Texas Hold 'em Tournament Review
Am I playing a bargain bin Nintendo 64 game?
The heart of the game is the titular tournaments that can be played solo locally or online with six people. Players must work through the contests in order by eliminating the five other players and stealing all their chips. The money you earn can be spent on clothes to customize your Mii, which will represent you at the tables in the game. If you don't feel like working through a tournament you can play a few hands in Free Play mode. The game exclusively uses pointer controls to make selections and checking everyone's balance is as easy as moving the cursor over their heads.
Both of these modes are also available online, which makes things a little more interesting since you get to play against real people and real Miis instead of the game's copycat avatars.
Texas Hold 'em Tournament is meant for people who already know how to play the card game. Unlike some other videogame versions, Tournament doesn't tell the player what hand they're holding. This isn't a problem for seasoned players. But it could have welcomed in novices by indicating whether they're holding a full house or a bunch of garbage. The tutorial will explain the hand rankings, but players can't reference this information during a game.
Tournament isn't very exciting but it works and is easy to navigate. The visuals, though, are laughably awful. Many an IGN editor has had a good chuckle today walking by my desk. Texas Hold 'em Tournament is one of those games that gets people to stop and ask, "what isthis?" -- but not in a good way. The developers have spared every expense in order to deliver the most bland and lifeless game possible. The best part is when a player is eliminated and their chair levitates off the screen with no sound or fanfare. It's a bizarre scene that elicits laughter every time.
Verdict
Playing Texas Hold 'em Tournament, you may wonder if you've mistakenly downloaded some piece of Nintendo 64 shovelware. It's a playable but basic version of Hold 'em, but the graphics make the game hard to take seriously. If you require nothing more than an online poker game, this'll do. But those that look for art, style, or personality in their games will need to look elsewhere.
