Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013 Xbox 360
Metascore
80 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 21 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 21
  3. Negative: 1 out of 21
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  1. Eurogamer
    Jun 21, 2012
    90
    An amazing game, easily one of the best I've played in any medium. Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013 is its best video game translation yet, a perfectly pitched blend of hard strategy and endless tinkering with unlocks that just keep on coming.
  2. Worth Playing
    Jul 11, 2012
    90
    All in all, I'm pretty happy with what Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013 has to offer.
  3. ZTGD
    Jun 27, 2012
    96
    If you're looking to get into MTG for the first time, or if you want to rekindle your love for the game, 2013 is a must own. The game explains everything in detail, and the amount of content and modes are robust enough to keep players going for hours. This is the best Magic video game that is on the market today, and its all yours for 10 dollars. That is a great deal for what you get. I can not suggest Duels of the Plainswalker 2013 enough.
  4. NZGamer
    Jun 26, 2012
    95
    If you've played last year's version, the new decks make it exciting enough to warrant the purchase, and if you have generally held off but enjoy Magic: The Gathering, it's a no brainer.
  5. Gamestyle
    Jun 25, 2012
    90
    What really stands out about Magic 2013 though, is that whilst it is great entry into the genre for new players, with pop up help and a fine tutorial, it doesn't trade that off by dumbing down the experience for veterans. Literally the only thing missing is the feel of having a physical deck in your hands. We dare you not to become hooked.
  6. Joystiq
    Jun 20, 2012
    90
    The care and attention that went into this year's installment is obvious, and it's overall a fantastic product boasting several improvements over its previous incarnations. Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013 is the benchmark in the franchise and easily recommended to new and veteran Magic: The Gathering players alike.

User Reviews

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User Score
7.1 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 51 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 21
  3. Negative: 7 out of 21
  1. DyingDevilsCry
    8
    I have to say after playing the last two year's Duels of the planeswalkers this was a must buy for me and i haven't been disappointed. The new mode Planechaser is very interesting indeed and a much needed change very frustrating at times but very fun at the same time. An example of this was the 1st game against the computer in the new mode where the computer got up to 181 and i only had 7 life left and the only reason I won was because my last computer opponent run out of card's, If you like magic the gathering and have played the last two game's i would recommend this aswell the deck's are fun to play with and like the last game they will probably make some DLC deck's aswell.… Full Review »
  2. ChezNate
    3
    Tap your wallet, cast "weak iteration". I liked the last two offerings of the MTG series, and like the game in general. This year's offering is slowly turning this series into the Tiger Woods of arcade games. It takes out the content that was enjoyable in the previous offerings, adds new features that a boring/repetitve/broken and does nothing to address the failings of the previous iteration. Gone is most mutli-colored decks and artifact decks. They even have less decks available than in the previous game. The decks they do offer are fairly vanilla mono color decks (mostly) that harp on one trick and one trick only for making them usable. Dooming them against any deck that counters that trick. Plane chase is horrible. Repeat HORRIBLE. Even if you get your deck tuned up for playing well in this broken format, it still takes way to long to play a game. Every die roll, plane effect and plane change add tons of tedium to the game. Playing one duel for an hour just to have to play it again as the AI decides to join forces against you (which they almost ALWAYS do) is not frustrating, its broken. They never add a deck editor that is value adding, and they don't import decks from previous versions. You can't even tweak how many lands you get to put in your deck. Basically, each year this series takes a great concept and dumbs it down in hopes of suckering new players into buying real cards. If they wanted to truly showcase how good this game can be, they'd stop holding you back and let you experience the creativity and ingenuity that is the hallmark of this game. And they won't if we keep giving them money for brain-dead iterations. Vote with your wallet and abstain this year. Maybe they will hear us and make a better game next year.… Full Review »
  3. eridani
    9
    A lot of people are griping about limited card selection and the absence of deck construction. Despite the lack of these, Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013 is a solid MTG game. The DotP series focuses more on accessibility and ease of play than "hardcore" strategy. There are tens of thousands of Magic cards, which makes it quite an undertaking to build a deck from scratch. Besides, DotP 2013 uses the new 2013 Core set. In case you didn't know, the Core set cards are chosen because they are the most interesting, fun to play, and provide ample strategy options. DotP is not trying to replace Magic Online; it is a different product. If you want to build your own deck with all the sets from Invasion onward, MO is the way to go, but it takes much longer to set up an account there. DotP 2013, as are its predecessors, is an actual Magic video game rather than a Magic network, as is MO. 2013 adds some new features: the Planechase format and the option to tap lands. Although it is eerily similar to last year's entry. However, if you missed any of the other games in the series, now is a great time to start playing. As long as these things are taken into consideration, newcomers and veterans alike should find Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013 enjoyable.… Full Review »
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