New slot games at G2E 2010

Slot players do not live by spinning reels alone. There must be novelty, innovation, cool new ways to play and fun bonus events to hold interest nowadays.

At November's Global Gaming Expo at the Las Vegas Convention Center, I explored the booths of 14 slot manufacturers, looking at all their latest and greatest wares that we'll be seeing in the coming year. Here are few that caught my eye:

Remix, Aristocrat Technologies: No doubt you've had times when all the right symbols were on the reels, just not in the right position to create big winners. Remix games sometimes give you a second chance. On Don Quixote, one of the first two titles in the series, symbols will shuffle around the video screen and land in new places, sometimes aligning for winners just missed the first time around.

The other Remix game is Dragon Emperor, and it's a Reel Power version of the same concept. It's the reels, rather than the symbols, that shuffle around and land in a different order.

Players Life, WMS Gaming: WMS takes the fun of the slots into our homes via a website, playerslife.com. The first game with Players Life extras is Lord of the Rings, and WMS has big plans for the concept. You can interact with game designers online, or play casual, not-for-cash games to accumulate miles and unlock the next segment for the next time you play in the casino. There are forums where players exchange their game experiences and even share video clips. As a company that has been a trailblazer with its Community Gaming line, WMS now is taking another giant step in creating a slot players community.

The Dark Knight, IGT: With sights and sounds, clips and animation under its Batman license, IGT brings plenty of excitement to its own big screen. The Dark Knight is the newest entry in the Center Stage line, with a 108-inch screen over the bank of machines on this community-style game. It figures to be an action-packed favorite, especially in the Battle for Gotham City community bonus. In a trial run, I played as Batman on his Batcycle, while a fellow at the other end of the bank was Joker, in his truck bearing the message "Slaughter is the best medicine." We careened through the streets of Gotham, the Joker veering into Batman's lane, trying to force the Batcycle off the road. Along the way, there were targets to drive through for bonuses, and checkpoints where the first to pass collected a jackpot. I was first to one of the jackpot lines, but alas, the Joker ran me off the road to a big crash, and he collected the biggest finish line bonus.

Visitors From An Udder World, AC Coin: The flagship in A.C. Coin's climber series has long been Empire, with a giant ape climbing the Empire State Building to a bonus. In Visitors From An Udder World, exit ape and skyscraper, enter cow and spaceship. Every so often, the cow will rise one step up a beam to the alien ship. When the cow reaches the ship, you'll hear a big Moooooo!!! — along with an alien voice telling you, "You've made it to the top" as you collect your bonus. Sometimes you'll hit a combination worth a trip all the way to the top. When that happens, you'll collect your bonus and the cow will reset to its previous position. If you were three levels up before the win, the cow descends to Earth, then moooves up three levels to start you on your way to the next bonus.

Paradise Fishing, Aruze: With six machines under three 60-inch high definition LCD games showing scenes from the deep sea or coral reef, Paradise Fishing looks beautiful. The community style bonuses — trying to catch the most fish, or the biggest fish, or some combination thereof — is reminiscent of WMS' Reel 'Em In: Compete to Win. But the hook here is the controller using Aruze's Reel Feel technology. Grab hold, and raise or lower your worm. And when that marlin strikes, you can really feel it. The fish struggles and fights while you try to land it — and sometimes it gets away.

Deal or No Deal Join 'N' Play, Atronic: Deal or No Deal games have been huge successes for Atronic, and for the community bonus version, they've brought out the big guns. This time they have TV host Howie Mandel involved, hosting the game. With five 45-inch LCD screens overhead for the big suitcase bonus event, Join 'N' Play is a real eye-catcher. The base game features 243 ways to win, and has three mystery bonuses for the individual player. As they play, customers collect suitcases, with 18 cases bringing eligibility for the community bonus. The more the player bets from a minimum of 50 cents to a maximum of $2.50, the more reels are activated with qualifier cases. A sixth reel can multiply cases collected on any spin. The event is timed to occur every 11 minutes, and anyone who plays at reasonable speed should collect enough cases to join in the fun.