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Vegas Games 2000
"Compared to the other casino games on the market, the 3DO's latest gamble just crapped out." Image Loading...
Developer: 3DO
Distributor: 3DO
Game Type: Party
Review Date: Nov 99
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Setting the Scene:
 
So you want to be a big time player..?

There is only one city where the action is hot and the women are even hotter. Dreams can be made from the roll of a die or a pull of the lever. The lights, the sounds, and the city where Elvis impersonators rule. Of course I am talking about Las Vegas.

You enter into a casino with a bank roll of $5000. Where will your fortune be made? Should you play the numbers on roulette? How about betting on craps? What about taking your chance at a number of different card games? So many questions, but only one goal, hit it big.

You get to choose from over 21 real casino games. Card games include Baccarat, Black Jack, and five different variations of Poker. If cards aren't your cup of tea you can opt for roulette, craps, video poker, and of course slot machines.

So grab your wallet, place a bet, and let it all ride. Will you hit the jackpot or get taken to the cleaners..?

Sound and Vision:
 
      The sounds in Vegas2000 are nothing to get excited about. You have the option of adjusting the ambient background noise (consisting of the general hustle and bustle of a crowded casino) and the in-game effects are so simple, they reminded be of the old 16 bit consoles - the clink of the coins, the cards being dealt, the roll of the roulette ball, and the tossing of the die.

Image Loading...Unfortunately the graphics are just as disappointing. There isn't even a flashy intro sequence to get you in the mood to play.

Card games have a basic top-down view that most of the other gambling simulators use. You can change the designs on the card backs, but as all of them are pretty simplistic, its hardly worth the effort. The roulette and craps tables looked functional and I was able to easily distinguish all of the different symbols and characters. At least the slot machines did look pretty good, each machine had a theme and the designs and colors followed accordingly.

This would have been disappointing if it was released way back in '95 as a first-generation PlayStation title, its therefore completely unacceptable to have such poor in-game visuals in current releases. 3DO, you should be ashamed..!
 
Playability:
 
Image Loading...      To start Vegas Games 2000 you need to enter your name into a player profile slot, this releases a starting bank roll of $5000 into your account. You can make up to eight profiles, thus allowing you to invite a few friends over and play for real. You then pick a game from the following on offer: Baccarat, Blackjack, Craps, Roulette, Poker, Slots, or Video Poker.

In Baccarat all you have to really worry about is how much you have to wager, because its basically just a game of 'Heads or Tails'. If you lay a wager in the house, they will take a 5% commission on any winnings because of a slight house advantage. But because this doesn't require much thought or strategy, it quickly becomes boring when playing for fake money.

Image Loading...Blackjack is one of the casino's most popular games. The game helps you learn the basic rules of when to hit and stay if you are an inexperienced card player.

Craps was fun, but if you don't know the myriad of rules and possibilities you will get lost in no time.

I enjoyed Poker the best. There was actual strategy involved. I found that the computer players had decent artificial intelligence. I spent most of my game time trying the different poker games.

Image Loading...Roulette was the way I built up my bank roll. I placed straight bets on numbers and let it ride. If it hit, that's a 35-1 payoff. If I lost I would just load my previous save point (I know it's cheating, but don't try to tell me that you haven't done the same thing in this type of game..!).

Slots bore me. Don't get me wrong. I enjoy real slots with the bells, lights, and coins clanking. But when it's on a television screen, it just doesn't have the same effect. Modern machines have a myriad of different functions and sub-games, these by comparison did not.

Video Poker was pretty realistic. But then again I guess it would be easy to simulate a video entertainment on a video game.

The games follow all casino rules. For each game you can select the increments you will be betting. And you play the games. That's it. There is no story line to follow. There is no goal except to win as much money as possible. Where is the pay off for playing?

Image Loading...If you are unfamiliar with how to play casino games, you had better be prepared to spend a few hours analyzing the instruction book, because 3DO have not bothered to include any user friendly in-game tutorials - hardly reminiscent of the '2000' tag in the games title. To be fair, the manual gave good pointers on strategy and even counting cards for blackjack, but video games are supposed to be fun and entertaining and the time taken to learn each game could have been drastically reduced with a little additional programming.

Another aspect of the game that really hurts was a lack of originality. Previous gambling simulation games have something that would make them stand out. A unique story line, an objective, beautiful graphics. This game doesn't have anything special. It doesn't even have a video introduction sequence. This is important especially if you pick up a game for the first time It sets the mood and helps put the player in the right mind set. I thought this was a standard in all games today but I guess not. So when you start the game all you do is create a profile then select a game. After that it's just bet, play, bet, play,….

The game also limits your bets to a maximum of $5000. No matter how much I had in my account I was limited on my bets. I wanted to be a high roller but I guess I have to take my business elsewhere.

After playing all the different games, I found myself getting very bored, very fast. I found no purpose and found it hard to pick it up and play again. There was no hidden games I could play, no high rollers section, and no story line. The bottom line was there was no fun.
 
Game Options:
 
      This is a 1 disk game for 1 to 8 Players. It is compatible with the standard (digital) joypad and the digital controls of the dual shock joypad. Games can be saved via memory card (1 block per save).

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Staff Opinions  
Rich: "3DO seems to have spent more time putting the rules and strategy in the instruction book, than they did coding the actual game. With little or nothing to hold your interest in the single player games, the 'pretend' nature of the betting made it all feel a little pointless.

I guess the only hope for Vegas2000 is in its multi-player capabilities, get a few friends around and bet using potato chips or items of clothing - the choice is yours..!

Compared to the other casino games on the market, the 3DO's latest gamble just crapped out... This is a weekend rental at best."
Graphics: 10/20
Playability: 30/50
Sound: 5/10
Lastability: 10/20
Overall: 55%
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Reader Opinions  
     

 
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