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Fun Easy to Play Game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 26 / 27
Date: October 18, 2002
Author: Amazon User

This game isn't the most complex one of the "tycoon" games you will find. It is pretty entertaining. Sometimes I like a game that isn't so complicated that it takes three websites to consult with how to just make it through. The casinos that you work through are [copies] of their Las Vegas Counterparts, as are the "celebrities" that will make it into your casino if you are good enough. Some of the graphics are 2D such as many of the attractions you will build in your casino, and the games really aren't that distinquishable.
It is fairly easy to get the hang of, the audio is pretty good, with background noise, some nice lounge music, and commentary from the guests. The game does throw your casino development with a few curves such as other casinos trying to infiltrate and disrupt your business. Its fun, lighthearted, and a great way to get started in other "Tycoon" sort of games. While it isn't the best Tycoon game out there, I do like this one, it has good game play, and you don't need to buy a guide to work through this one.

Not as bad as some have stated

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 25 / 29
Date: October 07, 2002
Author: Amazon User

First off, this game is not a casino game where you play poker, black jack, or slots and pretend your a high roller in Vegas, winning or loosing big. This is a simulator, and if you don't like simulators (Any of the Tycoon games) then you probably won't like this either.

But if you ever wondered what it might be like to run every aspect of an imaginary casino, I think you might like this game. Graphics are fairly cheesy, and the mafia theme probably would have been more realistic for casinos in the 60's and 70's. But you can have the game play whatever MP3 you have available, you have many different games you can buy and there is more than just placing games on the screen and see if you win. You have to balance everything from advertising to security, bathrooms to bars. I have played the game many times and never had the same outcome.

There are some things that could be improved. I wish you started with more money. ($$$) is pretty low for starting a casino. And in real life casinos don't buy slot machines. The manufactures put them in the casinos for free and take a slice of the pie. I also think they should have denominations for the slots less than ($$). I mean I think a lot of people play their whole vacations on nickel slots. It might be nice if they could add the simulation of the food service, hotel staff, share holders, etc then it might be a bit more up to date. And a first person walkthrough of the casino would be cool. Give you the real feel of being a casino owner.

But wish list aside, this is a fun simulation game and is worthy of 3 solid stars.

Good Game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 11 / 12
Date: October 06, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Fairly good simulation, but somewhat simplistic to some people. The slot machines and video black jack look pretty similar, but then again, if you've ever been to a casino, they really do look a lot alike. I've rather enjoyed it. The demo alone was enough to get me to buy it.

However, I bought the game on ebay for a lot less.

Excelent game!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 11 / 13
Date: January 25, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This is one of my favorite sim type games on the market. While you get to play around with a lot of what is in your casino, you aren't expected to manage down to the finest detail. This game gives you just enough to deal with to keep you interested but doesn't overwhelm you. If you are looking for a challenging sim game where you have to keep track of finances and that sort of thing, this isn't it. What this is though is fun! I can't stop playing this game even though I've completed all the challenges twice. I'm just waiting for the expansion pack now!

Extremely fun and VERY addicting...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 8
Date: April 12, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This is a great little sim that will bring a slice of Vegas into your PC. If you pay attention, you'll get a couple of good laughs at the "cameos" in the game, from the Siegfried & Roy and Bill Cosby lookalikes, to the VIP High Rollers that will stroll through your casino if you make it a cool enough place to be. Every VIP was easily and quickly recognizable aside from one: and that'd be Immaculata. But, aside from that, the impressions are VERY well done, especially when it comes to Macdaddy Moonwalker and Flint Westwood, for instance. I won't mention any others because I don't want to spoil it for you. Half the fun is scanning your casino and looking for patrons walking around with a star beneath their feet (denotes a VIP) and clicking on them to try to figure out who they're supposed to be. If you're not into that "Where's Waldo?" sort of action, you could always just click on your patron button and get a full list of customers.

The hotels make "cameos" as well. For example, the Medieval is a lot like the Excalibur, and the Poseidon is a lot like Caesar's Palace. You'll also see interpretations of the Horseshoe, the Luxor, the Hard Rock, and Circus Circus to name a few. They're extremely well done theme-wise, and they add a bit of recognizable fun without having to pay the big bux for a fully licensed title. Also, since they really aren't trying to be the real thing, you're not likely to judge the game for lack of realism. You get the fun of the theme without the restriction of real life.

