World Series of Poker: Tournament of Champions
World Series of Poker: Tournament of Champions is a simulation of the world-renowned poker tournament of the same name created by Activision.
World Series of Poker: Tournament of Champions is available for Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Sony’s PlayStation2 and PSP. Price is around $25, but varies depending upon the platform.
World Series of Poker: Tournament of Champions Summary
Like the tournament of the same name, WSOP:TOC pits you as a player in a series of Texas Holdem poker tournaments, where you earn points and try to advance up in the ranks. Compared with other poker and card games, there’s not much that stands out apart from the tournament aspect. Graphics are on-par with games of this genre, and the music and audio effects are standard, although some users have complained of a constant chatter that cannot be turned off without turning off all sound effects and music. In terms of game play, WSOP:TOC adheres as much as possible to tournament rules; as such, there’s very little variation and choice when you’re just starting out in the game.
Our Thoughts on World Series of Poker: Tournament of Champions
As you move through the various tournaments, WSOP: TOC pits you against various famous and talented real-world players (via its programmed AI) at the tables; however, the implementation of the AI for these real-life poker pros often doesn’t come close to their real-life persona. The graphics are nice. Users can create their own avatars. For Xbox users, there is even the option of using the Xbox Live Vision camera to put your own face on your avatar. Since you can play live against other players online, this is a fun feature. Since other players may choose to abuse this feature, it's good to know that you can opt not to see what pictures others have uploaded as well.
The AI players at the tables all seem to act pretty much the same in terms of play. Those portraying poker pros occasionally say one of the pro's trademark lines, but that's all that really distinguishes them from any other AI player. The lines tend to repeat heavily after a very short time, making them less of an attraction than a nuisance. The background casino noise and the background music are also tiring after a very short time. The statistics feature, which only opens up after several hours of play, is useful for those who want to analyze their play. Moreover, it is broken down in ways that a layman can understand, so it has a distinct advantage over some poker training tools. Overall, this isn't a great game, but it's not terrible either. For $25, you can do worse, especially considering that you have both the single-player and the multiplayer option.
