'Big Buck' draws big crowds at Gaming Expo

By John Grochowski

For three days, I watched the hunters, stalking their prey. They’d raise their rifles, fire, lights would flash … and bonus credits would appear on the screen.

“We’re kind of blurring the line between the slot and the arcade game,” said Boris Hallerbach, Megajackpots product manager for International Game Technology.

The line-blurring game is Big Buck Hunter, and it drew solid crowds waiting for their chance to take plastic rifle in hand throughout the three-day October run of the Global Gaming Expo at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas.

It’s not a game for everyone. The shooting aspect will turn some customers off. But it’s one of those games where those who like it will REALLY like it.

A plastic rifle is attached to the side of the game for two different bonuses. In the Shootout Bonus, you take aim at the giant screen overhead as beer mugs slide on the bar. As you break a mug, you’re randomly assigned a credit award.

Then there’s the Big Buck Bonus. You can touch the screen to choose an animal to stalk, or to shoot at targets, or to take free spins instead.

It’s a “perceived skill” game. There’s real skill in how many animated beer mugs, deer or targets you hit. But the credit awards will vary on each hit, and even a poor shot won’t come up short on the bonus.

Elsewhere in the IGT booth, the King of Rock and Roll was back in the latest Elvis slot.

“This is the first time we’ve really done justice to the Elvis music,” Hallerbach said. “We have four Elvis songs in the base game that will loop during play, so it’s very immersive.”

There are four progressive jackpot levels, all named for Elvis hits – “Hound Dog,”
”Jailhouse Rock,” ”Heartbreak Hotel” and “Viva Las Vegas.” Each is tied to a bonus event. In the “Heartbreak Hotel” bonus, for instance, on onscreen hotel has seven stories and a penthouse. You choose hotel room doors to find bonus credits, and if you find Elvis, he awards you all the credits on that level.

I liked the Juke Box Bonus, though it doesn’t lead to a progressive jackpot. You choose among Elvis songs. In my test, I picked “That’s All Right Mama.” The song blared out the speakers in the machine and in the special sound chair, and credits rolled up on the screen which also flashed Elvis video and trivia. And I advanced a level, so got to rock out to “Blue Suede Shoes” for more credits.

When it was over, a voice announced, “Elvis has left the building.”

In the core games category, the workhorse games that make up much of the casino floor, IGT is refreshing a player favorite with Wolf Run 2. It’s a gorgeous package with wildlife photography and video.

- John Grochowski has covered the casino industry for 15 years in newspapers and magazines, and is the author of six books on casino games. Readers can email him at casinoanswerman@casinoanswerman.com.