Review of the new MG games September 2007 (The Osbournes)

[Zoozie]

Intro:

Time surely goes fast. It is time for another of the montly MG slots review from your favorite reviewer! (*applause*)

Last month MG released the technically impressive Doctor Doctor slot and I gave it a stunning review. I also did that when Mega Moolah and Hitman
was released. Right after my reviews, many people disagreed. However I turned out to be right, the these two slots are still popular and often in top of the casino 'hot lists'. BUT I shamefully admit I was wrong about Doctor Doctor in my last review. The problem with this slot is simply the balancing of the feature. The boost-feature mechanic is exciting, but it is way too hard to get +spins or +multipliers boosters. So you often just only get 5 freespins*2 multiplier and a total win of a few bet-sizes. This balancing basically ruins the slot. The feature is fun and the boosters are a brilliant idea. However in most feature games, the fun never starts! This little minor detail is devastating for this beautiful slot and I am sad that I have to remove it from my top 10 MG list. You were right, it was wrong! Yeah yeah .....

Before I go to the review on popular quest (KK at least) I promised to write a few words about what is happening on the other casino platforms.

News/Ramblings/Discoveries:

Wagerworks
Where is Elvis?


Crypto
This month Crypto released a few new slots, however none of them are worth mentioning, not that they are bad, they just bring nothing new to the slot world. I did not find them as good or complete as the Marvel Slots. But I noticed something interesting about one of the newer releases: Dino Delight. In over 800 spins I was never able to hit the feature and I have never seen so far, but I do not think it will be interesting anyway. But this slot has a side-bet! You can make a side bet up to the size of your slot-spin. And the side-bet is supposed to be a 50/50 head/tails throw which also is suggested by the graphic If this indeed is a 50/50 event (I have my worries, and then I would call it deception) the house egde when playing the full side bet, is actually only half that of the original slot! So if the slot has a 5% house edge without the side bet, then it would only have a 2.5% house edge with the side bet! For wagering purposes this slot would be an excellent choice then!
(good luck getting the feature...)



3Dice - SuperSuits slot
This does bring something new to the slot world. The "Supersuits" feature has both the +more spins and +multiplier booster, just like Doctor Doctor. But the difference is that it I find it very good balanced and on top of that there is another completely new mechanic involved. During the freespins the slots turns into a multi-spin slot (4 copies). And the 3D graphics does a good job at presenting the wins in a very intense way. You play this slot again and again because of the feature and when you get it you are hynotized by the insane action going on and retrigger are very common.

Review:

Franken Cash:
20 lines
Low/Medium variance


There is no intro for this slot. The Frankenstein theme is a new style of theme on MG at least. It is better than the 4 to 5 different Circus slots there already is. I find the graphics excellent and the symbols does not remind you of other MG slots, just like I had it when I saw "Hitman". The sounds are made specially for this slot and perfect. Every symbols has an animation in a win-line. This slot does have a complete theme. So it is a worthy release seen from a techical view. The mechanics are just a small modification/combination of existing slots, but on the other hand it is rare we see new mechanics from MG.

There are two different scatter symbols that awards two different feature game. However the scatters MUST BE ON ADJACENT reels, so they both are "semi-scatters" actually.The scatters also have a paytable that only applies if they are hit on a normal win line. If they are not on a line they just award the bonus game.


Feature 1 - Picking game
This is the minor bonus game. You only need 2 adjacent symbols to trigger this one. The best part of this feature is the graphics actually. The prices seems to be from *2 to *5 your bet size and for 2 adjacent symbols you get 3 picks. I guess it just scales to more picks for more symbols. So the winning from this feature will not be a surprise. Even getting just 2 of this scatter symbols on adjacent reels is a little hard.

Feature 2 - freespins
This is a standard freespin game with *2 multiplier. However the line-wins of the two scatters are slightly increased, but it will not matter much as this is very rare to hit. I was awarded 5 freespins, I am not sure if that is the only number of spins you can win.

It is a good slot and people will enjoy their first session on it. But I am not that fancy about the "semi-scatter" mechanic and I miss a wild symbol. The definition of the pay-lines are different from you are used to for MG slot, I have no idea why. Now there are 3 different payline definition for 20 line slots. I also miss the wild symbol. Still it is a worthy release compared to the flood of half-finished clones we saw some months ago.


Dragon's Loot
25 line
Medium variance

There is not much to say about this slot. The graphics are not ugly but small and a little dull. It has the 9TJQKA symbols which I think ruins most themes. There are only wild symbols on reel 2,3,4 with no wild multiplier. The freespin feature can not be re-triggered.

All this is basically the design pattern I dislike. The only interesting thing is that when hitting the feature, the number of freespins/multiplier are determined by a single picking game, but this is not new eigther. I hit 25 spins *2 multiplier, but the rules says you can get up to *8 multiplier. It is not a bad slot, there is just nothing new about it and it will just make the MG gargantuan download even bigger for each of your MG casinos.


