Marvel HeroClix Infinity Challenge Starter Set

What a terrific little game.I'm a happily retired Magic the Gathering gamer who still loves play from time to time.Now that Heroclix is here, my Magic stuff is going to collect lots and lots of dust.

If you're a big fan of the Marvel Universe, then hold on to your web shooters!This game simply rocks!It takes minutes to learn straight from the box (the rules can be a bit confusing at times, but you'll have it down pat after a few games). It has collectability, a great design, and limitless stategy.This means big time replay value.

If there's one main gripe, it's the fit and finish of the product.Some of the dials don't "click" easily, and forcing it will lead to breakage.The paint job on some of the characters is also blah.And what's up with the look of some of the characters: Boomerang?Elektra?

Take my advice folks.Put away the Magic cards, the Yugi Oh-No cards, the ridiculously high maintenance "other" miniatures, and run (don't walk), RUN to your nearest game store.Heroclix is THE game to play!

By the way, I gave the educational value a 5.Why?Becuase I feel that ANY game that invloves strategy, mathematics, team work and memory selection is beneficial to anyone who participates.More importantly, is enhances social skills by promoting healthy debate/dialogue.Games, like comic books, are brain food.Let our kids do both!

What could possibly pull a jaded, 20-something gamer, fed up with the money-and-arms race that is Magic and disgusted at Wizards of the Coast and their attempt to turn every RPG into a simplistic, corporate clone, back from the depths of gaming despair?

In a word: HeroClix.

From WizKids, the folks who merged the collectability of Magic with the strategy of miniature gaming like Warhammer in their popular Mage Knight, without the insane price and rules that take years to learn, comes HeroClix, a tabletop strategy/collectable figure game featuring super heroes from the Marvel comics.Each figure has a certain point value, and you build your team based on a set number of maximum points, and then score yourself at the end based on how many figures you have left and how many of your opponents' characters you have KOed.Your "force" can be comprised of over 150 super heroes and super-villains from the Marvel universe, including Spider-Man, Professor X, The Hulk, Ultron, members of S.H.I.E.L.D., and Skrull warriors, to name a few.Want Magneto to fight Juggernaut, assisted by Cyclops?Go for it.Can Kingpin take down Annihilus?Maybe!

The "Infinite Diversity, Infinite Combinations" factor is just one of the things that makes HeroClix so fun.The rules, which are deceptively simple (yet confusing at times), are easy to pick up you can start playing in about a half-hour.For disputes, WizKids offers a major rules errata section on their website.Strategy takes a little longer to develop than the rules of the game, but after a few games a player should be able to come up with some killer combinations and be kicking tail with the best of `em.The super-powers can be a little confusing (thankfully, they are all color-coded and a standup card is included as a guide), but those who are familiar with the characters from the comics should have no problem figuring out who does what.

The Infinity Challenge set is a great start to a great game.Sure, there are some major character omissions Beast, Storm, and the Fantastic Four to name a few but WizKids are already talking expansions.The next set, which will probably be the same size (150 characters), is going to be from the D.C. universe, and will feature The Joker, Batman, and Harley Quinn, among others (those are the figures whose pictures are featured on the website).After that, there will be a smaller "Fantastic Four" expansion, which might have a few more missing Marvel people in it, too.There are also packs of objects to litter around the map (and throw at people), and a gigantic Sentinel enemy to defeat, coming in the next few weeks.

Will HeroClix become a game like Magic and Pokemon?Maybe.Most of the players are, like myself, jaded 20-somethings who are familiar with the comics and maybe that's not such a bad thing.It will keep it from becoming another psychotic arms race for the most expensive characters, and hopefully keep it grounded in the fun, happy-go-lucky spirit of the game, instead of becoming a rules-fest where people cheat and bend rules to win (a la Mage Knight).The only complaints are that the figures are sometimes bent, the paint jobs sometimes shabby, and they are sometimes very difficult to move (you can actually tear legs off if you aren't careful).Otherwise, great game, and it looks like it's going to get better.

Grades:

Fun Factor: A+ (NEVER a dull moment!)

Educational Value: C+ (Strategy)

Durability: C (depends on the figure)

Final Grade: B+

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Heroclix is a heck of a fun game.Quick to learn and lots of action. Though the basic rules are easy to pick up, like chess, there's a lot of strategy you can develop, which characters work best with each other, how to overcome other's player's tough guys. In each box, you get a random selection from 150 different figures from the Marvel Universe (well, sort of. There are really only about 60 characters. Most come in three different "experience levels" representing a weaker, rookie version, a mid-range, and a tough veteran version.) Each character is given a point value based on how powerful they are, and you build a team based on total points. So a 200 point team can be two big point value powerhouses like Juggernaut or the Hulk or 8 or 10 smaller value heroes/villains like Daredevil, Vulture or even a few generic Thugs & Henchmen. No limits to how to build your team, so you can go traditional like all X-Men, or put together any wacky team-up you want. Spider-Man and Annihilus on the same team? Why not? With more expansions to come (the first was just released), you can play a very long time and never play the same game twice.

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This game is not only a lot of fun to play, but it's a lot of fun to collect! Being a long time Comic Book fan and player of RPGs (Especially the Super Hero ones.) this game just offers a lot on so many different levels. Easy to learn rules that will take you awhile to master the strategy. Great looking miniatures that also look great sitting on display in your game-room or even your office. The Marvel Comics game is great, it features characters like Spider-Man, the Hulk, and Captain America. In a few months, the DC Comics game will be coming out! Look for Batman and Superman with that set.

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Pretty cool toy.Got this at my local gaming store to try out with my ten year old daughter.Simulates comic book action and super-hero powers very well.Takes a little longer to learn than the box says, and you need a pretty good sized table to use the entire map.I gave it 3 stars for educational value, as one does have to do multiple single and double digit number addition and subtraction, which my ten-year-old found challenging.The pieces seem a little flimsy, and my 5-year-old broke King Pin off his base.