glorious 43ins HD cinematic display that lends itself to new vertical game mechanics, and the Concerto Crescent, sporting a curved 43ins. HD cinematic display that’s offers the ultimate immersive player experience.
A SMASHING TIME FOR PLAYERS While hardware was certainly the star of the
Konami booth, the company has been on a hiring spree in the US for software engineers and has been utilising its software development talent pool in Japan to create unique games such as Castlevania and Hoppin’ Fish, plus other standouts that include the unique Smash Smash Festival linked bonus title seen for the first time at the show. Smash Smash Festival looks like a progressive, but play reveals a different dynamic driving the gameplay as dollar amounts on screen do not add to the progressive. Instead, players gather an ever- rising number of mystery Piñata prizes, of which they can gather an infinite amount before the mystery jackpot hits - unleashing the Smash Time feature, which as the name suggests sees the Piñata’s exploding into a mass of prizes.
In addition to what could be termed as the traditional catalogue of casino slots titles, Konami showed a series of skill-based games, two of which completely dispensed with the spinning reel format. Te variable payback games deliver a guaranteed 75 per cent RTP that’s transparent to the player from the outset,
and which provide an element of skill that’s both taxable and fair. Frogger: Get Hoppin’ is a 25c game, mirroring the original arcade title that used to be a quarter to play (back in the day). Te game sees players navigating the classic road and river obstacle course with an increasing map difficulty, different every time the game is played, and which recalibrates so that the machine delivers an RTP the property is expecting. Te game also offers a ‘Lily Pad’ picker at the end of the level that rewards the player according to their skill level, benefiting even the poorest hand-eye coordination skills with a luckier drop and vice versa.
Both Frogger Get Hoppin’ and Beat Square (a slots iteration of the Japanese arcade hit - Jubeat) incorporate arcade-style leaderboards, affording players bragging rights over other ‘competitors,’ a term used in the case of Beat Square as players must perform a series of synchronised strikes in time to music across a deck of 16 illuminated video squares (a thrilling musical whack-a-mole). Tere are no reels, video/mechanical or otherwise, with players’ skill assessed on their ability to synch their button deck strikes in time with the player- selectable tunes on offer.
Again, the RTP is recalibrated to ensure even the most successful players hit a ceiling as set by the casino and a minimum payback as set by the regulator. Of all the skill-based titles we played at G2E, Beat Square was the game that
most closely resembled its 2008 arcade equivalent and one whose frantic gameplay blend of skill and musical challenge felt unlike any casino machine we’ve every played.
MULTI-PLAYER PERFORMANCE Finally, and in spectacular closing fashion, the
Konami stand further surprised with two multi- station products, the mechanical horse-racing title, Fortune Cup, complete with 10 betting terminals expandable to 100 should the operator desire; and Crystal Cyclone, an eight- player multi-station featuring a center mechanical bonus that hints at bingo and roulette, with each player designated their own coloured ball that ‘cyclonically’ spins from the top of the centre unit (in a blaze of colour) into pockets with pre-determined values at its base. It’s a fun, communal RNG concept that wouldn’t surprise us if it made its way from concept to casino floor given its enthusiastic reception at G2E.
“Konami’s core gaming roots hold firm in entertainment, amusement, and arcades. Te technology and development resources we have in America, Australia, and Japan are best-of- breed, and we’re thrilled to be able to bring those advancements to casino operators,” concluded Mr. Walther. “Konami has the core creative power to bring new variations of gambling entertainment to the market so our casino customers can offer their diverse player groups an array of gaming options.”
NEWSWIRE / INTERACTIVE /
247.COM P83
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