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XGD > Xbox 360 > World Series of Poker 2008: Battle for the Bracelets
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Reviews Earn your bracelets, Texas Style!, August 2, 2008 Rating: 8.0/10 By plvick Poker is the new crack. It is totally addicting, and will so take all your money it is not even funny. However, if you can master a few key concepts (and control your emotions) you can literally change your life. The thing is, winning poker has nothing to with chance. Not in the long run. That is why there are so many familiar faces wearing WSOP bracelets... and they are all here.
From Ferguson, Hellmuth, and Chan to Cloutier, Gowen, and Fischman, the upper echelon is represented, rendered nicely in beautiful polygon color, right on your 360. After you have played against all these "greats" of the game, jump in yourself with a custom avatar. Even capture your self-portrait via the XBox connected camera and the game will map it onto your character. All you have to do is take a front and side-profile shot of your head and BAM (or about 3 minutes of computational time later) there you are, right in the game yourself. It is pretty cool, as a technology demo, but definitely a novelty at best.
WSOP 2008 is the pinnacle of online poker experience, and you won't lose a dime. You see, that is the game's only real flaw; you are playing with "monopoly money". It may actually be a benefit, if you play like most of the competitors you will find online. While some are worth the challenge, most are too impatient to play effectively. It really doesn't distract much from the experience, as you will find the same thing in the real world.
Online mode is indeed where WSOP shines. Games via X-Box Live! are connected and going inside two minutes, and full camera support is included. Up to 21 players can compete together, at multiple tables, each eliminated until there is only one winner. As you complete more and more games you earn a rank which is used to match like-skilled players.
The game has matured nicely from earlier iterations. Where once there was so much noise and movement on-screen the game could actually give you a headache, now things are more static. Your main playing screen is divided into two primary views. A large view of the table your playing at, security-cam style; with everyone sitting in their associated places around it. The other a shot of the active player, straight-on.
Despite comprehensive on-screen text, with player names and chip numbers as well as explicit labeling of the entire game process, the player interface can feel a bit confusing. The entire visual and audible experience is precisely and perfectly modeled after the well known ESPN coverage of the "real thing", The World Series Of Poker held in Vegas each year. Complete with the same boring and repetitive diatribe of ringside banter provided by those very same TV hosts. It might get old, but it is easily mute-able via in-game options, along with background chitchat and a muzak version of some classic rock tracks for your ambient soundtrack.
For a different challenge, the off-line career mode awaits. As you play and earn achievements unlocking some really cool tools along the way, you can seriously improve your game. Noteworthy is the Hand-OUTS Calculator, which can help a novice player learn the "gist" of effective poker playing. This concept, how to figure out the odds of landing winning cards, is a major key to poker success. WSOP can help you understand how all this translates into a winning game.
Spend some time to get past the learning curve and you may find this game a nice change from your usual XBox fare. From one poker player to another, give WSOP a chance. You may really like it. I am already feeling the itch again... back to the chips!
A review of The World Series of Poker 2008: Battle For The Bracelets for the X-Box 360 by Patrick Vick expressly for publication at xgd.com.
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