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VIP Casino Blackjack Review for the Nintendo Wii

VIP Casino Blackjack Review for the Nintendo Wii

The thing about gambling is that when you’re hot, you’re hot; and when you’re not, well, you’re just not. That is the one good thing about V.I.P. Casino: Blackjack: the only dimes you’re going to lose are the ones you give up to purchase this stale title. It’s not that V.I.P. is a terrible game; it does what it means to do. Unfortunately, playing Blackjack on your Wii for fake money is about as much fun as it sounds: not any at all. Perhaps a Wii Ware title bolstering a whole bevy of assorted casino games would have been a good idea, but considering the mass amounts of space this dead weight title takes up, that thought may be a little too ambitious.

VIP Casino Blackjack screenshot

I’ll be honest; there is really not much to say here. If you have ever played Blackjack, then you’ll immediately know how this is going to play out. You get two cards: if they stink, you can say “Hit me” to get another one, and then if your sum is hovering around twenty-one, you say “stay” and see what the dealer has. Go over twenty-one, and you bust. Simple stuff really, and frankly, it does not translate all that well to the videogame world. Things can get slightly more interesting if you are playing with three of your friends, but if you are an actual Blackjack aficionado, I highly doubt you would prefer to do your gambling on the Wii.

One interesting thing that other developers may want to take note of for future Wii Ware offerings is V.I.P.’s inclusion of achievements. With roughly twenty achievements to unlock, perfectionists will find plenty of reason to come back for more. The only unfortunate thing is that a few of them require you to play this game for over half an hour to an hour, which could be considered a violation of the 8th Amendment. As you know, this Amendment prohibits the use of cruel and unusual punishment.

VIP Casino Blackjack screenshot

This game is what I would call less than exciting, and the plodding tempo in which you play certainly does not help. Hands can take far too long to get going, as you have to watch the dealer divvy up the chips and prepare the next deal. Perhaps the overall generic feel of V.I.P. could have been aided by a brisk pace, but there is no such luxury here. It is not a good thing to be boring to play, but being boring to watch as well is a bit too much.

VIP Casino Blackjack screenshot

Speaking of the look, the visuals are just stale all around. Even on a high-def television, they can be a little rough. The characters are extremely generic; it would have been nice to be able to customize your player. It would have added a little variety instead of sticking us with some random, lifeless figure. It is all just very ho hum and plain. You are able to switch the camera around to varyinsg angles, so you are not relegated to staring at the guys hands the whole time. One of the better features is the ability to point at a card with the Wii-mote to get a close look.

VIP Casino Blackjack screenshot

The sound is pretty bland as well. In fact, it compliments the gameplay and the visuals perfectly. Put them all together, and you have the ideal way to fall asleep. Forget Nyquil; this game could put you out in a matter of minutes. Faint background music, card shuffling, and a couple of oohs and aahs hardly make for a great ensemble, but then again this is just Blackjack.

The easy controls allow you to either simply use the D-pad to designate what you want your player to do or point and click at the option to accomplish it. It is an easy set up, and it works nicely for the game. Of course, it is not like they are really asked to do very much, but I have seen games do much worse.

In my estimation, you should just stay away from this title. For the money and the file space, it is just not worth it, and I am not kidding about that space. V.I.P. Casino: Blackjack takes up over 200 blocks of your memory. A hefty load for such a one dimensional game.

RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 3.4 Graphics
As bland as they come. Really pumps out that generic feel 4.2 Control
Use them whichever way you want; sure, there is not a lot asked of them, but they accomplish it seamlessly 2.2 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz… 1.5

Play Value
All I can say is that you better really like Blackjack

2.3 Overall Rating – Poor
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

Game Features:

  • Boosting roughly twenty achievements, V.I.P. Casino: Blackjack is everything a seasoned gambler could want
  • Hit the table with up to three friends and experience Blackjack like never before
  • Use your Wii-mote as your guide – stay, hit, or double down

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