Retro games are making a comeback. Playing those games, you once did when you were young have a certain nostalgia. They were much simpler and have their own unique look. Gaming in total has changed a lot quite quickly. The 1970’s and 1980’s brought about 2D platforms that consisted of a high computing power and cartridge capacity.
The 1990’s had improved graphics, but they still weren’t as good as they are today. The internet started to provide online gaming and with that, there were some of the first retro casino video games.
Online gaming was in its infancy and pretty much just serious poker players played for big money with bandwidth that would load the games. While the new casino video games are incredible, sometimes you just want to enjoy the simple games with their noticeable pixilation.
Why Are Retro Casino Video Games Resurfacing?
Nostalgia is probably the number one answer here. Modern gamers that have always loved playing casino video games remember in fondness the fundamental retro games.
Games today can be pretty overwhelming and sometimes, you just want simple and uncomplicated. With a retro game, you can just jump online and play for a bit.
Retro Casino Games
Developers have long understood that they should incorporate casino games into their titles. Some games didn’t hit the mark by offering up too many loot crates and tacky ones that ruined the game play experience while offering very little wins.
There have also been some masterpieces that incorporate a real story with contextualized events that offer tension and excitement. Not all games did it right but when done well, they were fantastic. These casino games within a video game were the biggest titles because they got it right.
- High Stakes Gambling – Game Boy
One of the classic video games that offered a dedicated casino experience was High Stakes Gambling on the Game Boy. It was released in 1992, set during the era of the Great Depression. As the player you’d be an FBI undercover agent. Your job was to take down the higher ups in the mafia.
When you Bluechip bet and won, you’d give them a beating. You could play casino games like blackjack, poker, and slots. The game looks dated, but this is what you’re looking for in a retro game. These games are still in circulation today and are purely in-game currency.
- Casino Kid – Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)
There were a lot of great games from NES that you can still play today. Their betting theme game, Casino Kid is one of those games. It was released in 1989 and the title was also known as the $1,000,000 Kid: Maboroshi no Teiou Hen in Japan. It was based on Yuki Ishigaki’s $1,000,000 Kid manga series. So right there, the character is intriguing. In the Japanese version, the setting is in Vegas while in the West, it took place in a make-believe city called “Lost Wages.”
The goal is that you have to win as much money as you can in order to defeat the King of the Casino, the villain in the story. With the Japanese version, you can fly to other cities like New York while the west version doesn’t offer it.
Both versions have blackjack and poker while the Japanese version has roulette and slots as well. Nowadays you can play online blackjack at Bovada easily, just opening your laptop or phone browser, but back then it wasn’t so easy to play without going to an actual casino.
Japan didn’t have a sequel version while the west had Casino Kid II.
- Golden Nugget 64 – Nintendo 64
Rockstar is one of the software studios that have been making games since the beginning of gaming. They offered up playing Grand Theft Auto in the casino. Electronic Arts is another pioneer in the gaming industry. It was 1998 when Golden Nugget 64 came out with their virtual casino experience. What made this even more interesting was that it was multiplayer. When you set up your account, you’d be given $1000 of pretend money to play with. They offered 10 different casino games, so it really was like its own little casino.
The game was highly competitive and made up all the staples of a casino like slot machines and table classics. You could play baccarat, craps, roulette, blackjack, poker, and some other variations of games. Golden Nugget 64 came out for Windows and PlayStation in the late 1990’s too. More recently, Golden Nugget Casino DS made its debut.
- Vegas Stakes – Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES)
This was the sequel to Vegas Dreams for the NES and is an emulation of exciting casino play with social aspects. You can play all the usual casino games like blackjack, craps, poker, roulette, and slot machines. You’d unlock gaming locales and rise from a casual player to high roller. In true old school gaming style, you’re in a situation here as well. While plying Vegas Stakes, you’d have to be careful of pick pocketers taking all your funds away. The game is also available for Super Game Boy.
These retro games are still playable and will take you back to the old school, pixelated world of game play that will remind you of the “good old days.” These games allowed you to hone your skills and enjoy a gaming adventure without taking cash from your wallets. They were a simplistic experience but sometimes, that’s just what you’re looking for.
Some gamers are asking what about online real money Canadian casinos
Do they offer these types of Vegas casino games? and yes, the top casinos also do, they can be found at this CA compare list.
This is the general editors account for Old School Gamer Magazine. Press releases and other general information sent to Old School Gamer are often posted here.
Trackbacks/Pingbacks