Sega Casino (Nintendo DS)

...of the Nintendo DS game, Sega Casino, developed and published by Sega. There are a range of games to play, such as poker, roulette, craps and baccarat.

There are a total of eleven games in play, although six of these have to be unlocked. There is no real game story behind this progression, you are just expected to play the game and make enough money to be able to unlock these extra levels. The games include roulette, craps, baccarat, ...
...poker.

There are two ways of playing the game, you can either play the free play mode, where you pick the game you want and then just play on that game. Alternatively you can use the casino mode, where you can move between the different tables, just as you would in a real casino.

Working through the game can be difficult if you are playing the skill based games, as these are difficult to win money on over a longer period ... more

This review is of the Nintendo DS game, Sega Casino, developed and published by Sega. There are a range of games to play, such as poker, roulette, craps and baccarat.

There are a total of eleven games in play, although six of these have to be unlocked. There is no real game story behind this progression, you are just expected to play the game and make enough money to be able to unlock these extra levels. The games include roulette, craps, baccarat, chuck a luck, keno, black jack and various forms of poker.

There are two ways of playing the game, you can either play the free play mode, where you pick the game you want and then just play on that game. Alternatively you can use the casino mode, where you can move between the different tables, just as you would in a real casino.

Working through the game can be difficult if you are playing the skill based games, as these are difficult to win money on over a longer period of playing, which can make unlocking the extra games more challenging. This does work though, as it increases the length of interest in the game, as you are determined to try and access the other games.

Controlling the game is easy, using the stylus and touch screen. This has been well programmed, and is very responsive and easy to use. There are also clear instructions on how to play each game, so beginners to these casino games can easily learn how to take part effectively.

The sound and graphics in the game are a bit limited, although they do the job sufficiently. The graphics though being basic, and with minimal sound effects and background music do mean that there is quite a lot of atmosphere missing from this game.

The poker games are possibly the weakest in this collection of games, as they rely on the computer's AI functions, and this really isn't very good. The computer bets in a predictable way, which means that winning is just a bit too easy sometimes, which although allowing you to gain money to unlock extra games, does become frustrating at times.

There is a multi player option, so that you can play the game with up to four other players using the Nintendo DS's wireless connection. This has been well designed, as you only need cartridge between all four of the players, rather than the policy a few developers have of making everyone buy their own cartridge. You can play black jack, texas hold-em and poker with others, and this does definitely lengthen the interest in the game.

The game retails for 19.99 pounds but is currently available on Amazon for 9.99 pounds. If you're happy with a second hand copy, at time of writing these are available for around four pounds on sites such as eBay and Amazon. The game is rated as 18+, so is unsuitable for children.

In summary, this game is fun for a while, but it isn't of course the same as playing for real in the casinos. The risk of losing money is of course zero in this game, which takes a lot of the fun element out of the game, but the mini games in this product are reasonably entertaining for a while. There's probably not enough in this game to keep you occupied for a long time, but if you can pick it up cheaply, it's not bad, just a bit uninspiring.

(also on dooyoo under same user name) 

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