NEWGAMEREVIEW
4 Chinese Beasts Aruze Gaming
T
his is one of the first games in Aruze’s new “Innovator With Radiant Reels” series of stepper games. The new technology features oversized
reels—at 18.1 inches across, with each reel strip measuring 3.54 inches, they are the largest strips for a five-reel format in the business—along with supporting effects such as multi- colored LED back lighting and a variable reel speed. The base game for 4 Chinese Beasts is a five-reel, 50-line
stepper. The variable reel speeds are used to build anticipa- tion for results in the primary game. The game incorporates a four-level progressive—a “Mini” resetting at $15; a “Minor” resetting at $30; a “Major” starting at $150; and a “Grand” resetting at $500—along with a an animated bonus
wheel in the top-box LCD. When three or more bonus symbols appear, the “4 Beasts
Bonus” is triggered, and the player spins a wheel in the top box containing five bonus games on the slices. Four of them are free-spin events, each related to one of the “beasts:” the
Wolf Run 2: Into The Wild International Game Technology
A
s part of a re-emphasis on successful core video games, IGT went back and modernized the technology of one of its most popular video slots of all time, Wolf Run.
Wolf Run 2: Into The Wild employs the same game mechanic as the
original Wolf Run, with high hit frequency, free-spin bonus events and the signature stacked wild symbols. However, the company has brought the graphics of the decade-old title into the 21st century with the AVP format. The company’s designers used the higher computer power to create a
striking graphic mix of artwork and actual wildlife photography. Instead of one animated wolf symbol, the reel symbols depict photographs of wolves in the wild. In attract mode, the LCD screen on top alternates among sev- eral wildlife scenes, and the entire backdrop scene for the primary game changes every five minutes. The entire symbol set of the game uses real wildlife imagery shot by world-famous nature photographers. The images are accentuated by IGT’s MLD (multi-layer display) technology, the 3D effect that causes symbols to seem to pop out of the screen. In addition to random wild symbols, the game offers players the ability
to choose their own bonus events. The base game is a five-reel, 40-line slot. Players can choose between two bonus events, the Arctic Free Games or the
60
Animal Tracking Bonus. In the Animal Tracking Bonus, players pick from realistic sketches of big and small game animals in search of credits.
Manufacturer: International Game Technology Platform: AVP Format: Five-reel, 40-line video slot
Denomination: .01 Max Bet: 400 Top Award: 20,000 times line bet Hit Frequency: Approximately 50%
Theoretical Hold: 2%—15%
Vermillion Bird, the Black Tortoise, the White Tiger and the Azure Dragon. The fifth slice on the wheel triggers a progressive bonus feature consisting of a combination of free games, multipli- ers, wild reels and the multi-level progressive jackpot. When the wheel stops, the player is awarded the indicated bonus feature. The mythological creatures, popular in Chinese folklore, pro-
vide the backdrop for a volatile game that includes a jump in the payback percentage for max-coin—along with a faster spin of the reels, which spin as fast as 200 RPM.
Manufacturer: Aruze Gaming Platform: Innovator With Radiant Reels Format: Five-reel, 50-line stepper Denomination: .01 Max Bet: 300 Top Award: Progressive; $500 reset Hit Frequency: Approximately 50% Theoretical Hold: 5%—9%
by Frank Legato
Global Gaming Business • November 2011
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