Vegas Stakes

Vegas Stakes
North American box art
Developer(s)	HAL Laboratory
Publisher(s)	Nintendo Imagineer (SFC)
Platform(s)	Super NES, Game Boy
Release date(s)	Super NES NA: April 1993 EU: 1993 JP: September 10, 1993[1] Game Boy NA: December 1995 Wii Virtual Console EU: August 31, 2007[2] NA: November 26, 2007 Wii U Virtual Console INT: June 27, 2013
Genre(s)	Casino
Mode(s)	Single-player Multiplayer

Vegas Stakes, known as Las Vegas Dream in Japan, is a gambling video game developed by HAL Laboratory and released in April 1993 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System,^[3][4] and for the Game Boy in December 1995.^[5][6] The Super NES version supports the Super NES Mouse,^[7] while the Game Boy version is compatible with the Super Game Boy, and features borders which use artwork from the SNES version. It is the sequel to the NES game Vegas Dream.

The game sees the player go to Las Vegas to gamble with $1000. Using that $1000, the player must try to win $10 million at different casinos.

Overview

In the SNES version, the player can choose to play either a single-player or multi-player game. The multi-player mode is not included in the Game Boy version. In the single-player game, a computerized friend accompanies the player around various casinos. In the multi-player game, poker cannot be played since everyone could see everyone else's cards. At the beginning of the single-player game a car is seen driving to Las Vegas. The various "friends" of the player are introduced as Cliff, Maria, Isabelle and Raymond. All are eager to begin gambling. The "friends" are not present in the Game Boy version.

The player is given $1,000. The player's goal is to win $10 million.^[8] If the player loses all the money, the game ends. The game features blackjack, poker, craps, roulette, and slot machines.^[6][9] When the player wins $100,000, the Laurel Palace casino is unlocked.^[6][8] A total of five casinos are featured in the SNES version,^[9] while four are featured in the Game Boy version.^[6]

Aside from gambling, the player will also have interactions with the traveling party, and with random casino patrons. The player can make or lose money, depending on the response given to these patrons. In one example, a patron may attempt to pickpocket the player's character by pretending to wipe a spot off the character's shirt.^[6][8][9] There are no random encounters in multi-player mode. Several additional patron interaction situations exist in the Game Boy version.

Reception

Nintendo Power praised the SNES version for its realistic gambling games, its four-player mode, and its compatibility with the Super NES Mouse. However, Nintendo Power negatively wrote, "More variety in the games would have been nice."^[3] Nintendo Power praised the Game Boy version for "Easy controls" and a "Fun adventure element," but criticized it for featuring, "Only four games of chance."

Scott Alan Marriott of AllGame rated the SNES version four stars out of five and wrote, "Vegas Stakes is an excellent example of how to do a casino game on the console format. Instead of merely aiming for the gambling crowd, the developers included several surrounding characters to inject some life into the game." However, Marriott also wrote, "The graphics aren't anything to shout about -- most screens are digitized still pictures. Cards might be hard for some players to read as they are a bit on the small side." Marriott also criticized the game's music and sound: "While each casino has its own theme song, it repeats endlessly and there's no way to turn it off. Make sure you have your thumb close to the remote control's mute button! Some voice clips would have been appreciated..."^[8]

References

External links

• Virtual Console web page (North American)
• Vegas Stakes at MobyGames