Online Slots Inspired By Classic Video Games

Video games have evolved from a novelty to an industry worth billions. Due to their growing influence, video games have crossed over into a multitude of other industries. And while most people are more familiar with their influence on films with iconic titles, such as Lara Croft and World of Warcraft, video games have also crossed over into more unexpected industries.

This is seen most clearly in the way that video games have begun to shape the world of online slots. If you want to know more about this, read on for our picks for the best online slots and video game crossovers in recent years!

Call of Duty 4

While there are thousands of first-person shooters in the world of gaming, only a handful can be considered truly iconic. One such game is Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare . Originally released back in 2007, Call of Duty 4 was a turning point for the first-person shooter genre, as its fast-paced action and massive multiplayer mode became the gold standard for the genre.

The online slots version of the game takes iconic elements from Call of Duty and uses them to enhance the overall aesthetics of their game. This is seen in the use of the stages and levels of the game dominantly portrayed as the background for the slots. The game also takes elements from the original and seamlessly integrates them into their mechanics. The most notable example of this would be the online slots' version of the Martyrdom game mechanic from the original, wherein a fallen player would drop a grenade in the spot where that player was slain. The online slots version riffs off of this as a grenade can pop up after the reels have stopped spinning, giving the player another shot at winning.

Tomb Raider

We can't talk about classic action games without mentioning Tomb Raider. Tomb Raider, and the now-iconic heroine Lara Croft, changed the landscape of action games since it debuted on the Sony PlayStation back in 1996. The game took intuitive and fun gunplay and combined it with 3D platforming that was fairly new at the time. The game was so successful that it has inspired its own film franchise, as well as modern remakes that improve upon the game's mechanics and graphics.

The online slots version of Tomb Raider makes heavy use of the exotic locales found in the original game. This is most evident in the game's bonus round that triggers when the player collects three or more idol symbols on one pay line. The player then chooses from 12 idols on screen, with each idol holding a specific prize inside similar to the treasures that one would find in the original Tomb Raider game.

Street Fighter II

Speaking of genre-defining games, Street Fighter's influence on the fighting game theme is evident to this day. The game brought on the surge for arcade gaming and emphasised the competitive nature of the genre, which had you duke it out with another player in head-to-head battles. This, combined with its impeccable game mechanics that maximise its intuitive and responsive controls, unsurprisingly earned it a spot on the World Video Game Hall of Fame .

Given how beloved the original game is, it would make sense that the online slots version would emphasise its most recognisable characteristics. An article on video games in slots by Foxy Games, highlights how the recently released online slot, ‘Street Fighter II’, is strikingly similar to its namesake. It allows players to battle the characters they know and love, like Ken, Ryu, Chun-Li, and Guile. In fact, the game's bonus round is a fight between your chosen character and Street Fighter II's final boss M. Bison — which should ramp up the game's overall nostalgia factor for everyone who played the original.

Resident Evil

The Resident Evil franchise created a genre of its own and paved the way for a new breed of horror games. The New Scientist's review of the Resident Evil 3 remake details how the original Resident Evil game released back in 1996 created the survival horror genre. This has elevated the game to the status of an instant classic, as it introduced many new mechanics that would be staples of the survival horror genre. This game combined the use of scarce resources and classic horror scares to put players through a unique experience that made every decision feel crucial.

The online slots version of the game puts its own spin on these mechanics. Along with using the iconography present in the Resident Evil games, they also introduced a new feature that has you shoot zombies. This gives you a multiplier which increases the number of prizes that you can win. This capitalises on the original game's emphasis on accuracy due to the scarcity of ammo and turns it into an interesting online slots mechanic.

If you're looking for more gaming related articles, check out our article Are Video Games Retail Stores Dying? to get a better perspective on the current state of brick and mortar video game stores.