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Marvel Trading Card Game
The Good: Deep strategy game targeted specifically for those who have a Marvel Stiffy.
The Bad: Clunky and sometimes slow game mechanics. A.I. can be pretty damned unforgiving for beginners. Not sure if it's a bad, but there is a bit of a learning curve.
Teh Wha?: No component by which to view the cards full-screen so you can appreciate the artwork?! What a colossal ripoff!
A Recommendation?: Yes, if you like strategy card games and Marvel. No if you don't, or just like Marvel.
I've been a fan of Customizable Card games for probably around almost a
decade now. Actually, let me ammend that. I've been waiting for a card game that would capture my attention like Decipher's Star Wars Customizable Card game I played fervently for a span of about two years in the late 90's. I'd never really been able to get into games like Magic the Gathering, which I have enjoyed on a limited basis since then, but never really could warm up to. I believe that the reason I was so captured by the SWCCG was being able to relate to the source material. Nearly a week ago, I took another dip into the CCG universe when I picked up the Marvel Trading Card Game for the PSP. Spidey, Wolvie, Cap... They're all there, but will they be able to take the place of Luke, Han, & Slave Leia? Read on to find out...
The first thing you'll notice in MTCG are the load times. Feel free to go make yourself a sammich, because you'll be noticing them for a good long time. For some reason, it seems to take at least a minute and a half to get into any single player game. The game itself, in some sort of act of utter cuteness, tries to convince you that you're actually "connecting" to THE Dr. Octopus. Who knew he'd be a handheld man?
The single-player story itself plays out through a series of short cutscenes telling about the here and there adventures of Marvel characters.
Gameplay wise, MTCG is sort of a mixed bag. On one hand, you have a huge library of colorful and interesting cards. On the other, you have a system that has no device by which to view them full-screen to appreciate their artistic glory.
On one hand, you have a seemingly well-balanced strategy game that relies on you balancing a minimum 60 card deck with characters, equipment, locations, and "Plot Twists", which are instant modifiers. On the other hand, you have an extremely bare-bones engine driving the game. There are at least 5 steps to every turn, depending on how many modifiers and battle steps are put into place by the players. One of the first things that you'll want to do is to go into the options and fiddle with the game speed settings to your liking. The default settings leave the pacing of a game to be a slow, plodding wasteland where good men die like dogs.
The difficulty of the game also seems to be a problem to me. Enemies, even in the earliest stages, seem to always have much better cards than you, you having to rely more on smarts to beat your opponent than an even battlefield. This could be remedied by the in-game Card Shop, which is just as poorly set up a device as much of the rest of the game, but it rarely seems to give you any cards worth a sod.
There is a multiplayer component to the game, most worthy of note because MTCG is one of the few, the proud, the PSP games that make use of infrastructure. It would seem that MTCG online can work cross-platform with the DS in conjunction with the PC version of the game. It took a while to find another competitor, but I was able to join a non-ranked game. There are online tournaments, but I couldn't quite figure out their setup, and the monetary requirement (There is a way to buy what are called "Vs points"). It seems like a good way to get in some friendly games around the globe, and perhaps more if you find yourself really drawn in to the game.
Now, taking all of this into account, I am finding the MTCG to be a real pleasure. I'm a longtime fan of Marvel, and as I previously stated, card games and there is much here for someone such as I. The card game itself is compelling enough to me that I will sit through the clunky mechanics and ass-raping A.I. just to challenge myself mentally. Also, graphically, there is a lot of very good Marvel artwork going on in the background and on some of the cards when you can see them properly.
Overall, it is somewhat hard to recommend this game to someone. It was, initally recommended to me by a longtime friend with whom I used to play Star Wars Cards with, so take that as you will. If you are someone who is like me with strategy games, this is definitely a pick-up. If you are simply a fan of Marvel, I would recommend you stay away, however. The game does have somewhat of an elevated learning curve, and the infurating mechanics will leave you feeling cheated in the end.
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