Reviewed: October 19, 2007
Reviewed by: Roger Cox
Publisher
Activision
Developer
Left Field Productions
Released: September 25, 2007
Genre: Cards
Players: 1
Online: 14
8
5
6
7
6.5
Supported Features
Screenshots (Click Image for Gallery)
I first got into playing poker when I was a little kid, probably around 10 years old. Since that time I’ve enjoyed countless games of basic poker with my friends all the way through high school. Once I entered college I was introduced to the newest game of poker called “Texas Hold ’Em” which has become increasingly popular over the last 5 years or so. Now there are poker games online, on TV, video games, and tons of poker chips everywhere. This game is extremely fun and has really caught on throughout America.
Although I’ve mainly gambled online, I have also played some in real life with friends and at local gambling venues (which are illegal in my state and I don’t recommend it). Two years ago there were a ton of Poker games to choose from, but today the Poker fad has faded some and the only console poker game available this fall is World Series of Poker 2008: Battle For The Bracelets.
The career mode has you select one of three difficulty levels: amateur, semi-professional or professionally ranked player, which in turn determines the number of events that you can enter and your starting bankroll. The object of the career mode is a lot like the WSOP (World Series of Poker) Tournaments held each year. Your goal is to expand your starting stack by winning tournaments and earning prize money. Furthermore, you’ll want to earn points to achieve the “Player of the Year” award. Good luck achieving that because you’ll have to beat Phil "The Poker Brat" Hellmuth. He’s currently on top of the WSOP tournament boards and one of the greatest players of all time.
As you progress through the career mode tournaments you will not only be increasing your bankroll and points, but you’ll also be earning a variety of awards. One of the items you can win are collector chips which you can then take online to wager. My experience online was limited, but there aren’t a lot of games to choose from. If you join one, expect to wait a substantial amount of time for the table to fill up before the game begins.
New features in WSOP 2008 are Rival players who have defeated you online. This will affect your rankings on the overall leaderboards. It’s a neat feature that somehow failed get implemented into the career mode. One of the most entertaining things about WSOP on TV is watching rivals really go after each other. It’s a shame that it is only online because I doubt many people will be playing this game online in a month.
Other WSOP 2008 features include several variations of poker, including Razz, Omaha, and Seven Card Stud. You can even play blackjack and video poker. It also has excellent tutorials for beginners and people who want to improve their game. Unfortunately a lot of the videos are online.
Other features include No Limit Hold 'Em against specific pros, the ability to create your own custom games and tournaments. It also has a great beginner’s tutorial for learning how to improve your game. Just make sure you know the general rules ahead of time.
I’ll be blunt. This is probably the worst looking game I have seen on the system thus far. It’s pretty good for a poker game (in fact it’s probably the best), but it could have been a lot better. The character models aren’t bad, but they haven’t changed from last year’s game. You can still customize your characters looks, but the number of options are limiting.
When it’s all said and done this game looks as good as it has to. There is the occasional moment when it slows down, but it doesn’t last long. If you can look past the graphics you will be rewarded with a truly fun poker experience.
While the commentators seem to be professionals, they are pretty bland and tend to repeat themselves at time. Characters in the game make comments related to how the game is going and you get to assign your character’s voice type. It’s a big upgrade from previous version and I was happy that different characters have their own unique personalities.
There are about six different background music tracks to select from or you can randomize them. They really should have included a rocking assortment of background tunes to listen to because it’s making me wish I had a custom soundtrack option. The standard card dealing sounds and chip noises are the main sound effects you’ll hear throughout your quest to become the champion.
There are a lot of tournaments in this game (43 in all) which will take you a lot of time to beat. It’s not easy becoming the world champion when the computer players around you play like real poker players. This is the first console poker game that I have played where I haven’t left feeling cheated. The AI is exceptionally good and honest. They won’t win every turn and you won’t win every turn. In the end, the AI was done in such a way that you always blame yourself for loosing and not the computer for cheating.
With all the different features included in WSOP 2008 it’s easy to get your money’s worth. This is especially true if you have a friend who owns a PS3 and is willing to compete with you online. With the lack of any online players, it makes it really hard to play this game online.
At $50 this game is overpriced and you’d be better off just playing the free games on the Internet. But with its excellent single player tournaments, I can easy see people buying this game at $20 or $30.
This is the single best console poker game I have ever played. It’s still limited graphically and could use better background music, but the amazing AI makes this game what it is, realistic. It is the most entertaining single-player poker game available today, but I think it’s still overpriced at this point.