Vegas Stakes

"The best casino game ever realeased on the SNES, period."

I'll admit it; I'm addicted to gambling video games. Well, not addicted per se, but it does account for a large portion of my daily time.

Now, as far as SNES gaming goes, the only casino game that I had found that didn't really suck was Super Ceasar's Palace . Alas, as things go, I beat the hell out of that and was looking for something new.

Enter Vegas Stakes. Vegas Stakes is unique in the fact that it is more immersive than you average casino game, even more immersive than some of the fancier PSX casino games.

Story
9/10

In Vegas Stakes, you play as a man or woman that you get to name. You never actually see your character, as no rpg-style walking around occours (think the opposite of Super Caesar's Palace). You get to partner up with a less-then politically correct ensemble (rich white guy, audacious black women, attractive white female or broke hispanic male.), and then hit the tables!

So anyway, the aim of the game is to hit $10,000,000 through one of the various games: blackjack, slots, roulette, craps, or poker. You are free to move from table to table at any time, and you can also ask your partner for tips on how to play the games.

Once you hit the $1,000,000 mark, you are allowed into the "high rollers club", and the number of different casinos that you can go to increases. The higher cost casinos allow more of a maximum bet, but you're more likely to lose money because the minimum bet is raised as well.

Overall, while the story isn't rich in detail and captivating, it's enough to move the game along.

Gameplay
9/10

The game plays smoothly, albeit a little on the slow side (no flashing lights and bells and whistles here, folks!) And manages to satisfy your need to gamble. You really get the feeling that you're gambling at a high stakes casino. Or a low stakes casino, if you're down on your luck

Things fit together well, and you always have a good sense of where you are and what you're doing. And somehow if you don't, the help is just one button press away.

Graphics
7/10

Backgrounds

Nothing too spectacular here, although they are decently detailed. Colors are fairly rich, and the layering is done quite well.

Sprite Animation

What little animation there is is fluid and responsive, and is almost seamless with the background. Objects are sharp and recognizable, and not easy to confuse.

Sound
6/10

The sound is quite repetitive and sometimes gets on your nerves. There is no voicework, but the sound effects sound like something you would hear in a real casino. Sound quality is crisp, and set at a decent sfx/music ratio.

Overall
10/10

Vegas Stakes has virtually no shortcomings, and is a fine addition to any gamer's library. If you happen upon a copy, get it. I guarantee you'll be devoting hours upon hours of your time to it.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 06/18/04