So, you’re on agrand quest to save the worldfrom theultimate evil, but it can’t be doom and gloom all the time, right? So what do you do to blow off steam? Gamble, of course. For some reason, casinos are a not-uncommon setting in video games.
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Whether it’s some out-of-the-way place, a sidequest pit stop, or the whole setting, you’ll find yourself in these places, testing your luck for some of that sweet cash (or special moonbucks) at various minigames of chance. And these games happen to have the best ones, or at least the most memorable.
7Gold Saucer (Final Fantasy 7)
Fans ofFinal Fantasy 7no doubt have a fond place in their heart for the Gold Saucer– from its jubilant earworm of a theme song to its vibrant decorations– this artificial oasis in Corel Desert offers players a small respite from the at times melodramatic main story.
There isn’t actually much gambling in the Gold Saucer, just betting on Chocobos, but there are plenty of minigames to test your skill in, as well as the Battle Square, where you throw down in fights with random modifiers to keep things spicy. You can win GP from all these, which you can trade for some powerful and useful items.
6Crypt Casino (Ni No Kuni)
A cute and spooky take on a gambling hall, the Crypt Casino is a kitschy spot whose entire staff and most of their clientele seem to be skeletons, with the exception of some dealers who are dressed as a vampire or a witch.
Kinda like a goth Las Vegas, this place has the card table staple, Blackjack, as well as Slot Machines. If you want to rely on skill instead of luck to earn those chips to trade for some rare items, you could play the strategic card game Platoon or Double Cross. The latter is a minigame that has you controlling two characters, one to each thumbstick, and guiding them out of a collapsing maze.
5New Vegas Strip (Fallout New Vegas)
While there are varying levels of gambling options across the Mojave Wastes, the undisputed jewel of the desert is no doubt the New Vegas Strip. Thanks to the efforts of Mr. House, the Strip looks relatively untouched by the bombs dropping, full of the glitz and shine of its real-world inspiration.
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There are a few options for places to gamble, each with a unique theme reflecting one of the gangs running the place and Mr. House himself. Your options for play are Blackjack, Roulette, and Slots. Unlike most casinos in video games, the Strip isn’t just a place to mess around; a lot of important plot happens there.
4Secret Casinos And Gambling Halls (Yakuza Series)
Most forms of gambling are illegal in Japan. Of course, since the Yakuza (aka Ryu Ga Gatoku) series is all about the criminal underworld, there’s almost always some form of illicit gambling available.
There are places that cater to standard casino fare– roulette, blackjack, poker, slots, and the like–but there are also places that deal in more traditional Japanese games like koi koi, mahjong, or Oicho-kabu. If you want into these secret gambling halls, you’ll often need an in, whether it be a word of a friend or the right vibe, depending on which Yakuza game you’re in.
Zombie apocalypses are never pretty, but if you had to be in the middle of one, you could do worse than Fortune City. A gigantic supermall, resort, and casino strip, all in one; it’ll take a long time to run out of things to do here– even if you weren’tspending most of your time fighting off zombies.
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Fortune City has all the shine and distractions that its Las Vegas inspiration has, and if you’ve got time in between fighting for your life and keeping Chuck’s daughter from zombifying, you can do all sorts of gambling across its five casinos. Granted, anything needing a dealer is out of the question, given the situation, but electronic equivalents of your chosen game might also be available.
2Fable 2 Pub Games (Fable 2)
Fable 2 Pub games is an Xbox Live Arcade title that is explicitly a tie-in to Fable 2. While on its own, it can be considered a middling fantasy-themed gambling title, its functionality with its companion game is actually quite neat.
It’s a compilation of three original gambling games– Fortune’s Tower, Keystone, and Spinnerbox, which are decently fun on their own– but they also flesh out the Fable universe in their little details. If you link it to Fable 2 proper, any money or debt you accumulate can be passed on to your character, as well as exclusive and powerful items, giving you a wholly different start.
1Manderville Gold Saucer (Final Fantasy 14)
A worthy successor to the Final Fantasy 7 iteration, the Manderville Gold Saucer is every bit as ostentatious as the original, all the while bringing a touch of elegance that wasn’t there before.
If you want a break from all the combat, questing, and crafting, then you owe it to yourself to stop by. There’s a fine assortment of minigames and some heftier fare for both gamblers and non-gamblers alike.
There’s Doman Mahjong– a reskin of actual Mahjong– the Weekly Jumbo Cactpot (basically a lottery) and the Daily Mini Cactpot (scratchers) if you want to test your luck. If you want to test your skill,there’s Triple Triad, backfrom Final Fantasy 8, and Lord of Verminion, aminion-battling strategy game. You get MGP from these games,which you’re able to trade for some pretty nifty things.
