I should preface this review with the statement that the assessment I'm giving is for the aid of the average, uninitiated potential player. I agree with the previous assessor that for players of the Marvel Trading Card Game, the game will likely hold some interest. Those people, however, are not the people that I'm interested, because they're going to buy this game ANYWAY just to get the online play, and because, you know, they like the game.

Examining this software as a game, irrespective of its built-in fan base, it's really pretty below average in a lot of respects. For a portable console like the PSP, quick, enjoyable play experiences are the rule, and that's just not what you get out of this game. That's its biggest problem. It's virtually impossible to play through a game against the computer in less than twenty to thirty minutes, and in some cases (special rules requiring two consecutive victories, etc.) the duration of a single "encounter" can stretch well beyond an hour. That's simply unacceptable in a portable console game.

Now, I'm sympathetic to the developers on this one, because this is just one of those games that you can't play very fast in real life, and almost all of these games get slower on the computer because it has to be anal retentive about the precession of the turn. It boggles my mind to no end that so many of the TCGs that make their way to the virtual world are of this family and I still don't have a Magic simulator (a game that can be played in less than twenty minutes) that I can carry around with me. The matches in this game don't stretch on quite as long as, say, the original Star Wars Collectible Card Game, but it's still a remarkably poor fit for the handheld market, and has to suffer because of it.

As far as actual game play goes, the game doesn't go out of its way to help a new player figure out what's going on. Well....maybe that's being too gentle. It took me about five hours of play, never having picked up the card game, before I even began to understand some of the strategy. The game is very subtle, without the easily accessible, obvious feel of Magic, and, as such, could really have done with a much better tutorial, or perhaps an entire first "level" (that's right - the game is divided into level-like mission groupings) dedicated to showing you how the strategy of the game works.

Now, at present I'm not particularly far into the game, because if I waited to write this particular review until I finished (as is my practice), ya'll wouldn't be hearing from me until the turn of the next century at the rate I'm going. That said, it seems to me that there's some features missing. An individual-card-buying store would have been nice, because trying to pull everything out of packs is a gargantuan pain and a time sink as you have to farm up points to spend. A list of cards in each particular grouping (there's one for each "level") would also be really useful for developing a broader deck-building strategy.

So, what's so good about this game? Obviously, for fans of the card game, this is a must have. For fans of the comic books it's not terrible either, as you end up encountering a lot more of the minor and side characters than you would in a game like Ultimate Alliance. For the casual gamer, there's certainly an addictive aspect for the fellow that has the time to put in and get into the game, and all of the general things that make collectible card games fun apply to this title.

Long story short - this is possibly as good a game as any translation of the Marvel Trading Card Game could be, with some exceptions for actual card tracking and acquisition that could have made this a more solid title. What brings the title down is just the simple unsuitability of the source material for the portable market. If you're adventurous and you have the time to put in, though, the game is certainly quite enjoyable and probably worth your pick-up, especially if you can find it on sale.