This isn't a terribly in-depth sim, so don't expect a lot of micromanagement. I think it's a casual sim for the casual gaming crowd. Empire mode lets you unlock a hotel for sandbox mode, and sandbox mode lets you design and build to your heart's content. If you hold poker or blackjack tournaments, you actually participate in them, so you DO have a bit of that taste of gambling as well. The personalities of the other players are quite amusing.

Overall, I haven't stopped playing since I first started. It's great bit of fun!

Dumb, Dumb, Dumb, Dumb, Dumb!

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 21 / 44
Date: October 02, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Gamblers have it the worst in the video game department. For every half decent gambling related game that comes out (i.e. Multiplay Video Poker, Real Deal Slots, Slots II), there are twenty released that are complete junk. This is one of them...

You play Steve Wynn, in so many words, by taking a poorly run casino and attempting to make it into something spectacular. The concept is great, but the execution is awful. The casinos themselves are poorly-rendered ripoffs of the Luxor, Excalibur, Treasure Island, and Binion's Horseshoe. They even managed to do really creepy looking renditions of Siegfried and Roy (apparently they own the Excalibur in this game.) The only original casino is one that looks like an old 50's style jukebox.

So, what machines do you have to choose from? Slots, Video Poker, and Video Blackjack. That's it. What table games do you have? Blackjack and Craps. If you move up the ranks, you'll get Roulette, Pai-Gow, and a Wheel of Fortune table. Wow. The graphics on this game are so generic you really can't tell the difference between slot machines and blackjack machines. The craps tables are only barely distinguishable from the other tables. It's really awful how you supposedly have a variety of slot machines, yet they all look the same. Not that it matters as you can't play any of them and having different machines doesn't affect the game anyway. The gameplay is completely generic. It's a matter of, build enough items and the casino will fill up. I really don't see any advantage of using one machine over another or table games versus machines for that matter. Just dump enough items on the floor and you'll advance to the next level. Exciting, huh?

I'll get really nitpicky now. The restaurants and shops you build? Just 2D images you paste on a wall. That's it. You can't go into these "wallpaper" shops or change anything about them (except you're able to offer keno in the restaurants - big deal!) Would it have been so difficult to allow us to adjust the prices on the items we sell? That's just one example. Add the fact the customers all say the same thing over and over and the fact the music is the same song over and over and you get the feeling a lot of corners were cut to rush this game out the door.

Supposedly you can adjust how much the pit bosses give out in comps. If that's true, I've never seen anything happen. All they do is stand around and do nothing. (Ok, maybe that part of the game is realistic.) You can view how much cash customers have, but not how much cash they've spent - defeats the whole purpose of giving comps doesn't it? Speaking of which, if you click on a drunk customer he or she will start babbling like a drunk. Give them a comp and all of a sudden the speech sounds normal. Wow, I didn't know comps sober people up. The heavily-accented asian customers say things like "are any of the waitresses for sale?" If I had a politically correct bone in my body I'd think that sounds like a racist stereotype.

You can set the house edge on the games to somehow control how much money you collect. How is this done? By using a slider bar you set from low to medium to high. Think about this for a second. Anyone remotely familiar with gambling (the editor who chopped this section out of my review isn't one of them) knows you can change the odds on a slot machine but you can't change the odds on most table games. So how do you get more money out of them? Are you putting a magnet on the roulette wheel? Are you using loaded dice on the craps table? I could go on and on, but I think you get my point. The game is just totally unrealistic and nothing like what's really involved in operating a casino.

The best economic sim released recently is Virtual Resort: Spring Break. If the subject matter doesn't appeal to you and you must have a gambling tycoon game, then search for a copy of Casino Tycoon. It's better, but not by much. Better yet, save your money, or come to Vegas and bet it all on red or a hand of blackjack. Even if you lose you'll have more fun than you will playing this game.

Hope the review helped.

SO GOOD, WE BOUGHT TWO!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 8
Date: April 01, 2003
Author: Amazon User

WE ENJOY GOING TO THE CASINOS, IN AND AROUND MICHIGAN,BUT CAN NOT ALWAYS GO WHEN WE LIKE TO.WE HAVE THE HOYLE CASINO GAME AND PLAY IT ALL THE TIME.WE WENT TO THE ON-LINE PRODUCT- UP DATE SITE, AND FOUND THE CASINO EMPIRE GAME.WE DOWNLOADED THE DEMO GAME AND WE WERE HOOKED. WE ORDERED ONE GAME AND PLAYED IT THE DAY IT ARRIVED. MY HUSBAND HAS HIS OWN PC AND KEPT TAKEN MY GAME TO PLAY.WE NOW HAVE ORDERED THE SECOND COPY, AND HAVE NOT STOPPED PLAYING THEM.GREAT GAME.

