Recent reviews by Camzeee

This is such a difficult review to write because there are two parts. The game part and the monetization part. One is brilliant, the other is awful. No second guesses on which is which.

A) The game of Artifact is brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. It fuses the best from MTG, Hearthstone and DOTA into a deep and interesting game that's visually polished and beautifully balanced. It's not for your toilet warriors in Hearthstone. Games take a long time, they require you to think and plan but the reward is great. I felt like I backdoored a core successfully after setting up a decoy that lured my opponent to overcommit in one lane.

Stuff like that is like watching a wonderful trap in chess come to life and is the lifeblood of any strategy game player. First game, and I got that rush and I love it. It has so much depth, some RNG, but it always feels as though you have the ability with some clever plays to turn around a losing position.

B) Sadly, we must talk about the elephant in the room. The monetization model for the game is really poor and you feel it too within almost immediately. After you've played through the tutorial and maybe browsed the cards a bit, you soon realize... I can't get any more cards if I don't pay for them. It really hurts a player's enthusiasm for a game when they can't keep playing and unlock more of the features. I'm entirely gated off from constructed at the moment as I refuse to pay for extra packs or cards at this time.

So why am I recommending it?

Two reasons.

1. Free phantom draft. I initially canceled my preorder of the game, but changed my mind after I saw Valve include this for launch. It's amazing really that they allowed this through, because draft is where the game shines and the free phantom draft mode is so enjoyable that I honestly feel it's worth $20 just for that.

2. I have faith they will fix it. The speediness of Valve in adding in some features like the free phantom draft gives me hope they will find a way to balance this out. A game this good should not be missed by card game enthusiasts. If it keeps a healthy player base, the draft mode in this game is AAA quality, and when Valve find that perfect balance -- perhaps a new progression system -- it will be the best digital card game on the market.

Heck, it might already be in terms of gameplay. But we're still a ways to go before we have the full package.

One of my favorite games growing up. And still pretty great. Still retains its sense of speed too.

Wish they remastered it just a touch, but this is just a straight port and the menus and game glitches still remain so it's not perfect. Worth every cent though for the nostalgia.