V.I.P. Casino: Blackjack | |
---|---|
Developer(s) | High Voltage Software |
Publisher(s) | Nintendo |
Platform(s) | Wii (WiiWare) |
Release |
|
Mode(s) | Single-player, Multiplayer |
V.I.P. Casino: Blackjack is a WiiWare blackjack video game developed by High Voltage Software. It was a launch title for the North American debut of the service on May 12, 2008.
The game features the player's alter ego of "Mr Paradise" playing against the computer or up to three other human opponents to score the most cash at the table. The game features three dimensional graphics, controls that utilise the pointer and motion control functions of the Wii Remote, and an Xbox Live-inspired goal achievement mechanic that involves satisfying criteria such as winning a set amount of money or getting 10 winning hands in a row during the course of the game. [1]
IGN believed the game, despite its simplicity and lack of options such as the omission of online multiplayer, "still trumps other card games on the system". [2] Chris Kohler of Wired thought it was well designed but preferred to have seen a title with a collection of different card games on the service. [3]
Blackjack is a casino banking game. It is the most widely played casino banking game in the world. It uses decks of 52 cards and descends from a global family of casino banking games known as Twenty-One. This family of card games also includes the European games Vingt-et-Un and Pontoon, and the Russian game Ochko. Blackjack players do not compete against each other. The game is a comparing card game where each player competes against the dealer.
Games available in most casinos are commonly called casino games. In a casino game, the players gamble cash or casino chips on various possible random outcomes or combinations of outcomes. Casino games are also available in online casinos, where permitted by law. Casino games can also be played outside casino for entertainment purposes like in parties or in school competitions, some on machines that simulate gambling.
Baccarat or baccara is a card game played at casinos. It is a comparing card game played between two hands, the "player" and the "banker". Each baccarat coup has three possible outcomes: "player", "banker", and "tie". There are three popular variants of the game: punto banco, baccarat chemin de fer, and baccarat banque. In punto banco, each player's moves are forced by the cards the player is dealt. In baccarat chemin de fer and baccarat banque, by contrast, both players can make choices. The winning odds are in favour of the bank, with a house edge of at least 1 percent.
The Wii is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America and in December 2006 for most other regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major home game console, following the GameCube and is a seventh-generation console alongside Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3.
Card counting is a blackjack strategy used to determine whether the player or the dealer has an advantage on the next hand. Card counters are advantage players who try to overcome the casino house edge by keeping a running count of high and low valued cards dealt. They generally bet more when they have an advantage and less when the dealer has an advantage. They also change playing decisions based on the composition of the deck.
The MIT Blackjack Team was a group of students and ex-students from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University, and other leading colleges who used card counting techniques and more sophisticated strategies to beat casinos at blackjack worldwide. The team and its successors operated successfully from 1979 through the beginning of the 21st century. Many other blackjack teams have been formed around the world with the goal of beating the casinos.
WarioWare: Touched! is a minigame compilation party video game released by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. The fourth installment of the WarioWare series, and the first of three on the Nintendo DS, the game involves rapidly completing "microgames" — simple minigames lasting extremely short periods of time — as quickly as possible. The microgames are exclusively controlled with the Nintendo DS's touchscreen and microphone.
Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection (WFC) was an online multiplayer gaming service run by Nintendo to provide free online play in compatible Nintendo DS and Wii games. The service included the company's Wii Shop Channel and DSi Shop game download services. It also ran features for the Wii and Nintendo DS systems.
The Virtual Console was a line of downloadable video games for Nintendo's Wii and Wii U home video game consoles and the Nintendo 3DS family of systems.
Digital Leisure, Inc. is a Canadian publisher of software. The company formed in 1997 with the aim to acquire, remaster and publish numerous classic video-based arcade games such as the Don Bluth-animated titles Dragon's Lair, Dragon's Lair II: Time Warp and Space Ace. Over time, they have acquired the publishing rights to various full motion video games, which they have re-released on a variety of modern formats. In more recent years, they have produced original games as well.
