Stakes Winner
Developer(s)Saurus[lower-alpha 1]
Publisher(s)SNK
SeriesStakes Winner
Platform(s)Arcade
Release
  • WW: 27 September 1995
Genre(s)Racing, sports
Mode(s)
Arcade systemNeo Geo MVS

Stakes Winner[lower-alpha 2] is a horse racing arcade video game developed by Saurus, with additional support from AM Factory, and originally published by SNK on September 27, 1995. In the game, players compete with either AI-controlled opponents or against other human players across multiple races. Though it was initially launched for the Neo Geo MVS (arcade), the title was later released for both Neo Geo AES (home) and Neo Geo CD respectively, in addition of being ported and re-released through download services for various consoles. It was received with mixed reception from critics and reviewers since its initial release. In 1996, a sequel titled Stakes Winner 2 was released for the arcades.

Gameplay

Arcade version screenshot.

Stakes Winner is a thoroughbred horse racing game similar to Winning Post, where players take control of any of the available horses, each with their own strengths and weaknesses, to compete against either AI opponents or other human players across multiple races.[1][2][3][4][5][6] Players control their horse with the joystick while two action buttons are used; one controlling the reins for small accelerations that drains little portions of the horse's stamina and another for the whip for fast speed, which drastically consumes stamina from the horse and if the stamina is depleted completely, racing is given up for a short period.[7] Two quick taps on the joystick at any direction allows the horse to push back an opponent in front of them, however two quick taps on the opposite side reduces speed.[7] Power-ups also spawn on the race track for players to pick up.[7] Failing to qualify for the next race results in a game over screen unless players insert more credits into the arcade machine to continue playing.

Development and release

Stakes Winner was developed by Saurus, with additional support from AM Factory, and the project was first announced in mid-1995 across Japanese publications such as Neo Geo Freak, with previews showcasing various differences compared to the final release.[8][9] The game was first released by SNK for the Neo Geo MVS on September 27, 1995 and was then published for Neo Geo AES on October 27 of the same year.[10][11] The North American AES release has since become one of the more expensive titles on the platform, with copies fetching over US$4000 on the secondary video game collecting market.[12] The game was later re-released by Saurus for the Neo Geo CD and released only in Japan on March 22, 1996.[10][11][13] The title was later ported by Saurus to the PlayStation and Sega Saturn, both of which were released on December 6, 1996.[14][15] It has since received multiple re-releases in recent years on various digital distribution platforms such as the Virtual Console, Nintendo eShop, PlayStation Network and Xbox Live.[16][17]

Reception

Stakes Winner was met with mixed reception from critics and reviewers since its release.[22] In Japan, Game Machine listed it on their November 1, 1995 issue as being the fourth most-successful arcade game of the month, outperforming titles such as Puzzle Bobble 2, Virtua Striker and Street Fighter Alpha.[23]

Sequel

A sequel, Stakes Winner 2 was released in 1996 for the arcades, Neo Geo AES, PlayStation and Sega Saturn.[10][11][24][25] It was later re-released in recent years for the Virtual Console, PlayStation Network, Nintendo eShop and Xbox Live.[26][27]

Notes

  1. ↑ Additional work by AM Factory
  2. ↑ Also known as Stakes Winner: GI Road to Complete Conquest (Japanese: ステークスウィナー: ＧＩ完全制覇への道, Hepburn: Sutēkusu U~inā: GI Kanzen Seiha E no Michi) in Japan.

