Vegas Stakes (SNES)
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- This page is for the SNES version. For the Game Boy version, see Vegas Stakes (GB).
Vegas Stakes (titled Las Vegas Dream in Japan) is a casino simulation game developed by Dice, co-developed by HAL Laboratory, and published by Nintendo. The game is a spiritual sequel to Vegas Dream (NES).
The player takes on the role of a protagonist which they name. They travel to Vegas by car with their friends Cliff, Richard, Isabelle, and Maria. They only serve as a cosmetic purpose, and are not different from each other. However, they will give the player advice while playing a casino game, and will sometimes join you in a game of poker.
The game features 3 play modes; Vegas Adventure, the main story mode of the game, multi-player, and a continue option. A fourth option, Party Mode, is present only in the Japanese original.
There are five casinos in the game. Some of which are based on real casinos, and others are not. Instead of the HAI Palace in Vegas Dream, there is The Hideaway, the Golden Paradise (based off the Golden Nugget, and is where the game starts), the Buffalo Head, The 2020, and the Laurel Palace (based off Caesars Palace). The latter must be unlocked by winning a certain amount of money. The casinos have betting minimums and maximums for each game. The Hideaway has the cheapest betting ranges, while the Laurel Palace has the most expensive. The Golden Paradise is the medium. The game offers a save option via battery backup, so the player can continue from where they left off.
Each casino has five games; Blackjack, Slot Machines, Roulette, Craps, and Poker. Like its predecessor, you will occasionally run into people that ask for money, which can either have a positive or negative effect on the player based on their decision. Each casino has some interesting characters to run into. For example, in The Hideaway, there's a shabby-looking man who will ask for money, whereas in The 2020, there's a man who looks like he's half human half machine. Each casino has its own theme in terms of graphics and music; The Hideaway has a slow-jazzy theme to add to the overall run-down feel of the casino, the Golden Paradise has an upbeat jazzy theme which fits with the nice-looking casino, and the Laurel Palace contains an elegant organ piece, which bodes well with the ancient Roman look and feel of the casino.
The game was later released for the Wii Virtual Console.
Contents
Screenshots
Music
Vegas Stakes features a soundtrack by Manami Matsumae of Mega Man fame. The music is the same as the Game Boy version, and though the SNES version was released first, it's possible the Game Boy version's music was done first. Manami's music was then arranged to the SNES version by her husband Kimitaka Matsumae. The music has been upgraded in fidelity in comparison to the Game Boy version, but features a few changes, which is to be expected since the arranger is different. For example, the Casino Select music, while originally in the key of B♭ is transposed to the key of E. Also, the Laurel Palace theme, while also originally in the key of B♭, was transposed to the key of D♭. The title music uses the infamous Korg M1 slap bass patch. Each casino has its own theme, but can get annoying after playing for a long time. The Golden Paradise has the longest theme of them all. The SNES version has one new unique track, the Buffalo Head theme, which was a casino not present in the Game Boy version.
Each song fits with its respective casino. For instance, the shabby, run-down casino The Hideaway has a slower jazzy anthem, the Buffalo Head has a fast-paced country sound, and The 2020 has a fast futuristic tune complete with machine-like sound effects. There are also many sound effects which contribute the overall aesthetic.
According to Kimitaka, he had to write the music in Music Macro Language. The instruments were taken from the aforementioned Korg M1, as well as other synths and keyboards he owned at the time.
The track names are taken from the SPC rip. However, the track Car Travel was omitted from the recording, as it is only a sound effect. Also, Laural Palace was corrected to Laurel Palace, as it matches the in-game spelling of the casino.
Recording
| # | Title | Composer | Arranger | Length | Listen | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Title | Manami Matsumae | Kimitaka Matsumae | 0:56 | Download | |
| 02 | Hotel Room | Manami Matsumae | Kimitaka Matsumae | 0:47 | Download | |
| 03 | Casino Select | Manami Matsumae | Kimitaka Matsumae | 0:59 | Download | |
| 04 | The Hideaway | Manami Matsumae | Kimitaka Matsumae | 0:48 | Download | |
| 05 | Golden Paradise | Manami Matsumae | Kimitaka Matsumae | 1:48 | Download | |
| 06 | Buffalo Head | Manami Matsumae | Kimitaka Matsumae | 0:48 | Download | |
| 07 | The 2020 | Kimitaka Matsumae | Kimitaka Matsumae | 1:32 | Download | |
| 08 | Laurel Palace | Manami Matsumae | Kimitaka Matsumae | 1:19 | Download | |
| 09 | Congratulations | Manami Matsumae | Kimitaka Matsumae | 0:05 | Download | |
| 10 | Game Over | Manami Matsumae | Kimitaka Matsumae | 0:04 | Download | |
| 11 | Won Game | Manami Matsumae | Kimitaka Matsumae | 0:26 | Download | |
| 12 | End Credits | Manami Matsumae | Kimitaka Matsumae | 1:09 | Download |
Credits
- Ripper: CaitSith2
- Recorder: Doommaster1994
- Game Credits
- Music Composer: Kimitaka Matsumae
- Not Credited Composer: Manami Matsumae
(Sources: Game Boy, SNES (USA), SNES (Japan))
The Game Boy version credits Manami Matsumae while the SNES version credits Kimitaka Matsumae. We contacted Manami Matsumae to verify what songs she did. According to Matsumae, all the songs, even the Buffalo Head (not in the Game Boy version), are her songs, while Kimitaka composed The 2020 theme.
The USA and Japanese version's staff rolls differ visually; in the USA version, you are shown a centered, but in a zig-zag-ish pattern multicolored staff text. In the Japanese version, it shows what appears to be a Rolls Royce driving along the highway (similar to the opening scene with the car), where the staff roll is aligned to the left side of the screen. The role names are in a salmon pink color while the developer names are in a pearl white text. However, both versions only give credit to Kimitaka Matsumae, and not Manami for some reason. The opposite is true with the Game Boy version.
Game Rip
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Audio Devices
The game uses the S-SMP of the SNES. It uses the Dice's version of Nintendo's Kankichi-kun sound driver.
Releases
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Links
- gamefaqs.gamespot.com/snes/588828-vegas-stakes - GameFAQs.
- mobygames.com/game/vegas-stakes - MobyGames.
Links
- Super Nintendo Entertainment System Games
- Games Released In 1993
- Games Developed By Dice
- No Amazon
- Games
- Vegas Stakes (SNES)
- Games By Kimitaka Matsumae
- Games By Manami Matsumae
- Games That Use SPC
- Games Released In USA
- Games Published By Nintendo
- Games Released In Japan
- Games Published By Imagineer
- Games Released In EU
