Hentai Anime Poker
Reviewed by Thomas Ehrhardt
Note: this game was formerly sold with the expansion packs as a separate product.
The twelve expansion pack girls are now provided free with purchase of the game.
"Nei-ke shu yezi hen da"...why am I starting this review of Hentai anime poker with a Chinese saying "the tree has large leaves"...Its because of that stupid looking potted plant in the corner of Gens apartment! It's there why I have no clue? The sake cup on the floor & blue ottoman, ok, and what's with that weird frameless window and cheesy background music? Unlike me if you can keep your eyes and ears off all the distractions you may just be able to win this strip poker game. Easy, right? Wrong! These ladies are tough.
The game offers many options for poker play against the computer opponents, from 5-card draw, 7-card stud, and straight poker to "Texas Hold'em". Speaking of Hold'em you also need to know when to fold'em to be successful. A good strategy is to fold quite a few hands rather than getting caught up in playing high wager deals with garbage cards. Patience is a virtue. You will not fill in that impossible straight. Sometimes it's as if the computer players know what cards you have. Eerie & strange, kind of like Gens' apartment!
To get the most out of the game it should be played with all the expansion packs (1-4). My favorite characters are: Rumi & Yoko (expansion pack vol. 2) Tammy & Reed (expansion pack vol. 4) Gen & Irene (original characters) Keiko & Yuriko (expansion packs vol. 3&4). (You can buy them from J-List/JAST USA as downloads or on CD if you like.) The artwork is really top-notch with many inventive un-censored positions. Rumi's series is the best of all. It's a good idea to play the game one-one, it is difficult to win a multiple player game *I've only won a 4-player game once! I consider myself a very strong & experienced video poker player. All the expansion pack characters were drawn by a famous Japanese doujinshi artist, Rocket Brothers, and the artwork is very good. Of course, even though you and I know that the characters are Sailor Moon, Bellandy, Kei and Yuri from Dirty Pair, Rei from Eva, and so on, they are "original" characters according to the disclaimer by JAST USA (wink wink nudge nudge).
The complaints I have are the "booby traps" that seem to pop-up and fishy sequences. The computer player will string $25 dollar opening bets in a row (up to 10x's). It is frustrating to see the game cycle backwards no fault of your own. The directions claim that you can only take up to 3 cards in 5-card draw, I have seen computer players take 4 cards and win the hand. These sequences seem odd with predetermined out-comes. Eventually you'll be able to guess the computer players opening bets and pick up on their bluffs. Which are a definite advantage and a key to your success.
Despite the flaws, weird potted plant and eerie surroundings Hentai anime poker is a highly addictive and enjoyable game. If you've always wanted to play strip poker with characters similar to (insert legal disclaimer here!) the famous anime icons from Cutey Honey, Oh my Goddess, & Sailor moon this game is definitely for you.
JAST USA & Valkyrie have fulfilled the fantasy of playing strip poker with a diverse collection of very cute original anime characters. This would be a welcome addition to any hentai anime lovers' CG collection. 3 stars for playability & 4 stars for character art.
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Expansion Pack 1
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Expansion Pack 2
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Expansion Pack 3
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Expansion Pack 4
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