Name:  - Casino
Microsoft Description:
Step Inside Premier Las Vegas Casinos - Experience the dazzle and allure of Las Vegas. Hear the roar of slot machines, cards shuffling, and dealers calling! Microsoft Casino is your chance to be a virtual high roller amidst the action and glamour of Las Vegas's premier casinos. Follow the boulevards of blazing neon into Treasure Island at the Mirage, the Mirage, and the exquisite Bellagio, one of the world's most beautiful and romantic resort hotels. Play all your favorite games - Blackjack, Baccarat, Roulette, Craps and more!
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3/7/2001 - Deep in the dark recesses of all of us lies an insatiable need to gamble. A need to give a little now for a lot later. It's human nature, really and places like Las Vegas fully take advantage of it. You doubt me? Well then think of all of those bright light lights along 'The Strip' and ask yourself how those came to be and who pays for them. How is that those casino restaurants can charge 99 cents for a shrimp cocktail and still manage to stay afloat? Well, the answer lies in gambling. Gambling has emptied many bank accounts and sent many of tails to be tucked between legs. The best way to help even the odds is to become educated and to learn to bet wisely. Microsoft's Casino aims to be an entertaining virtual walk through one of three premier Las Vegas casinos without the often costly repercussions of the real thing.
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ZWORM Review Breakdown
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60
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| First Impression and Game Installation |
At first glance, Casino looked like a game that had some promise. Here was my chance to master some of gaming's more popular games at some of Las Vegas' better known casinos and not have to max out the Visa in the process. Microsoft's Casino went on to the system without a hitch and operates seamlessly in the Windows environment. |
7.0
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| Configurable Options and Ease of Use |
This game gets a 'demarit' for limiting the configurable options to a handful of sound controls and character animation options, but a 'brownie button' for the easy to use slider bars that make the adjusting easy and straight forward. |
5.0
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| Graphics |
This is no landmark game featuring a state of the art 3D graphics engine, nor should it be. Casino looks well enough to be taken seriously and still is 'low tech' enough to be played on a P133. |
8.0
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| Video at Minimum and Maximum |
Sadly, 1024 x 768 is your only choice. |
4.0
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| Sound |
Casino gives you the impression of being in a real casino with the 'big band' music and distant buzz of crowd noise playing in the background. Unfortunately, AI players say the something, like 'gotta buy my baby some shoes' or 'Have you seen Hoover Dam?' over and over again. What's worse is that gameplay is suspended until the perpetrator completes his/her often lengthy phrase. |
6.0
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| Beginner thru Advanced Use |
What better way for a beginner to learn the finer techniques of casino gambling then to have an unlimited bankroll and the confidence of a pro? Casino allows you to play the nickel slots and work your way up to the Casino Challenge. The Casino Challenge is a multi-game tournament that gives the player a tour of The Mirage, treasure Island, and finally Bellagio. |
8.0
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| Multi-player |
None here. Normally in a game of this type a multiplayer option would be considered a perk. The players of Casino, on the other hand, might find an online multiplayer presence a welcome oasis to the riggers of the AI players' repetitive phrases and often questionable betting styles. |
4.0
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| Help Instructions |
The in-game instructions are very helpful. Here you can learn a about the game you've been meaning to try, but afraid to experiment and lose money on. Want to give Pai Gow Poker or Baccarat a try? Here you get clear and comprehensive instructions that would make a Blackjack dealer cringe. |
9.0
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| Value (price for what you get) |
At $34.95 I consider Casino to be in the price range of some of gaming's better titles. It is my belief that Casino would be a much better value with some form of multiplayer available either online or via LAN. |
4.0
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| Recommend to Others |
If you're looking for game to help hone your gambling skills before your next trip to Vegas, Casino certainly can help do that. But, if you're looking for game to play against real players, maybe your $34.95 would be better spent on chips at the Blackjack tables in Las Vegas. |
5.0
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RECOMMENDATIONS to the Vendor
ZWORM
- How about giving the AI players something more to talk about?
- A multiplayer option would be a very welcome addition.
- It would be nice to have the ability to play '3rd base' in Blackjack - for no other reason then to keep a dumb AI player from taking the dealer's 'bust' card.
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