Hoyle Casino 2004

Have you ever wanted to be a big time gambler at your favorite casino?  Or just have the opportunity to play at the casino and try your luck against a high roller?  Well with Hoyle Casino, now you have the opportunity to test your gambling skills in a vast assortment of games.  You can test your gambling skills by yourself or online against opponents across the globe.

From Texas Hold’em poker to Roulette, the assortment of games in Hoyle Casino is impressive.  Games that I have never even heard of are included, such as Pai Gow poker, and Omaha Hold’em.  But for the traditional gambler, the list of standards games included is impressive.  Here is a list of the different games available: Baccarat, Blackjack, Caribbean Stud Poker, Craps, Horse Racing, Keno, Let it Ride, Pai Gow Poker, Poker, Texas Hold’em, Omaha Hold’em, Seven Card Stud, Five Card draw, Poker Tournaments, Roulette, Slot Machines, Three Card Poker, Video Blackjack, and Video Poker.  Quite an impressive list and enough to keep most gamers entertained.

You start off in Hoyle Casino by creating your own character.  The game includes an impressive create a character menu that allows you to customize the look of your character.  You can change skin tone, face type, hair color, hair type, facial hair, hats and other options.  This was an impressive feature that I wasn’t expecting from a Casino game.  Once you’ve created your character, then you’re placed onto the Casino floor.  You have a map of the floor in the bottom right hand corner of the screen.  You can then select to move to any location on the Casino floor by clicking that section on the map.  Once you’re in a section, you can then select from the different type of games available.  The games might vary depending on the amount required to enter the game, such as a $25.00 table or $100.00 table.  There are other games available in each area, such as video poker might be next to a poker tournament table.

During each game, you can select from the help section to offer assistance in learning how the game is played.  This is very helpful for the games that you have never played before.  The instruction manual also includes a very detail description of the different games and how they are played.  There is also a tutorial mode that can offer advice on how to bet, or even a practice mode, where the computer will watch you play the game.  The computer will then offer advice on what you can do differently to better yourself while playing.  However the computer will automatically select the best course of action it believes in, which can differ from what you would like to select.

Hoyle Casino offers an entertaining escape for those looking to blow some money at the casino.  The best part is, the money isn’t even yours and it isn’t real.  The amount of games available should keep gamers entertained for hours.

Gameplay 7.5 

The interface for the different games was smooth and easy to understand.  If you weren’t sure about how to bet or play a certain game, the instruction manual or in game help system was a true asset.  The interaction between the different computer characters was also impressive.  When playing against the computer, the computer will complement each other and you on a game well played.  But at the same time, the computer will start ripping on it’s own bad luck when things aren’t going it’s way.  There was one game where the computer and I raised each other six times before the computer finally called.  Each time the computer would say something different to try and persuade me to fold from the game.  This added to the atmosphere of the game, making it feel more real.  But unfortunately there is no true comparison to playing some of the games with other individuals face to face.  The art of bluffing and reading other individuals is something that is very hard to duplicate in a computer game.  Betting during the game is very simple with just a click of the mouse button.  The help system is also just one click away anytime you get lost in the game.

Graphics 7.5 

The graphics for the different game types are good, but not outstanding.  There isn’t a noticeable problem with the graphics that takes away from the game.  Each game type has it’s own unique look, which complements the game.  The graphics are very clean and detailed, which is a plus in a casino game.  There wasn’t a problem determining what type of card was played or what was the outcome of dice roll.  The graphics of the different computer characters is also well done, but nothing amazing.  When playing against the computer, you can view of the characters upper body.  You can see the character’s eyes move and from time to time their hands move.  This is a nice touch, but nothing that is necessary to the game.  It was nice seeing what the other characters look like when you play them, but after a while all of the characters looked similar to each other.  Your character’s graphics are presented in the same layout, a view of your upper body.

Sound 7.5 

There are several different sound effects you hear throughout the game.  One is the sound of the different game you’re playing.  A craps game will have the sound of the dice being thrown around, while a video poker game will have the sounds of bells, whistles and money dropping (if you win).  The sounds are very accurate and come across very clear during the game.  There is also background music playing throughout the game as well that adds to the atmosphere of the game.  Imagine jazz music that you’ve probably heard in a movie about a casino and this is the same type of music playing in the background.  Your character and the computer characters have their own unique voices as well.  Each character also has his/her own unique phrases they will say throughout the game.  Most of the phrases are funny one liners that add a sense of humor to the game.  The phrases will sometimes get repetitive after several games, but they do add a human feeling to the computer’s characters.

Difficulty Medium 

For anyone that has played at a casino, they know that winning isn’t easy.  For me it’s always felt like I had either a lucky night or a bad night.  Hoyle Casino feels the same way.  Certain games you’ll do really well in, while others will have you running for the exit.  But determination can pay off after a while.  Reading the instruction manual on the different strategies you can play during the games is very helpful.  The game’s difficulty seems exactly the same as a real casino; you just never know what’s going to happen each time you play.  But for the gambling experts, there shouldn’t be anything that will surprise them in Hoyle Casino.

Concept 7.0 

Gambling games have been a constant in the gaming industry for a long time.  Hoyle Casino doesn’t do anything tremendously different then the thousand other casino games released before it.  Hoyle Casino does offer a large selection of game types and a smooth; easy to use interface that any gamer should understand.  It might not do anything different, but it offers a solid casino/gambling experience.

Multiplayer 7.5 

Well the games available over the internet are different then the single player game.  During the game you select internet games from the “Go To” menu option.  The game will then open up your internet browser and connect you to the uproar.com website.  There are different types of games available on the site, besides Casino games.  You will need to register at the uproar.com site, which can be a confusing and frustrating.  Be prepared for a ton of pop-ups, but make sure your pop up killer is turned off.  If your pop up killer is on, then the game window might not appear.  The online games play very similar to the offline versions, but without the same graphical touches presented offline.  There was always a bunch of different players online ready to play, but maybe not for the specific game you would like.  But this shouldn’t be a distraction since you’ll be able to find someone to play against with the large amount of games available on the uproar.com site.

Overall 7.4 

Hoyle Casino is an entertaining casino/gambling game that will please most gamers.  The good graphics, easy to use interface, sound effects, help/tutorial system and amount of games available is enough to make any gamer happy.  Hoyle Casino can also be used as a learning tool for new casino players.  If you’ve never played any of the games before then Hoyle Casino can help up understand how the games are played.  However, even with all of the good traits, Hoyle Casino doesn’t offer anything different than what’s been done before.  If you’ve played a gambling/casino game before then Hoyle Casino won’t blow you away.  It offers a solid casino and gambling experience, but not enough to keep you coming back for more over and over again.