The Three Musketeers is a Windows XP and Windows Vista platform game published and developed by Swedish developer-publisher Legendo Entertainment. It was released in Europe on February 22, 2006, and is rated 7+ by PEGI. The European release, which included Scandinavian releases in partnership with Ubisoft, saw the game sold both in boxed form at retail outlets and online; in other territories, the game may only be downloaded. The game supports more than ten different settings for various languages. A WiiWare version entitled The Three Musketeers: One for all! was released in North America on July 27, 2009 and in the PAL regions on July 31, 2009.
The Wii Menu is the graphical shell of the Wii and Wii U game console, as part of the Wii system software. It has four pages, each with a 4:3 grid, and each displaying the current time and date. Available applications, known as "channels", are displayed and can be navigated using the pointer capability of the Wii Remote. The grid is customizable; users can move channels among the menu's 48 customizable slots by pressing and holding the B button while hovering over the channel the user wanted to move, then pressing and holding the A button and moving the channel. By pressing the plus and minus buttons on the Wii Remote users can scroll across accessing empty slots.
The Wii Shop Channel is a digital distribution service for the Wii video game console. The service allowed users to purchase and play additional software for the Wii, including exclusive games, and games from prior generations of video games. The Wii Shop Channel launched on November 19, 2006, and ceased service operations worldwide on January 30, 2019. Users can still re-download previously purchased software and/or transfer Wii data over from a Wii to a Wii U, however Nintendo claims that these features are going to eventually be discontinued at some point.
WiiWare was a service that allowed Wii users to download games and applications specifically designed and developed for the Wii video game console made by Nintendo. These games and applications could only be purchased and downloaded from the Wii Shop Channel under the WiiWare section. Once the user had downloaded the game or application, it would appear in their Wii Menu or SD Card Menu as a new channel. WiiWare was a companion to the Virtual Console, which specializes in emulated games originally developed for other systems instead of original games.
Dr. Mario Online Rx, stylized as Dr. Mario Online ℞ and released in PAL regions as Dr. Mario & Germ Buster, is a puzzle video game starring Dr. Mario. It was one of the WiiWare launch games in Japan, Europe, and Australia, and was released in 2008 on March 25 for Japan, on May 20 for Europe and Australia, and for North America on May 26.
WarioWare D.I.Y., known as WarioWare: Do It Yourself in the PAL regions, is a minigame compilation and game creation system by Nintendo SPD and Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. It is the seventh title in the WarioWare series and the last to be developed for the Nintendo DS family of systems. Formally revealed at Nintendo's conference in October 2008, the game was released in Japan on April 29, 2009. It was released in 2010 in North America, Europe, and Australia respectively and was accompanied by a separate WiiWare title, WarioWare: D.I.Y. Showcase.
Midnight Bowling is a bowling video game by Gameloft originally released for mobile phones. A version with enhanced graphics was also released for WiiWare, and under the name Midnight Bowling 3D for phones. It is part of Gameloft's Midnight series, which includes Midnight Pool, Midnight Casino and Midnight Hold'em Poker, and the game was also included in the Midnight Play! Pack compilation for the Nintendo DS. In November 2008, it was made available for the iOS via Apple's App Store.
The Three Musketeers: One for All! is a WiiWare version of The Three Musketeers by Legendo Entertainment and it was released in North America on July 27, 2009 and in the PAL regions on July 31, 2009.
Family Card Games is a video game developed by Arc System Works for the Wii. It was released as a WiiWare title in Japan on June 6, 2009, on November 11, 2009, in North America and on August 11, 2010, in PAL territories at a cost of 500 Wii Points. The game is the 7th in its series and brings an end to the long line of video games branded as Okiraku in Japan and Family games in North America and PAL territories, such as Family Table Tennis and Family Glide Hockey.
The Nintendo eShop is a digital distribution service for the Nintendo Switch, and formerly available via the Nintendo Network for the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS. The eShop was first launched in June 2011 on the Nintendo 3DS via a system update that added the functionality to the HOME Menu. It is the successor to both the Wii Shop Channel and DSi Shop. Unlike on the Nintendo 3DS, the eShop was made available on the launch date of the Wii U, although a system update is required in order to access it. It is also a multitasking application, which means it is easily accessible even when a game is already running in the background through the system software, though this feature is exclusive to the Wii U and the Nintendo Switch. The Nintendo eShop features downloadable games, demos, applications, streaming videos, consumer rating feedback, and other information on upcoming game releases.