A New Type of Tycoon Game: Spectacular

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: December 07, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I've played lots of Tycoon-genre computer games, including some super popular (Roller Coaster Tycoon, The Sims, etc.) This however, might be the best game I've played. Besides cool graphics, this game has a plethora of options readily available. This game is easy enough that playing it isn't a boring struggle, yet difficult enough the player feels challenged. Great attention has been paid to the sound, which is absolutely terrific. The game accurately simulates the feel of a casino. Each little "gambler" reacts to each hand of cards. You can see the players place their bets, and celebrate/despair after the round. Bright colors light up the screen. Building options include decorations, lounges, restaurants, gambling rooms, any type of gambling table or machine and decorations for the outside. Through the game interesting situations occur: the "Playbabe" magazine party, VIP high rollers, mob hits, discount slot machines. You can set your casinos odds, or even cheat the gamblers. Dealers and gamblers may cheat your casino, making a casino security force needed. Showgirls and bargirls keep players supplied with drinks. You are even able to host poker tournaments or auction off cars, throw parties or watch your loyal customers get married. You also control the hotel rooms and options there. For those looking for any type of tycoon game to play, or those with a love of Las Vegas, or even those just looking for a little fun will enjoy this game. You don't have to know Las Vegas to enjoy this immersive and fun computer game.

Definitely Entertaining

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: April 16, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I really liked this game, but it does have it's limitations. You usually run out of room to put in services (i.e. Cashiers, Restrooms, Cafe's, etc.) and your patrons can get a little cranky. The game is definitely challenging in that time goes by fast, so you definitely have to keep on your toes to finish the scenarios. One of the things I really liked was that if you complete your goals before your time is up then you automatically complete that scenario - you don't have to let it sit there for three hours while the time runs out like some other games I've played. I'd say it's definitely a good buy, especially if you're a fan of Vegas. I know someone commented on not being able to change the decor. You can place different decorative items around to generate appeal for your games. You can't change what's on the walls, but you really don't have time to worry about that anyway so it's not a big deal. It would be better if there were more than eight casinos (after completing it I doubt I'll play it much more), but I'd say it's definitely worth the money.

Worth the low price now, waste some time and have some fun!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: August 12, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Casino Empire must have been a game that someone designed to fill a niche when the Sim City games were a rage. Sadly this game was never a hit but for true Casino goers, it's sort of fun to play around with.

Obviously the Themed Casinos represented on their "Vegas Strip" take after Real World properties such as the Luxor, Excalibur, Circus Circus, Hard Rock and the Stratosphere but clearly they could not license the use of the actual names. If this game would have sold at all and generated further development, I would have liked to see an Atlantic City edition as that's where I like to spend time at since I'm here on the East Coast.

Game play is pretty simple but I did have a tough time winning the final scenario taking several tries before getting it right. A reasonable number of Table Games are represented here to place in your Casinos, I think it would have been a stretch to try to put all the offshoots like "Let it Ride" and "Carribean Stud" in along with the Standard table games so they did a pretty good job there. The Slots and Video Poker games are good enough but I would have switched the "Video Blackjack" games for "Video Slots", I like how when you put in a "bank" of 16 games you get a Feature Topper that can be seen throughout the casino, a nice touch.

The Card Tournaments which you can actually play within the game are OK but I found the Full Versions in Hoyle Casino which I also have to be better so I leave them alone.

One fun thing you have are the VIPs who enter your casino once You have the facilities that draw the High Rollers. I found the Voice Talent pretty good especially with Arnold and Clint, the Real Fun happens when you jack up the Alcohol Content of the Drinks served to 200%, you get some lines that truly cracked me up! You may also get a "Star Trek" convention or an Elvis Convention to visit your Casino and that can be interesting as well.

Though some reviewers here have downplayed this game, I find it entertaining enough, I like the sound and visual atmosphere in Real Casinos about as much as the actual gaming myself so I continue to be amused trying to lay out my Casinos in different ways and different decor when I fool around with this little gem.

Casino Empire was made to fill a Niche which it does nicely, too bad that they missed the mark by overestimating how large the audience would be for this title, I would have liked to see more but it's not going to be developed further.

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