Below are user reviews of World Series of Poker 2008: Battle for the Bracelets and on the right are links to professionally written reviews.
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User Reviews (1 - 2 of 2)
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Very disappointing
1
Rating: 1,
Useful: 1 / 3
Date: October 30, 2007
Author: Amazon User
This is a review of World Series of Poker 2008: Battle for the Bracelets for XBOX 360.
There are a lot of cute features on this game. For example, you can play in a simulated tournament against avatars that look like actual professional poker players. The games are narrated by the ESPN poker commentators, so you get treated to some of Norman Chad's wit. (That may be a plus or a minus depending on whether he is to your taste.) If you bust out of the tournament, you get a "cell phone call" on the screen from a famous player (voiced by the actual player), who invites you to a simulated cash game. Of course, all this is most interesting if you actually are a big enough fan of professional poker to know who people like Phil Hellmuth, Mike Matusow, etc. are. There is also a tutorial, "Phil's Poker School," that features videos of famous players giving you advice about each of the major poker games (i.e., the ones played in a H.O.R.S.E. tournament). Finally, if you enter your name as "beatthebrat" (in the customize character menu) you will get a humorous sound effect and will notice a change in the Phil Hellmuth avatar.
However, there are two major problems with this game. First, the graphics are far too small to be viewable on a mid-sized television screen. In order to play, I have to pull the chair right up to the TV, and even then it is hard to make out which players have raised or called. (I suspect that the game was designed originally for a PC, where you'd be viewing the screen from 12 inches away.) Second, the tutorial is useless whether you are a novice or an experienced player. Having someone rapidly count up for you the number of "outs" you have in a hand will be completely meaningless to a beginner, whereas a more experienced player won't need to be told that. During games, "hints" will sometimes scroll across the top of the screen, but these include gems like "Phil says that you should bet when you think you have the best hand," or "Going on tilt can damage your bankroll." Really?? Wow!
If you are a HUGE poker fan, it might be worth taking a look at someone else's copy of this game, but I honestly wouldn't recommend buying it for yourself. Spend the money on the buy in of a real tournament instead!
Getting Closer to a Real Table
4
Rating: 4,
Useful: 7 / 8
Date: October 02, 2007
Author: Amazon User
First, if you only enjoy NL Hold 'em, you might want to think twice on this version. Imagine WSOP '05 with more pro's, more games, limit, HORSE, Razz, Stud too. It's a tough game if you play properly, if you play it like an arcade game, you will either excel or get very bored. Now if you like the other poker variations, then pick this up. The AI is much tougher than last years game, and the play seems more like a casino table than previous versions.
The online aspect of the game is where serious players are going to love '08... There are stats. All the things most poker players love deep down inside, the numbers. You can have multi table tournaments, so you can essentially use this as a trainer for that weekend trip to the card room. Cash Games, SnG's, all the things you find online. You do get a lot of donk play, so don't be surprised with the suck-outs. But the overall online experience so far is 98% positive, and I'm starting to get together a weekly game.
Other things to love:
There are a ton of achievments.
Pro voices
A blackjack mini game within the game
Video's (White belt from Helmuths thingy is one of the 'goodies')
Phil Helmuth is the 'star' this year, but a lot of the information that scrolls and is shown between loading screens is regurgitated from previous versions with a few current tidbits. If you ever wanted to compete with him or someone like Matusow, then here's your chance.
As a poker player, I can't complain much. It's not Poker Academy, or Full Tilt, but it is getting incredibly close to making me really feel like I'm at the table with Allan, Elisabeth, Chris and E Dog... This is an excellent addition to the WSOP brand.
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