Poker With Real "Shake, Rattle & Roll!" (MotionX Poker)

Member Name: johnpeter50

Product:	MotionX Poker
Date:	08/10/08 (21 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Beautiful decks; Glorious Physics Engine; Easy Play For Newbies; Good Value; Achievements

Disadvantages: Slightly Shallow; Limited Game Modes; Restrictive Betting System

INTRODUCTION

Poker is currently big business; not content with plaguing internet portals and late night television, the game has started to infiltrate a growing number of casual gaming arenas, and with the recent launch of the iTunes 'app store', poker isn't hard to come by on Apple's platform.

So what makes 'MotionX Poker' stand out in an over-saturated market?

Well, for one, 'MotionX' doesn't use a standard deck of playing cards; instead, play revolves around a set of customized dice. Rather than dealing and drawing from the deck, you roll and tap dice, picking and choosing your hand from the layout on offer.

HOW TO PLAY

'MotionX' plays in a similar style to regular poker. Shake the iPod or iPhone to roll the five dice and choose those you wish to keep. After the dealer makes his first roll, you have the opportunity to shake again with the remaining dice on the table, hopefully increasing the value of your hand with the result. Once the dealer has made his next roll you have one final chance to improve your hand before its 'game over'.

Scoring is the same as regular poker, minus the ability to achieve a 'flush' or 'royal flush'. The order of winning hands goes (from lowest to highest): high card, one pair, two pair, three of a kind, full house, straight, four of a kind, and finally, five of a kind.

Don't worry if you're not familiar with the scoring - full instructions are included with the game, and a helpful message in the corner of the screen reminds you of your current hand. If you find regular poker a little too tricky, or have trouble keeping track whether a 'straight' or a 'flush' is worth the most, then you'll really appreciate 'MotionX Poker's stripped-down departure from the traditional format.

BETTING

Unlike regular poker, where there are several rounds of betting, 'MotionX' fixes payment based on the table you're playing. Starting at 'one coin a game', constant wins soon have your bankroll large enough to unlock and play the handful of higher stakes tables.

Standardizing the betting in this way is somewhat disheartening at times. With no high-stakes risk, there's not much to win or lose each round. It's frustrating to know it's going to take you several hundred games to unlock the next table because you're limited to a fixed wager.

Winning a handful of coins every game deadens the high-thrills action, leaving you to mindlessly 'grind out' those remaining rounds before unlocking the next table.

Thankfully, the developers foresaw this problem and offered alternate ways to bump up your takings. More cash is handed out for good cards (five of a kind bonus), duplicate scores (same hand bonuses) and simply winning a hand after a bad streak (comeback bonus). While it doesn't excuse the lack of wagering options, it certainly keeps things interesting.

DICE

Most card games offer an insignificant assortment of deck designs, added by developers as a last minute novelty. 'MotionX' on the other hand provides an astounding forty varieties of dice to unlock.
There are a diverse range of styles available, be it traditional dot patterns or royal decks. There are even abstract symbols if you really want to shake things up a bit, though I found these rather confusing to use, especially when challenged to construct a winning hand.

Each die utilizes the same basic physics engine, offering a genuine sense of weight and realistic rolling action. This looks rather impressive, with only an occasional 'wedging' glitch betraying its true simulated status. What's more, each set of dice reacts differently with the surface of the table it's being rolled upon; slight sound distortions let you know whether you have metal dice on a felt table, plastic dice on a wooden table, or any other variation thereon. A lot of thought has gone into polishing this aspect of the game, and the result is well worth the developer's effort.

GAMEPLAY

The streamlined approach suits 'MotionX' well. Complex strategies have been downgraded to allow for fluid arcade dynamics; rounds are over in a matter of seconds meaning that opportunities for victory are always just around the corner.

Nevertheless, the computerized rival has a built-in advantage, monopolizing the final roll of the dice. This inevitably means perfect simulated play is complemented with astounding last-minute comebacks; my 'four-of-a-kind' win ratio is an underwhelming eighty-five percent with sudden 'five-of-a-kind' flukes unnaturally common.

And yet, 'MotionX' is extremely efficient at enticing you to have "one more go"; with its array of unlockables, you'll be tempted to play a couple more rounds to get that new set of dice or sparkling gemstone achievement.

EXTRA FEATURES

'MotionX Poker' features only one other option, entitled 'Zen Roll'. This is a free-style, free-play mode allowing you to roll one or more of the dice without an opponent, thus permitting you to play your own dice games (e.g. craps).

This mode functions perfectly as a dice substitute saving you from fishing out the Cludeo dice every time you want to play Monopoly. It's hardly an exciting extra, but I'm certainly not looking this gift horse in the mouth.

OVERALL

'MotionX Poker' is a delightful play experience for your iPod or iPhone. There's no avoiding its faults, but what remains is still an entertaining 'on-the-go' gambling game. One of the better downloads from the 'app store'.

Summary: A delightful poker experience for your iPod or iPhone

Variety of features:
Reliability:
User friendly:
Installation:
Update possibilites: