Archive for February, 2010
Slot Request: Bike Week
When I was in school, I used to get in trouble a lot for zoning out and daydreaming in class. Sure, it may have been embarrassing when I was caught and it may have led to me being confused on quizzes every now and then, but I can’t say it was a bad thing, because that same imaginative spirit has led to me getting this job. One of the things I like to imagine is an online slot that doesn’t exist (yet) and what features it would have. My first Slot Request blog was about an online slot with a 90’s theme. My new idea: Bike Week.
For any readers in the United States, you might know that Bike Week is coming up. For the uninitiated, Bike Week is the time of year when bikers from around the nation (and some from other countries) put on their leather, hop on their Harleys, and head to Florida (mostly Daytona Beach) to celebrate the biker lifestyle. Bike Week is an exciting and very colorful event and I think it would make a great theme for an online slot.
The different symbols for the slot could be things that we are used to seeing while walking along the road during Bike Week, which would be drunken bikers who forgot to wear pants with their chaps, scantily-clad beer tub girls, a wide range of tattoos, classic rock concerts, the bikes themselves and more.
Bike Week is also known for having a wide range of events with girls wrestling each other in a wide variety of substances, which can include mud, oil, coleslaw and more. Basically, it’s like Spring Break but with bikers instead of college students. Anyway, I can’t think of a better idea for a bonus game than that!
If the game wanted to promote motorcycle safety, it could emphasize bikers who wear helmets or show a crash scene with crime scene tape. I could also show terrible traffic jams as people in cars who have the bad luck to live in the city try to make their way through traffic that has bikers almost shoulder to shoulder. It can show hotels that triple their rates the day the bikers come into town. There are a number of great possibilities.
Most of all, Bike Week is a celebration of the type of fellowship that comes from meeting thousands of people with the same interests and hanging out for a week. It embraces a biker culture that in reality is a far cry from the loner outlaw image of Easy Rider. It’s a celebration of community, horsepower and leather. And I, for one, think it would make for a great online slot. What do you think?
Golden Lotus Slot at Rushmore Casino
There is a new online slot at Rushmore Casino called Golden Lotus. If you’re like me, you probably thought to yourself what in the world is a golden lotus? Isn’t lotus a yoga position? Yes, it is, and an extremely painful one that that. Of course, I think getting into any yoga position can be considered cruel and unusual punishment. Even if you don’t think it’s cruel, it’s certainly unusual. It turns out, though, that the yoga position of lotus is named after an aquatic plant that grows in Asia. Now I bet you know what the theme of this slot is.
Golden Lotus is a game set in a Chinese garden, with lotus plants, ornate vases, Chinese lanterns, dragons and geishas appearing as symbols. The background shows botanical scenery as well as Chinese architecture. The game is a 5-reel, 25-payline online slot that can be played in denominations ranging from $.01 to $5 per line.
There are a number of bonus rounds, including the Chinese Garden Feature, where you are taken to a garden with 8 golden lotuses floating in the pond. You then pick 4 of the lotuses and get whatever secret bonus accompanies them. Those bonuses can be a multiplier that triggers up to 100x the bet or up to 20 free spins.
The Golden Lotus online slot has both a major jackpot and a minor jackpot. The graphics are crisp but have a cartoonish feel rather than seeming realistic. While playing the game, unless you mute it you will be treated with or bothered by Chinese music, depending on your point of view. I liked the music myself and thought it added to the atmosphere. It wasn’t as good as the Memoirs of a Geisha score, but it will do.
Golden Lotus is a break from the slot themes of superheroes, fighters, sports or other exciting, male-centered subjects. Instead, it embraces the simplicity and beauty in the Chinese culture and landscape. If that kind of thing suits you, this online slot could be what you’re looking for.
To play the new Golden Lotus slot, visit Rushmore Casino today.
Amazing Slots Challenge by Club World Casino
Progressive slots are the ultimate in risk-reward. They pay out less often than regular slots, but because of that and the fact that they share a jackpot with other online slots, when they are hit it’s a huge payout. The big jackpots attract many people to progressive slots, but those games aren’t for everybody.
People are attracted to the progressive slots because of the massive jackpots, but if all they’re playing for is the possibility of hitting that jackpot, their odds are no better than winning the lottery. Most people play slots to enjoy a fun game and hopefully make a little money in the process. For those players, I do not recommend progressive slots. Instead, I recommend playing regular online slots and betting the minimum so your money will last longer.
Club World Casino is now trying to convince players to use their progressive slots, though, by offering a new promotion. The promotion is called the Amazing Slots Challenge. Club World has noticed that the progressive slots aren’t being played as often as they would like and as a result, the jackpots for most are higher than usual. Club World is reminding players of those high jackpots and is challenging them to try and hit the slot. To further entice things, the casino is offering a $500 bonus on a $150 deposit for all slot players.
