Video games are thought by many to be played only by kids, but with more advanced gaming systems being developed over the years, more and more adults have found themselves enjoying various titles that are geared towards a more mature audience. Games that were complex, required critical thinking, and needed expert hand-eye coordination became fast favorites by those who loved a challenge.
A lot of games on these consoles, and even on mobile as well as PC, generated a following that led to them becoming massive hits and gaining worldwide popularity. This is due to gamers that post reviews and share their thoughts on these games to others just like them and to the general populace by way of YouTube videos and forums. This popularity has led to not only to incredible sales for the developers of such games but also to the creation of sequels and spin-offs.
Well-known Video Games Turned Into Slot Machines
The popularity of these video games also led to the development of slot machines that carried the same name and same characters as symbols on the reels, giving the adult players another version of their favorite video game. Here are some of the more popular video games that have become slot machines that are also popular with casino gamers:
Bejeweled – this game, which first gained popularity as a puzzle game that you can play on your PC, and later as a mobile game that you can play anywhere on your smartphone, is a natural choice for this. Turning this game into a slot machine is not that big a surprise since it does have game symbols that can be easily translated into slot machine symbols.
This game is so easy to transpose into a slot machine game that there are actually quite a few versions of it. These include Bejeweled 2 and Bejeweled Hypercash by Gamesys, Bejeweled Cascades by Blueprint, and the original Bejeweled by Amaya. All of these versions come in a five-reel format and feature the symbols that you love in the original puzzle game, along with special symbols for wild, scatter, and the usual 10, J, Q, K, and A symbols.
The RTPs of these different versions range from 94.26% to 96.11%. You will also find that these games come in various formats that include 5x3, 5x5, and 8x8. Maximum number of coins you can win in this game range from 20000 to 312500.
Zuma – another popular puzzle game from the same developer as Bejeweled is this Aztec-inspired rotating ball puzzle that features jungle backgrounds and tribal music. Unlike Bejeweled however, this game that also gained popularity via PC, console, and mobile gaming, only has one slot machine to its name. Another distinct difference between this game and its fellow puzzle game is the symbols that are used on the reels.
Whereas the other game featured symbols from the puzzle game itself, the Zuma slot machine featured the other parts of the video game and not the balls that you had to shoot and pair to win. The symbols in this game included the game’s logo, the frog that shoots balls from the middle of the screen, and the mouth statues that spit out balls onto the spiral board. As always, you will find card numbers from 10 to Ace on this 5x3 slot machine as additional game symbols.
Zuma Slots, which is developed and distributed by Blueprint Gaming, comes with a 95.74% RTP, 20 paylines, and a background design that reminds you of the game. Maximum amount of coins you can win on this game is 100000. The game was first introduced to the public in the first quarter of 2013.
Resident Evil – not only has this title inspired six movies that featured Milla Jovovich in the lead role of Alice, but it has also inspired game developers to create a slot machine with the same creepy characters and design. This game, which was first introduced in 1996 worldwide, was actually called Biohazard in Japan. It featured a creepy mansion, zombies, mutated dogs, and heroes that had to fight their way through the mansion to their freedom.
The slot machine version of this long-running game comes in a few versions, with the latest version, Resident Evil 6, developed by Skywind Group. This newer game comes with images of the heroes in the game on its reels along with some of the items that you use to survive in this zombie infested title. Older versions, like the one from Partygaming, feature symbols that old-time players of Resident Evil will easily recognize. These include the red, green, and blue herbs, the Umbrella Corp symbol, and the different kinds of zombies that you encounter in the game.
The game, much like other video slot games in the market, comes with an RTP that ranges from 95% to 96%. The older version comes with 20 paylines while the latest one has 25 fixed paylines.
Tomb Raider – who has not heard of or seen Lara Croft and her whistle-bait figure clad in cargo shorts, thigh holsters, and gray tank top? One of the most popular video games of all time, and another one that has been turned into a successful movie franchise, is Tomb Raider. The game first appeared on consoles at about the same time as Resident Evil, which was in 1996. Since then, Lara Croft has become everyone’s virtual hot babe crush.
The video game has since spawned various sequels and three movies with Angelina Jolie first stepping into the role and Alicia Vikander taking over in the latest installment. Aside from movies, the game also found its way into slot gaming by way of slots developed by Microgaming. The latest version of this machine features the actress Alicia Vikander on its reels, although it is still set to be released sometime this year. The other two slot machine games with this character at its core, feature the game versions of this British adventurer.
