Reviewed: November 9, 2005
Reviewed by: Roger Cox
Publisher
Activision Value
Developer
Activision Value
Released: September 13, 2005
Genre: Cards
Players: 1-9
ESRB: Everyone
4
3
4
3
4.0
Supported Features
Screenshots (None Available)
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 2 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 it is catching on across America.
Although I’ve mainly gambled online, I’ve also played some in real life (never risking a lot of money). Now that video games have caught onto this uprising sport, there are several different ones to choose from. However, the newest and only portable version of it thus far on the PSP was recently released. It is the Official game of the World Series of Poker.
A card game is a card game any way you play it. World Series of Poker is just that on the PSP, a portable version of Texas Hold ’em. What you see is what you get and the only real things to talk about are the games features and modes. The modes that you can play are quick play, the main event, and career mode. I found Quick Play to be one of the best modes because of how easy it was to play. With the name “Quick Play”, you get what you ask for when choosing this mode: fast, instant poker action.
The Main Event is a difficult and risky mode to play. Especially when it has a $10,000 buy in just to enter the tournament. If you win, it’s very rewarding, but if you lose it’s very depressing. I didn’t care for this mode because it’s more or less Quick Play mode as a tournament with a hefty entrance fee. If you want to play with the big boys, enter here.
The career mode is the heart of this game and it is at this point that you’ll start out as a nobody. As you improve you’ll get more recognition and gradually work your way up the ladder to the World Series of Poker championship tournament. It is here (in career mode) that you’ll customize your player using Tony Hawk’s Underground skateboarding game character creator. I like being able to customize your player even if it isn’t the deepest character creator I’ve seen.
There are other sanctioned poker variations of the World Series of Poker that you can play, such as 7 Card Stud, Omaha, and Razz. While these games are included, people shouldn’t buy this game just for them alone. They are included more as a bonus while the main game revolves around Texas Hold ‘Em. Texas Hold ‘Em is where I first noticed the game’s main problem, stupid AI. The computer characters are dumb, really dumb. They make bets and calls inconsistently much like an amateur player would, but even worse because they’re supposed to be professionals. Especially when you get deeper into the tournaments and the computer players keep doing dumb things. It doesn’t make sense and is this game’s main downfall.
I’ll be blunt. Besides the basic 2D games on the PSP this is the worst looking game I’ve seen on the system thus far. It’s a real shame because I was really looking forward to playing a great poker game. The character models look extremely pixilated and the presentation is even worse. The developers tried to capture ESPN’s presentation style and they succeeded to a certain extent. It feels like you’re playing on TV instead of actually being there. And nothing makes it worse than when the commentary gets repetitive. I not only had a problem with the presentation, but also with the animation.
There’s very little animation that has been done and the only real character movement is when they win. When they do win it’s hilarious because they will throw their arms in the air even if they only win a quarter. Nothing in this game shines graphically and the same goes for the sound.
While the commentators seem to be professionals, they are pretty bland and tend to repeat themselves. There’s really not a lot to the sound at all and no real background music to speak of. The standard card dealing sounds and chip noises are the main sound effects you’ll hear throughout your quest to become the champion.
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. Having the sound on with the annoying and repetitive announcers gets old fast and I found myself listening to my iPod while playing and muting the game.
There are a lot of tournaments in this game (26 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 idiots, so actually beating tournaments might just be a matter of luck, not skill.
It seems to me that there’s more value in this game than actual gameplay. What I mean is that the replay value (if you enjoy the game) comes in the form of online and live play. You can take on your friends in 1-9 player tournaments or go online and try to be the best. This is the game’s strongest point because without the dumb AI opponents, you’ll have a lot of fun and it will end up being like a regular Texas Hold ’Em game. If you don’t have trouble finding online opponents like I did, then you’re sure to have a blast.
Other aspects of replay come in the form of earning looks and clothing upgrades throughout the game and collecting rare poker chips. These are pretty basic rewards and none of these are worth working hard to obtain. They’re just simple collectable in game items that wouldn’t make you excited even if you were handed them in real life.
If you want to get away from the green felt tables you can play a couple variations of video poker. I found it to be a nice sidetrack from the main game, but I wanted more games to play. I know I’m asking a lot, but I want a game that makes me feel like I’m in Vegas, with all the games that are offered. I know this game’s all about poker, but I wanted more and maybe a little too much.
To make a good poker game on any system there needs to be good graphics and great character animation. Secondly, the game needs to have great commentary and a nice selection of background music to listen to. Third of all, there needs to be a lot of tournaments to play and multiplayer to boot. The fourth and most important piece of a good poker game is great AI opponents. Those are the ingredients to make a good poker game and what the World Series of Poker game is missing.
Poker fans looking for a portable version of it should look elsewhere. World Series of Poker has more things wrong than right and will only lead to disappointment. The graphics are bad, the sound is marginal at best, and worst of all, the gameplay doesn’t feel like Texas Hold ‘Em because of the poor AI. All in all this is a $40 card based video game that only has as much replay value as the player’s interest in this sport.
World Series of Poker on the PSP makes for a good multiplayer game, but falls short in the single player mode where it should be the strongest.