Joystiq [PlayStation]

To put it briefly, The Eye of Judgment is Magic: The Gathering meets Tic-Tac-Toe. The upcoming Eye-enabled card game has players using real cards on a real board, trying to gain the most territory on a 3x3 grid. The fusion of real cards and a virtual environment might echo thoughts of Yu-Gi-Oh ... and for fans of card games, that's bound to be a good thing.

There's a surprising amount of depth to the card battles from the demonstration we tried. Ultimately, players will want to have the best monsters, but there are a number of variables that can drastically change a battle. For example, each square on the board is aligned with a different elemental. Aligning one's monster to these elements is crucial. Each monster has specific directions it can attack in, so positioning one's card is also significant, especially in a field as small as this one.

Players will want to purchase real-life expansion packs in order to get further in the game. Sure, it may sound expensive, but any CCG junkie can attest to how pricey of a hobby this can be. The Eye integration certainly is intriguing, and we're sure The Eye of Judgment will secure a dedicated hardcore fan base. For those that are interested, we recommend playing the game offline with a friend. In order to prevent online cheating, gamers will have to scan all their cards before an online match. Afterwards, the computer will deal a hand to each player. It seems like a somewhat cumbersome process, and it downplays the "real world" aspect of the game ... and isn't that what makes this game so unique?