E3 2005: Level Up
Crave's Crown Jewels
Product: Crave Roundup
Company: Crave
Date: 05/20/2005
Avaliable On:

Crave had a small but solid showing this year at E3. First off, they covered their angles by making a sequel to their popular World Championship Poker game on the PS2 and Xbox. Another sequel on the same systems, SnoCross 2: Featuring Blair Morgan, was also on the show floor. Finally, they experimented a bit by making a Bible game, aptly titled, The Bible Game, for the PS2 and GBA.

World Championship Poker 2 Featuring Howard Lederer not only features the one poker champ, but seven others to boot. More varieties of poker have been added as well; there are 14 in all including Hold?em, Deuce-to-Seven, Triple Draw, and Razz: Ace to Five. There is also a bluff and tell system where you can watch your opponents and figure out if they are bluffing or not. The Career mode is even more in-depth this time as well; you start out in your parents? basement and collect cash, gradually working your way up through the ranks of poker rings. If you lose too much, you may even have to hock some of your belongings to get more cash. All this plus Eye-Toy compatibility and a twenty dollar price tag are sure to make World Championship Poker 2 the greatest gambling video game ever made.

SnoCross 2 includes over 30 expansive tracks, fully customizable characters, and an amazing trick system that lets you perform tons of signature moves. This game looks to be a great value racing game that will be able to take on any competition of its caliber.

The Bible Game is a strange mix of action, adventure, and trivia. You play as one of two children on a quest to protect the Armor of God. The game contains over 1500 trivia questions taken from the New and Old Testaments. The PS2 version also has over 20 mini-games based on inspirational biblical teachings like David and Goliath and Noah?s Ark.

Crave is continuing their successful strategy of making unique budget games that are both intriguing and enticing due to their low price tags and offbeat themes. Their system has worked for them so far, and it doesn?t look like it?s going to fail any time soon.

Snow Chainz aka Andrew Horwitz

GameVortex PSIllustrated TeamPS2