My previous blog post focused on the new(ish) Legendary – Marvel Deck-Building Game (DBG), by Upper Deck Entertainment. I had mentioned that while the game was solid, the artwork left a lot to be desired (subjective call by yours truly I know, but I was sorely disappointed after having seen some really awesome Marvel comicbook art back in the 1980s and 1990s).

The DC Comics DBG is done by Cryptozoic Entertainment, makers of the World of Warcraft TCG. Cryptozoic is also making a Lord of the Rings DBG based on the 2001 movie trilogy.

I have to say that the first impressions of the DC Comics DBG were excellent: the Jim Lee-inspired artwork really makes the cards look awesome. Mind you, I’m not even a DC Comics fan, being more of a Marvel / X-Men fan.

The card layout makes a lot of sense too, with the names and gametext clearly jumping out at you. There’s over 200 cards from the DC game, compared to over 500 for the Marvel one, so straight out of the bat if one bought both, it’d be easy to figure that the former is the slightly simpler one.

And yes, the gameplay is simple enough, with key differences from the Marvel one. In DC, you get a Hero card (including icons such as Wonder Woman, Batman, The Flash and Aquaman). You also have a starting “deck” of cards that enable you to buy more cards to add to your deck, and defeat villains, who then go into your deck as well.

So like any DBG, you eventually buff up your decks considerably thanks to the heroes, equipment, superpowers and villains that’s won, bought and defeated. DC casino online DBG is playable between two to five players, and is a typically winners-take-all card game: player with most number of victory points (imprinted on each card), wins!

Overall, the game plays simpler compared to the Marvel one, and seems to clock faster too, thanks to the easier mechanics. Having played both, I have to say that there is very little comic book flavor and “realism” in either, especially DC.

As many other reviewers have pointed out, any hero, not just Batman, could easily use the Batmobile and any of the caped crusader’s gear. Superman could wield Aquaman’s trident. And so forth – what Cryptozoic’s done really, is to put on some really pretty DC Comics artwork on a bunch of nicely (better?) designed cards, and made a simple DBG that has mass appeal.

If you’re looking for something serious and has some real gaming mechanics in it, give this one a miss. That said, I heartily recommend the DC Comics DBG to any DC / comic fan, or super casual gamers, or even veteran gamers that are looking for simpler pleasures than the time sinks such as TCGs and LCGs. I found it to be a great way to spend less than one hour with four other guys – did I say that the cards look awesome?

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