Balatro Wants You to Play Poker – and Then Break It Apart - Xbox Wire
Balatro - out on Xbox today - is a fantastic roguelike deckbuilder, taking poker as its key inspiration. But this isn’t poker as you’ve ever played it… February 20, 2024
Playstack Ltd
☆☆☆☆☆205★★★★★$14.99Get it now Balatro is a poker-inspired roguelike deck builder all about creating powerful synergies and winning big. The poker roguelike. Balatro is a hypnotically satisfying deckbuilder where you play illegal poker hands, discover game-changing jokers, and trigger adrenaline-pumping, outrageous combos. Combine valid poker hands with unique Joker cards in order to create varied synergies and builds. Earn enough chips to beat devious blinds, all while uncovering hidden bonus hands and decks as you progress. You’re going to need every edge you can get in order to reach the boss blind, beat the final ante and secure victory.
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By Rae GrimesPublished Apr 16, 2024
Courtesy of Balatro After a grueling week, and with finals just around the corner, I convinced myself I needed a treat. That was on Sunday. By Friday, I had already poured over 10 hours into Balatro: needless to say, I am hooked.
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By Jacob WhalingPublished Mar 15, 2024
Here’s the effect of every Joker card and how to unlock them all in Balatro.
Morten Graversen April 22, 2024 ∙ 35Min read
- How To Unlock Every Common Joker Card
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By Samar AbedianPublished Mar 20, 2024
Balatro Review: “The Next Great Deckbuilder Roguelite” 
“Overwhelmingly Positive” Steam Game Has 8k Reviews & Costs Less Than $15 15 Best Mario Kart 8 Racer & Kart Combinations Sign in to your ScreenRant account 
Custom Image by Debanjana Chowdhury Video poker and deckbuilding combine in Balatro, an unassuming but obscenely addictive card game that is one of the first indie hits of the year.
Hearts and 
Diamonds count as the same suit, 
Spades and 
Clubs count as the same suit 
Rarity Uncommon buyprice $ 8 Sellprice $ 4 Type Effect activation N/A (Passive) unlock Discover all Planet cards. Effect Desc All Planet cards and Celestial Packs in the shop are free Astronomer Effect All Planet cards and Celestial Packs in the shop are free Rarity Uncommon Stats Buy Price $ 8 Sell Price $ 4 Type Effect Activation N/A (Passive) Unlock Requirement Discover all Planet cards.
Astronomer allows you to gain all Planet and Celestial Booster packs for free.
- 8.3
We begin with one of several collections of Mega Men. Digital Eclipse did a great job with all the details in Mega Man Legacy Collection, presenting the original games in their best possible light, while tossing in a handful of extra features and challenges on top to sweeten the deal. The rewind feature is a welcome inclusion that helps to mitigate the difficulty of some of the games, and the overall quality of the series difficult to dispute. We would highly recommend you pick this one up - all the included extra features coupled with the ability to play these games both at home and on the go make it a no-brainer.
- 8.0
Borderlands Legendary Collection is an excellent Switch showing for this beloved series, though it’s difficult to determine if the price is right; sure, there’s an enormous amount of content here so you’re certainly not being ripped off, but it’s old content and these games are routinely extremely cheap on other services. Still, it’s a technically excellent port of three expansive, enjoyable shooters, and they’re a perfect fit for the Switch. Whether played alone or with pals, the gameplay is terrific to dip into for 20 minutes or get stuck into for a massive grinding session. If you’ve somehow never played Borderlands before, you can’t go wrong with this set. And if you have, but want to try a different character class on the bus ride home, now’s your chance.
Borderlands Legendary Collection- $49.99
- 8.0
While some of the games included in this compendium are rendered somewhat superfluous by the fact that far superior sequels and updates exist alongside them, Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection remains an utterly essential purchase for any self-respecting fighting game fan. This is like a history lesson in how the one-on-one fighter has evolved over time. The experience really benefits from using the right controller; while the Joy-Con are perfectly acceptable when you’re hosting impromptu local multiplayer challenges and the Pro Controller’s D-Pad is passable, we found the 8bitdo SN30 and SN30 Pro pads to be much better options, and if you have an arcade stick that’s compatible with Switch, now is the ideal time to dig it out – this is fighting game nirvana, pure and simple.
Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection- $22.65
- 7.7
Sega’s had more than one stab at creating a comprehensive collection of its best Mega Drive titles and, as a result, Sega Mega Drive Classics does lose some of its impact due to sheer familiarity; for example, we already have an immaculately-ported version of Sonic on the Switch eShop right now. Even so, it’s hard to argue with the 50-odd games that ship with this new compendium, and only a fool would contest the fact that it showcases some of the best games of the 16-bit era. The modern-day enhancements are welcome too, and while this isn’t the first time many of these games have gone portable, it’s a real boon to be able to play the likes of Phantasy Star IV or Story of Thor on the bus. When you take into account how much quality there is on offer here, Sega Mega Drive Classics becomes an easy recommendation.
