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Shape Shifter Games

Shape shifters, creatures able to change their form into that of another person or an animal, have fascinated people for centuries, and this interest is borne out by the number of shape-shifter games in existence. These games feature well-recognized shape shifters, including werewolves and vampires, as well as lesser-known creatures, such as the werebear.

Collectible Card Games
- These games involve assembling decks from packs of illustrated cards and battling against the decks of friends. Magic: The Gathering is a long-running trading card game that puts players in the roles of duelling wizards. Each player utilizes cards representing spells and creatures to attempt to defeat his opponent. Shape shifters are a reasonably well-represented type of creature in the game, particularly in the Lorwyn subset of game expansions. Vampire: The Eternal Struggle is a complex card game based around warring vampire clans. Players use decks consisting of various card types to outwit their opponents in a bid to amass supplies of blood. Card types include vampire characters with many abilities, such as shape shifting, events that affect the entire game and combat cards, which aid in battles.
Retro Games
- Some shape-shifter video games were released in the 1990s or before. Arcade classic, Altered Beast, is a 2D, side-scrolling fighting game set in Greece. The player travels through a range of environments and can transform into creatures, such as wolves and dragons, to defeat enemies. N64 action-adventure, Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness stars a werewolf named Cornell. Players must guide Cornell through creepy, 3D environments and battle the undead to find Cornell's kidnapped sister.
Video Games Since 2000
- Shape-shifter video games have continued to be produced since 2000. The Darkstalker games, developed by the Capcom company, are 2D fighting titles in which players control one of many combatants and take on opponents controlled by friends or the computer. The series characters include Jon Talbain, a werewolf, as well as Felicia, a werecat. The series includes Darkstalkers Chronicle: The Chaos Tower, for example, available on the Sony PSP. PC title Dragon Age: Origins is a fantasy role-playing game set in the kingdom of Ferelden. Players create a character and can choose to play as one of the shape shifter race. The game's plot involves a quest to prevent an invasion of creatures known as darkspawn. The player is also joined by other characters on her quest, such as Zevran the Assassin.
RPGs
- Table-top role-playing games allow players to create shape-shifter characters and take part in thrilling adventures, using only dice, a few rulebooks and their imaginations. GURPS Shapeshifters uses the generic role-play system, GURPS, created by Steve Jackson. The rules are designed to cover everything from were-creatures in a medieval setting to shape-shifters from alien worlds. Legendary role-playing game Dungeons and Dragons has featured plenty of shape shifters since its inception in 1975, both as characters for players to control and as monsters to be defeated. Examples include the doppelganger and the werebear.

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