Players: 1
Price: $19.99 (PSP $29.99)
Platform(s): PS2/PSP
Publisher: Crave Entertainment

Online casinos have sky-rocketed in the past few years, and it’s definitely something I’ll never understand. But casual gamers have really bitten into the interactive gambling scene, and consumption doesn’t seem like it’s going to fade anytime soon. So Crave Entertainment is seeking to cash in on this new-wave gambling craze, with Hard Rock Casino.

If you want a quick summation of the game because you don’t care about anything else but whether or not it’s worth your time, you can skip to the bottom of this review to see if the game is Worth It or Not Worth It. But playing it by the numbers, I have to run through the basics of the gameplay, graphics and audio. And for the most part, I’d have to say that this game is leveled out to appeal to a very specific audience.

Unlike action games or general RPGs, gambling games would require roundabout features in order to captivate any gamer outside the gambling niche. Hard Rock does attempt to do a couple of things with the gambling genre (i.e., objectives, create-a-character, etc.,) and that’s one of the good things about the game. By having players complete numerous objectives and challenges, the game does have a tenuous appeal. But before getting to the tables, slots and poker schemes in the Adventure mode, gamers first have the option from the main menu to do a quick game, browse through the detailed tutorial or compete in championship games. But the other game modes are rather purposeless, unless you you’re looking for a quick chance-ridden thrill. The real meat and potatoes of HR Casino is in the Adventure mode.

Now If you’re heavy into creating your own character, you’ll find a very modest CAC available in Hard Rock Casino; on the plus side there are accessories and clothing options available as you progress through the game. But primarily you choose a body (from various male and female builds), a head, some pants, a shirt and the option of a hat. After you get done with your character it’s off to the main casino floor. In the main hall of the designated casino players can move the cursor around and select what sort of game they’d like to play, including: slots, poker, craps, roulette, blackjack and many others. Variety certainly isn’t lacking, as there’s 20 different games in all

Now right off the bat, if you’re not into gambling you’re not going to be impressed with any of the games. But then again, why would you be reading this review if you didn’t like gambling? Anyway, each casino game is a straightforward representation of its real life counterpart and there’s no mini-game panache that you might find in a Rockstar game. For the most part, when a particular game doesn’t leave your winning or losing odds up to chance, you can determine certain aspects of the game using the left analog. For instance, players can move chips around, hold cards, ask for hits (or double) during blackjack, or change the way a bet is handled, when it’s allowed. So not all the games are left up to chance.

To keep the game progressive, players are tasked with challenges that they must complete in order to earn bonuses, acquire more money or move on to one of the other three casinos in the game. The challenges are actually handled in Chapters, and each Chapter has a set amount of challenges that must be completed in order to progress. Hence, gamers who want to “gamble with a purpose” have Hard Rock Casino to grant them that much to go on.

For the seriously competitive gambler there’s also a series of tournaments and championships for players to put a handle on – and they at least add a measure of difficulty to the game. Difficulty, I might add, is a good way to distract from the rather bland graphics. Because when it comes to the visuals the game is about as bare-bones as you can get; character models are a step higher than Grand Theft Auto games and the casino games are meagerly acceptable in their visual presentation. While you play there’s some instrumental progressive rock that plays in the background but it’s nothing noteworthy. Basically, aesthetically, the game is just good enough to get by.

Overall, Hard Rock Casino will only find a strong appeal from the hardcore gambling gamer. The single-player casino romp with numerous characters and nominal cutscenes that string together the player’s progress, is seemingly good enough to put across a designated purpose for the player. So if you’re really into casino gambling (and who would honestly buy a casino game that didn’t like casino gambling?) and want to hone your “luck”, you’ll probably find a decent enough gem in the budget-priced Hard Rock Casino.

Final Verdict:

Worth It

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