The older machines that come with this title come in the usual 5-reel format that people are used to. The latest version however is said to come with a 7x7 format and an insane 78125 paylines. Also worth mentioning is Lara Croft Temples and Tombs, a game from Triple Edge Studios that features Lara Croft in it with a 5x3 format, a 96.5% RTP, and 243 paylines that was recently released early this year.
Street Fighter – still another game that made it to the big screen, and has a few slot machines to its name, is this Capcom fighting game that first appeared on consoles in 1987. This game is one of the oldest fighting games around and has characters that most people are very familiar with, such as Ken, Ryu, Chun-Li, and Honda, to name but a few. Some of these characters and the equipment they use in their fights can be seen on the reels of slot machines that carry this same title.
Aside from being a popular video game, Street Fighter has also been translated into movies, some of which are animated and a couple of which are in real-life action versions. The most popular of these is the one that had an all-star cast that include Jean-Claude Van Damme, Ming-Na Wen, the late Raul Julia, and Kylie Minogue. This was released in 1994.
The slot machine that carries this title is developed by Amaya and is called Street Fighter II. The symbols that you will find on this machine include not only two of the most popular characters in the game, namely M Bison and Guile, but also some of the equipment that characters like Blanka, Chun-Li, and Balrog use. RTP of this game is at 95.34 % and the format is the standard 5x3 that you will find on most video slot machines.
Call of Duty 4 – if you are into first-person-shooters, or FPS games, then you will definitely recognize this game title. The Call of Duty franchise has been around since 2003 and has since produced a few equally successful sequels that include the Black Ops lineup, a WWII version, and the Modern Warfare title. The latest title, which was first released in 2007 and has a new version launched in October of 2018, is also the inspiration for the slot machine with the same name.
The Call of Duty 4 slot machine comes with a 5x3 format, 25 paylines, and a 95% RTP. Developed and distributed by Cryptologic, this game features symbols that you can also see in the video game it is emulating. These include gear used by soldiers in their many skirmishes and game buttons that carry easy-to-recognize symbols such as grenade, target, and magazines.
The game’s design stays true to the title and the original video game itself, with smoke from weapons and bombed out buildings in the background. Images of soldiers in battle gear firing at enemies and the game’s logo itself is also included in the symbols you will find on the reels.
Why Slot Machines Based on Video Games Are Becoming a Trend
These are just a few of the video games that have found themselves being translated from their original form into slot machine versions. Other titles you can expect to find in online casinos and other gambling portals include Hitman, Plants versus Zombies, Bloodrayne, and even Space Invaders. The main reason why these machines are increasing in number is due to the fact that gaming companies are trying to target adults who enjoyed these games in their youth and would want to try these out in slot versions.
The older the PC and console gaming generation get, you can expect more of the titles that they enjoy playing to appear in slot machine versions that people can gamble on. This trend began to catch fire in 2013 and has since seen the development of numerous video games into slot machine iterations that grown-up console gamers can enjoy. This is to cater to a specific demographic that wants their console and PC gaming favorites to turn into slot machines they can play either for fun or for real money.
While the number of games that feature video game titles is not as numerous as the other slot machine genres, it makes up for this shortage by offering players high quality graphics and amazing gameplay. You can find most of these titles on some of the more popular online casinos and gambling outlets that gamers visit frequently.
The Future of Video Game Inspired Slot Machines
As the gaming community grows with the addition of new legal-age players, you will find that more and more of the popular video game titles will soon cross over to the online gambling community. This is because gaming companies are trying to target new players and to entice them to try online gambling, what better way to do so than with games they are already familiar with. Pretty soon, online casinos, and even land-based ones, will look more like a video game arcade than an online gambling outlet.
Skill-based games might also become part of the selection of games you can choose to wager on when you log-in to your favorite online casino. This is to offer players something new and to break the monotony of spinning reels and table games. This is also predicted to become the norm in land-based casinos since these businesses are always looking to increase their target market and what better way to do that than to introduce games that younger players will enjoy.
Of course, this is all in the future and may not happen anytime soon. Still, with the development of slot machines that feature popular video games, it is not far from becoming a reality. Pretty soon, you will see not only people turning the reels on Resident Evil or Tomb Raider slot machines, but also those trying their luck on Centipede, Tetris, and Angry Birds inspired games that allow you to win money when you play.
