Tuesday, October 16, 2018

"Super Blackjack Battle II Turbo Edition" Review


You can't help but laugh when "Super Blackjack Battle II Turbo Edition" rolls out its world map and sends you jetting off to various corners of the globe to engage in blackjack battles with its roster of quirky, stereotype-laden goofballs. True to form, they talk smack before and after battles via single-screen quotes

The dev team at Headup Games is out to satirize "Street Fighter II," as well as 1980s and 90s gaming conventions, as well as Capcom's penchant for rereleasing a popular game again and again with increasingly absurd titles.

The problem is that once you get past all the endearing trappings, what you're left with is a shallow-by-definition game of chance. Since blackjack lacks the strategic aspects of competitive card games, including poker and its myriad variations, your skill plays little factor in your advancement.

The impetus is to go all-in on your bets and pray for good cards rather than methodically try to wear down your opponent with small, savvy wagers.

Even though the traditional arcade mode has  mild replay value due to the varied endings assigned to 10 different characters, you can presumably get more mileage out of the offline multiplayer component, which can field up to four players. The mindgames that come into play against human competitors surpass the dull pseudo-strategy you can use to plow through the campaign.

Still, the more time you spend with the game, the more you may find yourself wanting to play real blackjack, or real "Street Fighter." The nostalgia factor can't surpass its inspiration.
Publisher provided review code.

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