By David Newstead
For slot fans it's been a fairly decent start to the year, with a liberal sprinkling of jackpot wins in progressives and some great new slots hitting casinos. The obvious new one that springs to mind is Hellboy, but does this gem mark a slippery descent back to the normal factory line style production of slots? You know, the ones that are simply re-skinned 5 reel slot engines with increasingly inane themes and equally dull titles…Robot Butler for example. Come on Microgaming, what were you thinking?!
So what's on the cards and what's better – less new online slots but games with better themes and more imaginative features, or the continual pumping out of generic new slots? Well, there's an argument for both scenarios.
My immediate answer is: Bring on the Hellboys, the Marvel Comics and the other big franchises! I undoubtedly spend longer on them, bask in their amazing graphics and their immersive storylines, and will plug away until I see how the features and bonuses play, or until my money runs out…They generate buzz in forums, the casinos run special promotions and the hype means I'm waiting in the online casino for the games to appear. However, as much as I like these superstar slots, they are few and far between and as much as I dislike playing those mundane generic slots there is something about launching a new game…
Maybe it's that "is this my lucky slot?" feeling, or the thought that I can find the secret to it. Also, I have to admit that amongst generic slots a and b there is normally nestled in between a themed game that is connected to an event, like Halloween or Christmas, and that does it for me. I like the connection – it puts me in the Christmas spirit, or the mood to turn all the lights out and ignore knocks at the door. Finally, let's face it, a re-skinned Thunderstruck or Triple Twister means those games still lie beneath shiny new graphics, and that really can't be bad.
So maybe the balance between the odd mega slot, the themed slot and the generics is just right! Let's see what 32Red have just announced will be their new games for February: Winter Gold, Love Potion and Hot Air. Winter Gold…okay, the winter Olympics – I dig that. Love Potion: it Valentine's day in February so that's cool – I'll play that one. Hot Air: Ahh, there it is - the generic "we couldn't think of anything else" slot. The name says it all.