Golden Nugget 64

Golden Nugget 64
North American Nintendo 64 cover art
Developer(s)	Westwood Studios
Publisher(s)	Electronic Arts
Series	Golden Nugget
Platform(s)	Nintendo 64
Release date(s)	NA: December 1, 1998
Genre(s)	Casino
Mode(s)	Single-player Multiplayer

Golden Nugget 64 is a multi-player virtual casino video game for the Nintendo 64. It was developed by Westwood Studios, published by Electronic Arts, and was released on December 1, 1998 in North America. Golden Nugget 64 is unique because it is the only gambling/casino game released in North America for the Nintendo 64.^[1] The game starts off by having the player create an account with $1000 which is saved on the controller pack. Players have the choice from one of ten different popular casino games. Each game has its own set of rules and a guide to learn how to play.

Audio

The audio in this game is a mixture of “people in the background of the casino, dice rolling, cards flipping, chips stacking, tokens entering slots, the dealer talking to you and a variety of other things.”^[2] The background music is a laid back piano score while the sound effects all ring true. The male dealer is voiced by Chris Rausch and the female dealer by Donna Rawlins. They have very few standard dealer lines.

Features

Some things that make the game unique include:

• Big Winners this is a type of “high score” list which shows things like:Best Single Win and Best Session for each of the ten different games. It has three different lists for the casual, novice, and veteran levels.
• Slide-show this feature shows real life pictures of the Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
• Winning Stats for each profile this feature shows stats for each game. Along with your current bankroll, it shows statistics such as: success rate, the number of wagers placed, and average wagers.

Other releases

Prior to “Golden Nugget 64” being released, “Golden Nugget” for the PC was released in 1996^[3] and for the PlayStation　in 1997; in each game, there are two modes: Casino and Tournament. Casino mode allows you to play whatever game you choose, while Tournament mode requires you to use your poker tournament skills to solve a mystery starring Adam West as a fictional crime fighter.^[4] Like the N64 game, players get $1,000 to play with, along with 9 "markers", with which they can cash in for another $1,000 should they run out of money. If all "markers" are depleted, they must re-register at the Registration Desk.

The following games are used in the PC and PlayStation versions:

• Blackjack
• Craps
• Roulette
• Seven-card stud
• Video poker
• Texas hold 'em
• Big Six wheel
• Mini-Baccarat
• Slot machines: Like the N64 version, there are six slot machines to choose from (Double Diamond, Eureka, Royal Flush, Sweet Treats, Treasures of the Sea, What Luck)
• Keno: Played similarly to state lotteries, players choose up to 20 numbers out of 80, and may play a Straight ticket or a Way ticket.
• Pai gow poker: Played with a single deck of 52 cards and one joker, which may be used as an ace only to complete a straight or a flush. Players are each dealt seven cards, in which the five-card high hand must rank higher than the two-card low hand.

Years later Golden Nugget Casino was released in 2004^[5] for the Game Boy Advance. The newest installment titled “Golden Nugget Casino DS” was released in 2006 for the Nintendo DS.^[6]

Reception

IGN gave Golden Nugget 64 a good 7.8 out of 10 overall praising the game play and the graphics despite little criticism about the sound stating "the theme music is nasty".^[7] GameSpot users gave Golden Nugget 64 a good to fair score of 6.9 out of 10 with a total of 28 reviews.^[8]

References

External links

• Golden Nugget 64 at MobyGames