Here’s the catch, though. To claim that bonus, you don’t have to play any of their progressive slots. Any slots will due. For that reason, I encourage players to take advantage of this bonus and play whatever online slot you want. If you want a shot at the massive jackpots of online slots and don’t mind having the reduced chance of getting any money back, play the progressive games. Just be sure to bet the maximum amount. That way, if you do hit the jackpot you will be awarded the entire thing.
If you would rather have better odds of getting money back, though, and simply want to play a fun slot game, I recommend playing a regular online slot instead of a progressive game. For these players, I recommend betting the minimum amount. You will win less money when you win but you will also lose less money on the rest of the spins. Since more spins should lose than win, betting the minimum will make your money last longer.
To take advantage of this great bonus offer, visit Club World Casino today.
Slot Request: I Love the 90’s
You may have noticed by now, but I like to daydream from time to time. My mind just wanders off like that and instead of fighting it, I embrace it. That’s why I’ve written some blogs about how I would improve online slots and it’s why I am starting a new series of blogs that I will write on occasion, the Slot Request.
There are slots out there for virtually every theme imaginable, with something for just about everyone. But there can always be more. Ideally, that sentence would not have included the word “virtually” or the phrase “just about.” I recently wrote about a new online slot called So 80’s, which reveled in nostalgia for that great, cheesy time period. As a child of the 80’s, I can certainly appreciate that. However, I was a kid in the 80’s and a teen in the 90’s, so that is the time period I hold the most dear. What I would like to see is an online slot with a 90’s theme.
Though it doesn’t have the same campy appeal as the previous decade, the 90’s were still distinct. Some of the icons of the 80’s carried over into the early part of the decade. When I think of that era, though, I think of the time of grunge, with the flannel shirts, ripped stone-washed jeans and long hair. I think of the Bill Clinton-Monica Lewinsky scandal. I think of the popularity of the Internet and hearing “you’ve got mail” when you log on. I think of the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the cloning of a sheep, the death of Princess Diana, sitcoms like Friends and Seinfeld, and the Wonderba. Any of those things would make for great symbols in an online slot.
The bonus game could be something like surviving a mosh pit without losing your shoes (a common problem at rock concerts). Or maybe the bonus game could incorporate one of the iconic video games of the era, such as Sonic the Hedgehog, Tomb Raider, or Mortal Kombat.
There are a number of great ideas for an online slot with a 90’s theme, but I don’t want to do all of the work here. The software development companies have creative departments that do this kind of thing. So get to work, you guys!
City of Gold Online Slot at English Harbour
English Harbour Casino recently launched four new online slots from Vegas Technology, each with a different theme and each amusing in its own way. Fire Hawk is the mildly-cliched game with the Indian theme, set in the American Old West, complete with head dresses, peace pipes and a backdrop of Utah mountains. Shaaark! is a game that celebrates the lighter side of shark attacks, with a cartoonish look that combines the menacing nature of shark-infested waters with comic relief. My favorite of the bunch is Vampire Vixen, which seems to have a theme that is a cross between the most recent Twilight movie and Jennifer’s Body, only without the blank expressions and terrible acting.
The other slot that’s new to English Harbour Casino is called City of Gold, which is a game with an Aztec theme. The ancient tribe of central Mexico is the basis for this new game. The background appears to be a temple in the middle of a jungle, with the title of the game seeming to be carved in gold.
The online slot features symbols of a temple, golden mask, necklaces and other forms of art and architecture associated with the Aztecs. It is a 5-reel, 20-payline online slot that can be played in denominations ranging from $0.01 to $0.25. The slot has a fixed jackpot of 6,000 coins, the dollar amount of which varies depending on your wager. Though there are no bonus mini-games, the online slot does have bonuses, such as free spins and multipliers.
City of Gold is the most simplistic of English Harbour’s new slots. It lacks the animations and other frills that adorn the others. Instead, it is more of a homage to the older online slots, those that were a technological improvement upon the fruit machines but not as advanced as video slots. If you want a no-frills slot experience with a good jackpot, this could be the game for you.
To take a trip back to the days of the Aztec civilization and get in some slots fun, visit English Harbour Casino today.
Crazy Vegas Bonus at Aladdin’s Gold Casino
Playing games at an online casino is a lot more fun if you get something back for your effort. After all, that’s why we do it, right? Sure, we play the games to have fun, but we’re also risking some of our money in the hopes of getting it back and more. I think that’s why bonuses are so popular at online casinos. You get money back even if you don’t have success at the game.
Right now, Aladdin’s Gold Casino is holding the Crazy Vegas Bonus promotion. It is a promotion where coupons are given back to players after making deposits and the bonuses are different depending on which game you play.
