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| Texas Hold'em Review | // review |
| Review by Ben Furfie. It's the game that has taken dining room tables, garages, mobile phones, casinos and even the internet by storm, yet in an ironic twist of fate, it is yet to arrive on the home of gaming, videogame consoles. Never before has a game so simple yet so deep managed to capture the imagination of the public so much, yet, not appeared on games consoles. However, that's all about change with the arrival of Texas Hold'em on Microsoft's Xbox Live Arcade. Easily one of the most anticipated titles for the service so far it has an appeal that stretches across age groups, genders, and even game tastes. So should you be looking forward to splashing the cash or saving it for the real deal? For those who still don't know what we're talking about, Texas Hold'em is a form of poker, and an incredibly popular form at that. The past two years has seen it skyrocket from a back room activity for bored suburban fathers in America to a global phenomenon. In fact, its rise has been so fast that there are still some people who don't know what it is. If you're one of them then we'd recommend investing the time learning to play. Of course the game focuses around gambling money, in the case of this game a fictional bankroll. While it might seem mundane, this bankroll is one of the more ingenious parts of the game. Thanks to the nature of Xbox Live this bankroll will remain with you throughout the game. That's right, if you're stupid enough to decide to see how far into the red the game will go as one of our journalist friends did then you'll be stuck that far into the red as he is until you manage to win your way out of it. Offline the game has plenty to keep you occupied, especially helpful when like us you find yourself still playing at 4am when every other sane person has gone to bed and there is no-one online to satisfy your poker addiction. You can indulge yourself whenever you like in the bog standard game, or if you're feeling lucky enter the many tournaments the game offers. The feature that a lot people are bound to be most interested in is the online side of the game. Just as in real life, nothing beats the feeling of pulling off a mega bluff against someone when you had nothing and they had a perfect hand. As with the majority of Xbox 360 games, you can either jump into a random game or invite your friends one by one into a game you've set up. The one thing some people might see as a negative is the lack of real betting. Apart from the fact it likely draw bad press, Microsoft have decided against this feature for logistical reasons. However, don't despair because although you can't actually take peoples money, you can still hear them scream in agony as they lose $1000. In fact it is the voice chat that proves to be the defining aspect of what makes this game so enjoyable. Nothing beats the atmosphere the game creates. It's just you and some friends playing poker in the evening, chatting and relaxing. Texas Hold'em is out now on the Xbox Live Arcade. | |
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