Attacktixing-- A Review of the Transformers Attacktix game, by Beastbot

Series I of Transformers Subline released: August 2006
Starter Set Price: $10 U.S.
Booster Pack Price: $5 U.S.
Battle Case Price: $15 U.S.
Battle Masters Price: $15 U.S.

    With the Transformers Live Action on target for a summer 2007 release, it's little wonder that the Transformers property is branching out beyond just toys and the occasional odd merchandising stint. Its newest foray (as of this writing, of course) is into tabletop gaming.
    Attacktix is many things, but it is NOT a typical tabletop game. If you're expecting something complicated and time-consuming like Mage Knight or Warhammer, you'll be dissapointed. Attacktix is aimed mostly at kids, and as such, it's much, much simpler of a game. There is no dice rolling, no consulting charts. However, that's not to say that it isn't a lot of fun, at least in this fan's opinion.
    Attacktix, if it can be compared to anything, is most like the old game Crossbows and Catapults, where the object was to launch little plastic boulders and shoot little plastic arrows at your opponent's castle and troops. The player who had all their troops destroyed (i.e., knocked over) was the loser. Attacktix is somewhat like that, to the extent that each side's troops fire projectiles at each other until only one player has some troops standing up. Thus, battles are resolved in a much more direct way than dice rolling.
    However, Attacktix is, to its credit, more complicated than just firing at targets and knocking them over. For one, firing a missile isn't the only way to take out your opponent-- many units also have various melee attacks, such as cranking their torsos back and then letting them swing around to smack their weapons into someone else, or doing an uppercut to the opponent figure's chin to knock them on their back. Melee attacks, obviously, can only be done from right next to the enemy, but they are effective about 75% of the time, which is much higher than the times a missile hit succeeds.
    Movement in the game is accomplished by sliding the figures forward a number of "klix," which means that a small rubber wheel on the figure's underside makes a clicking noise so many times before the character's movement is over for the turn (though they don't have to move all of their allotted movement per turn, nor do they have to move all in one direction). The number of klix a figure can move is displayed on the top of the character's base, though as you move the figure, the number displayed sometimes changes, allowing the character to move at different speeds on different turns. Each player can move as many of their characters as they want each turn, but only two are allowed to attack. This is fine for smaller games, but when you get to really massive games, this can be really limiting, as too often the two armies will end up clashing right into each other and just standing around, whittling each other down far too slowly. One interesting thing about moving that adds to the game is that a character's base has to be facing in the direction they finished moving in, so if you want to fire at an enemy that is not directly in front of you, you have to make use of the Attacktix figures' articulation and move them at the waist and shoulders to aim appropriately. However, because turning them to the side does make them a bit more vulnerable to being knocked over, this has to be taken into consideration when planning how you're going to take your turn. Another thing that players need to consider is that after a figure fires their missile, they can't reload it until the beginning of the next TURN, and because the missile adds weight to the figures, this makes figures who fire more vulnerable for a turn.

