Yearly Archives: 2016

Prominence Poker Review

By Andy Skelton (Outfoxed)

 

Texas Hold’em is a hugely popular thing. Over the past decade, the game stepped out from dingy casinos and relative obscurity into the bright lights of fancy casinos and secondary ESPN channels. It’s not hard to see why, though, considering the game is as much about strategy as it is about earnings. In fact, it sounds fairly similar to a lot of modern video games, doesn’t it?

There have been a wide selection of Texas Hold’em derived games over the years, but most of them fell flat for a myriad of reasons. Prominence Poker looks to buck that trend, bringing in poker professionals to give it a much more real, polished, and entertaining feel. Does 505 Games’ newest creation win big, though? Or will it simply fold under the weight of its bets?

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Feeling Like a Pro

I’d like to describe the art style of Prominence Poker as opposites. You see, it’s a very cartoon looking game; perhaps something straight out of a comic book. Yet it also manages to encompass such a wide range of real-life caricatures and physical types. In fact, the game’s tutorial has you facing off against The Mayor, a stylish black British gentleman that you could easily picture gambling at any high class poker parlor. The tutorial, in fact, is also amazing because it teaches you so much not only about Texas Hold’em poker, but how to play the game. It’s also packaged in a slick little narrative, with the Mayor detailing how your nobody of a player ended up beating him in a tournament.

Speaking of your character, I’d be remiss not to mention the sheer amount of customization options you can use to craft a truly unique avatar. Almost every little feature can be tweaked, and while there are no sliders here, everything put together crafts a wonderfully unique persona. That’s only your initial creation, too; feel free to tweak your character at any time or change them altogether!

 

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It’s All About the Game

Personally, one problem with most poker games is the lack of feeling. You’re a soulless blob at a table with other soulless blobs, playing cards. There’s no personality there. Prominence Poker does not offer that aesthetic. There are several game venues in the world, from ritzy casinos to slummy laundromats. Even in a single player environment, you’re pitted against a variety of colorful characters, each as unique as you are. Let’s not forget we’re playing cards here, too. Prominence Poker pays a great attention to detail, from the shuffling of the deck each hand, to the body language used in actual games (tapping the table to check, standing for going all-in on a bet, etc).

In fact, don’t expect to skip through turns because you’ve folded due to bad cards or pricey bets. You’re expected to watch the other players, learn their betting and hand strategies, and adapt to them. Y’know, like you would actually playing poker together. If you’ve played Texas Hold’em before, you know exactly what to expect, and that’s a huge positive to the game. For example, you’re not just dealt cards and magically shown what you have. You actually have to look at the cards you were dealt (using L2 on the Playstation 4 controller) to plan your next moves. Controls, thankfully, are also quite simple, if not a bit finicky at times (think a super-sensitive dialogue wheel). It’s easy to tell the team did their homework when crafting the game.

 

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Looking Good Never Looked So Good

As you play and achieve certain goals like winning hands, successfully bluffing opponents, and clearing the table, you earn renown. You gain levels by earning enough renown, and these levels unlock a variety of cosmetic apparel. You can purchase these items using currency you get for winning tables, or leveling up, or through daily log ins. You can also rent them for a reduced rate if you just want to get a feel for how the character looks with it on. Of course, it’s not just clothes you get to change the look of. What your character drinks (or smokes) can also be changed. It’s these little touches that really make Prominence Poker stand out.

As I said before, all of the NPCs you face off against in single player matches have their own distinct looks. I decided to play a few games at the local laundromat (who washes clothes there, cough cough), and the underlings looked properly, shall we say, henchmen-y for the boss you could see lingering in the background. Subtle touches like this are really what makes the game shine above any other poker game. You really feel like a rags-to-riches story in action; the kind of stories that made Texas Hold’em so popular in the first place.

 

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Final Verdict: Great (4/5)

Poker games aren’t for everyone. Gambling is definitely not for everyone. I consider myself a fair newbie when it comes to what hands to keep, and what hands to fold. Prominence Poker, however, is accessible to anyone. You can play a deep, strategic game, making bets when you’re sure to win. You can also play recklessly, throwing money and caution to the wind. You’re not penalized for either. The game gives you enough focus and instruction at the beginning, like a child learning to ride a bike. Then, like a dutiful parent, sticks around but lets go of the seat to watch you ride off into the sunset.

I mentioned the dialogue wheel style controls before, and they really do seem a bit sensitive. Since a good amount of what you do in Prominence Poker revolves around this wheel — making bets; checking, calling, or folding; and raising to name a few — it’s a little frustrating the cursor zeroes itself when you release the control stick. Still, that’s a minor flaw for a poker game that has, in my estimation, completely captured the spirit of Texas Hold’em.

Conspiracy Unveiled: Blizzard + Konami = Metal Gear Survive

Blizzard Irvine Office

I’m running a serious risk even posting this, but we here at the Bottom Tier News Entertainment System believe in unveiling the truth, no matter the cost. There’s something really shady going on in the gaming world, too. Metal Gear is the baby, the brainchild of Hideo Kojima, one of the greatest producers our industry has ever seen. Without him we’d have never had the intense storytelling of the Metal Gear Solid games, no matter how good or bad some of them were. . .we cannot ignore how much he changed the Tactical game genre. Konami and Hideo parted ways, probably not on the best of terms, but there’s something truly sinister going on. The franchise is still moving forward. And by whom?

MetalGearSurviveTrailer

Sure, the game is branded by Konami, but Metal Gear Survive is no ordinary video game. Though not produced/directed by Kojima, I’ve heard talk that it’s going to actually be produced by the World of Warcraft team over at Blizzard. You heard me. There’s proof! I have the proof and it’s very real and should not be ignored. Let’s start at the top of the list. Your character in Metal Gear Survive is basically undead, and who operates the most well-known Undead characters? Blizzard. Lady Sylvanas Windrunner anyone? Next we’re doing stealth missions: Blizzard has Rogue characters that do stealth and sneak style combat. That’s strike two. Finally, the co-op missions which are basically ripped right from the Scenarios and Invasions that are currently going on in World of Warcraft. Would Konami really be so brazen, so bold that they’d rip off such a huge company? Of course not. I’m not being fooled, and I don’t want you guys to be either.

#staywoke