Inside Asian Gaming

INSIDE ASIAN GAMING | July 2013 30 FEATURES maturation of the Macau machine gambler, he notes, has been one of its more significant developments. “You’re getting players that have got a lot more variety. We’re seeing changes in denomination come into play, more animation and graphics, lower volatility games and higher volatility games. Where it used to be just standalone and link, now there’s licensed product in the marketplace, there’s features in the top box, and you’re starting to see more standalone jackpot- style games.” Legends is one response. On Demand is another, a downloadable solution, shown in Asia for the first time at G2E, that lets operators change out game content with the touch of a button. This includes a number of dual-language titles. Then there’s More Power, a new iteration of Reel Power that brings a whole new level of interaction to the popular standalone progressive format. More Power features expanding reels that shift from 243 ways to win in 3x5 reels in the free games feature to 1,024 ways in 4x5 and up to 3,125 possible combinations in 5x5s. The Hyperlink multi-progressive platform is getting a fresh look as well, and G2E saw the pairing of Hyperlink 2.0 with Dragons on the Lake, a game designed specifically for the Asian market that brings together elements of 5 Dragons and FA FA FA in the form of a symbol-triggered jackpot and selectable volatility that lets players target the prize they want to aim for. The bank on the show floor was fitted with an A-list underneath consisting of 5 Dragons Deluxe, Fortune King and Choy Sun Doa. Also unveiled was an exciting reprise of Hyperlink’s legendary Cash Express—Cash Express Gold Class, sporting an interactive top box in the shape of a locomotive smokestack and a randomly triggered “Multiplier Wheel Feature” that boosts base game wins up to 100 times. A “Gold Class Feature,” also randomly triggered, moves the player into a special three-reel screen for 20 free games. Jackpots are generated via a “Stop Reels” button that halts each of the five reels on a points total, the cumulative points corresponding to a progressive. There’s also an additional prize level that resets to a higher amount than the traditional four. The show also saw the Asian debut of Wonder 4, an entirely unique take on the multi-game concept that allows players to select one or more of four base games in any combination or all four at once. It’s a multi-game within a multi-game with an innovative drag-and-drop feature that lets players move the titles from the menu onto any of the reel sets. Choices include two Reel Power scatter-pay games and an Xtra Reel Power game in addition to the standard pay- line game. A bonus-packed “Super Feature,” triggered when the symbols line up on reels 1, 2 and 3, gets four games going at once at heady max bets in the range of 1,600 credits. The version designed for Macau and the larger region, “Wonder 4 Stars,” features 5 Dragons and 50 Lions, another proven performer. It was just days after G2E Asia that Aristocrat stated its expectation that profits in the next six months will be as robust as 50 Dragons Deluxe and Fortune King Deluxe are the latest additions to the popular Legends series. Dragons on the Lake—Hyperlink 2.0 with an Asian twist, featuring symbol-triggered jackpots and selectable volatility.