Magic: The Gathering - Battlegrounds Critic Reviews

I find it hard to believe that any Magic The Gathering fan won't like this game. I've caught myself playing the game hours on end.

There is likely no other game with this combination of strategy, competition, planning, and fast-paced action out there.

There is so much game packed in here because of what it's based on that you could literally get lost inside of it. But I hope you get the gist of how the game is played. It's totally a thinking person's game.

I love Battlegrounds for the same reason I love arcade-style sports games; it exploits the aspects of its source material that make for great design, and throws the rest out.

Although it's far from cutting edge graphically, it puts together a balanced gameplay that fans of the card game should enjoy.

Deep, wonderfully balanced Magic battle system.

Using both real-time action and strategy elements, developer Secret Level has pulled off a wildly challenging, but addictive game.

Sure, it may be a dumbed down version of the card game, but by focusing on action and strategy the game becomes much more accessible to casual gamers and those who aren't already hardcore fans of the card game.

What could've been crap on a DVD turns out to be a game that's easy to pick up and damn fun to play.

The graphics and sound are as solid as the strategy. They didn't quite match the card game's distinctive art style, but most avid players will be able to identify each creature at a glance.

A nice change of pace for hardcore gamers because it combines elements from fighters and RTS games but I'm not sure if your average gaming schmo will be able to get into it.

The single-player game basically involves a series of duels and the A.I. can get a bit predictable.

The mediocre graphics bring the quality of the game down somewhat, and, while the need for frantic strategies will probably keep you playing, the lack of any sort of selection of different game modes may reduce Battlegrounds to being a rental, at best.

While it can become predictable at times, the game does have Xbox Live support, which adds to its shelf life.

Could have benefited from a better interface, but at its core, Battlegrounds is still a good game.

It is not the Magic that I grew up with, and purists may find the changes to be a bit too extreme.

I've played so many "Warcraft III" clones recently that it's really refreshing to cover a game that's actually doing something innovative. However, it's the online and VS games that really flesh out Battlegrounds, since the single-player experience is pretty flat.

7 / 6 / 6 / 7 - 26

Magic fans will likely scoff in disgust, but if you're in the market for a game that plays like a fighter but has a little more depth, you may want to give this a whirl.

A surprisingly addictive, insanely frenetic multiplayer game that will delight "Magic" fans. But even those who've never played it (and maybe shot spitballs at those who did) might take a fancy to it.