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Slot Machines and pop culture II
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by: John Grochowski. Slots, Online slots stories.
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 slot 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 slot 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 slot machine 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 tepped 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 slot 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 triving 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" slot games, Atronic continues to be a strong up-and-comer.

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© Copyright 2005 John Grochowski's material. It may not be published, broadcasted, rewritten, or redistributed.





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