It seems like I can't flip through the TV channels without finding a
televised poker game. There's the Word Series of Poker, celebrity
blackjack, and a dozen other poker shows. Maybe the next Survivor will
take place in a Vegas casino. Personally, I don't get the attraction.
Playing poker is one thing. But, why do people love to watch people
playing cards? Watching a guy play with his chips for two minutes is not
high drama to me. And don't give me the "it's all about the psychology
that is exciting" rap either. That's why it's boring! I'd rather watch a
darts tournament (and I have seen them shown) because there is some
semblance of action. But, again, I'm not saying poker is bad. I just
think it's better to play than watch.
On that note,
Crave Entertainment has released World Championship Poker to try and
cash in on the current poker craze. The game features a variety of
different games, including the highly popular No Limit Texas HoldEm, and
online play.
Gameplay
Let it be said that there is a great amount of game variety with this
game. Texas HoldEm, of course, is the most popular game. Also included
are many variants, such as Omaha HoldEm (my personal favorite) and
Pineapple, 5 card draw, and 7 card draw. Some games have betting limits
and some are no limit.
The offline game is
designed in the RPG style. There is quite a bit of depth in the create a
player feature. Not just lots of clothes and faces to choose, but you
can adjust length and widths of many of the features to create a totally
unique character. It seems, however, that the computer isn't that
creative and the opponents start to look similar after a few
tournaments.
There are two ways
to play offline. One is the quick sit, where you play a low stake game
with 5 opponents. At the start, only Texas and Omaha HoldEm games are
available. You unlock other games by entering and placing in the money
at tournaments. You enter a tournament by buying it. For example, the
first tournament available is $20 Limit Texas HoldEm. It costs you $22
to enter the tournament. When you enter, every player begins with $200.
Prize money is awarded to the top 15 players. Tournaments can have up to
several hundred players competing. A good feature of the game is the use
of the R2 button. Pressing the button during a game shows you a chart of
winning hands in descending order, which is a nice reference guide for
new players. During tournaments, this screen will also display how many
people are still in the tournament and what place you need to be to earn
money.
Any poker player or
fan will tell you that the most important part of the game is not the
cards, but the strategy. Knowing when to call, fold, raise, and bluff
are how you win big money. It doesn't matter what you have in your hand
if you can get your opponents to fold because they think you have good
cards. At the same time, it's nice when you turn over that fourth ace
when they do decide to call you. The whole idea is to keep your
opponents guessing whether you have a good hand or not. Having said
that, the toughest part of any video poker game would be the
intelligence of the computer players. The best opponents would be ones
that don't always go by the book and can keep a player off guard.
However, the
computer opponents in this game are just horrible. Most of the time,
they seem to fold before the first bet and you are stuck playing for
small pots. Most of the time, they seem to check and never raise the pot
to a decent size. Then there are times that the betting makes no sense.
This is what kills the offline game. Here's an example. I'm playing
Texas HoldEm. For you who don't know, each player receives two cards
(hole cards). Then a round of betting is done. Then three cards are
placed face up (the flop) that everyone can use. Then another betting
round. A fourth card is turned over. More bets. Finally, a fifth card
and another round of betting. You win by making your best five card hand
from the five cards in the middle of the table and the two in you hand.
Anyway, one of the opponents checks every round. He never raises the
bet. He wins with a full house. Here's the problem. His hold cards were
two aces. The highest possible hand you can have at the start. The three
cards turned over were an ace and a pair. So, he had an almost
unbeatable full house from the start and the guy never raised the bet.
How can you figure out the strategy of an opponent that bets with no
common sense? Bluffing is one thing, but you don't bluff when you've got
a sure winner.
Live
Online is what this game was made for. The eye toy support adds a bit
because you can see the faces of your opponents and try to read them.
However, several players with eye toys can lead to some significant lag.
And, it's not the same as being in the room with other players. Probably
the biggest problem is that there is no betting clock. So, you can spend
several minutes staring at the screen waiting for another player to make
a move. If the guys got an eye toy setup, you can do a nice burn as you
watch him not paying attention and holding up the game. All of the games
are available online, but you'll be hard pressed to find people to play
5 card draw and 7 card stud. Everyone likes the holdem games.
Graphics
We're not pushing the PS2 limits here. There are some nice backgrounds
and the players are done well. But, the animation of the players is a
bit lacking and they all have a "wooden" feel to them. It's also
disappointing that the chips aren't shown. One of the cool things about
watching poker is to see the players with different piles of chips in
front of them. Most importantly, the cards were created well and are
very easy to read. You can tell the difference between a 6 of clubs and
an 8 of spades very easily.
Audio
Decent background music. There is a commentary track that tries to give
that TV tournament field. The dialogue is limited and gets repetitious
quickly. So do the occasional expressions by the players after winning a
hand. In the game tutorials, each game is explained with audio
commentary that was done very well. Probably the one place where the
audio shines.
Suggestions
The offline play is horrible. The betting AI is just too strange to
figure out. It needs some major work to make the offline game worth
playing for any length of time. This game is designed for online play
the same way SOCOM II is. It would be nice if there was a betting clock
to keep the game moving along and not let one player hold things up.
Add to ManRoom?
If you need to play poker and either don't have a few friends to come
over or you don't want to lose your own money, then taking this game
online may fill that need. For the PS2, there aren't any other poker
options available. But, you probably can find something better at any of
a variety of different places on the web.