For players of online slots, keno and scratch cards, Aladdin’s Gold is giving away up to 50 coupons. Each coupon is for 60% of the deposit amount, with a maximum limit of $1,000. The bonus must be wagered at least 25 times before a withdrawal is made. Though online slot players can use any slot in the casino, the featured slot for this promotion is Crazy Vegas (thus the name of the promotion), which is basically a slot that plays on all of Las Vegas’s tropes and clichés.
If you’re not in the mood for slots, there are other games available to play in the promotion. Of course, if you’re not into slots I’m not sure why you’re reading a blog on Best Buy Slots (not that I don’t appreciate you being here). If you would rather play table games, such as online blackjack, baccarat and more, then you can get 50 coupons that offer a bonus of 45% of the deposit, with a maximum amount of $1,000. These bonuses have a requirement of being wagered 50 times before being withdrawn.
To take part in the Crazy Vegas Bonus promotion, visit Aladdin’s Gold Casino today.
Alaskan Fishing Slot at Golden Reef Casino
When you think of Alaska, you think of cold, mosquitoes, long periods of darkness and light, Sarah Palin, and the outdoors. And probably hockey. But let’s go back to the outdoors part, because that’s the subject of this post.
Microgaming has released a new online slot called Alaskan Fishing, which pays homage to one of the great pastimes of America’s largest state. The game, which can be found at Golden Reef Casino, has a background of what looks like a scenic lake perfect for a fishing trip.
The beautiful outdoors of Alaska are on display here, with symbols of fishing boats, pontoon planes, a fisherman, fish jumping out of the water, and more. It’s not just the humans that are fishing, though. True to the Alaskan wilderness, the slot also has symbols of brown bears and eagles catching fish for dinner.
The game should provide a fun gaming experience for the more outdoorsy types. Sure, online casinos have tons of slots for comic book nerds, video game nerds and the like, but what about those who love hunting, camping and fishing? Finally, there’s a game for the outdoors type who loves to play on a computer indoors. That’s where this game at Golden Reef Casino comes in.
Alaskan Fishing is a 5-reel slot that doesn’t have traditional paylines. Instead, the game offers 243 ways to win. Instead of trying to figure out those ways, it’s best to just live in ignorance and simply take the game’s word for it when you win and lose money. It’s easier that way.
The online slot can be played using denominations ranging from $.01 to $.05, with a maximum bet of $15 per spin. There is a bonus game that is triggered by the fisherman symbol, which will take you to a screen where you try fly fishing. The goal is to choose 5 fish from a large group, with each fish having a different secret multiplier value, ranging from 2x to 15x.
So, whether you’re a hockey mom, bass pro, or just an admirer of pristine scenery, the Alaskan Fishing slot is a good game to try. To play the game, visit Golden Reef Casino today.
Embrace Nostalgia with So 80’s Slot at Sloto’ Cash Casino
Ah, the 80’s. Anyone who is old enough to recollect that decade can’t help but look back with both amusement and bemusement. VH1 even devoted a large chunk of their programming at one point to looking at the era with nostalgia, reminiscing and making fun of the time.
To be honest, I loved the 80’s and still do. Not only was it the era of the last great American president (Ronald Reagan), but it was a time when being cheesy was a virtue and being virtuous was cheesy. I have to admit that I love the campy nature of the time, with its polished power pop, big hair, bright neon spandex, horrible TGIF comedies, and slap bracelets.
For that reason, I was excited when I learned about the So 80’s online slot available at Sloto’ Cash Casino. This slot embraces the trends of the 80’s to maximum effect. The game has a black and white checkerboard background that is flanked by cassette tapes and Walkmans.
As for the symbols, the game features the standard card symbols (J, 10, A, etc.). Normally I hate those symbols, but these are done in a way that looks like it’s straight out of an Atari game. Speaking of games, other symbols include a scene from what looks like Space Invaders, a boom box, some guy with a mullet, a breakdancer, and some leg warmers, among other things. The intro video for the online slot shows a man breakdancing flanked by several girls in full 80’s attire.
So 80’s is a 5-reel, 15-payline online slot that can be played using coins ranging from $.01 to $.50. There are no bonus games, but there are free spins that are triggered by the scatter symbols. The maximum payout for the game is 25,000 coins.
Maybe I’m the only one who’s excited about this game, but I hope not. If you’re like me, then spray on your Aqua Net, grab a Jolt Cola, and sit down for some fun slot action. Be sure not to drink the Jolt Cola while you’re eating Pop Rocks, though.
So don’t be ashamed of your past. We all looked like that, spoke like that, and watched that garbage in the 80’s. And before you knock the fashion, remember that leggings have come back in style (though I hope the hair will not).
To embrace your past and celebrate the decade of low taxes, low unemployment and a high amount of fun, visit Sloto’ Cash Casino today.
