A fantasy universe bridges a cartoon with a collectible card game, adding a sort of free online component to give players another way to take part in the action.
In the finest traditions of Pokemon, Digimon and Yu-Gi-Oh, Chaotic (from 4Kids Entertainment and TC Digital Games) is a weekly animated series on the 4Kids network as well as a tabletop card challenge that uses armies of creatures loaded with magical powers.
The card game also can be enjoyed readily in the physical realms (a 52-card starter deck runs $13.99 and booster packs are $3.99) but for the purpose of this column, let’s focus on the virtual experience.
Players simply register through the Web site (www.chaoticgame.com) and can choose a 36-card starter deck from any of the four tribes — Overworld, Underworld, Danian or Mipedian — each with its own special powers.
Those new to Chaotic then should move to the Collection section to view their cards and the quantity of each and look at the in-depth encyclopedia of creature mythology under the Portal to Perim area.
Next, a video tutorial will adequately prepare the player for a match — it actually is more complicated than required for any of the Web battles.
Here is where the physical and virtual games merge for players who own the actual cards. A numerical sequence at the bottom of each card can be entered into the Web site, which immediately unlocks the online version of the card into a player’s collection.
A total of 370 cards can be added that combine the Dawn of Perim and recently released Zenith of the Hive series, so players should consider buying booster packs and even a starter deck to supplement their online collection.
Players then randomly find others to fight in the Chaotic online universe or can send out a challenge to specific opponents. Beginners should use the simpler apprentice rules, as opposed to the master rules, which use another level of action card called Mugic.
Before a battle, opponents build a three-creature army, assign battle-gear cards to each soldier, pick three location cards and cull 20 action cards that are used mainly to attack an opponent.
The Web presentation offers an easy drag-and-drop interface to set up and name multiple armies, and each card can be enlarged at any time to easily read its statistics along with its various attributes and history.
During the turn-based battles, which take about 10 minutes to complete, creatures fight in one-on-one attacks. The last member of an army standing wins.
Although the management of cards and Chaotic’s colorful stable of characters look great, what’s missing is any trace of excitement during a battle. There is nothing as three-dimensionally inspired as Sony’s the Eye of Judgment, which shows characters coming to life from the cards in battle. Instead, a boring meter keeps track of depleted energy in a fight that plays out completely on a flat surface.
A spokesperson for TC Digital says that should change with the addition of animated creatures appearing during matches.
The most difficult part of the Chaotic experience is downloading the software nuggets to run the actual matches. (Minimum system requirements include a PC running the XP or Vista operating system, Intel Pentium III 800 MHz processor and a broadband connection.) The process took about 30 minutes, even with a speedy connection, the first time initiated.
Also, the decision-making in assembling a powerful and complementary set of cards is basically just as time-consuming as in any traditional trading-card game.
Write to Joseph Szadkowski, The Washington Times, 3600 New York Ave. NE, Washington, DC 20002; or send e-mail (jszadkowski @washingtontimes.com).
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