We're in for a brutal week to kick this month off, marked by Kratos' latest killing trip through God of War: Chains of Olympus for the PSP and Jimmy Hopkins' enrollment for scholarship in Bullworth Academy. War is nigh with Warhammer 40K's latest expansion and Army of Two, though there's still a couple of baseball titles inbound if you want a break from all the violence. All these are waiting at the full article, so hit that jump!

For those of us who want to try their hand at a card game that isn't Blackjack or Poker, then Sony PlayStation Portable homebrew developer's project, Go Fish, should be one to look at. Featuring a neat, simple design and clean aesthetics all around, this one is a no-nonsense game that anyone can enjoy. All the details in the full article.

Download: Go Fish v1.1
Visit: QJ.NET's PSP Development Forums

Here's a bit of good news for the guys who picked up Sony Online Entertainment's High Stakes on the Vegas Strip: Poker Edition game for the PlayStation Network. Word is that the game has recently received a new patch update which now renders it playable on the PlayStation Portable. More details on this news follow in the full article.

 

The creator of the PSP Memory Game dsi has just unleashed Go Fish v1.0. This is the first release of the game and should provide card aficionados a nice change of pace from Blackjack and Poker.

Playing the game is pretty simple - the first person to empty his hand wins the game. If the deck runs out of cards before that happens, the one with the most pairs picks up the victory. Overall, the graphics are pretty solid and the computer AI provides a decent amount of challenge for the casual gamer. The sound clips from The Simpsons were a nice addition to the game as well.

If there's one thing this game needs, it's an option to play against a friend either through hot-seating or ad-hoc which would have made it perfect. Perhaps in a future release? If you want to try this game, be sure to go over the Read Me document included in the download below.

Download: Go Fish v1.0
Visit: QJ.net PSP Developer Forums

A homebrew poker game has been developed by newcomer mootoo. The game is still in its beta stage and is titled "Poker Machine," the game is a straightforward classic poker game. It also includes a bonus round if you win a hand. You can bet to double your winnings by guessing if the next card to appear is red or black.

One nifty feature is that you can put in your own music you can listen to in the game. Rename your mp3 files to numbers in ascending order (1.mp3, 2.mp3, 3.mp3...) and it will play automatically in the background. Pressing select will play the next track. The download already has a couple of music files in there so you don't have to worry yourself with which music to put in.

  

Download: Poker Machine b0.5
Visit: PSP Development Forum

Here's a new trailer video for PlayStation Portable poker video game title World Championship Poker 2. It should be remembered that Oxygen Games recently clarified the confusion with this game as it is oftentimes mistaken for its Xbox 360 brother World Championship 2: All In.

Anyway, WCP 2 has a lot of features poker players and enthusiasts will find remarkable and exciting. One of which is its online capability that allows gamers to play with up to eight players in one go. There are also several modes like Know the Nuts, Hold'em Nicknames, and Tell Quiz that are unique to the PSP version.

World Championship Poker 2 also offers 14 different types of poker games with different levels of simulation for players of different levels. Other worth mentioning features include Create-a-Player and the Skill System which allows in-game characters to improve through experience.

Oxygen Games just released a new video trailer for its upcoming gambling betting simulation title, Hard Rock Casino. The game is expected to come out on the PlayStation Portable and PlayStation 2 (PS2) platforms this coming August and will feature four uniquely themed casinos each with different house rules, among others.

Aside from the above mentioned, Hard Rock Casino, much like real casinos, will sport more than 20 games ranging from Table Games, Machine Games, Poker Room Games, and other sports you can bet on. There will also be tournaments where you can try your so-called luck in Slots, Poker, Black Jack, as well as other Table Games.

If you are not familiar with casinos, don't worry because Oxygen Games included several tutorials to provide you with basic instructions, winning strategies, and tips for each game. To get you more familiar with Hard Rock Casino, just watch the trailer video below. Enjoy!

Oxygen Games sent QJ.net an email concerning two of its poker video game titles namely World Championship Poker 2 for the PlayStation Portable and World Championship Poker 2: All In for Xbox 360. It seems that fans are having a hard time to distinguish the two games from each other.

According to Oxygen, the Xbox 360 version of the title is very different from the PSP one. To begin with, All In is not just a subtitle as it indicates that it's a follow up to predecessor World Championship Poker 2. The PSP version now, alongside its PC and PS2 brothers, are that predecessor.

Much has been said about WCP2: All In but WCP2 for the handheld console is oftentimes neglected because of the confusion. Take note that the PSP game allows players online multiplayer options for up to eight people. There are also mini games available that can only be found in the WCP2. These are:

• Flop Odds: the player gets certain hold cards, plus a target hand type and has to figure out the percentage chance of getting the specified hand when the board cards would be shown
• Know the Nuts: the player is shown the community cards for a hand and then given the option to select the hole cards they need to make the best hand
• Hold 'em Nicknames: players are prompted with a nickname for a set of cards and have to use the directional buttons to match up the suit and value of each card with the specified nickname
• Tell Quiz: the player is given multiple choice questions that will train them to spot opponents tells
• Know Your Outs: in this game, the player is shown their hole cards, the community cards and a guess as to what the opponent has. Based on this information, they must try to figure out the exact numbers of "outs" (the number of specific cards that can help to beat opponents)
• Glossary Quiz: The player will be given multiple choice questions about Poker game terminology

There. That should finally clear the confusion. Lastly both World Championship Poker 2 and World Championship Poker 2: All In will be available this July.

Being a high roller is risky business. One unlucky bet and you could end up in the gutter. That's why they make games like Hard Rock Casino, so people can play at being one - or practice to actually BE one - without the risk of losing big time. Unless you're playing for money with a friend, of course. Anyway, check out the screenshots below.

Developed by Farsight Studios and published by Oxygen Games, Hard Rock Casino challenges players to try their luck at over 20 different casino games. There are a variety of tournaments to play in, including Slots, Poker, and Black Jack, and players can unlock upgrades for their fully customizable characters. Hard Rock Casino also supports game sharing via wireless play.

Euro release date for this title is May 11, and you can grab a copy for UK£ 19.99 (US$ 39).

  

Those of you who love card games but somehow do not have enough cash to place bets on the poker table, here's a great alternative for you. It's free, and it's right on your PSP.

Journeyman from our forums has released his adaptation of the card game "Dai hin min", or Richman, Poorman. Now, this is actually a Japanese card game for three or more players with the standard 52-card pack. The objective is basically to become daihugo (very rich man), which also is the winner of the previous round, by getting rid of all cards in your hand. Anyhow, for a more detailed instruction on how to play this game, you can go on over to this link right here.

Back to the brewed version, the known bugs here are the following:

• freezes when selecting credits/rules (not yet done) -> that's why you better just click on the link above for the instructions
• the game stops after playing a few games
• Revolution bug?

To install:

• put this in your /psp/game/ (for 1.0 users & 1.5 user with DAX Custom firmware) or (/psp/game150/ ) for 3.0xOE-x

Journeyman sends his thanks to Izam for support, image of the back of the card and testing it. So there, you can download the game right here. And of course, you can also give out your comments or suggestions via our forums. Have fun!

Download: [Richman, Poorman Card Game]
Discuss: [Forum Release Thread]