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Poker has considerably increased in popularity and in the same time, online poker has grown into a multi-billion dollar business, with a huge fan base worldwide, so it isn't so surprising that a new video game around Texas Hold'em Poker, supported by famous poker names, has been released recently for PC, XBOX, PS2 & PSP. We review today this new poker video game on PC. And as always, if you need any complementary information or have questions about this article (or need help), then please contact us.
Since this video game involves no real money, young amateurs of poker can play at Stacked in multi-player tournaments, which sounds very interesting. It is also aimed at newbies, or even average players that want to practice and perfect their skills all in a very fun environment, against a multi-level A.I., and against real persons in the multi-player mode.
Stacked comes into a two-disks form (PC users, be sure to download the 1.3 patch). Once installed and launched, you will have to create your player and to give it a special look (gender, hair color and style, clothing, sunglasses, etc...), which is very welcome, but maybe a bit simplistic. Via the main menu, you can also have some very detailed statistics about your player.
The main aspect of Stacked is the career mode, in which you work your way up against the best players and professional events, via small single and multi-table tournaments. There's also a Poker School, with Daniel Negreanu as the teacher, if you want to learn the basics of Texas Hold'em. And finally, you will find the multi-player mode.
Stacked was created to bring in one of the most powerful A.I. in a poker game (the routines have been written from a complex engine created by the University of Alberta - the "Poki Engine"). Being myself a beginner, I have seen that the A.I. is very good, but with some pitfalls and inconsistency throughout the game, especially when you ask for advice to Daniel Negreanu, who sometimes gives you wrong advices.
The game itself is fun, and the characters seem to be real as they comment and talk during the game, which is one strategic aspect of the poker game. You can choose some emotions for your own character during the game, like smiling, etc... everything that's normally inside real poker games. However, after some hours of play, the comments are repetitive. The game speed is a bit slow for good players, but you can speed it up via the options.
Graphics are good, nothing amazing, but that's enough for a game like this. The animation is somewhat robotic, IMO. Sounds are average. As for the interface during the game, it is very good. Concerning the multi-player mode, it is supported by MTV (MTV Stacked Masters), and if you're good enough, you can build an online career and ultimately be displayed in the Stacked Hall Of Fame. You can expect a good follow-up by MTV for the multi-player aspect, so you will be able to join and enjoy various, frequent tournaments.
Conclusion: Stacked is an above-average game, which could have been better. If you are a beginner or an average player and loves Texas Hold'em, or if you're motivated by the multi-player option, then Stacked is made for you. For all other players, you will need to wait for a deeper Texas Hold'em video game.
Additional Stacked with Daniel Negreanu information:
