OXCGN’s Full House Poker Review
All-In or Bust out?
by : Belgavion©2011 Gav Ross
For years now poker nuts have had to make do with the now somewhat dated Texas Hold ‘Em XBLA title that was released close to the console’s launch.
When Microsoft’s Avatar update came to the dashboard late in 2009 it made sense for there to be a revamped poker experience on the Marketplace to capitalise on the social experience of Avatars sitting across the table from one another.
Full House Poker is here to answer that call with welcoming arms.
For those unfamiliar with the Texas Hold ‘Em style (and by now there’s probably very few of you), there is a helpful tutorial to get the dice rolling.
However, Full House Poker is designed so that if a complete newbie happens to jump into your match there’s little or no impact of their lack of knowledge holding up a game.
Blinds are automatic and the pressing of A or B for Check and Fold moves the table along at a fluid pace. There’s a timer above the head of each competitor so that if someone has happened to leave the room they’ll automatically fold after 15 seconds.
There will always be the players who fold 9 out of 10 hands and then suddenly want to bet half their bankroll, but this just makes it all the more exciting when the stakes are raised.
Virtual Personality
One of the key factors of becoming a decent poker player is, of course, reading the mannerisms and emotion of an opponent. This isn’t exactly applicable when you’re playing a video game, but the fact that you’re playing with a group of other Avatars with some sense of personality helps to make it a more realistic poker experience.
For the most part the Avatars sit there smiling and clapping with satisfaction if they manage to win big, and losing will see them put their head down and sigh resignedly.
All of the animations are a show of good sportsmanship, so don’t get your hopes up that you may be able to gun down the opposition and then run off with the loot like you can when playing poker in Red Dead Redemption.
Card Shark Competition
The single player portion of the game is made up of random tournaments, quick-play events and ‘pro takedowns’ – which is basically a one-on-one contest between yourself and a fictional poker champion.
Although fooling around with single player is fine and a good way to get a feel for the game, the multiplayer is obviously where most of the hours will be put in.
There are options to jump right into a ‘quick match’ and that will match you up with any available tables, or you can create your own table/lobby and up the blinds a little.
For the most part, getting into a match without much wait is simple and rarely do you need to wait more than 2-3 minutes before a game is underway.
• Full House Poker screenshot slideshow
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
Players gain ranking points and XP from every match they play and there’s a leveling system in place that’s coupled with a host of unlockables: different attire for your Avatar and décor such as chairs and table spreads. These are all fairly trivial rewards but customising even little things like the colour of the deck of cards keeps things visually fresh.
Even if you bust out early one you’re still rewarded with a decent amount of XP, so the game will never feel punishing to those lacking skill.
Party Poker
Something that may put a few gamers off is the family-friendly tone of Full House Poker.
There is a ‘kiddie’ feel to the entire thing with blindingly bright colours, oversized cards on the table, and then there’s the fact that there isn’t even imaginary money at stake – everything from your bankroll to the amounts noted on the table is represented only by chips.
Also, at the end of each match, all of the Avatars get up on the table and dance around to festive music while confetti falls through the air. In a way it feels like a Viva Pinata: Party Animals version of poker.
But that doesn’t mean there isn’t some serious competition and nerve-racking matches to be had. A poker die-hard will look beyond the glossiness of the graphics and sound and be able to find an enjoyable experience battling strangers and friends.
Even though you can never fully bust out of the game or lose your entire bankroll, there is still incentive to do well. Build up enough of a balance and keep winning matches and you’ll find you can soon sit at some more exclusive tables based on leaderboard rankings.
There are also scheduled online tournaments such as the introduction of the ‘Texas Heat Spring 2011 Season’. Unfortunately, it seems Australia is currently barred from participating and it’s more of a US-based shindig, but hopefully we’re included in future events.
Full House Poker is easy to approach for newcomers to the world of poker and although it couldn’t be defined as a hardcore poker sim, it’s deep enough to satiate most serious card players.
Some more refined customisation or even different types of poker (whatever happened to five-card stud?) would have been a nice addition, but then everyone is just going to go back to playing Texas Hold ‘Em anyway because of its popularity.
On a somber note, this is the swansong creation from Aussie development team Krome Studios as they shuttered their doors before Xmas. It’s a shame that they went under so soon after working on this and the Game Room application, but they should be proud that they’ve created a user-friendly, light-hearted and addictive poker experience that’ll be enjoyed for a long time to come.
OXCGN’s Silver Award
“8/10
©2011 Gav Ross
xxxxxx
• Full House Poker XBLA screenshots gallery
Filed under: 3rd Party Games, Console gaming, XBLA News-Reviews, Xbox 360, Xbox 360 3rd Party Games, Xbox 360 Game Reviews, Xbox 360 News, XboxLive Marketplace Tagged: | avatars, Full House Poker, full house poker review, Full House Poker reviews, full house poker screenshots, full house poker xbla, fullhousepoker, Game Room, Microsoft, Poker, Red Dead: Redemption, Texas Hold Em, Texas Hold'Em, XBLA, Xbox Live Arcade