The Osbournes
20 lines slot
Low/Medium variance

The intro is a "happy version" of The Osbournes though still a little psychedelic. The artist did an excellent job at making the Osbournes characters recognizable yet severely retouched. But I guess this is a good decision to make the slot more enjoyable...

The symbols again lives up to now usual MG expectations. And the overall theme seems to fit together. My only small objection is that the theme is very childish compared to what is seen on the TV show. You are not going to see reality show family fights in this slot. The most interesting thing going on is, if "Mini" (the dog) can find all the family members in the main bonus feature.

The slot has the wild symbol (no multiplier) and for me this is better than no wild at all. There are two kind of scatters. Normal scatters and semi-scatters.
There are three different features in this slot and one of them is a completely new mechanic.

Feature 1 - Semi-scatter picking game
You get this feature by hitting 3 or more adjacent left to right semi-scatters.
For every scatter more than 2 you get to pick a symbol (just like "Mad Hatters" etc). But each win are only 2 to 5 times bet size. The paytable win from 4 scatters (10*bet) and 5 scatters (100*bet) exceeds the picking wins. So to me this feature just slows down the game play. It is good that this slot has more features.

Feature 2 - Rapid fire picking game.
This feature is awarded on random and does not depend on bet size, since the wins from this game are determined in bet-size. It will award from *2 to *30 bet size. There are 4 boxes to pick and each give a win within a range. The low variance box from *6 to*15 bet size and the high variance box from *2 to *30 bet size. However it requires a little element of skill to pick the box you want, and in terms of EV I am not sure it even matters which you pick. This feature is a little more interesting, but winning the maximum *30 bet-size will not be a life-changing event.

Feature 3 - Freespins that can be extended
You get this feature by hitting 3 "Mini" anywhere on the reels(real scatters). You are initially only awared 10 freespins with *2 multiplier. The multiplier will stay at *2, but the number of freespins can be extended. If you within the 10 freespins get 5 (or 6?) Mini's symbols total, you will win a prize (Mini has found an Osbourne family member) and the number of freespins left will give a very small additional prize. You are then awarded 10 freespins (so if you have 4 spins left when you reach a Osbourne, you will still only have 10 freespins on the next level). You can keep this going for up to 50 freespins having reached all family members. I did that on my second feature, which was a little lucky I think, yet the total win was only 90*bet-size. I did not hit many normal line wins during the 50 free spins. I do like this feature, the fun factor from the many retriggers are exciting though it will not pay much.
I would still have liked to see a better +spin and +multiplier booster "Doctor Doctor" version, but there are no +multiplier in this one. When you reach Ozzy and he talks to "Mini" there is no doubt it is Ozzy speaking. You can not get a voice like that without trying to kill yourself with drugs/alcohol/sex for 40+ years.

I was wrong when I said "Doctor Doctor" would be a popular slot, but I am quite sure "The Osbournes" not be a disaster at least. For people that like the low/medium variance slot, this freespin feature is more exiting compared to the normal retriggers freespins, because they are very hard to hit, while it is
very easy to get several +10 additional freespins in this slot. It is indeed a very worthy release and also a unique slot. I put this slot on #10 on my favorite MG slots kicking "Doctor Doctor" out of the list.


My favorite MG slots
#1 Isis
#2 Mad Hatters
#3 Hitman
#4 Avalon
#5 Moonshine
#6 Mega Moolah
#7 Harvey's
#8 Loaded
#9 Thunderstruck
#10The Osbournes




Earlier reviews:
August 2007:http://www.casinomeister.com/forums/...or-doctor.html
April 2007:http://www.casinomeister.com/forums/...il-2007-a.html
March 2007:http://www.casinomeister.com/forums/...ch-2007-a.html
February 2007: http://www.casinomeister.com/forums/...ry-2007-a.html
January 2007: http://www.casinomeister.com/forums/...ry-2007-a.html
December 2006: http://www.casinomeister.com/forums/...-december.html
November 2006: http://www.casinomeister.com/forums/...ga-moolah.html
October 2006: http://www.casinomeister.com/forums/...s-october.html
September 2006: http://www.casinomeister.com/forums/...september.html
August 2006: http://www.casinomeister.com/forums/...es-august.html
Juli 2006: http://www.casinomeister.com/forums/...ames-july.html
June 2006: http://www.casinomeister.com/forums/...ames-june.html[/QUOTE]

[saladfingers]

Thanks - your reviews are great. However...

I've just lost about 500 hundred pounds on the Osbournes, at 4 pounds per spin, in what seems like no time at all. Almost impossible to hit the free spins, and when I did I was rewarded with a total just under ten times my bet. On the other features, which came up more often, the most I won was five times my bet. I can see that, with a massive piece of luck, this slot could pay out big, but bloody hell, the rest of the time it's a disaster.