- 8.0
While it’s a shame that there are fewer games here than in other Konami collections – we’d have loved to have seen NES title Contra Force or the now-extinct WiiWare title Contra ReBirth – the ones included in the Contra Anniversary Collection are universally brilliant. The 8-bit and 16-bit Contra games are among the finest examples of the run ‘n gun genre, and to have almost all of them included in a single release and emulated flawlessly is an absolute treat. Whether you’re a fan of the series or a curious onlooker who’s always wanted to see what the fuss was all about, this is essential.
- 7.8
Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy is a ruthlessly faithful recreation of some of the earliest successes in 3D platforming. Levels are slick, gorgeous to look at, and recreate the feel of the originals superbly. Newcomers to the series may be put off by the steep difficulty spikes and little to no explanation of some of the finer mechanics. All the fun and the foibles of the original three games are here, for better or for worse, and despite some odd design choices it still manages to be a really enjoyable retread of some old classics, warts and all. This is definitely worth a look if you’re a fan of 3D platformers, but just as was the case back in the ’90s, Crash isn’t in quite the same league as Mario when it comes to playability, inventiveness and entertainment. If you’re after a nostalgia trip, though, it’s tough to beat.
Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy- $23.99
- 7.2
SNK 40th Anniversary Collection is how retro compilations should be done. Although the emulation has a few little hiccups along the way, the overall package here is wonderfully presented. Rather than just slapping a rudimentary menu over a bunch of old ROMs, it’s clear there’s been a lot of effort made here to catalogue an often forgotten period in one of Japan’s most important game developers. As with all compilations, there are a few misses, but the quality is generally high, and the supporting museum mode is an absolute treasure trove for retro enthusiasts.
SNK 40th Anniversary Collection- £34.93
- 7.4
Namco Museum does a great job of highlighting the illustrious lineage of one of video gaming’s most famous arcade companies; not only is it packed with addictive games that will keep you glued to your Switch for many weeks to come, but it boasts excellent emulation, a host of options, online leaderboards, a special challenge mode for each game and a new version of Pac-Man VS. which is sure to become the go-to party title for many Switch players. While there are a couple of titles that we’d have swapped out for other, more worthy offerings from Namco’s past, you’re still getting an excellent selection of games for a reasonable price here.
- 8.3
Mega Man X Legacy Collection is a fantastic re-release of several must-play gaming classics, presenting them as authentically as possible while still including a few modern features on top that help to improve the overall experience and keep it from feeling antiquated. Throw in the new X Challenge mode and an enormous archive of museum content and this stands as the definitive way to play the Mega Man X games in the modern era. Four fantastic games, a bevy of extra content, and the ability to play at home or on the go make this one an easy recommendation.
Mega Man X Legacy Collection 1+2- $28.97
- 8.5
The original Ace Attorney is almost two decades old, which is remarkable when you consider just how well it holds up. Sure, it’s been ported plenty of times and the jump to Nintendo DS certainly helped shake off the retro cobwebs, but as a piece of interactive history, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy is as utterly addictive and truly rewarding as it was back at the turn of the millennium. Whether you’re brand new to the world of virtual defence law or a veteran attorney, Phoenix Wright’s first adventures are still a fine set of cases to undertake.
- 8.4
We had an absolute blast playing through these three gems all over again, especially now they look sharper than ever. It’s a shame that the presentation is practically barebones with no bonus content beyond the soundtracks, but there can still be no denying the quality of the games on offer here. Super Mario 3D All-Stars is The Beatles’ Greatest Hits of the video game world, and is an absolute treat whether you’re reliving it in HD or discovering it for the first time.
It’s been delisted from the Switch eShop now, but you can still find physical versions on store shelves.
Super Mario 3D All-Stars- $59.99
- 8.3
BioShock: The Collection stands as yet another fantastic port in the Switch’s ever-growing library, combining three excellent games and all their DLC into one convincing package. Stable performance, engrossing narratives, fun gameplay, and lots of content make this one an easy recommendation, even if these releases show their age from time to time. If you’re looking for a good single-player shooter to pick up for your Switch, look no further — it’s tough to go wrong here.
BioShock: The Collection- $49.99
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Limitation Start run with 26 Spades and 26 Hearts in deck Unlock Requirement Win a run with the Black Deck on any difficulty. Checkered Deck Limitation Start run with 26 Spades and 26 Hearts in deck Unlock Requirement Win a run with the Black Deck on any difficulty. The Checkered Deck is one of the decks you can unlock when playing the game by winning a run with the Black Deck on any difficulty.
