<s>
Marvel	B-Application
Trading	I-Application
Card	I-Application
Game	I-Application
is	O
a	O
video	O
game	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
,	O
Windows	O
,	O
and	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
Portable	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Marvel	B-Application
Trading	I-Application
Card	I-Application
Game	I-Application
is	O
a	O
virtual	O
card	O
game	O
in	O
which	O
the	O
player	O
chooses	O
to	O
be	O
either	O
a	O
superhero	O
or	O
supervillain	O
in	O
single-player	O
mode	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
follows	O
the	O
rules	O
laid	O
out	O
in	O
Upper	O
Deck	O
's	O
VS	O
System	O
,	O
used	O
in	O
card	O
games	O
across	O
several	O
franchises	O
including	O
Marvel	O
,	O
DC	O
Comics	O
,	O
and	O
Hellboy	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
handheld	B-Application
versions	O
were	O
criticized	O
for	O
presenting	O
a	O
visual	O
format	O
inappropriate	O
for	O
small	O
screens	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Marvel	B-Application
Trading	I-Application
Card	I-Application
Game	I-Application
is	O
a	O
collectible	O
card	O
game	O
with	O
similarities	O
to	O
other	O
card	O
games	O
,	O
like	O
Magic	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Gathering	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Each	O
player	O
has	O
a	O
life	O
bar	O
that	O
is	O
depleted	O
with	O
each	O
successful	O
attack	O
by	O
an	O
opponent	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
player	O
loses	B-Application
the	I-Application
match	I-Application
when	O
their	O
life	O
bar	O
is	O
empty	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Adjacent	O
characters	O
with	O
a	O
matching	O
team	O
affiliation	O
within	O
the	O
Marvel	O
universe	O
can	O
also	O
reinforce	O
one	O
another	O
's	O
attack	O
and	O
defense	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Spider	O
Friends	O
and	O
X-Men	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Marvel	B-Application
Trading	I-Application
Card	I-Application
Game	I-Application
's	O
single-player	O
mode	O
allows	O
the	O
player	O
to	O
choose	O
one	O
of	O
two	O
different	O
campaigns	O
;	O
one	O
for	O
heroes	O
and	O
one	O
for	O
villains	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
PC	O
version	O
allows	O
players	O
to	O
play	O
over	O
the	O
internet	O
or	O
a	O
local	B-General_Concept
area	I-General_Concept
network	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
PSP	B-Operating_System
owners	O
can	O
play	O
Marvel	B-Application
Trading	I-Application
Card	I-Application
Game	I-Application
with	O
the	O
console	O
's	O
local	O
wireless	O
"	O
ad-hoc	O
"	O
mode	O
or	O
online	O
against	O
other	O
PSP	B-Operating_System
and	O
PC	O
players	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
DS	B-Device
version	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
for	O
both	O
local	O
-	O
and	O
internet-based	O
two-player	O
games	O
,	O
but	O
is	O
incompatible	O
for	O
tournament	O
use	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Marvel	B-Application
Trading	I-Application
Card	I-Application
Game	I-Application
was	O
formally	O
announced	O
at	O
the	O
Electronic	O
Entertainment	O
Expo	O
(	O
E3	O
)	O
video	O
game	O
convention	O
in	O
May	O
2006	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Konami	O
explained	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
would	O
use	O
Upper	O
Deck	O
's	O
"	O
VS	O
System	O
"	O
rules	O
and	O
would	O
be	O
available	O
for	O
the	O
DS	B-Device
,	O
PSP	B-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
PC	O
consoles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
to	O
have	O
both	O
single-player	O
and	O
multiplayer	O
modes	O
for	O
all	O
three	O
systems	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
PC	O
and	O
PSP	B-Operating_System
versions	O
would	O
be	O
cross-compatible	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
PSP	B-Operating_System
and	O
PC	O
versions	O
were	O
developed	O
by	O
Vicious	O
Cycle	O
Software	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
DS	B-Device
version	O
was	O
outsourced	B-Architecture
to	O
New	O
York-based	O
designer	O
1st	O
Playable	O
Productions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
option	O
was	O
ultimately	O
not	O
implemented	O
for	O
the	O
DS	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Lead	O
designer	O
Dave	O
Ellis	O
said	O
"	O
development	O
...	O
time	O
and	O
platform	O
limitations	O
did	O
n't	O
permit	O
our	O
