Casinos encapsulate one of the oldest and most popular forms of gaming in the world. They have been around for hundreds of years, they are places where millionaires can be made – or destroyed – and they form the backdrop to dozens of classic movie plots. Yet for all that, most attempts to bring the drama and atmosphere of the casino to the PlayStation or any other console have proved disappointing.
Perhaps it is because online casino platforms, where you can play real games for real money through your phone or desktop, already have this portion of the market cornered. They inevitably render slot or table game simulations on your game console a little lame.
A different approach
Vegas Party by Funbox Media proves to be an exception to this general rule. In fact, since its initial release for the PS4 in 2009, it has been ported across to the Vita, Nintendo Switch, Wii, Xbox One and Windows. 12 years after it initially hit the shelves, there is still nothing quite like it.
The overriding arc takes the form of a race from one end of the Las Vegas strip to the other. It means the casino games themselves can serve as minigames, something that anyone who has played Grand Theft Auto, Watchdogs or even Dragon Quest will know can be highly effective.
There are 10 such minigames in all and the whole package has a deliciously retro feel to it. It’s almost like a cross between a traditional board game and one of those game compendiums that anyone who grew up in the 1970s or 80s will remember receiving every Christmas.
Overview
There are three game modes. In quick play and competition, you simply play one or more of the minigames, a little like the game compendium analogy. The Strip introduces the main game board where you choose your avatar from a selection of well-drawn Las Vegas stereotypes and progress by rolling dice, encountering both rewards and penalties along the way and being given ample opportunities to play the different mini games as you go.
That part of the game is very similar in concept to Mario Party and consequently, another thing Vegas Party has in common with those traditional family games is that it is far more enjoyable as a multiplayer experience. The main game is played by four, although any of these can be played by the CPU.
The mini games
When you land on a casino square, three of the ten casino mini games will pop up on the screen at random and you can choose which one to play with your fellow competitors. You’ll find all the casino classics at Vegas Party, although not necessarily in their traditional formats.
For example, the slot game has been modified to fit the multiplayer format, and the rules of poker have been dramatically simplified. One of the most enjoyable of the lot is Bingo, which will not make you a millionaire, but can still be a lot of fun as is testament by this selection of bingo sites at NoDepositKings. There’s even a darts minigame in there, although you’ll struggle to find a dart board at the Bellagio or the MGM Grand in real life!
Sounds and graphics
As far as the Strip game goes, Vegas Party shows every one of its 12 years, and then some. The scenes along the strip are basic polygon models with very limited texture, and there is barely any voice acting incorporated into the game – although given the overly stereotypical nature of the characters, that is probably a good thing! It’s the same story with the sound – the effects are competent enough, but the music is generic and does nothing to convey the image and excitement of Sin City.
Once you get into the minigames, however, it is a different story. They’ve clearly had more time, money and attention dedicated to their creation, and it shows. The cards, the roulette wheel, even the playing tables themselves, all are rendered realistically and place you inside the virtual casino.
Conclusions
By today’s standards, Vegas Party is starting to show its age. However, if you can see past the shortcomings in the presentation, it has all the classic elements of a fun multiplayer experience. The main game seems to have more punishments than rewards, and while this can get frustrating when you are playing against CPU characters, it all adds to the fun when you see one disaster after another piling up on your fellow players.
It is, perhaps, stretching a point to suggest the game transports you to the Vegas strip. But the combination of simple gameplay and a varied selection of minigames make it a winner for your next games night with friends and a title well worth adding to your collection.