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Fantastic translation

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: January 24, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I've had Magic the Gathering: Battlegrounds for since it came out and I really enjoy it but anyone looking for an adventure game this isn't it.

If you have had any love for the Collectable Card Game Magic the Gathering then you will most likely love Magic the Gathering Battlegrounds available for PC and XBOX. Now it has been changed to be more accesible to Videogamers but this does not mean that it has been dumbed down.

A couple of the biggest changes are that this everything is done realtime and that you have to run around to grab mana crystals. When you begin a duel a mana crystal will apear on your side of the arena. For each crystal you grab you can hold up to one mana in the mana bar. Your mana bar will slowly fill up over time. After you grabbed the crystal a timer will start counting down and after runs out a new mana crystal will appear.

There are only about 70 spells total in the game and this while this is a tiny amount when compared to the massive amount of cards out there but each color is well represented. Green has beefy creatures some with regeneration or trample and it can gain a "mana" advantage. White has creatures with first strike, flying, and has gaind life spells. Red has creatures with haste can pump them up with some spells and has it's burn spells. Black has creatures that are, balance but will hurt you when they respawn, become stronger when they respawn, gain control over creatures that they destroy and also has destroy creature spells as well as drain life spells. Blue has small and big creatures with flying, the defensive horned turtle, and has bounce, counter/steal spells.

There are a few different modes of play available. You have Quest which has I believe up to 70 different single player challeges for you. You will have to play through this to unlock spells. In VS. mode where you can play against someone offline or online. In Arcade mode you play as certian duelist with certain spells and duel against 5 opponents before fighting a level boss and completing one level of difficulty out of four. In Practice mode you pick a duelist and an opponent to duel.

After going through the Quest mode you will have unlocked all of the available spells and with these spells you can create custom spellbooks. In these custom spellbooks you can use up two colors.

The graphics are alright though most of the enviroments are boring. The music is ok, but it would have been nice if they added custom soundtrack support. The number of spells is lower that I would like but they get the job done and more spells will be available through XBOX LIVE and the Official XBOX magazine.

Besides those short comings this game is well balanced, quick paced and alot of fun for Magic fans. The single player is good at training you but the multiplayer is where is at. It might be hard to get someone to play with because it can look intimadating. But even if you can't get anyone to play with you, you will be able to find someone on XBOX LIVE. If you have never heard of Magic and you would like something a little different this strategic/fighter might be for you. I really enjoyed this one.

Great fighting/strategy game!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: February 08, 2004
Author: Amazon User

It helps if you have played the Magic card game, because it will give you a jump on understanding the rules. It basically plays like a fighting game, but with a strategy twist. You can play through a single player quest mode which familiarizes you with the gameplay quite adequately. Most of these duels are fairly easy, but several of them are very challenging, and require thinking along with quick reactions!
The game also has a single player and Vs. mode arcade battle mode, plus the option of dueling online. It is definitely one of the higher replay and fun factor games for any system. I highly recommend it, even for people who haven't played the card game. It is a fun and challenging game.

In defense of MTG

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: September 29, 2004
Author: Amazon User

First off I will say I spent about 5 years of my life and probably hundreds of dollars into the card game version so I do know what I am talking about. For the reviewer who said this is just rock/paper/scissors you are right for the most part, but MTG has always been that way, every deck had a counter and you would just build counter decks to whatever your friend might have made so you shouldn't be too surprised. A lot of people also complain about the fact that theres only about 70 spells and considering the degree of animation to each one I think maybe thats all they could fit into the game, besides I think the 15 or so spells that were assigned for each color represent it very well. If you've ever played MTG you should know how each color has its own flavor to it and even know theres not a lot of spells I think the spells they did put into this game fit in appropriately. Also another complaint I don't agree with is difficulty, I never did a level more than 3 times and the few I did do 3 times were the bosses, yes a lot of levels were easy but thats only because in conquest mode the purpose was to give you an idea of how each card was to be used, you start off with one at the start and each level an extra one is added on which I think is great to help you learn the cards. Last but not least is I saw people complaining it doesn't go along with the card game because you can use spells as often as you like which I liked because in the card game a lot of times it got down to luck of the draw while with this you know what your dealing with from the get go and have these spells the whole battle. For the price the game has dropped to if you are a true fan you would pick it up and enjoy it for what it is because this is a great game using a different style of gaming with the world of MTG. Also if you've never played MTG and your looking for something different with a lot of great action this is a good choice especially for the price, and I would have paid $50 for this being such a great game but $15 is just fine with me! If you want some more professional reviewing try some proper game sites, gamespot.com is a personal favorite of mine.

