Vegas Stakes

The Super NES version supports the Super NES Mouse, while the Game Boy version is compatible with the Super Game Boy, and features borders which use artwork from the Super NES 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.

• Title — Vegas Stakes • Developer — HAL Laboratory • Publisher — NintendoImagineer • Composer — Kimitaka Matsumae (SNES) Manami Matsumae • Released — Super NES Game BoyDecember 1995 • Genre — Casino • Modes — Single-player, multiplayer • Platforms — Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy

In the Super NES version, the player can choose to play either a single-player or multiplayer game. The multiplayer 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 multiplayer 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 Richard. 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. If the player loses all the money, the game ends, and an image is shown of a man showing his empty pockets. The game features blackjack, poker, craps, roulette, and slot machines. When the player wins $100,000, the Laurel Palace casino is unlocked. A total of five casinos are featured in the Super NES version, while four are featured in the Game Boy version. 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. There are no random encounters in multiplayer mode. Several additional patron interaction situations exist in the Game Boy version. At the end of the Super NES version, the player gets to type in what they plan to do with their winnings. At the end of the game, a couple drive up to a casino with the player's name on it. Also at the end of the Super NES version, the game tells the player what they typed in came true.

Retrospective reviews for the title have been more mixed since its Virtual Console re-release. Nintendo Lifes Marcel van Duyn recommended it for gambling fans, noting that the random character events and optional advise from the player's companion added variety and extra interaction to the game, while commending the detailed backgrounds but criticized the music for being "annoying". Eurogamers Dan Whitehead found its multiplayer component more interesting than the main campaign, but he ultimately expressed that "if you peek over the fence at Xbox Live Arcade, and take a look at fully-featured online gambling games like Texas Hold 'em, you can't help feeling that games like this just highlight the shortcomings of the Virtual Console while adding little of value." IGNs Lucas M. Thomas commended the overall presentation, visuals, audio, gameplay and lasting appeal, but stated that more variety and different versions for some of the included casino games would have been welcomed. GameSpots Frank Provo wrote that "When it originally came out for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1993, this collection of five parlor classics was one of just a few gambling compilations available for home consoles. However, now that Nintendo has made Vegas Stakes available once again on the Wii's Virtual Console service, there are a near-infinite number of gambling collections out there for a multitude of platforms, and most of them provide a wider selection of casino staples than the ones included here."