Hearthstone

Staying with my current theme I'll be talking about another card game this week. Hearthstone from Blizzard Entertainment. Hearthstone will be a collectable card game (CCG) based around the World of Warcraft (WOW) universe. I have mixed feelings about this game so I'm going to list my pros and cons.

Pro
It's Blizzard and WOW. Blizzard produces great games. Hearthstone will link to your battle.net account so you can play with people you're currently playing with. Nothing official but Hearthstone could overlap with WOW. It would be great if I could get stuff (XP, valor, pets, mounts) for WOW while playing Hearthstone. This could become a con if you can only get things in WOW by playing Hearthstone. Then the game could become a chore.

Con
Another card game. I'm already playing Magic: The Gathering (MTG) and have backed Hex: Shards of Fate on Kickstarter and impatiently waiting for that. Who has the time for all these games? From what I've seen matches will be quick so I'm sure I'll find some time.

Pro
It's a casual game. It looks pretty easy to learn and get into quickly. MTG and Hex are complex and intimidating if you're not familiar with TCGs. I can see playing this with younger family members and my girlfriend. You can play while waiting for the bus, on a break at work, or whenever you have some free time.

Con
There's a WOW trading card game (TCG). I don't know anyone who plays it. Will anyone play this? I think because it's linked to Battle.net and digital it will attract more players who wouldn't play a physical TCG.

Pro
Free to play. I happily give Blizzard a lot of my money. The fact that I can play without paying any additional cash will be awesome. Hex has the potential to get expensive. There will be booster packs available to buy but that will be optional. You'll be able to by packs using in game gold by winning matches. Cards you own can be disenchanted into dust that can be used to craft cards you need.

Con
Potential conflict of interest. I haven't seen this mentioned anywhere else, and I'm not sure why this bothers me but it does. Cryptozoic the company making Hex also makes the WOW TCG. How come they're not doing Hearthstone? Why does Hex exist? I assume that Cryptozoic wanted to do a massively multiplayer online game (MMO) TCG and Blizzard didn't wan't another MMO competing with WOW so Cryptozoic went to do there own thing.

Pro
Hearthstone will be a gateway drug. Because it's free and simple to learn Hearthstone will attract new players to TCGs. Since it's in the WOW universe it could also attract new players to WOW. Anything that brings in new players and grows the community is a good thing.

Overall I think the pros will outweigh the cons. I can't wait to try this out when the beta is released sometime this summer. You can sign up for it at Battle.net and should definitely check it out once it's out. If you agree, disagree or feel like I left anything out feel free to leave a comment.

Why I'm excited about Hex: Shards of Fate

Hex: Shards of Fate is a new game by Cryptozoic that will be released later in the year (beta is scheduled for Sept.). Hex will be a (mostly) free to play game that will combine a trading card game (TCG) with a massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMO).

It's New
A large problem with many games is getting started is either to expensive or time consuming to catch up and be competitive. Want to play WOW with your friends? Get ready to spend a month leveling a character. New to MTG? Bust out the credit card. With Hex you'll be able to get in on the ground floor without have to invest any money to start.  That should attract new players to both the MMO and TCG genres.


Community
In order for any MMO or TCG to be successful it needs a strong community. Hex already has this. During it's Kickstarter 17,765 backers (myself included) pledged $2,278,255. Those numbers don't include those who supported through Paypal and the Slacker Backer options. The forums are active and there are numerous fan sites. All for a game that's not even out.

Best of Both Worlds
It's a TCG and a MMO. Two of my favorite games are World of Warcraft (MMO) and Magic: The Gathering (TCG). Hex is combining elements of both into one super game. You will be able to quest and run dungeons while gaining experience and collecting loot on the PvE side. In PvP you will build decks to battle others and play in tournaments for prizes. All this in one space with the same group of friends.

It's Digital
Hex takes just about everything I dislike about MTG and eliminates or improves upon it. Not that I have a problem with supporting local business but my work schedule rarely allows me to be available for draft tournaments. No more driving to the local comic book shop for me. I can draft anytime I want from the comfort of my home.

Because it's digital Cryptozoic can do things with cards that would be impossible in the physical realm. Cards will evolve as you level and unlock new abilities. Place destructive cards in your opponents deck. Possibilities are endless.There also won't be huge stacks of cards laying around to organize.

Magic 2014 - Duels of the Planeswalkers Review

I had some time to play the new Magic 2014 - Duels of the Planewalkers (DOTP) game so it's time for my review. I have the iPad version but it's also on Steam, Xbox Live, PSN, Google Play, and Amazon Apps. There's a free version with limited access. The full version was $9.99 in the iTunes store. I assume it's the same on other versions but I'm not sure.

A quick intro for those who never played. You're a planeswalker. A spell slinging rockstar. You use your spells to battle other planeswalkers. Bring the other guy to zero life and you win.

If you played other versions of DOTP not much has changed. There's still Campaign, Multiplayer, and Challenges. New this time around is sealed deck witch I will discuss later.

Campaign
Campaign lets you use pre-constructed decks to battle AI opponents. As you advance through the levels you unlock new cards and decks. You are unable to to build decks in Campaign but you can tweak decks with cards you unlocked. Either I have gotten better since last years game or the AI is weaker.

Sealed
In Sealed you are given six booster packs (15 cards each) and use these cards to build your deck.  You can either construct the deck yourself or let the AI do it for you. Once you have a deck, give it a name and pick a deck box. There is a unique campaign for your sealed deck that lets you unlock more boosters to improve your deck. This deck can also be used for multiplayer games.

Challenges
If you are familiar with those chess puzzles in the paper you'll get the idea of Challenges. You're put in a situation and have to achieve a certain outcome. Things like win in this round or survive an attack. Only did one challenge. I don't get much enjoyment from them.

 Multiplayer
You can play either Sealed or Campaign. Only difference is you play another person instead of AI.

Custom
This mode includes Free -For-All and Two-Headed Giant. I have played these.

Over all this is a great MTG experience. It's not as robust as the physical card game or the online version but it's a lot cheaper and MTG online is terrible. It's a good introduction to TCGs for new players with enough meat to satisfy those playing for years. If you never played grab the free version and try it out. It will be good practice and help pass the time until Hex: Shards of Fate is released. I'll be posting about Hex soon.