After a long wait, the second expansion for the popular Duels of the Planeswalkers XBLA game was released yesterday. Unfortunately, those who logged in early in eager anticipation of slinging new spells were denied. The expansion pack effectively broke the game, keeping the player stuck in a login/out loop. Magic fanboys and girls everywhere were up in arms, but after a few hours, a patch was released that fixed the issue. I was able to get the expansion up and running, but it required a download of a patched version of the entire game, at least for me when I tried last night.
The expansion has tweaked the game engine a bit, making the interface a bit easier to use, though load times seem to be slower. The real draw is new decks, and new opponents to defeat, along with the first two avatar awards for the game: a deck of Magic cards and a small dragon pet. Expect our full impressions of the expansion sometime next week.
Duels of the Planeswalkers Heats up on Xbox LIVE Arcade
Wizards of the Coast Announces New Expansion
May 11, 2010, Renton, Wash. — Wizards of the Coast today announced that the second expansion for Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers will be available May 12, 2010 on Xbox LIVE® Arcade.
With the new expansion, Magic: The Gathering and video game fans worldwide can play with new decks, experience never-before-seen challenges, and battle new adversaries. This new downloadable content will allow players to battle the ancient vampire Sorin Markov and features the following updates:
- Three new playable decks, including Nicol Bolas’ “Eons of Evil” Planeswalker deck
- Three new unlockable cards for each of the eight original decks plus the three decks from the first Duels of the Planeswalkers expansion
- Five new puzzling challenge levels
- Three new achievements
- Host migration for multiplayer
· Avatar attire awards
Players can also put their spell-slinging skills to the test to defeat the new single-player campaign and unlock Rhys the Redeemed’s and Chandra Nalaar’s new Planeswalker decks. For those looking for an additional challenge, check out Frag Doll Friday on May 14 from 6-8 PM Pacific and take down these well known girl-gamers as they test out the new expansion. Click here for more details.
The Duels of the Planeswalkers second expansion is priced at 400 Microsoft Points. ESRB Rating: TEEN with Mild Blood, Mild Suggestive Themes, Violent References.