Playwize Poker and Casino review

Videogame gambling has always been a curious conundrum ever since its conception. Mainly because it seems so self-defeating. Emulation is often tricky enough, but when your source-game's point is to win money - obviously something you can't strictly copy in this medium - there seems little purpose. Which is the uphill struggle Playwize Poker and Casino has from the off.

I guess the question to all involved here is: "do you feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk?"

A roll of the dice

It's a gamble. Of course it is. That’s the point, really, even if it's a metaphorical one rather than the more enticing (disclaimer! 18 years + only!) literal one. However, Bits Studio is clearly trying to load its hand and be a jack of all trades (apologies, the puns will slowly lessen as we go along - promise). The developer has done this by realising while every other company has been going for card game du jour, poker, why not take it to the next level and add a ton of other casino based titles into the mix as well?

An admirable and prudent move. Certainly one that's mostly been ignored by others in the pursuit of official poker licenses and real life hot shot players. Playwize Poker and Casino offers not only the glories of poker games such as Texas Hold 'Em, Omaha High, Super Hold 'Em, Pineapple and Crazy Pineapple, but also other games of luck including roulette, craps, blackjack, baccarat, red dog, slot machines and even the Wheel of Fortune.

Better yet is the feature allowing you to roam the virtual casino instead of just being given a set of instant games with no personality. From the start you're given a set amount of cash and the chance to create your own alter ego to guide through the casino, sitting down at the table of your choice. It seems like a trivial thing, but it does allow a stronger level of interaction within the hustle and bustle of the environment.

Casino Royale

The option to create and edit your virtual self is quite comprehensive, with a range of facial features, accessories, body types and personalities to choose from. Once done, you're thrown into the casino and given the task to earn star achievements and more money, success allowing you progress out the slums into bigger and better venues.

That being your aim, you can select any game at any time and keep pumping money into them until your pockets are either full with glory or empty with tearful despair. And although the latter is more likely should you let your over-exuberances get the better of you, the pause menu is kind enough to provide on-screen rules for all the available amusements if you're a shade rusty.

So, it all seems a little too good to be true. You probably guessed that before your eyes floated to the score at the bottom of the page. And sadly, yes, there are a large number of problems looming around the corner. Like a burly mugger who witnessed your fruit machine winnings and now wants a large cut.

Your stake, sir?

The issues that occur with Playwize Poker and Casino don’t appear immediately, but when they do they're fairly prominent… and not at all that surprising. The first being is that big ol' problem of purpose. The reason many developers avoid casino driven titles is that for a large part it's pointless, as previously stated. Playing for virtual money isn’t a totally aimless pursuit per se as it depends on what you're playing, but it's a near inescapable trap experienced here.

I personally love casinos and have a penchant for the table games which rely on 95 percent luck and 5 percent judgement, such as roulette. But when I'm sitting at the roulette table, there's a genuine and thrilling danger area I'm placing my cash and luck in, knowing the rewards can be worth the risk. With the videogame equivalent, that element is removed. It's entertaining for a short while, but soon it spins into a tedious and overwhelming feeling of futility.

Which sadly holds true for many of the games on display, as a majority rely on that heavily slanted luck/judgement imbalance that is often so meaningless without real life stakes involved. Those stakes doesn't even have to involve money, either. The thrill of besting your opponents (or joining your friends in a winning streak) can often be reward enough, but Playwize Poker and Casino lacks multiplayer or online modes to allow for that. A fatal absence that could have elevated it past these troubles, even temporarily. Instead, you're forced to go solo and even the simulated cheers and jeers of other virtual people around you isn’t enough to get around a painful sense of solitude.

Aces and craps

So with that large flaw covering most of the games (ones like the Wheel of Fortune, roulette and the slots suffer the most and even blackjack gets tedious before long), it leaves us poker and its numerous variants. Naturally it's the most developed of the troupe due to its larger degree of nuances, not to mention it being the 'in' thing right now. To that end it's quite a good iteration, certainly being better presented than most titles of its ilk, even with a sporadic commentator who's thankfully sparse in his inane and excitable verbal flourishes.

Although the pace can be sluggish at times, poker is Playwize's ace in the hand, being competently enjoyable and fun for most of the part and allowing a slanted visual humour that its poe-faced rivals often lack. Where it falls down is, again, the lack of human interaction. While prizing itself on a large and fancy array of tells/emotional gestures, they're not used intelligently enough by the AI to feel anything more than a shallow aesthetic. Worse, it's hard to tell if any of them actually have an effect on the rival players themselves. And without the ability to play against other humans, it's a function that seems wasted despite its decent visual implementation. Which is a pity, as flaunting a freakish body popping celebration in the face of a friend could have been a wonderful nuance.

The lack of a true career mode beyond achievement collection doesn’t help things either, as the range and variation between the four casinos is terribly limited, resulting in a lack of focus for the one main card game that keeps Playwize afloat. You can buy more attire and other frivolous additions, but there's no genuine sense of substance or progression.

House always wins

As well presented and admirably ambitious as it is, you'll probably find yourself getting quickly bored of Playwize Poker and Casino without anyone 'real' to play off. The only stakes you're really playing with here are a sense of curiosity and virtual pride, and with only the PS2 to bounce those factors off the appeal swiftly wares thin. You could invite some friends around and take turns to see who can get the biggest winnings, but if that's an option you'd be better off busting out a real casino table and playing with them that way instead. Because there's just no true sense of value or competition to give the game a valuable sensation of life.

In other words? Playwize Poker and Casino is only one deal short of a death card.