Online pokies are available in an incredible variety of themes. If you can think of something, you can be sure that there are pokies in Australia inspired by it, no matter if it’s cars, shoes, or music. Video games are not an exception, of course. There are more than enough of them with themes paying homage to some of the most popular video games of our times.
And these might be the best ones ever made.
Resident Evil (Skywind)
I’m not sure it’s still OK to speak of the Resident Evil franchise as a pure gaming IP – it has live-action movies and series, animated movies, novels, comic books, and even a stage play inspired by it. And, of course, pokies both online and in real life.
We had the chance to try the online pokie machine built by Skywind that’s inspired by Resident Evil 6. And it is not your average slot machine. It does have the classic mechanic and format, slightly altered to offer players a glimpse into the post-outbreak world, but it also comes with “missions”, special side games tied to characters from the game (Ada, Chris, Jake, and Leon are featured on the reels). Overall it’s a fun casual game to play and, in the right circumstances, it can even put some money in your pockets.
Street Fighter II: The World Warrior (NetEnt)
Surprising as it may sound, 1991 was more than 30 years ago. Why are we bringing this up? Because that’s when Street Fighter II: The World Warrior, one of the best-selling games of the Golden Age of Arcade.
Visually, the Street Fighter II pokie is a love letter to the classic fighting game. Its entire interface is inspired by the Capcom classic, even its background music, and sound effects are from the original game. Gameplay-wise, it’s the most creative adaptation I’ve ever seen: the two fighters stand on either side of the screen, and the disappearing symbols in the middle grant them powerups – which they use to smash symbols and grant wins for the players. But the game also has boss fights, which makes it even more like the original.
ZumaWild by CQ9 Gaming
Few games were as successful as Zuma, Oberon Media’s only truly well-known title. Since its release in 2003 (gosh, it was 20 years ago!), it has invaded every platform from Palm OS to in-flight entertainment. And casinos, thanks to Asian developer CQ9 Gaming.
It is actually a bootleg of the original – it’s not actually an official Zuma slot machine, only one that’s in many ways similar to it. The iconic frog is replaced by… something with the eyes of a chameleon, the balls are replaced by coins, otherwise, the resemblance is uncanny enough for it to be obvious. Especially when the strange thing in the top right corner starts spitting coins all over the place.
