Other real-time strategy games had it beat by leaps and bounds.
Poor graphics, a steep learning curve, and a difficult interface make the game very unappealing to look at, let alone play. Players could engage in a single player campaign or duel each other in 2-player battles.īattlemage was poorly received. It featured real-time battles where players summoned iconic creatures and micromanaged their movements on a battlefield. Battlemage was released on PlayStation and PC and was developed to be inspired by the paper Magic experience rather than an exact simulation.
WotC’s next venture into the digital medium came with the help of publisher Acclaim, famous for the Tourach and early Mortal Kombat series. The random world map and dungeons sort of compensates for this, but the game quickly became outdated as developer MicroProse sunk in 2001. But without multiplayer support, building and playing decks against the same computer players over and over becomes monotonous. With a comparatively small card pool to pull from, the game does create an accurate representation of Magic at the time. Magic was just entering its fifth year when Shandalar was released. The game was generally regarded as a success with an expansion released later that year and an upgraded rerelease the following year. The Interactive Encyclopedia is outclassed by powerful online MTG card databases like ScryFall and Gatherer, and the simple fact that we all have a smartphone has removed the need for this antiquated program.Ĭommonly known as “Shandalar,” the first Magic: the Gathering video game was just titled “Magic: the Gathering.” The game is a simple simulation of paper Magic with RPG elements included, like a randomly generated world map and dungeons populated with real-time enemies to duel when encountered and towns and merchants to buy and trade cards with.īesides the single player campaign, the game also supported tournament and free-play duel modes. Okay, The Magic: the Gathering Interactive Encyclopedia isn’t really a game, it’s just an early encyclopedia of cards that was released in 1999 and defunct in 2002. The Magic: the Gathering Interactive Encyclopedia (1999) Finally, is it worth it? Is it fun? Does it look good? Is it challenging enough to sink time and money into? And how’s its replayability? If it’s not trying to replicate the paper Magic experience, is it executing another genre well?.Second, how well is (or was) it supported? Was it updated regularly as more sets were released? Was there support for competitive play, officially sanctioned or otherwise?.First, is it an accurate representation of paper Magic? Does it have multiplayer, and can you trade cards with others? Are you actually building decks and playing Magic digitally, or is it something else entirely?.There are a few questions I considered when ranking the MTG games: Illusion of Choice | Illustration by John Severin Brassel
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