Gaming Slots and electronic gaming

Top of the slots

Written by The Tiger

This article first appeared in the May/Jun 2015 issue of WGM.

Having produced many of the most successful slots of all time, what new wonders will Aristocrat unveil at this year’s G2E Asia?

When it comes to creating slots specifically geared towards the Asian market, none has enjoyed as much success as Aristocrat. One of the great innovators of electronic gaming, they were the first slot manufacturer to truly adapt to the burgeoning Macau market back in 2003 with the release of “5 Dragons”, which has gone on to become one of the most successful slots of all time.

Featuring imagery that paid tribute to ancient Chinese mythology, “5 Dragons” was not only visually appealing to Asian customers but also recognized their preference for some level of control over their gaming by offering players a range of free game options whenever the feature was triggered.

Since the release of “5 Dragons” 12 years ago, Aristocrat has followed up with a number of similarly innovative concepts such as the “Fa Fa Fa” linked jackpot and that trend looks set to continue at this year’s G2E Asia where the company will unveil a range of exciting new products.

Once again, the focus of their development is specifically the Asia-Pacific region with the company stating, “Aristocrat is committed to maintaining our reputation for building market-leading content specifically for Asia-Pacific, with continuous innovation and maximum flexibility designed to meet the needs of local customers and players.”

The highlights of this year’s releases are the company’s famed Hyperlink additions, led by their newest Hyperlink creation “Fortune Tree”. “Fortune Tree” reflects the luck, wealth and prosperity of Chinese New Year and the idea that red packets deliver these qualities.

When the Hyperlink feature is triggered, a cumquat tree appears on screen and reveals a number of red packets. Players then choose their red packets to reveal one of the four jackpot levels. “Fortune Tree” appears on three Aristocrat games – “5 Dragons Deluxe”, “50 Dragons Deluxe” and “Fortune King Deluxe” – and will be officially launched at G2E Asia.

Joining “Fortune Tree” will be the “Good Fortune” link which was first unveiled in 2014 with “5 Dragons” and “Dragons of the Eastern Ocean”. This year, two brand new titles featuring the “Good Fortune” link will be released. They are “Pure Diamonds” which has a luxury jewelry theme and “Lucky Festival” which has a Chinese New Year theme.

The “Good Fortune” link boasts five jackpot levels and features the God of Wealth character made famous by “Fa Fa Fa”.

One of the more interesting products Aristocrat will unveil at G2E Asia – and certainly the hardest to miss – will be their Super Wheel Blast. Designed specifically to have a number of machines banked together to create a visual destination that naturally attracts attention, the Super Wheel Blast family of games are the first to run exclusively on Aristocrat’s Helix GEN 8 cabinets which boast Full HD infinity edged LCD screens, dynamic LCD button technology and quad audio and subwoofers. In other words it’s a full visual and aural assault!

The Super Wheel Blast boasts three titles featuring international themes from New York, Venice and Hong Kong. A separate box above the main unit features the Super Wheel and when the feature is triggered, the wheel is spun to reveal one of the many feature options including free games, multipliers, extra wild spins and jackpots.

Other products on show at G2E Asia will include the latest from Aristocrat’s E*Series range of games – which are specifically designed with player entertainment in mind – and new releases from the Players Choice range which allows players to choose from a number of titles all on the one machine.

Aristocrat has long been the market leader in the Asia-Pacific region when it comes to slot machine development and it will be fascinating to see their latest innovations on display before they hit the market.