As we close out the summer of 2008, casinos worldwide have had the distinct pleasure of hosting the debut of some of the most fantastic video slot machines from all of the popular manufacturers. From what I can remember, 2008 has had the most new releases that I have seen in distant memory. And to hark back fond memories, the huge impact to more gaming choices rivaled those of the summer of 1999 when IGT released it’s prime time set of hugely acclaimed classics like Enchanted Unicorn, Little Green Men, Leopard Spots and Double Diamond 2000 to just name a few. What is it about this year that the entire industry just decided to open a Pandora’s box of new flavor titles, and what seems to be the popular theme for this year and beyond?
Let’s start off with the newest and the best of IGT. There is no denying that this company has set the bar high with it’s most innovative games around. But what exactly did they do to make a huge impact? First of all, IGT has used the innovative and professionally crafted ideas around to cater to all slot players. From what I have seen in 2008, the main driver and popular idea are the “stacked wilds” and “free spins” concepts. Everybody that I have personally interviewed agree that the stacked wilds feature is one of the most exciting features in gaming today. One player even went as far to proclaim, “you just get more chances to win for the buck, I’ve won $100 from a dollar many times”. It’s an exciting phenomenon around, as these popular games are always packed with players waiting in lines to play the next one. Some of the scorching hot “stacked MEGAGAME wilds” games this year include Wolf Run, Wild Wolf, Lil’ Lady, 100 Wolves, Arctic Fox, Bombay, Desert Spirit, Grand Monarch, Red Lions and the innovator, Coyote Moon. All of the fore-mentioned games feature multi-stacked wild reels and a free spins bonus that gets players five or more spins with the chance to re-trigger bonuses. A truly thrilling and adventurous feature found through IGT’s popular games.
And probably the most obvious feature to be found on most video slots is the “free spins” bonus feature. These games feature a bonus round within’ the game that nets players extra spins at no extra cost. Players are forever in a love spin with this fantastic feature and just about every manufacturer has taken advantage of this thrilling chase for big winnings. Some of the summer’s newest blockbusters from IGT include: Noah’s Ark, Lotus Flower, Super Happy Fortune Cat, Davinci Diamonds/Rembrandt Riches, Cash Cove, Golden Gate Multi-Way, Space for Rent, Diamond Queen, Witches Riches and so much more. And the great thing about these games is that players can monitor the bets according to what’s comfortable with them. Bet as little or as much all the way up to dollar bets, and pennies being the lowest denominator. There are more free spin games available everywhere than there was a couple years ago and they’re more popular now than ever!