New iTunes 7.0 came out today. Love the new integration of the iPod updater with iTunes; it makes a lot of sense. But when I heard they had honest-to-goodness iPod games available, well, hey. I bought Texas Hold ‘Em immediately.
It’s like any other game system–use the controls available to you wisely and it will be a fun experience. Katamari Damacy gets it. Brain Age gets it. And after playing tons of crappy portable poker games, I’m pleasantly surprised to report that Texas Hold ‘Em gets it. Use the clickwheel to choose whether you want to raise, check, or fold. Simple, clean and minimal animations don’t get in the way of the game–and they’re skippable. Increase your bet but scrolling. The thing’s so damned intuitive. Five bucks well spent.
We’ll see how the AI holds up in the long term, but so far, so good.