It’s at this point where real poker players could call into question the value of WCP. In reality, you need to be able to look into someone’s eyes, closely observing the curvature of a smirk or the furrowing of a brow in order to tell if they’re bluffing. In WCP, the facial expressions are created rather well. There are those subtle expressions to watch for, and they do often hint at the strength of that player’s hand. However, the AI is nothing close to what it would be around a real table. All too often the computer players make rather strange decisions, keeping a royal flush close to their virtual chests without upping the stakes to the max in the process. And as for bluffing, they rarely attempt that with any conviction. And because, after a while, your opponents’ decisions appear to be increasingly mechanical, it does detract from the potentially immersive nature of the game; and once you’re able to predict the AI’s way of thinking, the challenge is also diminished. There are variable difficulty settings, but even on the highest it’s not a patch on the workings of some well-tuned grey matter.
However, take WCP online and it’s a different story. Although we have yet to test this American version on Xbox Live, our Stateside buddies have provided some fairly positive reports. There’s voice-chat, slick functionality, and although no real stakes, there’s a lot more interest in crushing bona-fide human beings. It’s a nice idea, especially when it allows closet gamblers to organise surreptitious online meets whilst telling ’the wife’ (or disciplinarian equivalent) that they’re just playing Burnout 3 or some such. But of course, you still can’t see the players’ actual faces, which prevents it from being comparable to the real thing. But, taking the whole concept one step further is the online PS2 version of WCP, which, in a stroke of genius, has been made compatible with the Eyetoy.
The idea is that players are actually able to gauge the emotions on each other’s faces. And that is a great idea, but it just doesn’t work properly. The Eyetoy isn’t high enough quality to highlight any of the subtle changes of expression that you’d be looking for. And there’s no guarantee that your human competitors are playing in a gentlemanly fashion. They could be pointing the Eyetoy at someone else in the room or they might be wearing an ice-hockey mask. That said, if you’re playing with friends and acquaintances online, the camera and chat combinations can make the game a far more sociable experience - which is, in many ways, the heart of poker.
In the single player mode, there are a selection of tournaments and single matches available, but the options do seem a little scant. As a budget title, WCP goes beyond the call of duty in terms of presentation. The graphics are hardly stunning, but your character’s physical appearance is customisable to the nth degree, and allows you to recreate your favourite ’poker star’ or any one of Avid Merrion‘s Bo Selecta aliases. But there are no other casino type things on offer. Having constructed a nice selection of playing environments, from a speak-easy to a river-boat, it seems a shame that Crave couldn’t cram in a bit of blackjack or roulette too.
