Vegas Stakes (Virtual Console)
What Is It?
Vegas Stakes is exactly what you think it is, a mini-game collection that offers you the chance to play a bunch of quickly assembled Las Vegas-style casino games. The concept is simple, you go to the casino with some money and then attempt to win big while playing craps, roulette, blackjack, poker and so on. Of course, you might also lose it all. But that's just how it goes when you gamble with fake money. While some of these games are mildly entertaining when playing by yourself, the problem is that there are a number of games that are just more fun when played with friends. Poker is a perfect example of this; I don't think there's a person on the planet that would rather play this card game with computer opponents instead of real people. Vegas Stakes is an accessible enough game, but it's not exciting enough for non-casino fans and probably not going to satisfy people who actually like to gamble. Worse yet, there are better versions of all of these games currently available for free on the internet.
Does It Still Hold Up?
The games found in Vegas Stakes are timeless, even if the gameplay and graphics aren't. It's not that the graphics are bad; it's just that they tend to feel uninspired. The gameplay isn't as intuitive as it could have been, but not bad enough to keep this from being playable.
Is It Worth The Money?
At eight dollars the price is entirely too high for this kind of mini-game collection. Most (if not all) of the games found in this compilation are already free on the internet, so why even bother paying for this old Super NES game. Vegas Stakes is hardly the worst game uploaded this week, but it's definitely not worth your time or money.
Wrecking Crew (Virtual Console)
What Is It?
If you own a Wii then chances are you are playing Mario's newest adventure, Super Mario Galaxy. The game is being heralded as one of the greatest Mario games of all time, the kind of game that can stand next to Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario 64. If Galaxy is not enough Mario for you, then perhaps you should check out Wrecking Crew. On second thought, maybe you shouldn't. Wrecking Crew stars Mario as some sort of demolitionist running around a large open area destroying walls and such. This is the kind of early Nintendo Entertainment System game that has a lot of die hard fans, but for some odd reason I have never been able to understand the appeal. The game isn't particularly bad, but its simplicity bores me all the same. Perhaps I'm just looking at it all wrong; maybe Nintendo didn't put this game out there to capitalize on the overwhelming love for all things Mario, perhaps they sent it out to die because they knew everybody was too wrapped up in Mario Galaxy. Either way, this game kind of bores me.
Does It Still Hold Up?
The gameplay is incredibly simple, you basically just run away from enemies and destroy stuff. The game is essentially a retread of Mario Bros., only this time you don't have turtles and you are pounding a lot of stuff along the way. The gameplay isn't bad, the controls are responsive and at first it's fun to destroy stuff while dodging strange looking creatures. But at the same time, the plain graphics and the repetitive mechanics make me not care much for this early Nintendo game.
Is It Worth The Money?
If you have fond memories of Wrecking Crew then this is probably a wise investment. For one thing it's only five dollars, and chances are the game hold up just as you remember it. But if you're one of those people who has never cared much for Wrecking Crew then this Virtual Console release isn't going to do anything to persuade you. This game is kind of hit or miss, this is a perfect example of the type of game that requires a free demo to see if you like it or not.
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