This is Vegas Exclusive Hands-On - First Look

This is Vegas is the upcoming action game from Midway that drops you into a stylized version of Las Vegas and lets you live a virtual life. The game is being developed by Surreal Software, of The Suffering fame, and takes an open-world approach. While this may sound like a setup that's been done to death (albeit not set exclusively in Vegas), Surreal's going in a unique, ballsy direction with the game. Rather than try to outdo the cinematic take of the gold standard for the genre, Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto games, This is Vegas is taking a humorous, tongue-in-cheek approach. Surreal has tapped writer Jay Pinkerton, a former Cracked magazine editor, to help craft the game's story. Surreal representatives say the result falls somewhere between Ocean's Eleven and a Will Ferrell movie. As far as gameplay goes, we got a general overview and the chance to try out three short sequences from the game that gave us an idea of where it's headed.

Yes, gentlemen, this is Vegas.

The game's story follows you, an unnamed nobody, as you arrive in Vegas with 50 dollars in your pocket and hazy goals. As luck would have it, you'll cross paths with Joey Nissan, a local "entrepreneur" who winds up working to get you in with the Vegas crowd. From the sound of it, this bit in the game will be your license to be decadent as you play. Of course, all good things don't last forever, and soon you meet your nemesis: Preston Boyer, a fast food tycoon bent on cleaning up Vegas to be a family-friendly tourist trap. This doesn't exactly fly far with you and your new crowd, so your goal will be to stop Boyer and preserve the town's special atmosphere.

The game's story and the action surrounding it will revolve around four pillars Surreal is focusing on for development: fight, race, gamble, and party. The playable demo we tried showcased three of these, fighting, partying, and gambling. Before we tried it out, Surreal Software studio head Alan Patmore filled us in on what we were seeing, the open-world element, and what to expect. Based on the map screen we saw, virtual Vegas is a stylized place that comprises the whole strip. You'll be able to visit a variety of casinos, which feature different activities and missions to undertake to earn money and improve your standing in the world. You'll find four "crowds" to roll with in the game: the diamonds, or high rollers; the hearts, old-school Vegas types; the clubs, hip clubbers; and the spades, edgy rocker types. The missions you undertake will improve your reputation with them, which will afford you certain benefits in the form of unlockable rewards. At the moment it doesn't sound like there's much bad blood between the four groups, so getting in good with one won't alienate another. Besides the missions you take on, some of which will progress the story, you'll be able to engage in side quests called "gigs" that have five difficulty levels--they'll get progressively tougher. Clearing them earns you various bonuses on your quest, chief among them being cold, hard cash.

We doubt anyone will be surprised to hear that money is a huge deal in Vegas, as you'll be able to use it to buy clothing, accessories, and hairstyles to customize your virtual self. In addition to allowing you to personalize your character, the cosmetic tweaks are key for accessing certain casinos--what would a Vegas game be without dress codes, right? Besides the small stuff, you'll eventually be able to pick up a home base to work out of. You'll need a base of operations, because not all your activities are entirely lawful. The game will feature a "wanted" system, as we've seen in many other games, and you'll have to contend with the law enforcement that will show up. The system doesn't sound like it's going to be too hardcore, as cops won't have terribly long memories; but you'll still have to be careful.

In Sin City, you can't be afraid to get your hands dirty once in a while.

As far as what we could play goes, the demo offered the three samples of gambling, fighting, and partying. The gambling sequence had us guiding our guy over to a table and hitting the B button to get started. You'll sit down at the table and play blackjack, with a slight twist. The game plays as it would in real life; you have a dealer and cards in front of you, and you choose to hit, stand, or get insurance--all the usual stuff. However, if you're feeling like you want a leg up, you can put on some "special" sunglasses and check the cards in play, as apparently one of your associates has marked them with special dye. The catch is that you'll have to manage your level of suspicion, which you'll gauge via an onscreen meter. If you spend too much time using your glasses, folks will get wise and you'll get booted. To keep things interesting, the marked cards don't make for a total cheat. Three types of marks denote their range. So a minus sign lets you know the card is between a two and a six, a circle is between a seven and a nine, and a plus is a 10 or higher. So you'll still have to do some guessing, but the glasses help a little. To move things along you can hit the X button and "fast forward" to your decision. The only other trouble spot is suspicion. You'll have to keep an eye on your surroundings to catch any roaming pit bosses, who will kick up your suspicion gauge much faster than normal if they're around you while you're using your specs. Besides blackjack, you'll find Texas Hold 'em poker and slots to let you gamble the night away. You'll also be able to get some "help" while playing the slots via a hacking minigame, although we weren't able to check slots or the minigame out.