Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012 | Game Brain

Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012 Game Cover

About

"Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012" is a visually improved version of the popular game with added features. Play against AI or in the new multiplayer format, Archenemy, and form a team to defeat a powerful boss opponent. Customize and enhance your unique deck with unlockable cards as you progress through the game. Gather your allies for a challenging experience.

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Play Modes

Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012 screenshot

88%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,264 reviews

gameplay20 positive mentions

stability14 negative mentions

Great game for fans of Magic: The Gathering, offering a fun and engaging experience.
The Archenemy mode and Two-Headed Giant gameplay provide unique and enjoyable multiplayer options.
Good tutorials and challenges help new players learn the mechanics of the game.

Limited deck customization options restrict player creativity and strategy.
The AI can be frustratingly overpowered and often feels unfair in its card draws.
Numerous bugs and technical issues detract from the overall gameplay experience.

gameplay
65 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
63%
6%
The gameplay of this Magic: The Gathering iteration is a mix of solid mechanics and frustrating elements, with many users appreciating the educational aspects and variety of prebuilt decks, while others criticize the clunky unlocking system and slow pace. Although it offers engaging challenges and strategic depth, technical issues and a lack of recent content detract from the overall experience. Overall, it provides a rewarding gameplay experience for newcomers and veterans alike, but could benefit from smoother performance and improved mechanics.
- “The gameplay is fantastic.”
- “Amazing game, features the core gameplay that makes Magic so much fun and so exciting.”
- “The challenges are fun to do and help you to think about many of the mechanical synergies the game has to offer.”
- “The gameplay is annoying and slow.”
- “I kept reading how this version was supposed to be better than the rest, but after really playing it for hours in comparison with the 2013 and 2014 versions, I realized that its unlocking gameplay is kind of clunky and frankly exhausting, whereas with 2013 and 2014, all you needed to do to unlock the 'good cards' was simply typing in the promo codes.”
- “I know I won't buy another MTG game if they try to spoon-feed you tiny little bits of the game and charge you by the bite for quick unlocks and 'foil' conversions, while gameplay stays mostly the same as last year's iteration... oversimplified and limiting even for those who've never played the game face-to-face before, let alone those of us who've dabbled in Magic most of our lives.”
graphics
46 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
36%
7%
The graphics in the game are generally praised for their beautiful artwork and high-resolution card designs, which enhance the overall aesthetic experience. However, some users note issues with optimization and technical glitches, such as improper card displays and screen cut-offs. While the visuals are appealing, they are often considered secondary to the game's core mechanics and gameplay experience.
- “Awesome card game with outstanding fantasy artwork.”
- “The graphics with this game are perfect and fit the game well.”
- “The game itself is of course simply a computer version of the card game, complete with beautiful high resolution artwork on zoomable cards.”
- “Cheesy visuals borderline stolen from the Yu-Gi-Oh GBA game.”
- “It also crashes, displays card graphics improperly, and cuts off the edges of the screen so you can't see or use cards on the side of the playing field.”
- “Graphics like a 2009 year game, but still not optimized.”
story
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
50%
21%
The game's single-player story mode is deemed interesting but lacking depth, with poor character introductions and storytelling that mirrors the original trading card game. While there are additional DLC decks and a cooperative mode that enhances the experience, players feel that the campaign could benefit from a more engaging narrative. Overall, the story aspect is seen as a missed opportunity for greater immersion.
- “If you can find friends to play with, it's great fun though, and there's a 3-player coop story mode that's very fun.”
- “The game does a poor job conveying the story of MTG or introducing any of the characters, just like the paper TCG.”
- “The single player story mode could be better but still interesting to progress.”
- “And there's a story mode with some scripts.”
stability
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is reported to have numerous bugs and glitches, particularly affecting multiplayer and AI functionality, which detracts from the overall experience. Despite these stability issues, many players still find it enjoyable and recommend updating to the latest version for potential improvements. Overall, while the game offers a fun experience, its stability remains a significant concern.
- “This version is quite buggy though, so I'd suggest getting the latest version as this series of games are annual releases.”
- “A buggy update to the original 'Duels of the Planeswalkers'.”
- “The decks are more balanced than the original and have more multiplayer modes, though there are a number of multiplayer bugs and AI glitches that really need patching out.”
music
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
14%
57%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising its beautiful soundtracks that enhance immersion, while others criticize it for being repetitive and occasionally annoying, featuring distracting audio elements. Overall, the quality of the music seems to vary significantly, with some users feeling it detracts from the experience.
- “It is because of its beautiful soundtracks.”
- “2013 doesn't include soundtracks as good as this one.”
- “Soundtracks so good that they pull you into the game.”
- “The music is lacking; repetitive and sometimes annoying.”
- “There's also some annoying barely audible beep in the soundtrack, so annoying.”
- “The special edition is not very worth it (foil card can't be delivered to a lot of regions and the soundtrack is bad).”
replayability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
Players find the game highly replayable, particularly praising the archenemy mode and multiplayer features. The potential for future deck expansions is expected to enhance replay value further, alongside the unique gameplay and interesting decks. Despite some minor bugs, the overall stability contributes positively to the game's replayability.
- “The archenemy mode is so fun and very replayable.”
- “Multiplayer is great, and assuming like the original when they release deck expansions, this game will have great replay value!”
- “Good gameplay, unique and interesting decks, lots of replay value, plus some nice sneak peeks of the new cards not released yet.”
humor
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The humor in the game is described as both engaging and accessible, providing a hilarious experience, particularly when interacting with other characters. Players find joy in the comedic elements, making it enjoyable for newcomers while also delivering moments of amusement through character interactions.
- “It's hilarious pissing them off.”
- “It's funny and engaging, just like magic.”
- “It's so accessible to the new player it's not funny.”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding required to unlock all cards for a single deck to be tedious and time-consuming, leading to frustration. The option to purchase unlocked cards for $10 suggests that the developers are aware of this issue, but it has not alleviated the overall sentiment that the grinding detracts from the enjoyment of the game.
- “Unfortunately, unlocking all the cards for a single deck is tedious work, and the developers knew this, because you are given the option to just buy the unlocked cards for $10 in the Steam store.”
- “Fun decks, great multiplayer, but there's too much grinding for cards; no one plays anymore.”
character development
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The reviews highlight a strong appreciation for the artwork and character design, indicating that visual elements significantly enhance the overall experience, though they do not specifically address character development in terms of narrative or growth.
monetization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The monetization aspect of the game has received mixed reviews; while some players criticize the artificial locking of essential cards behind microtransactions in a game they already purchased, others appreciate the absence of microtransactions and money sinks compared to the previous online version, despite a reduction in deck customization options.
- “Cards that are needed to progress by customizing decks are artificially locked away in microtransactions - in a game you already paid for.”
- “There's not as much deck customizability as there was in the first online version of the game, but there's also not any microtransactions or money sink either.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The game suffers from poor optimization, resembling graphics from 2009 while demanding excessive resources from GPUs and CPUs, leading to loud performance issues. Players emphasize the need for better optimization specifically for PC to enhance the overall experience.
- “Graphics feel like a game from 2009, but still not optimized.”
- “The only drawback is the poor quality of the PC port; your GPU and CPU will be used to the max, and it will get loud. The game needs to be optimized for PC players.”
- “The only drawback is the poor quality of the PC port; your GPU and CPU will be used to the max, and it will get loud. The game needs to be optimized for PC players.”