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Etherlords II

Etherlords II is the next iteration of Nival Interactive's collectible card game in a turn-based strategy game shell. However, this time the strategy shell is being replaced by streamlined RPG shell, which will make it more like Sid Meier's adventure mode from Microprose's 1996 Magic: the Gathering adaptation and less like the clunky Heroes of Might & Magic knockoff feeling of the first Etherlords.

Streamlining seems to be the operative word on any part of Etherlords that got in the way of the card duels. Instead of shuffling around the map to gather resources, recharge runes (i.e. ammo) for your cards, and tweak your deck in towns, you simply move a single hero around a map and explore. You can build and rebuild your deck of cards at any time, runes have been cut from the game, and you can even swap out special abilities on the fly to adapt to different enemies or to just vary your tactics. Days only tick by when you move, so it's a sort of transparent turn-based system. A journal tracks locations, conversations, and battles. The whole point of the shell seems to be a way to quickly move you between battles.

Beasts of battle.

Evertyhing doesn't seem to be in scale.

The great big-head and thorny stick mage!.

The battles are essentially unchanged. You draw a hand of cards representing spells. Based on your accumulated mana, you can summon creatures and cast spells that have various effects, from attacks to boosting your creatures, to changing the playing field. The actual combat consists of trading whacks from turn to turn. You hit his creatures, he hits your creatures, creatures die, and someone eventually wipes out the enemy wizard.

The first game's four races, each represented by a color, are still present along with most of the cards and creatures. There are also a spread of new 'colorless' cards, representing spells and creatures drawn from historical cultures like the Native Americans, Hindus, Egyptians, Medieval Europeans, and Japanese Samurai. The first four campaigns will each allow the player to use each color in turn, with a fifth campaign unlocking all the colors to be combined at will (an often-requested feature after the first game). There are two new multiplayer modes, one which allows team based tournament games, and another in which each player builds a deck from the same pool of cards. The server will track your ratings and Nival is hoping to implement a system of Warcraft III style blind matches based on your rating.

The graphics engine features some updated effects and creature models to punch it up a little. For what is essentially a staid strategy game, Etherlords II looks great; it's one of those rare examples that turn-based games don't have to pass on the eye candy. But more importantly, it'll be nice to get collectible card gameplay without having to pay through the nose for Magic Online or without having to suffer through the kiddie sensibilities of a Yu Gi Oh game.