Hoyle Casino 2010 brings a specific casino feel to the Mac, but pops up short in a few categories. With 3D tables and faster gameplay, we'll take an in-depth examine Encore's latest gaming offering for OS X to find out if it's worth spending $19.95 on (from Macgamestore.com).
Since 2000, Hoyle-themed games have been developed by Encore for both Mac and Windows systems. Traditionally, these games have offered some of the most in-depth gambling experiences outside of going to an actual casino. An expertly recreated atmosphere joined with a large plethora of games have meant that almost any one can enjoy a Vegas experience without the expense or hassle of actual cigarettes. The latest iteration of Hoyle Casino tries to improve upon its predecessors in the bold quest to provide the best virtual gambling experience, even though it may not have the lights and glamor of Vegas, it does do a relatively good job of providing a great rendition of numerous of our favorite games.
This review is divided into three sections: game selection, graphics, and miscellaneous. In the overall game selection section, we'll explore some of the games offered and just how they compare relative towards the competition. We'll then consider an analysis of the graphics last but not least review any other miscellaneous factors that influence the review.
Encore has been doing quite well at making certain virtually any game you are able to find in Vegas is roofed in Hoyle Casino 2010. From blackjack to craps to baccarat, each game has become faithfully recreated with all the rules matching just like that of a genuine casino. While the the greater part of games have been designed quite nicely, we'll examine three forms of games: 2D table, 3D table, and slots.
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2D Table Games
2D table games, for example craps, give a mediocre experience when compared towards the amount of detail that Encore definitely place on creating the 3D games. For example, the graphics inside the craps game are clearly too narrow and the betting product is highly awkward. You can place a bet anywhere on the table, when you bet around the pass line, you just aren't restricted to placing your bet straight prior to you. Instead, you can put your bet facing a computer player or elsewhere you'd like. Unfortunately, the computer players want to place their bets anywhere available, as you can tell from the image towards the right (in the event you look closely there are two bets towards the left of mine). This naturally results in many "is that my bet?" scenarios where you'll have to hover over people's bets to determine what ones are your computer's and that are your's. Roulette is really a semi-3D game (the table is portrayed being 3D, nevertheless the perspective fixation makes it look very 2D) also it suffers from many of the same problems. It's clear that Encore didn't put much thought into making the larger table games as pleasant because 3D ones.
3D Table Games
While the 2D games aren't particularly good, the 3D ones are absolutely astounding. Everything about these games feels completely realistic, in the way they are dealt to the rules themselves, Encore has built an experience that is unrivaled by other casino games. With the player chatter fired up, there are lots of times when it feels very much like I'm sitting with a real blackjack table. All the players place their bets and so the dealer is really animated to be dealing them, as can be seen from the image on the left. To supply a good example of the attention paid to the 3D games, consider the betting limit sign. In previous versions from the game, you'd decide on a table limit that you just wanted - whether it's $5, $10, etc. However, in this version of Hoyle Casino, you can just click around the sign to alter the betting limits which can be then displayed as they'd be in the real casino. This is a little detail, but its certainly the one that adds on the realism.
Slots
I've been a little disappointed that Hoyle could never get licenses from your different slot companies to offer more faithful recreations of some of our casino favorites (Double Diamond, anyone?). Hoyle Casino 2010 is not any exception to the. Still, it's clear that this developers have put a lot of time and effort into making the ficitious slots look and play their best. They're rendered in 3D, where there are an incredibly high variety to choose from, including standard 3-reel, 3-reel with 5 paylines, greater wacky game slots, and so on. Virtually any sort of slot, video poker, or video blackjack continues to be included with this version from the game.
For people that haven't played Hoyle Casino before, additionally it is worth mentioning how the slot machines would not have adjustable payouts. So, much like a real casino, when you attend a slot you don't know what its payout percentage will likely be. The help manual in Hoyle gives payout ranges as high as 97% so when low as 85%, so I suspect your computer just randomly chooses a percentage between these two.
All in all, selecting games is very high. Although some games aren't designed perfectly, it becomes very clear, quickly that there's a thing that everyone will like in Hoyle Casino. Given the scarcity of gambling games for the market, I'm inclined to say how the positives vastly outweigh the negatives here and give this section a four from five.
The graphics in Hoyle Casino 2010 are absolutely astounding when compared with other casino games. Blackjack, baccarat, etc. have all been rendered in very impressive 3D that accurately models the real games. Instead of a fixed top-down perspective, you're looking at the tables as should you really were playing the overall game. Although the models used certainly aren't Halo 3 quality, they certainly suffice for this type of game. You can see the blackjack dealer dealing them, the chips look fine, and also the table/surroundings very closely mimic that of a real casino. Many times, you'll appreciate the additional touches of realism (for example more info the limit signs discussed within the previous paragraphs) and discover it easy to forget that is just a gaming.
A perfect demonstration of the graphics is exactly what the developers did with the horse racing game. Users of old Hoyle versions will remember fondly the cheesy looking stick horses making the rounds a track. However, the horse racing inside the 2010 version is in fact not too bad together can watch the horses run properly. In addition, the developers took the time to formulate a nice lounge so that you just're "watching" the race yourself TV screen. While some people might be looking on the screenshot around the left and thinking "that's special?", I think much of my appreciation for that graphics hasn't to do with their top quality, but more with their inclusion in the game. A nicely rendered horse racing lounge mimics design for betting on horses at the real casino.
Here's the part where I sort of tweak the review to give it a feeling more comensurate using the total experience. For starters, as I've stated above, the game itself provides extensive positives with its awesome 3D atmosphere and it also improves with a few items that users of older Hoyle versions will greatly appreciate. However, now you ask ,, do these improvements actually justify a purchase order? Remember, these games would be the same as before - I mean blackjack is blackjack whether or not it's tinkered with fancy graphics. In addition, Hoyle says that they've just added five new games this coming year, that might make some question the upgrade also.
It's for this reason that I've made my miscellaneous section a 3 out of 5. That brings the total score to 11/15 or 73% which I feel can be a much more accurate score just for this game. Sure there are a few improvements, but its hard to argue that they're extremely important that an upgrade is essential.
As for what you should do, well, I'd definitely say that it highly depends on what version you have now. If you're by using an older 2D version and enjoy the wide variety of games that Hoyle provides, then my advice is usually to take the $20 plunge and obtain 2010. However, in case you're on another 3D version and they are enjoying it, my advice would be to hold off, because there's really not much a novice to see here.
Final Score: 73%