World Championship Poker 2

Anyone up for a quick wager?

Tags: Categories: PC Reviews, Reviews

Posted by Darren on Jan 3rd, 2006

Title Players
World Championship Poker 2 (title page) 1+
Developer Publisher Genre Online
Other Yes

Poker is widely seen as a game for any time; be it in a dingy garage with your gambling buddies, or at a star-studded tournament playing for some serious money. World Championship Poker 2 covers all bases in this regard, as you can play in your own ‘pad’ or as you progress, in large tournaments with some of the biggest players on the poker circuit.



If you’re a poker fan, no doubt you will feel spoiled at the number of poker games which are making the rounds in the charts and on the internet; but the features included in this game are definitely capable of turning your head. Amateur poker players such as me are probably only experienced in one or two varieties of poker; most likely Texas hold ‘em. However, WCP2 features a huge 14 varieties of poker, which will quench the thirst of any poker player.



Even if you’re not a poker player, and you haven’t played a game of poker in your life; there’s no need to worry. World Championship Poker 2 features extensive tutorials for all 14 varieties, so even the poker novice will become a very knowledgeable master in no time. (The knowledge can even transfer over into real-life, so the tutorials are doubly useful!)


The game features a career mode as well as an online multiplayer option; so if you get bored of playing the computer, why not test your poker against real-life opponents? Career mode is all about making as much money as possible (Obviously) but you can also upgrade your character by winning important matches. There are 7 stats which you can boost, including ‘Hand Strength’; which all can make winning much easier. You can also use your winnings to buy things for ‘your pad’ as the game aptly puts it, by using the pawn shop. Although a small grievance, it is annoying enough to warrant a mention. Upon choosing to enter the pawn shop, you are greeted with a fantastically rendered 3D swing-around of the store, including your character, when you are then expected to control the character to walk around the shop; which is an un-necessary waste of time. The 3D graphics in the pawn shop seems to have been added because they can use 3D graphics, rather than having any real purpose.

The graphics used for the actual games are equally nice, which adds to the overall experience (Judging from the pawn shop, it surprises me that you don’t have to make the character sit down first). Character models are nice to look at, considering that it is a poker game. The sound is nothing special, but the inclusion of an in-game music player would have been nice; the music used over and over again becomes very tiresome. However, the game includes voices for the various characters, which gives it a certain amount of life; although it still feels false.



Now onto the most important part of a game like this: Gameplay. Generally speaking, the gameplay is above average for the most part. The games run very smoothly, and the layout is simple to understand; not cluttering up the screen. If you’ve never played true poker before, or even gambled, WCP2 gives you a small idea of how addictive poker can be; even if you’re not playing for real money. Once you win once or twice, you find yourself saying “I’m on a roll, I’m going to keep playing.”, but even if you lose, “Just one more hand, I might win.”

In an attempt to mimic real life, there is a mini-game included in the normal play. If you attempt a bluff (Betting high with a poor hand, or betting low with a good hand to keep people playing) then you have to take part in a mini-game to see how you keep your emotions under control. It seems very un-necessary, and gets very annoying after a while. Thankfully, you can upgrade one your statistics to get rid of the mini-game altogether.



Unfortunately, despite the good attempt, WCP2 is nothing compared to real-life poker; which unfortunately is the case with most sports games. You can’t read the computer’s emotions, and so the game is made even harder; reducing it to more of a game of chance. There are no difficulty levels either, so if you’re no good at poker; you’d either better get lots of practice in, or just walk away. As with most things, it is easy to pick up; but you need some major practice to become good.

What Works Score
+ Smooth gameplay
+ Good graphics
+ Inclusion of real-life poker players
+ Nearly as addictive as the real thing
+ Not losing your own money if you don’t win 		7.2
What Doesn't
- Repetitive music
- Annoying mini-game
- Un-necessary 3D pawn shop
- Can’t compare to real-life poker
Under the Shrink-wrap
You don’t need to be a poker fan to enjoy this game, but eventually you will find that poker can get a bit boring if you’re not playing for real money.
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