Tag: video games

As I said last time MtG was mentioned I stopped playing the game around the Urza’s Saga block. Since then the game has changed. A lot. The entire turn structure was re-done as well as eliminating an entire class of cards (interrupts). Since I wasn’t around when the changes to the game happened and I can’t seem to find anything on-line describing when the changes happened and why I can only guess… So, I will. I think most of the changes they made to the game had to with simplifying the rules in order to bring new players into the hobby. I’m guessing bringing new players into the game is why we’re seeing a new electronic version of MtG across the gaming  (the last time was in 2002 with Magic the Gathering Online, a straight up port of the card game that included the purchasing of electronic booster packs. Before that was 1997’s Microprose MtG game that included a TBS component.)

So how is this version of MtG and who well does it simulate the real world, paper card version? This is a good electronic version of the game. The developers went out of their way to make sure that players understand how to play the game, how turns progress, what the various cards do, and what all the jargon specific to MtG means. Despite having not played in over a decade I quickly was able to grasp how the game was played and how to use the vast and seemingly complex cards in front of me did and how I could use them to defeat my opponent. Speaking of opponent’s while the game has on-line PvP I haven’t been able to play against/with friends yet… I have become well acquinted with the various opponent AIs though! All of which have different playstyles (consistent with the decks they play.) I’m not good competition, I’m sure, but I do find myself while playing the AIs on medium difficulty sweating and often losing. Even on easy I’ve been caught unawares and lost. I don’t want to know how badly I’d be crushed if I tried the hard difficulty setting.

In addition to the normal one-on-one game there is also the new Archenemy style game wherein three people attempt to defeat a single opponent who in addition to extra life has a special Archenemy deck of cards that for each round of the game effect the board. This would be a very fun and interesting way to play the game. It seems impossible to do so though with the AI, who seem to have some problem with working together with their two compatriots in order to defeat the archenemy…

My biggest gripe with MtG 2012 though is that it lacks an entire central component of the game. There is no deck building! Players start out with access to a mono-white or mono-green deck and through battles with the various AIs unlock their decks. Most of these decks are mono colored decks that really on creatures to defeat their opponents. You can use big creatures or you can use small creatures but the only way you’ll be winning a game is by reducing your opponents life to 0. In real world MtG, mono decks are the exception and are almost always mono-red (mono-white makes occasional appearances,) and there are multiple, devious ways to defeat an opponent! I know for some people the most important part of the game is deck construction and not having it in the game really hurt it for me. Each deck has 16 unlockable cards that can be added into the deck for some customization but this small taste of deck building only made its absence more keenly felt!

Don’t let this stop you from picking it up though! And if you’re playing it on XBLA please let me know cause I need some friends to play with!

Why am I talking about a game that came out in 2002? Especially, in a field that is obsessed with the future and has yet to find a way to make its past relevant in any meaningful way? I’m talking about it because one of its sequels recently was released (Skyrim) and before I played that I wanted to, finally, play through this.

Also, D is playing Skyrim right now…

Anyway, Morrowind. Morrowind is the third in Bethesda’s long lived Elder Scrolls series (17 years?!) of open-ended, free roaming, near sandbox level, role playing games. Elder Scroll games are known for their large, rich worlds, extensive backstory, and the player’s ability to freely wander the world, exploring, dungeoneering, smithing, leatherworking, potion making, etc… In general, players can ignore the story line entirely and still have hours of stuff to do!

I’m a half a dozen hours into the game and I haven’t really touched the main story line. I’ve been too busy working my way up the ladder in the Mage and Thieves Guilds. I think the story has something to do with an ancestor-god of the Dark Elves who inhabit the island the game takes places on. The Dark Elves are divided into houses, one of which was evil and destroyed a long time ago, but is now somehow coming back. I’m pretty sure that is what is happening. Like I said, I’ve been distracted by other things. What I have been noticing is that Morrowind is an incredibly ugly looking game. I know, I know this game is almost 10 years old and PC power back then was only a shadow of what it is now but, Super Mario Brothers for the NES had a richer color palette than Morrowind. Everything in this game is a shade of brown or gray. The dull color palette is only part of the problem, all the character models in this game are hideous as well. Take a look at this Nix hound:

Why is it green, and scaly, and have three weird teeth? I don’t even know how this thing would eat if it was real? Everything looks like this too? Weird boxy, brown, bugs, and strange walking toadstools, and poorly assembled human dolls with off putting faces. It’s as if the artists were trying to offend the players sense of aesthetics… You don’t want to kill things because they’re evil, or attacking you, you want to kill them because their existence is an affront to good taste!

Playing Morrowind has helped me to recognize how spoiled modern gaming is. Oblivion and Skyrim would never let the player get lost or have to figure out where to go on their own. Both of those games have extensive, detailed maps and a quest tracker that always points you in the direction of the quest you’re working on. Morrowind has detailed map and parts of it are even labelled. But quest tracking? Nope. You’ve got a journal that keeps track of your conversations, which is vital, because to get from one place to the next or to find some of the out of the way spots NPCs direct you to you’re going to have to follow their directions. Their often vague and general directions… Flipping between the journal screen, map screen, and main screen will eventually get you there, most of the time. But, I’ve found myself wandering off numerous times, unsure of where I was and where I needed to go. There’s still a dungeon out there I can’t find despite having directions to it…

All in all I’m having fun with the game and I can see why it was such a big deal when it came out. I am looking forward to playing Skyrim though when I’m done.