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First off, pretty much everything from the previous two games returns. Bonk can bonk (Of course), bounce off walls, swing on trees, climb walls with his teeth, break blocks and more. There are bonus games at the end of a world, and each world ends with a boss. However, a few things have been tweaked slightly. First off, Bonk now walks and jumps a bit faster, which should help against complaints that the other two games moved too slow. Likewise, when picking up meat to become stronger, the animation seems faster. Second, at the end of a world, you can select which out of 8 bonus games you want to play. If you have collected 16 smileys you can then pay them in order to play that game. You can continue to play bonus games if you have enough smileys for two or more, in fact! There are more gameplay tweaks, but you'll have to find those yourself.

The game also introduces some new things. The first, and most important, is candy. Bonk can find blue candy in order to grow in size, and red candy to shrink in size. While being large does not have any true advantages (As you can still be hit) it is fun to walk around and try to crush everything with your enormous sprite (Which looks and moves very nicely, by the way), plus you can breathe fire! If you shrink, you will become one block high in height, which lets you squeeze into secret bonus areas or places you otherwise can't reach. If you eat red candy while small, you won't shrink further. The same goes for blue when big, you won't grow more. If you eat blue while small, you become normal size again, which also goes for red when big.

Another big new feature is a 2 player mode. You can play with a friend and run around with two Bonks, which should be a lot more fun. You can even stand on each other in order to have an extra platform!

The game also has some new level elements, such as ziplines to hang on, sewer pipes to go through and more, while old ones, like the plants that hold items and blocks that split and make you fall through if you stand on them too long, also return.

The player can choose to play either a single-player or multi-player game. In the single-player game a computerized friend accompanies the player around the various casinos. In the multi-player game, poker cannot be played since everyone could see everyone else's cards. There are no random encounters in multi-player mode. The multi-player mode is not included in the Game Boy version.

At the beginning of the single-player game a car is seen driving to Las Vegas. The various "friends" of the player are introduced as Cliff, Maria, Isabelle and Richard. All are eager to begin gambling. The "friends" are not present in the Game Boy version.

One of the biggest draws of Vegas Stakes is the situations the player must deal with aside from the gaming tables. Essentially, players will have interactions with their traveling party and casino patrons. Some are innocent; for example, one of your friends is going to the sports book and asks if you want to place a wager. However, some can have significant positive or negative consequences. Random patrons will approach you and depending on your choices, you may wind up making (or losing) a lot of money. These include:

A patron bumps into you as they pass by. You suspect that may be a pickpocket, and check your wallet. It may have been stolen.
A patron tells you they have a sick daughter and they need to take her to the hospital. This has two potential outcomes. Either the patron is a con artist and they will take your money and walk away, or they will have been sincere and will return several minutes later to thank you and present you a reward.
A patron will offer to sell you a lottery ticket since he/she is leaving for the night. If you choose to purchase it, the casino will announce the winning numbers several minutes later. If your numbers match, you win a cash prize.
A patron tells you he/she is down on his luck and asks to borrow some money to make one final bet on the roulette tables. If you choose to help out and the patron wins, they will return and give you a reward for helping them. If they lose, they will return and inform you but you will receive no reward.
A patron says that he/she has blown all their money, including their return fare home, and offers to sell you a watch for $200. If you choose to buy it, another patron may come along and offer to buy it for $1,000.
A patron will try to sell you a diamond. He/she suggests a price, and you counteroffer, until you either agree to a deal or the patron walks away. If you buy it, another patron will come along, and either buy the diamond for a huge profit, or laugh at you for purchasing a fake.
There are several more random patron interaction situations in the Game Boy version, including the ability to wager on boxing matches or horse races.

No Super Metroid, again?

Like Luben said, they'll be coming in October. But usually Nintendo follows up bad weeks with good ones, so just try to look forward to whatever's coming next week.