Software:Vegas Dream

From HandWiki
Vegas Dream
North American cover art
Developer(s)HAL Laboratory
Publisher(s)
Director(s)Ryotaro Hasegawa
Yukio Nagasaki
Programmer(s)Naoki Gotoh
Composer(s)Kuni Kawachi[1]
Platform(s)NES
Release
  • JP: September 30, 1988
  • NA: April 1990[2]
Genre(s)Casino
Mode(s)Single-player
Multiplayer

Vegas Dream, released in Japan as Viva! Las Vegas (ビバ ラスベガス)[3] is a gambling video game developed by HAL Laboratory for the Nintendo Entertainment System. A sequel, Vegas Stakes, was released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1993.

Gameplay

Vegas Dream begins with graphics showing one of the players arriving at Las Vegas by airplane. Featuring a backdrop of old downtown Las Vegas, players choose which of the two game modes to play: "Vegas Dream" (storyline version) or "One Spot" (strictly gaming, no storyline).

Players then start with a bankroll of $700 at the fictional HAL Palace Hotel (or the Epic Palace in the Japanese version), to spend on four games: Keno, Blackjack, Roulette or Slot machines. Between rounds of play at the normal casino games, there are randomly occurring social interactions with various characters, such as business people, other patrons, or casino employees (in the "Vegas Dream" version of the game only). These interactions (and the player's responses to them) have different possible results: sometimes the unidentified man is a pickpocket; other times he is just down on his luck and will reward the player's kindness down the road. The results of interactions are reported on a local Las Vegas news station; music with a cheery tone plays for positive happenings, such as the player receiving cash, with more somber music playing for thefts, injuries, etc.

Vegas Dream also allows the player to date and marry as many members of the opposite sex as desired; men marry a woman named Ms. Sophie while women marry a man named Mr. James. Marriage results in increased cash flow for the player, or a loss of funds from theft in the event that the married person is crooked.

There is a password save feature built into the game. The passwords are twenty-six characters long and consist of letters, numbers and symbols. The Japanese version, with gameplay identical to the North American version, uses slightly stronger language in its script and mentions cigarettes. The text within the Japanese version is also entirely in English.

Endings

It is possible to win the game by earning over $10 million, at which point the player is seen reclining by a pool with their household staff (assuming the player has moved into a mansion and has hired servants), and then taking a limousine to a show with their partner.

Should the player lose all their money, the staff at the HAL Palace give the player one final pull on a slot machine in a last-ditch effort to win some more money. If the player wins, they get to resume their gaming; if not, the player is bid goodbye, and a screen appears showing persons heading towards a plane, ready to depart Las Vegas, ending the game.

Music

At this time, Kazuo Sawa was writing music to some of Hal Laboratory's video games such as Tokoro-san no Mamoru mo Semeru mo. Instead, Hal hired professional keyboardist Kuni Kawachi to compose the game's soundtrack while Sawa worked on sound design and provided the sound driver. Vegas Dream is Kuni Kawachi's only video game to date.[citation needed]

Reception

References

  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This lengthy approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
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