DC Dual Force is Already Cancelled

Readers may recall in March of this year I wrote about how it had been announced DC was making their own digital card battling game to rival, "Marvel Snap." I was interested in trying it when it came out. Apparently, it was released (I had no clue) and did so poorly that it is already canceled. Yep, the servers will be shut down in February of 2024 and that's all she wrote. Seriously, I didn't even know this was officially out until I read it was scrapped. I feel bad for anyone who designed/programmed/etc. the game and is seeing all that work washed away so soon. Comics are a brutal business and so are video-games. Combining those two must be quite the struggle.

The Disney Lorcana Card Game Releases Tomorrow

I have some experience with digital card games such as Hearthstone or Marvel Snap, but I have not played physical trading card games (TCGs) much. Back when there were only 151 known Pokemon (and I was still in middle school) you could find me dabbling with Pokemon cards, but I sold all of them before the market crashed--and then came roaring back like 20 years later meaning my cards had some value, were worthless and now would be worth a lot if I kept them (so it goes). I've never played Magic: The Gathering as I always tell friends how I have enough hobbies that take my funds. That said, the company known as Ravensburger has worked with/for Disney to create a new TCG called, "Disney Lorcana."

Disney Lorcana looks fun from the descriptions I've read and videos I've seen. Like many other trading card games it has starter decks, booster packs, and cards of various desirability. People have had a chance to sample Disney Lorcana at recent gaming conventions and seem to like it with the official big release happening at your local gaming store tomorrow. "Big box," stores will get Disney Lorcana in September, but if you've got a shop that deals in gaming it might be selling Disney Lorcana as of August 18th. Some locations seem to have preorders sold out and be in short supply while other places still have a chunk in stock. I haven't fiddled with TCGs in years but am a bit curious about Disney Lorcana, so I may check it out. We shall see if it is a smash hit or struggles to catch on, but as of right now, there is a good deal of hype.

It Has Been Revealed: DC is Creating a Digital Card Game

Marvel Snap has become a massive hit. I'm still playing it daily and enjoy it a lot (the game was one of my favorites of 2022 and still is superb). Well, DC wants to get involved in digital card games too and will be giving us DC Dual Force. Early reaction has found it seems to be a good deal different than Marvel Snap and reminds folk of slower-played games like Magic: The Gathering. Quite frankly, if it is good and fun I'm more than happy to try it out and welcome the other biggest comic publisher doing its own similar-yet-different thing. Now to just dream an impossible dream of a crossover where we get some DC cards in Snap or Marvel pops up in this Dual Force game. That would be wild but is incredibly unlikely, of course. Now we wait for the game's official release and then can check it out.

I've Lost a Lot of Enthusiasm in "Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League," Hearing How It's Basically a Live Service Game

I loved the, "Arkham," games created by Rocksteady. I've been looking forward to, "Suicide Squad Kill the Justice League." However, as some new stuff about the game has been revealed, I have concerns.

The game will require you to always be online even if you're doing single-player mode because it will be a bit of a live service game. It will have updates with loot you can get killing baddies and there will be DLC new characters that--at least--won't cost money to my understanding, but there will be cosmetic upgrades you can purchase (I guess a bit like Fortnite). As Paul Tassi over at Forbes observes, it looks like live service Hell.

As some tweets have observed, it is, "Fun,"  to see Captain Boomerang
with what he is most known for, guns.

Look, I don't need a game I can supposedly play forever with little updates, different gear I collect over the months, and a cosmetic battle pass. I want something I can dive into, enjoy, and have fond memories of when I'm done. I haven't played a big online RPG since, "World of Warcraft," years ago and the last live service games I dabbled in were, the first, "Destiny," and, "Fortnite," although I guess Marvel Snap kind of counts as it has season passes, that's an online virtual card battler though so ehhhh. Live service silliness just is generally not for me.

I am completely open to trying out, "Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League," and seeing if it is in fact incredibly fun, inventive, compelling, and basically, all the stuff those, "Arkham," games Rocksteady did were. I just feel a lot more reserved and less excited than when the game first was announced and previewed. I guess we'll have a better idea this May.

Video-Games of the Year--2022 in Review

"The Quarry," and, "Marvel Snap"

This year two video-games impressed me to a great degree for completely different reasons. During the Summer I had a chance to play, "The Quarry," and loved the complex and branching storyline with intriguing characters and a scary (but also funny and clever) storyline. Then, later in the year, we saw the release of, "Marvel Snap," which has a seemingly simple (but actually quite intricate) gameplay and delightful quick matches against other players (or skilled bots) as you lay down digital cards. "The Quarry," has a fantastic story that you get to alter through choices and, "Marvel Snap," is pure adrenaline-fueled gameplay. Both were my favorite games to come out this year (which I had a chance to play).

Marvel Snap is an Absurdly Fun New Game

Back in the day, I played Hearthstone a decent amount. However, I grew tired of the decks full of cards and all the strategies that entailed resulted in a meta that felt more like homework than fun to do. One of Hearthstone's former bosses (Ben Brode) went and made a new digital card game that is wildly fun, uses Marvel comic characters, and is simple in some ways but complex enough to always keep things fresh. I'm talking about Marvel Snap.

It came out this week and Marvel Snap is a digital card game that also has puzzle elements as you place your cards at various locations to optimize their usefulness. The cards interact with each other in a number of ways that keep players on their toes. Plus, it is loaded with fun Marvel characters! You don't have to pay anything to get cards and can unlock a ton of them by simply playing, but you can unlock cards faster with little power-ups you also earn through playing or with some cash. I only paid enough to get the season pass and unlock more bonuses faster, as I felt with the amount of time I've already put into Marvel Snap it was worth $10 to have more missions and such. 

I'm not alone in loving Marvel Snap. Many people appreciate how the matches take 5 minutes or less too with the smaller decks. It is like Marvel Snap trimmed all the extraneous stuff from Hearthstone and created a tight and streamlined (but still quite clever) optimized title. Plus, I love Marvel so that's just gravy on this delicious metaphorical biscuit! If you've got Steam or a smartphone, you need to try Marvel Snap out!

5 out of 5 stars.