Sweet Memories Blackjack

Feeling some semblance of control over whether you win or lose in a video game is important. When you're at the whims of Lady Luck it's easy to get the sense that you're being cheated.

When done well, Blackjack titles compensate for this failing with a sense of progression and personality. Sweet Memories Blackjack is a perfectly decent version of the classic prison card game, but it fails to embellish the central formula beyond including a few pretty ladies to look at while you play.

The title follows pretty standard rules for the game of 21, in that you're initially given two cards in which to get as close to that number without going over.

If you 'hit' you're given another card. If you 'stay' you commit to playing on, and your opponent - the dealer - attempts to get closer to the optimum score than you. In the event of a tie, or in the game's parlance a 'push', the amount of money you invested is returned to you.

There are some finer points, too. You can pay for insurance if the dealer's hand contains an ace before any more cards are dealt to avoid losing instantly if he turns out to have exactly 21. You can also double down, whereby you pay an additional side bet and agree to take just one more card. Should you be victorious you double your winnings.

It's all about making basic statistical judgements about whether you should take the next card or not.

So far, so Blackjack. Your opponents have a tendency to play it a little too safe, often holding on a low number when they know your score is higher. On the other side of the spectrum, they sometimes have streaks where they're unbeatable.

The menu layout is simple but elegant. You hold the 3DS sideways, as if it were a book, and the two main actions - 'hit' and 'stay' - are easily accessible for quick access. The twist in Sweet Memories Blackjack is that your opponents are all old flames.

Speaking in their native Japanese, they're well voice-acted, but the dialogue repeats too often. This isn't a family-friendly title, but nor is it overly sexual. Instead, lines delicately hint at intimacy. You unlock new opponents as you win more money, but they all play rather similarly.

If this element of the game had been developed further and with a little more panache it could have been fascinating, but after hundreds and thousands of games the idea never really goes anywhere.

The conceit of playing against ex-girlfriends shows a spark of creativity, but in the end Sweet Memories Blackjack is nothing more than a fundamentally sound but unambitious game of 21.