Review SPIELO INTERNATIONAL
GENERATION ‘Z’ SPIELO International introduced visitors to the
ICE show to its inspired range of PopCap games, bringing ‘casual’ into the play-for-real arena
As a hundred conferences in 2013 fill with delegates all desperate to learn how they can connect with the next generation of players through social media and social gaming, consider first gaming's greatest asset: its games and the ability of those games to engage with players. The SPIELO International stand at ICE focused on the thrill of playing games, richly and intensely themed with titles that surprised, delighted, and amazed. The launch of its PopCap games range in Europe, Plants vs. Zombies, Zuma, and Bejeweled, tap directly into the casual gaming space without lectures and hypothesising about the future of gaming. These are multi-million selling games (PopCap's games have been downloaded over 1.5 billion times by consumers worldwide, and its flagship franchise, Bejeweled, has sold more than 50 million units) and they're the kind of IP that converts so perfectly to play-for-money gaming (think Monopoly or Wheel of Fortune, the format of the IP is a game, with existing hooks and original player mechanics).
The casual versions of these games are beloved by billions of people worldwide, and appeal to both men and women. SPIELO International has worked closely with PopCap to stay true to the spirit of their brands and create fun and engaging new slot gaming experiences. Visually striking, SPIELO International's PopCap library of games utilises the MaXVusion cabinet design with a new 32ins. portrait high-definition LCD top screen. It offers customised, dynamic content and vibrant game screen features, along with highly visible, theme-specific packaging and a full-colour digital button deck.
The Plants vs. Zombies licence has been utilised in two individual games, Plants vs. Zombies Gargantuar and Plants vs. Zombies Backyard Showdown. SPIELO International has incorporated popular and easily recognisable elements from the casual game, such as unique behaviours of the various plants and zombies, into two spinning reel slot games. Fans of the casual game will recognise familiar sound effects and music, while slot players only just getting acquainted with the slot versions will quickly understand why this
March 2013 PAGE 54
The Plants Vs. Zombies licence
has been utilised in two individual
games, Plants vs. Zombies
Gargantuar and
Plants vs. Zombies Backyard
Showdown. SPIELO has incorporated
popular and easily recognisable
elements from the
casual game, such as unique
behaviours of the
various plants and zombies, into two spinning reel slot games.
game has become such an enormous international hit. Incorporating even more elements from the game, both titles feature the Graveyard Bonus, where players pick gravestones, collect suns, and accrue credits in an attempt to win one of three progressives before the zombies invade their house and eat their 'brainz.'
The second game from the PopCap stable is Bejeweled, which again incorporates distinctive game mechanics from the casual game, starting with an 8x8 cascading matrix and innovative bet boosters that allow players to buy one to three win-enhancing boosts. Mirroring the casual gameplay features, bonuses and bonus pots are earned through special gems that appear via cascades, and a bonus pot is tied to each of the seven unique gems. The game is instantly recognisable to fans of the causal game, while its simple to understand play mechanics and vibrant graphics will also equally appeal to players completely new to the game.
The final PopCap favourite, Zuma, has players fighting evil tiki bosses while having 'ball-blasting' fun. SPIELO International has turned Zuma into a slot version of the casual game with some extraordinary features. Taken directly from the source, an innovative, industry- first moving ball track surrounds the reel set. The track is a win-triggering element that increments the three-level guaranteed-to-hit pots, or triggers five unique, colourful power frogs that place
wilds on the main game base screen.
Another literally massive new product on the stand at ICE was MEGA KONG, the new multi-level progressive link and follow-up to SPIELO International's 'Mega' successful KING KONG CASH. This brand-new four-level progressive link offers the action of two bonus rounds: the Mystery Kong Bonus and the Mega Kong Bonus. For both bonus types, the hit frequency is almost independent of the actual bet. However, the chances of entering one of the bonuses improves with an increasing bet in the base game. Mega Kong has been designed with regular players in mind, who can appreciate the chance of hitting a jackpot on a more frequent basis, and the new Mega Kong can be linked to existing King Kong Cash to extend the link.
The final major announcement on the SPIELO International stand was the launch of two completely new suites of diversity™ multi-games packages. Debuted for the first time anywhere during the ICE show. diversity Best of Vol. 1 featured the most successful titles from all nine diversity suites. In response to customers’ requests, the new diversity Legendary Classics featured titles with a low line count. At the show SPIELO International also announced diversity Link, featuring brand-new link functionality for its multigame solution. It is aimed in particular at smaller sized venues that can utilise the system to offer progressive gaming to their players at no extra cost.
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