References

  1. ↑ ACE (May–June 1995). "紹介 - ステークスウィナー". Gamest (in Japanese). No. 144. Shinseisha. p. 226.
  2. ↑ ACE (August–September 1995). "紹介 - ステークスウィナー". Gamest (in Japanese). No. 150. Shinseisha. p. 238.
  3. ↑ "新作情報 - ステークスウィナー". Neo Geo Freak (in Japanese). No. 4. Geibunsha. August 1995. pp. 70–72.
  4. ↑ "新作情報 - ステークスウィナー". Neo Geo Freak (in Japanese). No. 6. Geibunsha. October 1995. pp. 74–77.
  5. ↑ ACE (15 October 1995). "紹介 - ステークスウィナー". Gamest (in Japanese). No. 152. Shinseisha. p. 85.
  6. ↑ ACE (30 October 1995). "攻略 - ステークスウィナー". Gamest (in Japanese). No. 154. Shinseisha. p. 222.
  7. 1 2 3 Stakes Winner user's manual (Neo Geo AES, US)
  8. ↑ "新作情報 アーケード - ステークスウィナー". Neo Geo Freak (in Japanese). No. 1. Geibunsha. May 1995. pp. 76–77.
  9. ↑ "新作情報 - ステークスウィナー". Neo Geo Freak (in Japanese). No. 3. Geibunsha. July 1995. p. 118.
  10. 1 2 3 "Dossier: Neo Geo Y SNK — Deportivos". GamesTech (in Spanish). No. 11. Ares Informática. July 2003. p. 61.
  11. 1 2 3 "Title Catalogue - NEOGEO MUSEUM". SNK Playmore. 2010. Archived from the original on 2018-08-28. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
  12. ↑ Reichert, Nick (April 27, 2020). "The Rarest & Most Valuable Neo-Geo Games". Racketboy. Archived from the original on December 9, 2019. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
  13. ↑ "Next Wave - Protos: Stakes Winner". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 77. Sendai Publishing. December 1995. p. 186.
  14. ↑ "ステークスウィナー GI完全制覇への道". PlayStation Official Site Software Catalog (in Japanese). Sony Interactive Entertainment. 2020. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
  15. ↑ "セガサターン対応ソフトウェア（ライセンシー発売）- 1996年発売". SEGA HARD Encyclopedia (in Japanese). Sega. 2020. Archived from the original on 2020-03-20. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
  16. ↑ "ステークスウィナー - ゲーム情報GAME". SNK Playmore (in Japanese). D4 Enterprise. 17 July 2012. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
  17. ↑ Moyse, Chris (May 9, 2018). "Neo Geo horse racing title Stakes Winner returns on PS4, Xbox One and Switch - Giddy up". Destructoid. Enthusiast Gaming. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
  18. ↑ Knight, Kyle (1998). "Stakes Winner (Neo Geo Advanced Entertainment System) - Review". AllGame. All Media Network. Archived from the original on 2014-11-15. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
  19. ↑ "NEW GAMES CROSS REVIEW: ステークスウィナー ＧＩ完全制覇への道". Famitsu (in Japanese). No. 417. ASCII. December 13, 1996. p. 32.
  20. ↑ Lopes, Gonçalo (May 10, 2018). "Stakes Winner Review (Switch eShop / Neo Geo) - A horse with no name". Nintendo Life. Nlife Media. Archived from the original on 2019-09-11. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
  21. ↑ "Sega Saturn Soft Review - ステークスウィナー ＧＩ完全制覇への道". Sega Saturn Magazine (in Japanese). No. 34. SoftBank Creative. November 22, 1996. p. 215.
  22. ↑ Hain, Mark (October 1995). "Arcade Action - Pulstar/Metal Slug/Stakes Winner/Aero Fighters 3/Puzzle De Pon/Neo Mr. Do! by SNK". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 75. Sendai Publishing. p. 71.
  23. ↑ "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - TVゲーム機ーソフトウェア (Video Game Software)". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 506. Amusement Press, Inc. 1 November 1995. p. 25.
  24. ↑ "セガサターン対応ソフトウェア（ライセンシー発売）- 1997年発売". SEGA HARD Encyclopedia (in Japanese). Sega. 2020. Archived from the original on 2020-03-20. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
  25. ↑ "ステークスウィナー2". PlayStation Official Site Software Catalog (in Japanese). Sony Interactive Entertainment. 2020. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
  26. ↑ "ステークスウィナー2 - ゲーム情報GAME". SNK Playmore (in Japanese). D4 Enterprise. 12 February 2013. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
  27. ↑ Moyse, Chris (November 18, 2018). "Waste all your cash at the gee-gee's as Stakes Winner 2 returns to modern platform - Spend a pony at the old airs and graces". Destructoid. Enthusiast Gaming. Retrieved 2020-05-23.
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