by Falcons
Information about the Reviewer: I am not associated with Cryptozoic Entertainment or the designer. This is not a review copy of the game. I was a big comic book fan growing up and have tried my best to get my daughters interested in them. I have played several times with 2 players, once with 3 players and once with 4 players.Rules: The rules are available online and I do not tend to summarize them in my reviews.
Components: This is a deck builder, so the game consists solely of a set of 214 cards and 7 oversized cards representing the main Super Heroes. The cards are excellent in quality. The art is amazing! There are some duplicates, but for the most part you get lots of unique renderings of the major heroes of the DC Universe (e.g. Batman is shown in different poses on Punch, Kick, Utility Belt, Cape & Cowl, and Player Cards).
Theme: I have seen many people question the theme of the game. The favorite comment seems to be "Batman can't have heat vision." Some reviewers that I hold in the utmost respect (like Joel Eddy) seem to think that the game breaks the "cardinal sin of not paying attention to the theme."
I do not understand this complaint with the game. It is filled with awesome theme. Two-Face allows you to draw a card if allowed by the flip a coin (even or odd). Captain Cold freezes the heroes. The bat signal calls up heroes to help in a fight.
Regarding the idea of Batman having a superpower. Some of the most interesting Justice League comics when I was a kid used this idea. I remember Batman trying to use GL's ring to fight a creature that had defeated the other JLA members....unfortunately it had very little power left. In other comics he has worn a Yellow Fear Ring and in still another he gained all of Superman's powers (Superman/Batman 53-56). Those are awesome plots and I think this game recreates that feeling. Ever wanted to see a Super Robin??
Youtube Video
I also like the fact that you can use villains against other heroes. I can think of many comics where a hero has decided to work with villain to deal with a common enemy.
Compared to Other Super Hero Games: I have played Marvel Heroes, Legendary: A Marvel Deck Building Game and Sentinels of the Multiverse. Marvel Heroes was a board game that I REALLY wanted to like, but the rules were poorly written and the game was not at all intuitive. Sentinels does a much better job of creating unique heroes and villains since each one has its own deck. However, the game feels a bit fiddly for me (I have not played the enhanced version with all of the extra components). I like a deck builder to be quick and streamlined so that I can play it prior to something meaty. Legendary does not have great art IMHO and it plays too long with lots of set-up. I like the fact that I can teach and play DC Comics in 30-45 minutes. I can have lots of laughs and then move on to something like Keyflower and Kaigan which I did last night.
Compared to other Deck Builders: I have played Ascension: Chronicle of the Godslayer, Thunderstone, and Dominion. I do not like Thunderstone, it is just not for me. Dominion is fun, the expansions make for really interesting decision making and it is the most strategic of the deck builders that I have played, but it doesn't hit the table that often. Really enjoy Ascension on the Ipad, but the art seems ugly so I won't buy the game. I also do not like that when you make a purchase the board refills prior to additional purchases.
I really like that DC Comics decided to not allow a refill of the line-up until the end of the turn. I love the reveal attacks for the Super Villains. Last night Brainiac appeared and I had an awesome hand but I had to give up two of my great cards and ended up getting crap from my fellow players. Thanks Jack!
I like that DC has Locations, like Constructs in Ascension...they add a nice dynamic. The combos are crazy fun to create. Plus I enjoy the unique asymmetrical power of the player characters....it adds nice variety to the game.Conclusion: DC Comics Deck-Building Game is a very fun game that scales really well. I look forward to getting it to the table often. It is easy to teach, plays fast, has a low cost point, has lots of nice interaction and is FUN to play.
After you read a review, written by anyone on BGG, please take a moment and send the publisher an email if the review helped you decide to purchase the game. BGG is a fantastic source of information due to the work of lots of great individuals. I don't know how many of the video reviewers and player aid designers like Universal Head find the time to create their projects. Thanks for reading!