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Setup & Timing
Multiplayer is right on the main menu. Opening credits aren't ridiculously long. Download time is rather fast.
Menus & Navigation
The menus are programmed well. Tapping areas are sufficiently large. Buffer space is more than enough. Labels are legible.
Ease Of Use / Play Control
For some reason, dragging poker chips to the table requires some accuracy. Other than that, the game's controls are all about tapping on the button you want to tap on. There's nothing fantastic, but there doesn't need to be. Everything reacts pretty much like you want (and expect) it to.
Category Score: 12.5 / 15
Content
Graphically, the game is sufficient. Since the downloadable portion is made up entirely of card games, all you really need is what's on the cards and what's the betting info. The sound effects are really take-it-or-leave-it. If you're not paying attention to the game you're playing, they let you know when someone has done something and they let you know when the time limit (if you're using one) is running out, but that's it. In terms of features, being able to set the starting credits, the number of hands, and whether or not there's a time limit is great. The other two options make virtually no play difference at all. It's also rather disappointing that only three of the games are available via download and that none of the games are available as a downloadable demo. Also, there're no AI (computer-controlled) characters in the Single-Card Download portion of the game, so you can't play against other people and the game at the same time.
Category Score: 10.5 / 15
Overall Fun
Sega Casino is not a bad game. It's functional, there are no programming glitches, and it accuractely portrays some fun games. Also, keep in mind that this title was one of the earlier Nintendo DS titles (first year). For a theme like casino gaming, there's surprisingly few multiplayer options, however. The only multiplayer option is Single-Card Download (I have absolutely no problem with that fact) and only Blackjack, Texas Hold 'Em, and 7 Card Stud are multiplayer-ready. Some games aren't very multiplayer friendly (Baccarat and Video Poker), though they're doable in a multiplayer form. Why Craps, Roulette, Keno, and Chuck A Luck have no multiplayer, I don't know. At the moment, Texas Hold 'Em and 7 Card Stud (along with several other poker games) are put together better in World Championship Poker: Deluxe Series, and for more players (but that game's Single-Card Download functionality does exclude Blackjack).
I'd like to see a sequal (Sega Casino 2?) and I'd like to see more games, everything with a multiplayer and/or downloadable demo option, and I wouldn't mind seeing it get a little dressed up (walkable casino, some '50s background music, etc.) before going out on the town. Will it ever get made? It's been a few years, and I've heard nothing, but you never know what the future may bring.
Allow more (all?) of the casino games to be available via Single-Card Download.
Permit some (all?) of the casino games to be downloaded as a single player demo.
Improve the betting step by not requiring accuracy with the poker chips.
Include AI characters as an option for within Single-Card Download play.
Overall Single-Card Download Rating: 75 / 100 (a.k.a. 37.5/50)
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