Cherry Red Offers Lions and Tigers; Oh My!
So who is really King of the Jungle? At one point in life, we have all asked our dad who would win in a fight between a lion and a tiger. I know I did. Unfortunately, I never got a satisfactory answer. My dad always told me that they didn’t live the same place, since lions live in Africa and tigers live in Asia.
“Okay, dad, I get that, but what if they were the same place?”
“I guess whoever was out of place would lose because it would be a new and confusing environment for them.”
“Okay, what if it was a neutral site? Like they were both dropped in Antarctica?”
It was usually at that point that my dad changed the subject and asked how my homework was doing. To this day, I don’t know the answer. I did see some lame show on the Discovery Channel where they attempted to answer the question using a computer simulation, but I was unimpressed.
Anyway, it’s true that you normally don’t find lions and tigers in the same place, but there are a couple exceptions, such as the zoo and Cherry Red Casino.
Cherry Red was nice enough to not make me choose between playing an online slot with a lion theme and one with a tiger them, since they have one of each. The lion-themed slot is called Lion’s Lair and it has the backdrop of the African plains in vivid colors. For symbols, the slot has footprints, male and female lions, lion prey (like a zebra), African plant-life and more. Some of the symbols are animated, such as a lion that lifts his head and growls when you win money. The color palette and style of animation reminds me of Disney’s The Lion King and the game is fun if you’re into nature and deadly predators. I know I am.
Tiger Treasures has a Chinese theme, featuring the giant panda, tigers and Chinese characters, among other symbols. If you’re still comparing who would win in a fight, in this example it would be the lion, since the South China tiger is the smallest of the tiger subspecies. Like Lion’s Lair, in this game if you get a winning combination with a tiger on the screen, that tiger will close its eyes and growl at you. It’s kind of an odd paring, because winning money is a good thing and having a 200-pound predator growl at you is usually cause for concern.
Both games are 5-reel, 20-line online slots and both have the same drawback: Though they have some cool symbols (like a lion and tiger), they also have lame playing card symbols (like an A, 9 or J). That’s just a pet peeve of mine. After all of these years, I think online slots have progressed to a point where every symbol should be unique and interesting. Get rid of those boring symbols! Another drawback is that I lost money at both slots. Sure, it was fake money, but my fake wife always yells at me when I lose fake money playing online slots because I’m supposed to be saving for a fake college fund.
To play either of the fun games featuring wild feline predators, visit Cherry Red Casino today.
Call of Duty Online Slot Released
My favorite online slots are the games that are more interactive. Sure, if I’m feeling nostalgic I can play an old-style fruit machine or something, but usually I want more. I want video sequences, good animation, an engaging theme and maybe even a clear storyline.
All of those are offered by Cryptologic’s new Call of Duty 4 online slot. I have mixed emotions about this game, but one thing is certain: it’s really cool. For those who have been living in a cave for the last year, first let me say welcome back to the real world and I’m glad you could find a computer to log onto my website. Secondly, I should tell you that Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was the biggest video game of last year, selling millions of copies for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and computers.
It was also a highly controversial video game, perhaps the most since the Grand Theft Auto series became popular. Any war games are going to be somewhat controversial due to their violent nature and objections from the anti-war crowd. However, this game was a little different. Instead of being set in the deserts of the Middle East, the beaches of Normandy or the jungles of Vietnam, this game is set in the United States of America, including bloody battles at the White House. Less than a decade after the 9/11 attacks, many people simply don’t have the stomach for a game like that being set in America. Those people will have the same objection with this online slot.
The Call of Duty slot has great graphics, with a military background that shows soldiers parachuting onto the rubble of an unknown city (possibly New York). The symbols are of grenades, gas masks, ammunition, rifles and more. There are also animations of violent battles in the game that are straight out of the home video game version.
If people had objections to playing a violent video game based on a fictional war set on the streets of America, somehow an online slot version seems worse. After all, a lot of dark, violent things happen in video games. We are a long way from games like Mario Brothers being the big money-makers. However, slots tend to have a feel-good atmosphere, with themes playing up sporting events, exotic vacations, relaxing at the spa and the like. It makes sense, because having fun makes you want to keep spending and happy subjects can put you in the mood to play for longer. This game, however, has such dreary subject matter that even seeing it could stress out or cause an intense psychological reaction for some. Despite that, it has been chosen as the theme for an online slot. Is something as horrific as war fought on American soil being portrayed as fun and trivial? After all, that’s what we think of when we think of slots, right? Maybe not, but you certainly won’t ever see a Holocaust-themed slot. So why is this okay?
I don’t know. Like I said, I have mixed feelings about this game. It is extremely well done, but I don’t want to play it myself and I can’t recommend it to anyone because it would be offensive to so many. In the end, though, each player will make up their own minds about the game.