Marvel Trading Card Game

MARVEL TRADING CARD GAMENDS, PSPRRP: $79.95Classification: GRating: 3/5
The unimaginatively titled Marvel Trading Card Game seeks to provide the thrill of an elaborate card battle without the need to own a bloated deck or worry about losing any cards down the back of the couch.
However, the world of trading card games can be baffling to the uninitiated, with seemingly arcane rules and an endless stream of game-changing cards.
Despite kicking off with a detailed tutorial, this is still a very confusing game to learn. The rules are complex and the cards require careful study. Yet it's the unintuitive design of the interface that makes learning the game so unnecessarily difficult.
Your game deck is made up of superhero character cards (or villains if you choose the evil story path), equipment cards, location cards and plot-twist cards.
Each turn is broken down into stages where you build your hand, place your cards down strategically and then see how your powers fare against your opponent's cards.
Even though the cards dealt are random, you can still employ a lot of strategy in how you combine the resources in your possession and when you choose to use special powers. Battles become a seesaw of one-upmanship as you reveal cards that nullify your opponent's attacks and vice versa.
Aside from the fabulous Marvel comic illustrations, the presentation is extremely poor. Nothing in the game is animated nor are there any rewarding effects when cards are used. Playing a successful attack is only as exciting as watching your opponent's stamina total tick down a few notches.
If you're new to card games, this will prove to be a frustrating and unsatisfying experience. Marvel comic fans may persist due to the wealth of authentic content but a physical deck of cards would probably provide a far more engaging experience.
ENDGAME This is utterly confusing to learn if you've never played a trading card game but strategic enough to satisfy those willing to learn the ropes. EF