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World Series of Poker 2008 Game Review–It’s A Niche Definer

You might think it’d be difficult to write a review about a poker game, especially one so thoroughly licensed and self-promoted as a World Series of Poker title.  Well, you’re going to be surprised by this one, because I certainly was.  It’s definitely a surprise to say that World Series of Poker 2008, now available for the Xbox 360, PC, Nintendo DS, PSP and both Playstations two and three, is actually a lot more fun than you’d expect.

Basically, in this game, you’re going to go plunging into the depths of Las Vegas, starting as a rookie to take on the greatest names in poker.  And seriously—you’ll be taking on some serious names.  Everybody from Johnny Chan to Annie Duke and the Devil Fish himself, David Ulliott, is here.  And you know it’s not complete without Phil “The Brat” Hellmuth himself in play.  You’ll be playing in dozens of casinos all over the strip—Harrah’s, the Rio, and plenty more.

I have to admit, I loved the World Series of Poker game.  I had a lot of fun figuring the odds of each current hand.  I liked staring down a guy who couldn’t stare back, considering just how likely the outcomes were.  Four hearts on the table…good chance someone’s got a flush.  But you can use that to your advantage, too.  You can act like YOU’VE got that flush, even if no one else does.

Yes, I just explained “bluffing”.  You’re welcome.

Sure, a little of the fun is leeched out of it—it’s tough to bluff people who have no emotions and operate according to the dictates of a microprocessor and RAM—but there’s still that element of fun involved.  You are effectively strategizing against a series of poker players that play at least reasonably like professionals.   And it’s even better if you can find live people to play against—it’s all the fun of a raging gambling addiction without having to sell your car if you have a bad night.  Seriously, you could go all in every hand and nothing would happen, because once you’re broke, you just pull the plug, fire up the power button and take another stab at it.

Of course, you could wind up winning millions and then have to realize that you’re dirt poor and your diet consists entirely of top ramen and sawdust, but that’s just the nature of the game.  The vicarious thrills of poker are all available to you.

The downside, of course, is that this is just a poker game.  It’s not like there’s going to be a whole lot of variety going on in this game.  You won’t get to commit crimes or find lost artifacts to bankroll your poker frenzy—you’ll basically just compete in tourneys or in cash games for the bankroll to compete in said tourneys.  It’s JUST poker.  And if you love poker, then you’re definitely going to be in for the battle of a lifetime when you go into the World Series of Poker 2008 and vie for the Battle of the Bracelets.  However, if you don’t absolutely love poker, then this one’s going to be a busted flush with an off-suit deuce in the river.

Uno Rush Game Review–Colors, Numbers, and Adrenaline

I think it’s safe to say that almost everybody who’s reading this has played Uno at some point.  Personally, I grew up on Uno, and I think I learned just a bit of my numbers and colors before school even started by virtue of regular Uno games with my folks.

And for you fellow Uno fans out there, there’s a brand new Uno experience on Xbox Live Arcade, yours for a mere eight hundred Microsoft points–Uno Rush.

This time, in Uno Rush, you’re dealt a hand outright, and you can take the equivalent of several Uno turns all at once by virtue of matching up numbers, colors and symbols in advance to form a run.  You’ll have the standard command cards, too, like Draw Four, Wild, Draw Two, Skip and Reverse, but you’ll also get the new command card Shuffle, which causes an opponents well-planned hand to suddenly randomize, possibly causing the player to lose a run.

I liked this game, really–sure, playing by yourself isn’t a whole lot of fun, but as a party game or an online title this one will shine.  Look for a LOT of people to pick this one up, and for it to be a great social game.

Armor Wars Game Review–Good Card Game, Bad Name

Over at Armor Games, I’ve found a piece that might well help if you’ve been jonesing for Magic the Gathering lately–it’s called Armor Wars.

I found it at least a little odd that Armor Games is hosting a game called Armor Wars–can we get just a little more self-referential?  Come on!–but the game itself is at least fun enough.  Basically, it’s a card game, or approximation thereof, in which you play different cards with different effects in an attempt to take out your opponent’s castle.  Or “life points” if you favor the M:TG lingo.  You’ll get to work with creatures, direct damage, and spell effects to generate the various points you need to activate your cards.

This is, of course, fairly standard–anyone who’s played Magic in the last ten years will pick this game up and run with it.  Most of what decides a win or a loss, sadly, is the luck of the draw, but it’s still a good casual time waster.  Online play is also available, so you’re not just stuck taking on the computer.

Basically, Armor Wars is a surprisingly fun time that’s easy to pick up and play as long as you understand a few basics.