    It's all these small little factors that make Attacktix a far more deep and strategic game than it would at first appear. Each figure has a point value it is given-- out of the first series, 10 points are the lowest a figure is worth, and 80 points is the most a figure is worth. These points take into consideration several factors, such as the size of the base, the proportions of the figure (and how centered their balance is), and how effective their missile or melee attack is. The points are used when players pick their armies, as each team picked has to be equal in points when all is said and done. The position and angle the missiles are fired really matters in this game, since if you always just aim at the central spot on your target, you're going to lose in the game and lose big, since you will VERY rarely knock over a target aiming at that area, even if it's at point-blank range. Each figure has its own weak points and areas that will topple it over easier, with the higher-costing figures having fewer, or relatively tougher, weak points. Some attacks work well against some units, but not against others. It really makes you think when picking your army and deciding which figure to attack. However, that said, occasionally some of the points allotted to each figure seems off to me. For example, Robot Mode Megatron is definitely easier to knock over and his missile isn't quite as deadly as Robot Mode Optimus Prime's, yet they both cost 40 points each. Also, some of the figures that have a "stabbing" attack-- like a missile attack, except it's close-range and the projectile only springs forward a bit, it doesn't leave the launcher-- are nearly-useless, as their stabbing attacks simply don't have enough force in them to do much of anything, even knock over a wimpy 10-point figure at point-blank range. Yet, for some inexplicable reason, they cost 20-30 points each, when the 10-point figures are more valuable than them. However, these inconsistences among allotted points aren't all that common, and certainly not enough to outright ruin the game. After a few games, you'll probably discover which ones are fairly useless and refrain from picking those figures often anyways.
    One other thing that seperates Attacktix from other games of its kind is that, when the figures are knocked over, there is a special ability each has that is written on the underside of their base. If the indicator square next to the special ability is white, the ability is activated-- if not, then off the figure goes into the defeated pile. (The indicator square changes from white to black and back again when the figure clicks forward during the movement phase, with tougher special abilities having a smaller likelyhood of having a white square show up.) These special abilties range from allowing another figure to have a free attack, to resurrecting the defeated figure if certain pre-existing condtions are met, to bringing in another figure into play from your "backup pile" (a small proportion of your figures that you are required to set aside each game for just such an occasion). Often, special abilities will only involve a certain "class" of figures, which can range from the obvious allegiances of Autobot and Decepticon to certain positions such as Trooper, Specialist, and Leader. Some of the special abilties work in tandem with other figures-- for example, defeating Robot Mode Optimus Prime allows you to, if his indicator square is white, bring Vehicle Mode Optimus Prime into play. Another example is that, as long as his indicator square is white when he's knocked over, Ransack cannot be killed as long as Crumplezone is in play. It's these special abilities that add another dimension to play, and are especially to be considered when you're picking figures.

    There are a few major things about Attacktix that aren't the greatest, however. For one, there are a certain number of common and uncommon figures, stupidly called "Rare" and "Super Rare", respectively. (C'mon Hasbro, you're not fooling anyone-- just call them what they really are!) However, the "Rare" figures really aren't all that much more common than the "Super Rare" figures, given that, at least in the first Series, there are 8 Rare and 10 Super Rare figures, and each booster pack comes with 1 Rare and 1 Super Rare figure. Thus, although multiples of many of the Rare figures make sense, due both to special abilites and just because of the nature of the figures (who are often either drones or have generic names such as "Omnicon", for example), it's also far too easy to get multiples of Super Rare figures, which are always unique characters, and this gets rather annoying, especially if you get unlucky like I did and get several of the same figures in just the first few booster packs you buy. Granted, online trading can help you get rid of your duplicates, but that still doesn't mean it's any less annoying to open that package you paid your hard-earned money for and fine that it contains a figure you already have three others of.
    Also, the figures aren't the greatest to look at. Granted, some of this is because the proportions have to be altered to make them easier/harder to knock over than the "real" Transformers figures, but often the mold detailing is too cramped on the figures and just runs together, or just isn't very well-done in the first place. The paint apps are also sloppy when compared to their mainline counterparts.
    One thing also bugs me about the melee attackers-- especially with the figures that you have to pull back at the waist and then release to have them spin and hit their target, it's entirely too easy to hit your hand in the process. There has to be another, easier way of accomplishing this same attack, such as maybe pulling back the upper half of the figure until it clicks into a set position, which is then released by pressing a button on the base or something.
    Still, these quibbles aside, Attacktix is still a very creative spin on a classic way of tabletop battling, with a lot more strategy involved than you might think, and you get a fairly good amount of stuff for your money (except for the Battle Masters set, which is a bit overpriced at $15). If you have the money to spare (which is a big qualifier, considering all the new Transformers stuff coming out), it's worth checking out. There are also some Star Wars Attacktix out as well, if you like the game enough to consider expanding into another line...

Fun: 17/20
Creativity: 10/10
Replayability: 20/20
Depth: 10/15
Figure Quality: 11/20
Game Balancing: 11/15

Overall Rating: 79/100 Good
 

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