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Hoyle 3D Casino | 
 enlarge | From: Encore Software
Category: Video Games
List Price: $29.99
Buy New: $9.99
You Save: $20.00 (67%)
New (5) Used (6) from $4.49
Avg. Customer Rating:  14 reviews
Sales Rank: 19000
Format: Cd-rom
Platform: Windows Xp
ESRB: Teen
Media: CD-ROM
Batteries Included: No
Age: 12 - 20 years
Operating System: Windows XP
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.3 x 1.3
MPN: 100722
Model: 33038
UPC: 705381330387
EAN: 0705381330387
ASIN: B0007ZF3H8
Release Date: March 22, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | Includes Baccarat, Blackjack, Caribbean Stud, Craps and Poker tournaments | | • | Also includes Pai Gow, Let It Ride, Three Card Poker, Slot Machines, Texas Hold 'Em and much more | | • | Fully rendered casino immerses you in the action | | • | The only casino title powered by RenderWare, giving players unparalleled realism |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Hoyle Casino 3D offers realistic casino action on a level unlike any other title! Enjoy more than 300 different variations of 40 classic casino games -- more than any other title. From Craps to Texas Hold 'Em, this 3D Casino has every game you want to play!
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| Customer Reviews: Read 9 more reviews...
 A strong casino game compendium November 15, 2007
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Firstly I'm going to say that the people who are giving this 1 star because they feel it is a rehash, or because they can't get it to run on their computer are not really reviewing the actual product for sale here, but more their disappointment in other areas. I didn't have any Hoyle Casino games prior to this, so why should I rate it poorly just because other people did have previous versions? That's not judging the game on it's own merits, just critising the publishers. Similarly if I bought a DVD that didn't work on my DVD player I wouldn't class the film as rubbish. Same applies here. Contrary to some, there *are* a few more differences from earlier versions to make this a worthwhile title, but read below....
I confess I had little interest in casino games before I bought this. I was really looking for something that had poker or blackjack, and browsing on Amazon this game was cheap. (My interest in a computer card game was actually inspired by Windows Soliatire and Hearts of all things!)
The obvious difference this has is that the casino is modelled in proper 3D. However this doesn't mean that you can walk about the casino in the way you can with say a first person shooter game. There are some "canned" sequences; for example if you want to play Carribean Stud Poker, you'll click on it's icon and the view will change to a "fly by" view sweeping through the casion to settle on the Caribbean Stud Poker table. The only control you really have over the 3D is to choose between one of four preset views. However despite the limitations here, there is a sort of "doll's house" appeal in watching the animated computer people amble about the casino, and you'll soon start to notice little things about the casino that you didn't notice before; there's a bar, a statistics screen that people walk up to and read, aquariums etc. All in all the casino is quite richly detailed. After a while of course you'll probably see all there is to see graphically, but it's for a while it's fun to notice details here and there. There are about 9 other talking characters in the casino who will either join you at table games or play against you in poker, and all are well animated and voice acted well. Some are fairly normal, a few are stereotypes (gruff retired oilman, ditzy cheerleader etc) and one or two are just annoying (well that's realistic I suppose) There is also some background muzak, replete with zylophones, double bass and saxophone, which although I would normally steer well clear of, it actually works to give soem ambience.
I have since played Hoyle Casino 2003 and there are a few differences in the games. It's a case of 1 step forward and 1 step back I think. Contrary to the blurb there is no horse racing or Keno in Casino 3D. And there is actually fewer slot machines in Casino 3D than in Casion 2003. On the plus side though there are more video slot machines, and as these tend to be more interesting (IMO) than the mechanical slots it's an acceptable trade off I think. There is also a money wheel, but this is badly desgined as the betting layout almsot totally obscures the peg at the top. Surely the fun of the money wheel is watching whewre the peg will stop at? A missed oppurtunity.
However if your idea of a casino is the glamourous and slightly dangerous world of James Bond, where you'll face an opponent over baccarat with a beautiful woman at your side, you'll be disappointed. Hoyle's Casino 3D portrays the more tacky, Vegas style of gambling. A good example are the slot machines. Names like Ruby River, Cold Cash, Sugar Daddy. And one of the video slots is called Mummy Money, with symbols portraying enough ancient Egyptian cliches to make a real Egyptologist weep tears of frustration.
