Clint Eastwood was at the Global Gaming Expo at the Las Vegas Convention
Center earlier this month, promoting WMS Gaming's new line of slot
machines bearing his image.
Pamela Anderson was there, and Ann-Margret, Pele, Drew Carey, Paul
Rodriguez - well, you get the idea. Slot machine manufacturers have been
mining pop culture for years, and the annual fall conference and trade
show gives them their big chance to show off the games we'll be seeing in
the coming year.
When I stopped to hobnob with a celeb, it was the biggest of them all -
standing 8 feet tall - Bullwinkle J. Moose.
As I stepped up to one of Bally's two new "Rocky and Bullwinkle" video
slots - there are also two new reel-spinners featuring the moose and
squirrel - Bullwinkle waved with enthusiasm. He didn't speak at all - must
be laryngitis season in Frostbite Falls - but showed keen interest as I
entered the "Save Nell" bonus round. Nell was tied to the railroad tracks.
Would Snidely Whiplash do her in, or would Dudley Do-Right save her?
Nell's fate was in my hands as I touched the screen to see who would
advance up the track.
"What do you think, Bullwinkle? Can we save Nell?" I asked.
The muscular moose nodded in enthusiastic affirmation.
I needn't have feared. Just as it appeared Snidely would win, Dudley and
his horse charged to the finish. Nell was safe, and I collected bonuses
based on how far both Snidely and Dudley advanced up the track. Bullwinkle
raised his arms in triumph as I grinned.
June Foray, who voiced Rocky and many of the female characters in the
original Jay Ward animated cartoon series, does the same here. It's a kick
just hearing that voice announce, "Here's another of our special features"
before Bullwinkle tries to pull a rabbit out of the hat in another bonus
round.
Alas, I soon had to take my leave. Bullwinkle had customers to greet, and
I had other games to try out:
Pong (Bally): Beyond Bullwinkle, there were plenty of kicks at the Bally
booth. Pong, with the Atari logo overhead, harkens back to the '70s and
the release of the first video arcade game. In one bonus round, you
actually play a game of Pong against the computer. The longer you last,
the bigger the bonus. Skill counts.
Another bit of nostalgic fun comes from S&H Green Stamps. As you play, you
collect stamps, just as we used to do in grocery stores oh so many years
ago. The stamps accumulate separately from any wins or losses on the game.
When you leave, take a ticket for the amount of green stamps you have and
feed it into a "Redemption Center" kiosk to either claim a prize or open
an account to save for the prize you want.
A Fistful of Dollars (WMS Gaming): There are two themes to kick off WMS'
new line of Clint Eastwood five-reel video progressives, and both have
shoot-'em-up bonus rounds. In "A Fistful of Dollars: Wanted," on the
second-screen bonus, players hunt the bad guys and Clint guns 'em down.
And in "A Fistful of Dollars: Wild Shot," Clint puts a bullet through
symbols on the reel, turning them into wild symbols that match anything on
the payline. That leads to bigger payoffs and big fun for those in a
spaghetti Western frame of mind.
WMS brings back the "Men in Black" with Riches of the Universe - touch the
aliens to send them back to their mother ship. The latest in the
"Hollywood Squares" franchise is Premiere Night, with live-action video of
Joan Rivers announcing as a limo pulls up. Touch the car's windows to
choose a celeb for bonuses.
Monopoly Reel Riches takes players on a trip around the board that doesn't
end until they choose a property deed that has already been sold - even
landing on Go to Jail didn't end my round.
And WMS is getting back into reel-spinning slots, where it has had little
presence in recent years, with a new series of Dotmation games. These
aren't the plain old orange-on-black Dotmation boards of the old days.
This time, WMS has gone for full-color Dotmation to bring fun bonuses to
the reel-spinning format.
Wheel of Fortune Super Spin, (IGT): Think you've seen a lot of "Wheel of
Fortune" on slot floors? With this version, you'll be seeing a lot of
"Wheel of Fortune." Here, the wheel is huge, big enough that nine players
sit around it, each with their own video screen. If multiple players reach
the bonus round at about the same time, they can opt to wait their turn or
can choose to get in on another player's spin.
One IGT game I loved was Elvis Multi Strike, taking Leading Edge Design's
"Multi Strike Poker" concept to a video slot format. Win on the first spin
of the video reels and you get a second set of reels, worth double
paybacks, and a win there gives you a third try, quadrupling the pay
table. Presley fanatics will love the bonus rounds - a "Concert Clips"
bonus with live-action Elvis clips and an applause meter deciding if the
King gets an encore appearance; a "Photo Memories" bonus (building an
Elvis photo album) and a "Record Sales" bonus (spinning an Elvis hit as
sales and credits mount).
Back to the Future gives players a unique opportunity to improve the past
- the flux capacitor of time-travel movie fame allows players to take the
last four spins again.
In Donald Trump's The Apprentice, you choose contestants to fire, until
The Donald announces, "Even though you're a big winner, you're fired."
And for a campy good time, inventor and TV pitchmeister Ron Popeil is
represented with But Wait! Win More! Pick a Popeil product such as the
electric inside-the-shell egg scrambler and you'll think of a thousand old
commercials as first a bonus award is revealed, then Popeil announces,
"But wait! There's more!" as the bonus is increased.
50 Lions and Star Drifter (Aristocrat): How far can game manufacturers
push the number of paylines on video slots? How about 50? That's what
Aristocrat has done with "50 Lions" and "Star Drifter." The twist is that
each credit buys two lines. Aristocrat uses five reels, as is common on
video slots, but puts four symbols on each reel instead of the traditional
three, opening more paylines. The game is very much Australian-style, with
an emphasis on free-spin bonuses.
Aristocrat, which has had big success with its "Reel Power" series, where
wagers buy symbols instead of paylines, has stepped up the concept with
Super Reel Power, featuring five symbols per reel and 3,125 ways to win.
It also has combined the gameplay of "Reel Power" with its four-way
Hyperlink jackpots in the new Money Honey game. And then there's Zorro,
where spelling Z-O-R-R-O across the screen brings a second-screen bonus to
win credits, multipliers and free spins.
Cash Fever (Atronic): A four-way progressive system, "Cash Fever" starts
with two new base games - "Time for Money" and "Bedazzled." You don't have
to bet maximum coins to be eligible for the progressive jackpot - any
wager can win. But the more you bet, the higher the possible jackpot.
Unlike other multilevel progressives, "Cash Fever" lets you watch your
progress toward the jackpot levels. As your winnings accumulate on the
second-screen bonus, you watch as you reach the fourth-tier jackpot and
then, if you're lucky, advance to the third, second or first. It gives you
the fun of striving toward a goal instead of just letting the jackpot be a
mystery. With an ever-expanding game library, including the Magic bonus
series and new "Penny Parade" games, Atronic continues to be a strong
up-and-comer.