PAX 2007
Preview
Back in
July, SCEA treated some media to a demonstration of its new ‘EyeToy’-based
trading card game, Eye of Judgment, during E3 in Santa Monica. The game seems
pretty straightforward and a preview was written about it (http://ps3.gamezone.com/gzreviews/p32392.htm).
Essentially,
EoJ melds tabletop trading-card games with the processing power of the PS3 and
the new PlayStation Eye (the successor to the PS2’s EyeToy) to inject a bit of
life into the traditional game mechanics. The peripheral result is that it is
likely to bring more people into the trading card game.
The game is
played on a 3×3 map consisting of nine territories. Win five of the territories
and you can win the game. But there are more nuances to it than simply playing
an expanded version of tic-tac-toe. The cards all have mana costs and while you
gain mana with each turn, you may not have the sufficient banked mana to play
the power cards. Cards can also only attack in certain ways. For example, you
might have a catapult that has blind spots to the side and rear, and it cannot
attack anything in the tile directly in front of it. It can only attack a tile
on the other side of the tile it touches. You might have a “were” card that may
or may not transform. A farmer may become a fearsome lizardman, or remain a
pathetic weak farmer with a low attack rating and low hit points.
The cards
are all encoded and can be read by the camera (which is used to translate the
game from two-dimensional card tabletop game to a three-dimensional graphically
vibrant video game).
Seeing the
game is one thing, playing it is something else. This is a game of luck and
strategy. You can play a card that gives bonuses to other cards, or a card that
attacks all opponents within a certain tile type. The tile types are tied to
natural elements (for the most part), following wood, dirt, water, fire and you
have to be careful in the placement lest you weaken a card simply in the
placement process.
SCEA
representatives were on hand to answer questions, but few would indulge in a
game. After standing and staring at the animations, Gamers With Jobs Content
Editor Cory Banks asked if I would play. I was quick to explain that I knew next
to nothing about the strategic elements, had never played a trading card game
and was not even knowledgeable enough to call myself a neophyte. He promised to
take it easy and help me understand the game. To that end, the cards I drew to
my hand were placed face up in front of me. He told me what costs were
associated with what cards, where certain cards could be played, plus what I
should be thinking of (much like one would plan out several advance moves in
chess). Honestly, I think Cory was so engrossed in helping me understand the
game that he made a mistake in his moves, a mistake that would be costly.
Eye of
Judgment is a beautiful game – on screen. The cards are easy to use, though the
small type might case some problems for anyone with a stigmatism and without
glasses. There is a great sense of joy in placing a card, watching the fight
unfold on the monitor and seeing your opponent swing and miss, and your
controlled characters retaliate for damage.
While the
game has a definite learning curve, it is also a lot of fun. Still on track for
a fall release, Eye of Judgment will provide a perfect introduction to the world
of trading-card games, or take those tried-and-true veterans of the genre and
give them a fast-paced new challenge. After only playing the game once, it was
easy to understand why the game was drawing a good-sized crowd eager to get
their hands on the cards and game during the Penny Arcade Expo in Seattle.
