So here we are, all well and truly settled into the new millenium. Nothing blew up, there was no apocalypse, and no planes crashed. But hot damn, it's a good time to be a gamer! Perhaps mindful of the fact that they are still alive and planned not to be, Wizards, TSR and Decipher have a blockbuster year planned for us. Let us plunge in...
It would be sacreligious to start with anything but the grandaddy of them all, D&D 3rd Edition. TSR have realised that the time was ripe to revise everyone's favourite RPG to a version that is easier to pick up and play. And what a job they've done. From what we know, it looks spanking. New, streamlined combat, better spell systems, better proficiencies, major overhauls to character classes, and a cool new logo. The easier systems will ensure that more people are brought inot the game. Let's face it: who understood THAC0 the first time it was explained to them? Hopefully, the Star Wars RPG, newly acquired by WotC, will be handed over to the geniuses at TSR for a revamp. If it is, the game will soar.
Not to be outdone by their wholly owned subsidiary, WotC announced a blockbuster year. In addition to its 3 Magic expansions, look for CCGs based on Marvel SuperHeroes, WCW and baseball. The Marvel game is to take over from the ill-fated (and crap) OverPower, and will be another one of those games that bridges the gap between Pokémon and Magic. I personally am looking forward to this, cos I love comics. I don't have a clue how on earth they can make a baseball CCG work, but I guess they know what they're doing. The WCW CCG should also be interesting, simply because it combines two huge industries. It will sell big time no matter how good/bad it is. Pokémon promises to keep on going, with Team Rocket and the Gym Leaders expansions due out this year. Only time will tell if it can keep up its astronomical rise. Wizards also announced small expansions for its discontinued games, such as Dune and and Netrunner. Netrunner will get the first of these, a 52-card set based on the unreleased "Silent Impact" set.
Decipher is offering a slower year, which is a shame. Once again Star Wars fans are being somewhat neglected, with the anxiously-awaited Death Star II still in the wings. In the meantime, we are being pacified with a revisit Jabba's Palace, which includes several nasty premiere cards, including a near-jedi Luke and Mara Jade. Reflections is a nice touch, allowing new players to get hard-to-find rares like Vader, Tarkin and Commander Luke Skywalker, all in foil form. We like foils. However, disappointing news comes from Decipher in that they have said they probably won't be releasing card sets based on the novels in the SW universe. Does this mean that Death Star II will be the last full set then? Or are they going prequel? Prequel would make no sense, cos of the extreme time difference. I mean, I could pull a persona replacement playing Dark Side by deploying Vader with Anakin on the table! However, we know that the reverse will be happening, and Young Jedi will be getting expansions based on the original trilogy. And of course, who can forget the shagadelic Austin Powers CCG. If you loved the movies, and need a light-hearted relief from serious CCGs, check this one out. It's a riot.
Newcomers to the CCG market, Precedence, will be continuing with there great-looking Tomb Raider and Wheel of Time CCGs, both of which have received critical acclaim. Big Guns for Tomb Raider and Dark Prophesies for Wheel of Time are due up first. We are also due for a Terminator CCG and more from the B5 card game.
Not to be left out, smaller publishers seem to have a strong lineup as well. Due from Comic Images is the flipside of the WCW coin, the WWF CCG. This has the potential to be as huge as Pokémon, given the following the WWF has. It could aslo bring thousands of curious players to the CCG world, which can only be a good thing. And Z-Man games is trying to revive the popular martail arts CCG Shadowfist.
So what are we hoping to see that isn't for sure? Well, given the success of Wheel of Time, we'd like to see CCGs or, even better, RPGs based on some other fantasy worlds. Feist or Eddings are prime candidates, for example. Who wouldn't like to play Pug or Garion? We'd also like to see someone either kick Decipher up the ass about SW CCG or buy it off them, because we really are getting neglected. After Death Star II, we don't have a clue what will happen to one of the more innovative games out there. The potential fan base for this game is huge if only Decipher could support it a bit more.
All in all, this promises to be a flagship year for our beloved industry. Just sit back, hold on and enjoy the ride.
