-bigger-wallet, which would oftentimes happen in the real game. The interface is quite full-featured and facilitates quick play. The game has a handful of other features too... like a humourously archaic face editor to create your wizardly visage, a video tutorial featuring people in funny costumes, and a simple adventure mode where you run around collecting cards to battle the ultimate evil fiend. Banzai!

This game isn't without it's problems, though. This is a Windows 95 game, which means newer operating systems may have trouble running it (as usual, Compatibility Mode is useless). Also, the computer's AI is far from perfect, making what many would consider awful mistakes even on the highest difficulty. There are a lot of cards in this game, but seeing as how a lot came out for this game after 5th edition (the latest set this game covers), people who also play MtG or MtG Online may wish the sets were updated.

The Verdict:

For fans of Magic and other collectible card games, I have to recommend this one. You won't find anywhere ekse where you can play Magic, against others, with the deck of your design for $40. If you're a fan of CCGs and not a fan of the price (like I am), this is your ticket. I kindof wished they'd kept making expansions like this, but once WotC realized how cool it was they decided they were going to make Magic the Gathering Online and charge people for cards.

Pros:
+Full featured MtG action
+Deck editor with 800 cards you don't have to pay for
+Online and offline play

Cons:
-It's an old game
-Doesn't include newer cards
-AI is servicable, but never good

I recommend this game and I think it's good for Amazon to keep it listed, so other people may know it exists. I don't like the new Magic on-line version where you have to pay for everything.
Bear in mind, it's an _oldie_ (1998)! So it will be difficult to find, but once you have it... wow!
You'll have access to lots of cards from the 4th edition and old special series, like Antiquities, The Dark and more... Most cards you can't find in stores (at decent prices) but you will be able to use them and PLAY!
Which is what it's all about.

Why don't you have this item in stock every time I come to this website? You are the only website that sells it and how do you think people can buy it if you guys don't have it stock forever?

I do not recommend buying this game. I got it for my son, who loves playing the card game. After many frustrating hours trying to load this on two different computers in our home, we finally gave up. I have read enough online to see that this is a problem shared by many others, one not cannot be solved by an average computer user.

I bought the original game right when it came out and was so excited about it. But due to lack of multiplayer and that it was missing many of my favorite cards, it became forgotten. I missed both expansions when they came out. Both expansions together addressed the above issues. I recently bought both expansions (and combined with the original) have been having a blast. If you at any time liked MtG and had fun with it, I recommend both (All 3). Also, I am amazed a game made for Windows 95 works great under Windows 7.

Duels of Planewalkers is a an upgrade to the original M:TG game. This version adds: the current engine upgrades (fixing many bugs and incorporating ManaLink), the newer interface (as seen previously in Spells of the Ancients), and 80 new cards from Legends and The Dark.

The Unofficial Manalink Patch (some sellers provide link for download) makes this game work on Windows XP.