Texas Hold 'Em really does the minimal to create a poker game experience.
- Lacking presentation
- Minimal amount of features
Texas Hold 'Em is a poker game for Xbox Live Arcade. It costs 800 MSP which means it should be a good arcade game. However, when playing Texas Hold 'Em this price doesn't feel justified.
The game is very basic. The Texas Hold 'Em rules are brought into the game, but other then that there is not much to it. The single player gives you the choice of playing a standard game, which is just a game of Texas Hold 'Em poker against a maximum of 7 other computer players. You also have the choice to compete in tournaments and special scenario's. However, there are only four tournaments which should last you maybe about an hour a piece. The scenario's are pretty much the same only with special conditions. Being the chip leader, being almost out of the game etc.
There is also a multiplayer in Texas Hold 'Em. You can play with a maximum of 8 players over Xbox Live including yourself. You build your bankroll by winning money. You lower it, by offcourse, losing money. It's pretty fun to play against friends, but other then that it's just a game of poker against random people with no real meaning. Your bankroll also doesn't mean anything, as you can get into a high of depth as you want. You can stand over a million in the red, so the money in this game means mostly nothing at all.
The graphics and sound are both minimal. It looks clean but there is mostly nothing going on on the screen. Sound is very standard and there are barely any sound effects to speak of.
The achievements in this game are well balanced. Most have to do with what type of hands you end up with, some are about betting and building your bankroll. Some of them are left over to luck though. And luck, should really not be an achievement since you didn't 'achieve' it per se.
All and all, Texas Hold 'Em is a fun game to play with your friends for a little while. But playing more then 2 or 3 games in a row is just not there. It's the same thing all over again, which isn't a bad thing in general, but Texas Hold 'Em is just does the minimal to create a game of poker. It's worth checking out if you like poker and if your friends also own the game. It keeps you coming back for a game or two at times, but never more then that. A price range at 400 MSP would have been more justified.