World Championship Poker: Deluxe Series

Sit right down and place your bets because this table is really hot so just let lady luck rub your shoulders while I cut the deck. What’s that you say? Seven Card Stud is your game? Well you’re sitting in front of the right table, pard, and so place your bets. And yes, this tournament pays off big time but you’ll be up against some real rounders here not WB celebrities or those cool cats you see playing Texas Hold ’Em on cable. What’s that you say? You’re only twelve? Who needs a casino when you’ve got World Championship Poker: Deluxe Series on your Nintendo DS?

When I heard that Crave Entertainment was bringing a World Championship Poker game for the Nintendo DS I was thrilled. Who wouldn’t like a portable version of some favorite card games to take along with you when the real thing isn’t available? It so happens that the Deluxe Series just doesn’t only look good but feature up to twelve games that include Texas Hold ’Em, Omaha Hold ’Em, Double Flop, Seven Card Stud, Five Card Draw and Deuces Wild. There’s even Baseball, Pineapple, Seven Card Hi-Lo, Omaha Hi-Lo, Blackjack and video poker. You can play this one on your own or with up to six friends using a single game card they can download wirelessly.

This all sounds good but does it play good, you might ask? The answer is yes, but there are a few things that keep this game from being poker perfection. We’ll start with the good stuff seeing as there’s a long list of strengths here as opposed to weaknesses. For one thing, the game is perfect for both veteran poker players and those who only think Pineapple is just sweet fruit. The game includes a Tutorial that explains all the rules for each card game with actual examples. The game has two main modes: Quick Play and Career Mode. Quick Play gives you quick access to all the featured card games including Blackjack (complete with a gruff dealer) and video poker (just like the casino machine version). This mode pretty much gives you enough money to try them all without worrying about losing it all.

Career Mode, on the other hand, puts you in the Wild Corral casino with just $5,000 and your skills. It is here that the game takes on the first-person view through the eyes of your created avatar (you can create your own male or female player complete with choice of clothing, hairstyles, accessories and body type) and you can move your player throughout the casino and even out into Casino Lane. The Wild Corral, though, is your starting point and it is here that you’ll encounter several tables with games and tournaments you’ll need to beat if you want to head out to the other casinos like the Nebula, the Amazon and the Renaissance.

While there’s no story in Career Mode, you’ll just go from table to table winning as much money in order to make it into the next tournament of the World Championship. You can wander the streets but there isn’t much to do aside from hitting the local arcade to play some Air Hockey (using the touch pad) or Darts (using the Stylus to aim and throw the darts). This is a good way of earning extra cash when you don’t feel like sitting down to a high-stakes game of Five Card Draw. Even if you do manage to blow all your cash there’s a loan office run by Tito but you have to remember to pay back your loan. Win and you’ll be able to purchase extras such as new accessories, better haircuts and even vehicles (to get around town a lot faster) and increase your skill stats.

Okay, now on to the bad stuff ... but trust me when I say it doesn’t really overshadow the good stuff. The game does utilize the touch screen for actions such as increasing bets, hold or remove cards you don’t want from your hand, but the actual touching part sees a noticeable delay. Even the entertaining mini-game of Darts is made a bit difficult thanks to the touch screen, although I found it better to use my finger than the Stylus. As for your opponents you’ll be up against the same characters each time and while many of them are actually charming it would have been cool to see even more unique characters in the other casinos. Yet when it comes to card playing, many of them will surprise you with some quick-thinking decisions and sometimes the same player will make a questionably dumb decision that makes you wonder why the IQ quotient rises and drops within seconds.

Sporting some sharp visuals, World Championship Poker is one fine-looking DS game and, let’s face it, there aren’t a lot of Nintendo DS games that show off plenty of detailed characters and environments. Each opponent you play against has his or her own personal style ... while stereotyped as they may be. Cliff, the Texan, wears a cowboy hat and sports a thick moustache while Bruce, the game’s other senior citizen, takes a long whiff from his oxygen tank. The player reactions are limited to a few animations so expect to see the same I’m-having-a-heart-attack animation from Bruce when he loses. The environments are nicely handled and they won’t fail to impress the minute you decide to walk out into Casino Lane. Even the player creation feature has enough options to design your own unique character.

The sound, on the other hand, isn’t as good as the visuals but then again you can’t expect much from a game that requires concentration. You’ll hear your opponents chime in throughout the game and oftentimes it’s only to react to a poor hand that’s dealt to them or when they win. The stereotyped characters also spout some phrases you’d expect from them. Granny will blame her arthritis for her losing hand and Bruce will fake a heart attack the second he folds. The problem is that each character always says the same thing when they win: “Read ‘em and weep.” There’s some music that plays while exploring and there’s the loud chatter of people in the background that does a good job of placing you in a busy casino.  

While there are a small number of things that could have been handled differently, World Championship Poker: Deluxe Series does the game of poker right. It is, by far, the best portable poker game and one fans new and old could enjoy when a trip to Vegas is out of the question. You can’t go wrong with a purchase so buy this one if you love to show off your card skills with friends or by yourself.

Gameplay: 8.0
There’s a lot to like about a poker game that adds enough card game types to please everyone and even add a few other mini-games to break up the card playing. The single-player game isn’t deep nor will you feel as though there’s a lot at stake but at least the casino experience is present. Too bad the touch screen isn’t utilized as perfectly as it should have.

Graphics: 8.2
One of the sharpest-looking Nintendo DS games out there, this one displays some nicely detailed character models and more than decent-looking environments. So there’s not a lot of variety when it comes to player reactions, but there’s a nice mix of clothing options.

Sound: 7.5
Repetitive opponent phrases aside, the ambient sounds and the shuffling of cards will put a smile on any casino-loving poker player. It’s far better than listening to the music that plays in-between games.

Difficulty: Medium/Hard
You’ll find plenty of challenges playing through Career Mode and while sometimes the computer-controlled players get an unfair advantage it's never bad enough that you’ll find yourself completely frustrated by it. Then again, the AI can be a bit uneven and you’ll find the more witty players making a real boneheaded decision.

Concept: 8.7
There are 12 different card games including Blackjack and a worthwhile version of video poker so the replay value is very high. You can also purchase plenty of extras during Career Mode although you’ll wish you had a better variety of quirky opponents to play against. There’s also multiplayer fun and it’s one of the game’s best features.

Multiplayer: 9.5
Up to six players can play against each another but that’s not the good news. The good news is that your friends can download and play off a single game card and it plays just as smoothly as the single-player game. This certainly fixes the opponent AI problems plaguing the single-player game and it's just much more fun playing against a group of friends. 

Overall: 8.0
When it comes to a good old-fashioned poker challenge, World Championship Poker on the Nintendo DS is playing with a full deck of strong cards. It falters in the single-player game just a bit, but there’s enough here to satisfy veteran poker players and hook newcomers in with a wide variety of card games, mini-games and a really great multiplayer mode. If you’re into poker, this is a game you’ll want to own.