After the Doctor Doctor slot debacle (and having played both the other new games you review and also had tiny free spin payouts on both of those) I'm uninstalling all Microgaming software. I've done it before, but this time I mean it! I'm fed up with what feels like being ripped off. From now on I'm 3dice/Bluesq or nothing - and if anyone seeing me going back near Microgaming again, please, shoot me!

[KasinoKing]

My own follow up to the above great review... (hope you don't mind Zoozie!)
I agree with everything Zoozie says about Franken Cash & The Osbournes
(Haven't tried the other one yet)

Rather than write everything out, I've attached my game log below so you can see for yourself, but basically from my VERY small sample:-

Frankencash:
Capable of long dry spells - after any early picking bonus I went 179 spins before hitting another feature.
But then I had 7 features in 82 spins!
The pick bonus (for me) was way better than the free-spins.
This is because this is another of those slots where you hit loads of tiny wins - many 4 of-a-kinds do not even repay the cost of your spin!
So; Low variance & fun to play = provisional

Osbournes:
Similar to above really - good to play, low-ish variance.
Managed to get all three features in the space of 14 spins!
First time I had free-spins I hit 2 good 4oaks and made it all the way to the end for Bet x 111.7!
But the second time my doggie didn't even get to the 1st base...
Still - something different & OK so also provisional

PS: One 'glitch' MG have let slip though (again!) e.g. If you get a knocker on reel 1, not on reel 2, but again on reel 3 or 4 they 'knock' which they are clearly not meant to do since you can not win the bonus feature...
Talk about getting your knockers in a twist!

[KasinoKing]

Dragon's Loot
25 line
Medium variance

There is not much to say about this slot. The graphics are not ugly but small and a little dull. It has the 9TJQKA symbols which I think ruins most themes. There are only wild symbols on reel 2,3,4 with no wild multiplier. The freespin feature can not be re-triggered.

All this is basically the design pattern I dislike. The only interesting thing is that when hitting the feature, the number of freespins/multiplier are determined by a single picking game, but this is not new eigther. I hit 25 spins *2 multiplier, but the rules says you can get up to *8 multiplier. It is not a bad slot, there is just nothing new about it and it will just make the MG gargantuan download even bigger for each of your MG casinos.

Sorry to have to say this - but I don't think you committed your usual amount of research before submitting your report about this one!

Decided to give it a shot tonight - after just 25 spins I got the feature below...

Have not played the spins yet... will report back later...
(Excuse my baaaad typing - too much Vodka! )

[KasinoKing]

will report back later...

Well, 75 spins @ x2 = $51 worth of spins...
Returned $18.58 = 36%

Looks like Zoozie was right after all!
(Wot a lot of shite!)

[Simmo!]

Well, 75 spins @ x2 = $51 worth of spins...
Returned $18.58 = 36%

Looks like Zoozie was right after all!
(Wot a lot of shite!)

Is 75 spins the max? That's a poor return but presumably it *could* be very lucrative?

[pingpong]

Is 75 spins the max? That's a poor return but presumably it *could* be very lucrative?

I played this slot for several hours yesterday. The feature doesnt appear quite as often as on Spring Break etc, I would guess every 150th spin in average.

In 3000 spin or so, I got this:
I got 60/2x (twice), 50/3x (three or four times), 30/4x (twice), 25/2x (once), 18/4x (twice) and 10/8x (once). As seen above, 75/2x is also an option, perhaps the best one.

Very boring graphics on this slot, but with enough high variance to keep me interested.

[Zoozie]

Sorry to have to say this - but I don't think you committed your usual amount of research before submitting your report about this one!

I had 3 slots to test and I try to make the reviews within a few hours after they are released. Dragons' loot was the least important slot of the release and I only hit the feature once in maybe 700 spins and it I also lost the 30$ deposit I had deposited for the reviews. It will be very hard to hit the feature enough times to know the range of the number of freespins. However the rules say *8 multiplier is maximum, but I guess that is rare.

75 spins is probably very lucky but the *2 multiplier could have been better.
And you did not hit much anyway.

For your calculation of EV, you should know that the base payout (no feature) is normally only 60%. So with no retriggers allowed you would
expect bet-size*0.6*75*2 as average win.

[pingpong]

75 spins is probably very lucky but the *2 multiplier could have been better. And you did not hit much anyway.

I do not think it is possible to get 75 spins AND 8x - the picking options seem more or less fixed at the values mentioned in my post.

[KasinoKing]

I played this slot for several hours yesterday. The feature doesnt appear quite as often as on Spring Break etc, I would guess every 150th spin in average.

In 3000 spin or so, I got this:
I got 60/2x (twice), 50/3x (three or four times), 30/4x (twice), 25/2x (once), 18/4x (twice) and 10/8x (once). As seen above, 75/2x is also an option, perhaps the best one.

Did you happen to record your return from each set of free-spins?
This would be very interesting information!

@ Zoozie; My comment was not supposed to be serious criticism!
I think it's incredible that you get so much data & make such great posts within hours of new releases!
No offense intended - excellent work - keep it up!

KK