Super Game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: December 11, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I have no knoledge of the card game this was based on but I purchased this game having my doubts that it was going to be all that the reviews hyped it up to be...I was so wrong...I have yet to play a different game...There are so many good things about the game...Graphics are great, game play very smooth, unless there are a lot of creatures on the screen at the same time, the charaters and creatures look great, the voices and phrases could have used a little more work...Some say the game needed more spells, but for now its enough...playing on xbox live is great and much better than playing some computer AI...If your into the super-natural, witchcraft, sorcery, demons, goblins and just down right kicking someone's butt this is the game to buy.

good game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 3
Date: December 13, 2003
Author: Amazon User

If your tired of the teaditional fighting games and prefer to play a game that invokes your mind, try Magic the gathering

Review from non-player

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: September 11, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I've never played any of the Magic series games before. I've heard this game doesn't bear much resemblance to the card game.
It took me over a year to buy this game because I thought it ONLY had online play. But now that it's in the discount bins it looked like it was worth a try.

It was more fun than I thought it would. I'm not a hardcore RPG fan and so the shallow gameplay elements was just right for me- all I was looking for is a simple-to-play DragonBall Z experience or a remake of the old PSX game Destrega. This game comes pretty close. The quests are short finite games that you can pick up and play and then put down- so it's great for people who don't have a lot of time to spend on a long RPG.

What I think worked in this game is that even though the gameplay rules are simple, there are sufficient strategic elements that make it interesting. I only wish there was a way to slow things down so I can watch the animation unfold. Sometimes combat becomes so frantic all you are trying to do is to spawn creatures as fast as they die.

magic review

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: February 27, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I think this is a great game but there are some flaws in it.The flaws are:you have to have really fast reflaxes because the games pace is very fast.It is great to play with freinds and it is superb on xbox live.The quest is hard but beatable.

KID PLEASER

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: December 04, 2007
Author: Amazon User

My two sons love this game!
They have went through two of them.
Video games with strategies help
promote critical thinking skills.

FUN TO PLAY WITH MY KIDS ENJOY IT TOO. Fast Shipping. Good Shape!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: January 27, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Cool game! I play the card game and my 10yr old son also. I bought the video game just to see how it is. FUN! We all love it. Perfect condition and fast shipping. Thanks!

Great strategy and fighting too

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 40 / 40
Date: November 06, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Magic The Gathering Battlegrounds is NOT a card game translated to the XBox. It is a fighting game that is based on the environments and creatures found in the Magic world.

You can choose from various characters, each representing a different style of world. The demo only has 2 worlds represented, but the actual game has 6. Each has his own look and selection of spells and creatures.

The training mode walks you through the basics. You are in essence on a battleground split in half. You can only cast spells on your half of the battleground, and if you stay in your enemy's half for too long you take damage. You gather up mana to cast spells, and the more mana you get, the more powerful spells you can cast.

Some spells create creatures which either attack your enemy or sit still and defend you. Some spells attack your enemy and his creatures. Other spells give enhancements to your own creatures.

Unlike other fighting games, this isn't just about 'attacking blindly until he's dead'. You have to balance your spell usage between defending your own body, creating creatures, enhancing your creatures and taking out your enemy and his creatures. Since the mana supply is not copious, exactly how you balance your mana can make the difference between survival and death.

The quest mode lets you learn new spells and abilities, and practice your skills. The actual combat mode is where you move forward in the rankings.

The game is XBox live enabled (tho the demo is not) which should be the real key to this game. Sure, it's fun to play against computer generated characters - but the real joy will be taking your well-trained character and setting him against the world of other gamers, and seeing how well you rank in that world.

The graphics are rather good, and I really felt like my characters and I were a "team" working together to defeat an enemy. The game isn't complex in the "advanced RPG" way nor do the battles involve multiple button-mashing sequences like, say, Mortal Combat. Instead, it is a fast paced strategy game that exercises your mind as much as it does your fingers, and the winner will truly be the person who is the best rounded in ALL areas.

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