Level 99 Games BattleCON: Devastation of Indines Card Game

So I'm writing this review after having it only for 1 night and playing 1 gameFirst Impression (3 out of 5)My first impression of the box design was that this is going to be an awesome game. Also after reading reviews and walkthroughs I was already stoked to be getting this game. Upon arrival though my impression slightly changed (hence the 3 rather than a perfect 5). Why? Well upon opening the box and removing some of the parts tokens were falling out extremely easily. A gentle fan could've pushed off the tokens. Also after getting to the bottom of the box I noticed that there was barely any space to put any of the stuff even with the sleeves. I can definitely see storing characters is going to be an issue once I get to the more advanced characters but by then it will probably be a solid month down the line and I may just make my own storage resolution (probably plastic sandwhich bags or a separate "characters only" box).So that is the only reason why I marked it down 2 points. But besides that this game comes with a TON OF STUFF. For our first game we only used roughly 35-40 pieces/cards and this game includes well over 600 or so if I'm not mistaken. Meaning that there is a ton of content for this game and replay value.Design (5 out of 5)I did not own War of Indines but I heard that this was one of the weak points of the game. This version definitely brought it's game up considering that every character, token, card, boss, etc looks absolutely amazing. Like I said above the box cover alone gave a great early impression. The board is perfect and it's not too small or to big. After your first time preparing a character (which can honestly take a little while figuring out which tokens they need, etc) starting up games will take 2 seconds. I even spent time last night separating all of the Novice and Beginner characters with their cards and tokens into their correct sleeves. But overall great art design, there was definitely a lot of time taken to accomplish this.Gameplay (5 out of 5)First off the only negative thing I will say about the game play is that for first-time players it is a bit confusing to understand and grasp some of the basics. Learning how your turn works is fairly simple and it's great that they have the step by step process on the board itself so you never make a mistake. But some details are easily missed at first and are a TINY bit difficult to find in the rule book (but they are there nonetheless) such as: Actions that happen to the active player who activates a special card, how priority works with start beats, how to discard cards in particular situations, etc.But once you get over the learning curve this game just keeps giving. Like I said I only played 1 game with my roommate and I can already tell that I will have to play SEVERAL games with the SAME hero in order to truly understand how to use him perfectly. Which is surprising considering that each individual hero only comes with their unique ability card (1), finishers (2), Style cards (5), Unique base (1), and tokens if they have any. For most games you would think you can easily master understanding how to use the character after 1-2 plays. That's not the case for Devastation, within the 1-2 games you understand the core concept of the character. But it seems like I will not truly master the character until I have AT LEAST 5 games as them.Also I never felt like my character was too good or too weak. I was a brawler and my opponent was a range hero. I never felt like I couldn't close the gap, yet at the same time I did notice that there were clear times that I would have to think about how to approach it based off of their movement. It took about 7 turns for me to actually consider how my opponent was going to move and counter me. There was a point where I was beating my opponent 20-10, but they quickly turned it around and the game ended with me winning 4-0. From what I heard from other reviews and players the game is very balanced as long as you stick to the rules and time structure.Replayability (5 out of 5)Besides the gameplay this is easily DOA's other strength. This game has maybe TOO MUCH replayability. First off I played as 1 character against 1 character. I can see myself playing that same exact setup alone for hours and the game would still have enough variety for me to have fun and none of the games would feel the same. Now remember that there are roughly 30 characters (or close to) in this box. Ok great now we are at well over 100+ hours of variety and fun. Add in arenas that change the board (did I forget to mention we were playing on a bland, vanilla board?). Well that possibly adds another 30+ hours so we are at 130. Well this is only 1v1 mode, there is also 2v1, 3v1, single player and coop dungeon, tag team, 2v2, 3v3 tournaments, and more! This is just rediculous, I couldn't even guess as to how much replay value this game has! I own games like Agricola, Manhattan Project, Cosmic Encounters, Race For The Galaxy, etc and with all of those games I probably reached only 10-20 hours each before some games started to feel the same (granted I still enjoyed them). So let that sink in.Overall (5 out of 5)I heard people originally getting this game for around $40-50 even without the Kickstarter and I personally can't find it anywhere at that price (including shipping) and to be honest. Paying $70 for this game is definitely worth every penny. I didn't even mention that this game has expansion packs that add strikers (similar to assist in Marvel Vs Capcom) and even more characters and arenas and you can tell that this game is definitely going to last a long time on my shelf.Pros:-Simple Concept, Lifetime to Master-TOO MUCH CONTENT-To add to the "too much content" there are also expansions-Games are quick once you get the hang of it-Option of 2-4 players (but strongest at 2)-Art design is greatCons:-Storage of pieces is honestly not good, almost requires for you to make a custom box-Learning curve while simple has its bumps-Some may be turned off as to how much content this game has, maybe overwhelming-Community (while great) is not large, not enough people know about this gameTips: I would suggest purchasing this game from Amazon, but purchase expansions from Level 99 directly and in the purchase comments ask for the promo cards. I heard that upon request Level 99 will give you the 6+ promo characters they made during Kickstarter. Why? Well DOA has plenty of content on it's own...you can literally purchase this game and not buy an expansion for months (maybe years?) and be perfectly fine. I would suggest holding the promo characters off until you purchase an expansion to give even more beef to the expansions.This is my first night/first game review. I will probably update this review in another month to follow up.