DS	B-Device
developers	O
to	O
pursue	O
that	O
option	O
,	O
so	O
the	O
DS	B-Device
version	O
was	O
ultimately	O
limited	O
to	O
Wi-Fi	O
and	O
online	O
play	O
with	O
other	O
DS	B-Device
players.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
PSP	B-Operating_System
and	O
PC	O
versions	O
allow	O
players	O
to	O
use	O
the	O
same	O
matchmaking	O
system	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
code	O
is	O
linked	O
so	O
that	O
if	O
one	O
platform	O
is	O
patched	O
,	O
the	O
other	O
must	O
be	O
as	O
well	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
plot	O
in	O
the	O
single-player	O
mode	O
of	O
Marvel	B-Application
Trading	I-Application
Card	I-Application
Game	I-Application
was	O
composed	O
by	O
Marvel	O
writer	O
John	O
Layman	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
cutscenes	O
were	O
drawn	O
by	O
comic	O
artists	O
like	O
Keron	O
Grant	O
and	O
Pat	O
Olliffe	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
plot	O
,	O
which	O
revolves	O
around	O
the	O
group	O
of	O
robotic	O
enemies	O
of	O
the	O
X-Men	B-Device
known	O
as	O
Sentinels	O
,	O
was	O
created	O
because	O
in	O
real	O
life	O
,	O
competitive	O
play	O
in	O
the	O
Marvel	O
card	O
game	O
community	O
was	O
focused	O
on	O
Sentinel	O
decks	O
around	O
the	O
time	O
of	O
Marvel	B-Application
Trading	I-Application
Card	I-Application
Game	I-Application
's	O
development	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
contains	O
over	O
1,100	O
cards	O
,	O
and	O
includes	O
cards	O
from	O
select	O
expansion	O
sets	O
in	O
the	O
physical	O
version	O
,	O
like	O
the	O
Avengers	O
and	O
the	O
Fantastic	B-Application
Four	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
PC	O
and	O
PSP	B-Operating_System
owners	O
can	O
download	O
the	O
X-Men	B-Device
expansion	O
set	O
online	O
for	O
free	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Marvel	B-Application
Trading	I-Application
Card	I-Application
Game	I-Application
was	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
PSP	B-Operating_System
on	O
February	O
27	O
,	O
2007	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
,	O
June	O
8	O
in	O
Europe	O
,	O
and	O
July	O
6	O
in	O
Australia	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
DS	B-Device
version	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
May	O
22	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
,	O
July	O
25	O
in	O
Europe	O
,	O
and	O
on	O
August	O
3	O
in	O
Australia	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Online	O
matchmaking	O
and	O
the	O
card	O
store	O
were	O
opened	O
in	O
tandem	O
with	O
the	O
PSP	B-Operating_System
version	O
's	O
North	O
American	O
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reception	O
of	O
Marvel	B-Application
Trading	I-Application
Card	I-Application
Game	I-Application
across	O
all	O
three	O
platforms	O
was	O
mixed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
compared	O
to	O
other	O
collectible	O
card	O
games	O
such	O
as	O
Pokémon	B-Application
,	O
Magic	O
,	O
and	O
Munchkin	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
reviews	O
referred	O
to	O
the	O
gameplay	O
as	O
addictive	O
;	O
IGN	O
's	O
Hilary	O
Goldstein	O
said	O
"	O
I	O
have	O
to	O
admit	O
,	O
I	O
am	O
somewhat	O
addicted	O
to	O
the	O
Marvel	B-Application
Trading	I-Application
Card	I-Application
Game	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
the	O
handheld	B-Application
versions	O
,	O
many	O
reviewers	O
complained	O
that	O
Marvel	B-Application
Trading	I-Application
Card	I-Application
Game	I-Application
's	O
layout	O
made	O
it	O
difficult	O
to	O
play	O
,	O
as	O
there	O
was	O
n't	O
enough	O
room	O
on	O
the	O
small	O
screens	O
for	O
the	O
playing	O
field	O
of	O
a	O
match	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
text	O
on	O
individual	O
cards	O
on	O
the	O
PSP	B-Operating_System
version	O
was	O
considered	O
difficult	O
to	O
read	O
,	O
but	O
the	O
DS	B-Device
format	O
of	O
holding	O
the	O
console	O
sideways	O
to	O
play	O
was	O
praised	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
IGN	O
said	O
of	O
the	O
PSP	B-Operating_System
version	O
"	O
Though	O
MTCG	B-Application
's	O
single-player	O
is	O
fairly	O
deep	O
and	O
enjoyable	O
,	O
the	O
focus	O
is	O
on	O
multiplayer	O
...	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
's	O
only	O
through	O
the	O
infrastructure	O
online	O
mode	O
that	O
you	O
can	O
access	O
the	O
aspects	O
of	O
MTCG	B-Application
that	O
make	O
it	O
worth	O
the	O
$30	O
purchase.	O
"	O
</s>