The highlight of the game for me is probably the poker against the simulated computer people. Although there are video poker machines I found them a poor substitute for "real" poker (if that makes sense) There are many different varities of poker (Draw, 7 card Stud, Texas Hold' Em, Omaha Hold 'em as well as the low-high variations) and bluffing does actually work against your opponents!
Perhaps the main criticism of casino games I have is that ultimately, almost all are games of chance, with little decision making. Sometimes I think many want that, after a hard day you don't always want to tax your brain with anything demanding. Place some chips on the roulette table, hold your breath and wait for the result. It's fun. After a couple of weeks of playing this though, I did find the relative lack of deciosn making of most of the games did make me yearn for something a bit more brainpower intensive. Maybe a bit akin to feasting on chocolate and getting a sugar rush it's great for a while, but there's only so much you can take. And although it's true that if you lose a lot of money, you won't get hurt because the money isn't real, it's just computer code, the opposite is true too, you can spend hours an hours gambling to gain back your money, but at the end of the day you're hard earned winnings are still just computer code.
Overall I found this to be a fun product, with attractive graphics and a slick interface.
Just a roll of the dice January 8, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I must admit, had I read most of the reviews given here about this game, I never would have purchased it. But, it was Christmas, I was out shopping, I was in a buying mood, and the game was relatively cheap. In fact, I wasn't going to buy it at all, but my girlfriend convinced me to give it a chance. And am I glad I did. It loaded immediately into my computer and plays with no glitches to date. It looks and sounds great, but this is my first Hoyle game and have nothing previous to compare it to. I've had other games by other companies, but they were primitive compared to this one. I especially love the casino sounds playing in the background while I play video poker, etc. Sure, the "interactive" 3D characters tend to repeat themselves, but you have the option of turning them off if you choose to. However, sometimes they do say amusing things while you play poker and other games with them, in spite of their somewhat limited movements. Compared to older games of the same genre, this one is my favorite so far. And, just between you and me, I have become addicted to the slot game called "Lucky Stars." The sounds it makes are hypnotic and it tends to pay off more than the other games. When I hit a nine million dollar payoff, I nearly fell out of my task chair.
Of course, the house always wins, and I inevitably end up losing what I gained. So I just start over again. So can you.
Apparently, however, whether the program loads and plays as it was intended to depends on a roll of the dice. I rolled them and came up with lucky seven!
 I wish I could give it 0 stars December 21, 2006
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
DO NOT BUY THIS HORRIBLY WORTHLESS SOFTWARE. Nothing but problems with it. I just wasted my money. Good luck trying to get any assistance from their customer service. If you try and run this on a widescreen monitor, the cursor does not line up properly so you have to place your cursor off to the left and below of where you actually want it to press a button on the games. This makes some games totally unplayable and causes you to make errors on other games. The games are rather boring and the 3D effect really adds nothing to game play. This also looks and feels like something you would have played in the early 80's on your Atari. The players say and do repetitive things and after just a few minutes, you want to turn it off. This game is just outright dissapointing!
ENCORE GARBAGE AFTER SIERRA QUALITY August 7, 2006
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
A mess to try to install. Tried on 2 different computers. Encore help needs reprogramming whole computer!! Back to Hoyle Casino 2004- the greatest!!
Avoid this garbage October 26, 2005
25 out of 26 found this review helpful
There is no question about it. This is the worst casino video game on the market. The reason stems from the change in ownership of the Hoyle Franchise from Sierra to Encore. Anyone who has ever bought an Encore Software casino game can testify to the fact that they are ALWAYS riddled with mathematical errors and unplayable bugs. This version is no different than anything Encore produced in the past. It is my understanding that Sierra began development of this game but Encore finished it. I bought it in the hopes that Sierra had put enough of their programming expertise into the game, but unfortunately, the game is trash. There are terrible unplayable bugs throughout the game and the game plays out in such poor quality. I tried to remedy the problem with the downloadable patch, but when that didn't work properly I uninstalled the game and threw it in the trash! Avoid this game and avoid all Encore casino products. Buy the versions of Hoyle under the name "Sierra".
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