********UPDATE 3/5/14***********Not even a week after and here are my comments on the gamePlayed at least 1 game with all beginner characters and read the descriptions for almost all of the harder characters. All of the characters are so unique, you never run into a character in which you think "Oh he is just another tank" or "This guy is just too strong". Most situations you look at a character and describe them as a tank, but they also do so many other things that it's kind of hard to call them a tank after reading into them.At this point I've played roughly 10+ games (I played different heroes most of the time, while roommate focused on 1). All heroes appear to be fairly balanced except for maybe Alexian, but I feel like he is balanced but more experienced players could handle him without a problem. All games feel unique, I didn't fall into using the same strategies over and over again. I had to keep adjusting (even though he was using the same character) my playstyle as well as how I read my opponent.I realized after a week that if you like this game alot then your going to NEED a player as interested as you are in this game to keep interest. I have a great roommate that I always play board games and LOL with all the time, but he likes to mix it up a bit, while I would prefer playing this over and over. I honestly wouldn't suggest purchasing this game if you are going to play it casually (i.e. once a month). This is the kind of game that you try to play AT LEAST 5+ games a week and I think thats undershooting it considering that you can take the game out of the box, play a game, and clean up within 15-20 minutes (Agricola takes me 5-10 minutes just to setup the board...)Granted this game is labeled 2-5 players, this is NOT a great 3-5 player game for NEW players. I would go as far as saying that this is a horrible game for introducing 3-5 NEW players. Now please do not misunderstand me, this game is solid 3-5 players...but it's not a smart move to introduce new players into a 3-5 player environment. If you have new players teach them in a 1v1 scenario and get a few games under their belt before you even consider 3-5 player scenarios.Also for one final detail I was missing my Unique Ability Description card for Cesar. I emailed customer service on Sunday, and I got a reply on Monday. The replacement card should be in the mail as we speak. Customer service was fast, nice, and also I requested to receive the promo characters at the same time (mine as well fill up the envelope haha). Without hesitation they agreed to send me both the missing card and promo characters and I'm not being charged anything! Cannot complain about that.TL;DRNew Pros:-Characters are more unique than I originally expected-Customer service is awesomeNew Cons:-Need dedicated oppenent(s), not worth purchasing for casual play-Not great for groups larger than 2...at first

I was a huge fan of War of Indines, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to spend more than $50 on what was essentially the same game. I kept my eye on it for a couple years and was finally able to pick up a copy for $42. Totally worth every penny. The game is incredibly fun, thematic, fast-paced, and endlessly re-playable. This version of the game supports 1-5 players, while the others only support 2-4.Several other reviews will mention how much they packed into this box, and they are absolutely accurate. I literally have a hard time fitting it all in the plastic insert. Included are 30 unique fighters, each with their respective tokens/support cards, several Arena cards and their respective tokens that add a whole new level of strategy to the game, and 4 unique bosses with respective support cards and tokens. The bosses each have a unique mechanic (like pushing players off the board) that adds a puzzle-like element to the battles.But wait, THERE'S MORE! If you've played any of the other Battlecon titles, you'll know that every fighter uses a standard set of Bases which are exactly the same for both players. In a "video game" sense, it's like you both have the same options in terms of dodging, kicking, punching, grappling, etc... but each character brings their own unique Style to each one. Devastation adds two sets of slightly more powerful bases, which allow for even more intense match-ups. They also include rules for an "Almighty" character build that you can use for 3-on-1 battles and solo/co-op mode.Oh yeah! There's also an another additional rule book for Solo/Co-op play, called Battlecon Quest, that includes several story lines to play through, as well as links to several more online. It's a Really clever use of the mechanics and a great way to get even more play out of a game that would otherwise require two or more players, and it's compatible with all other Battlecon titles as well.In conclusion, I ended up waiting for a great deal but the contents are worth WAY more than $50. You can find instructional videos on Level99's website if you want to see how the basic battle plays out, but also know that there is a TON of additional content included in this box. Just how long would it take to play through it all? Like a Tootsie Pop, the world may never know.