A complex and fully realized card game that reveals that CCGs can actually be GOOD on a console. An innovative title!
The bread and butter of The Eye of Judgment is the card game itself, and with Wizards of the Coast at the helm, does not disappoint. A full fledged CCG in its own right, the game does not stint on complexity or strategic opportunity. At its most basic, the object of the game is to occupy 5 squares of a 3x3 board with your own summoned creatures before your opponent can do so. As you lay down creatures, you gain the opportunity to attack creatures controlled by your opponent either through your own creatures or through single use spells that often change the environment of the board itself. Add elemental properties, proper positioning for attack and defense, counterattacks, and a slew of other vagaries and you have the makings of an elaborate system that can give the shrewdest gamer hours of enjoyment. The fact that Wizards of the Coast has already signed up for multiple expansion packs through next year means that the game will continue to grow and change as more and more strategies are realized and exploited.
The Eye of Judgment is playable in three different ways—two players can face off against each other in the comfort of their own home, a player can face off against the sometimes brutal computer, or a player can take the game online to face a pool of potentially limitless opponents. Online play has been tweaked to prevent casual cheating—players must register their decks before play, and the computer will then choose the cards for them. Each mode of playing is completely viable and challenging, especially when facing off against the clever computer AI.
The video game aspect of The Eye of Judgment does its job efficiently for the most part. The PlayStation Eye recognizes cards quickly and seamlessly if the player sets everything up properly, even in somewhat dim lighting. The only caveat here is the board itself—made of flimsy, creased fabric, it can cause the cards to sit at a slight angle and thus throw off the detection process. In a game like this, card detection must be as worry free and quick as possible, so when there are issues, it effectively turns the game into an exercise in frustration. Thankfully, the majority of these issues can be addressed by ironing out the cloth board. It still would have been nice if SCEA could have provided a more solid board—made of sturdy plastic or wood, perhaps.
The creature and spell animations are impressive and delightful to behold, even after watching the same old Biolith Bomber for the 20th time. If the player desires the game to play faster, however, he can always turn off card animations. The same can’t be said about most of the audio effects, however. The “referee” voice is as dull and monotonous as Ben Stein on Valium, the creature voice actors are about as sincere as a high school musical, and the music is…the music is frankly unforgivable. Whoever thought death metal typifies the brutal and fierce world of collectible card gaming should be shot repeatedly with a staple gun—preferably in the head. Thankfully the stabbing pain this garbage endears can be assuaged by turning the music off on the options menu. In conclusion, the Eye of Judgment is a creative, innovative product hidden behind the more popular but altogether derivative blockbuster holiday titles. SCEA should be congratulated on their efforts to bring such a unique and interesting experience to the light of day, so praise them the best way you can—go out and buy the game for yourself. You’ll be glad you did.