The Avengers Slot Machine

The Avengers stormed into theaters in 2012, making over one-billion dollars at the box office and further cementing the status of superhero films as bankable products. In the wake of itssuccess, a large number of merchandising opportunities became available, and Marvel Studios (owned by Disney) was more than happy to sell licensing fees involving their latest cash cow. This ledto an agreement with Playtech, one of the leading designers of slot machines, and soon online casinos were flooded with Marvel-related products ranging from Elektra to Ghost Rider.

The Avengers, also known as “Earth’s Mightiest Heroes,” were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and made their debut in a self-titled 1963 comic. The initial storyline focused on Loki bedevilingboth Thor and the Hulk, with teenager Rick Jones enlisting the aid of Iron Man, Wasp, and Ant-Man. Once the threat had been eliminated, the group decided to stay together and fight varioussuperpowered menaces.

Thanks to the team’s current popularity, there are four different groups affiliated with the Avengers in the pages of Marvel Comics. The first is the main team, which is led by Captain America(currently Sam Wilson aka The Falcon). Others include Avengers Idea Mechanics, Avengers Unity Division, and A-Force. These groups can be difficult to keep track of, especially since they seem toconstantly shift based on various crossovers.

When the feature film adaptation was released, a number of changes were made to the original comic book story. Loki was still used as the main reason for the team getting together, but Wasp andAnt-Man were replaced by the likes of Hawkeye and Black Widow as founding members. The intelligence agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D. was also directly involved in putting the team together, whichwasn’t the case at all in the original stories.

This is the group of avengers taken from the second Avengers movie “The Avengers: Age of Ultron”

In case you’re unfamiliar with the Avengers movies, here’s a rundown of their initial roster:

• Captain America

  Originally a hero during World War II, Cap was found frozen in a block of ice and restored. While he sometimes struggles to adjust to modern life, his enhanced physical abilities,indestructible shield, and vast combat experience make him a formidable opponent for any supervillain or galactic menace. Played on screen by Chris Evans.

• Iron Man

  Tony Stark was a brilliant-yet-selfish billionaire, but he eventually had a change of heart and constructed a suit of power armor to help the world. He’s the financial backer of the team, andhis habit of making flippant remarks often irritates and/or amuses his more serious teammates. Played on screen by Robert Downey Jr.

• Black Widow

  A former Russian spy who later joined S.H.I.E.L.D., the Black Widow is a master of espionage. She’s one of the more practical members of the team, and her lack of superpowers forces her touse guile just as much as her martial arts training. Played on screen by Scarlett Johansson.

• Hulk

  Dr. Bruce Banner is a brilliant scientist, but an accidental exposure to gamma radiation causes him to transform into a raging green-skinned behemoth during times of anger or extreme stress.Banner is played on the big screen by Mark Ruffalo, while the Hulk is a CGI creation.

• Hawkeye

  A government agent and expert marksman, Hawkeye is a family man who dutifully serves his country despite often being outclassed in power by his opponents. Played in the movies by JeremyRenner.

• Thor

  The Norse god of thunder, Thor is a cheerful warrior who feels a responsibility to protect Earth against the schemes of his adopted brother Loki. He possesses vast physical strength andendurance, as well as hand-to-hand skills and an enchanted hammer. Played in the movies by Chris Hemsworth.

When you sit down to play the virtual Avengers slot for the first time, you’ll notice a wide array of symbols on the reels. These icons offer various payouts when they’re arrayed in a specificorder, and the following section details the requirements and subsequent winnings.

• S.H.I.E.L.D. Logo

  The initials of the organization stand for “Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division.” While it’s been infiltrated by Hydra and other sinister elements over theyears, S.H.I.E.L.D. remains one of the major players in the intelligence community in the pages of Marvel Comics. This is the game’s wild symbol, and it substitutes for all icons except thescatter. Payouts include the following: 50 credits for two matches, 400 for three, 3000 for four, and 10000 for five.

• Captain America

  The leader of the Avengers, Captain America has a wealth of combat experience and a burning desire to fight for freedom. Payouts with this symbol include 60 credits for three matches, 250 forfour, and 1000 for five.

• Thor and Iron Man

  Thor is a Norse deity with a magical hammer, while Iron Man is one of the leading scientific minds on the planet. They’re both founding members of the team, and each possesses vast personalpower. Getting one of these symbols in a winning combination offers the following payouts: 40 for three, 150 for four, and 500 for five.

• Hul

  The green goliath is the team’s heavy hitter, and he’s frequently prone to bouts of near uncontrollable rage. Luckily, the Black Widow can calm him down, which shouldn’t surprise anyonewho’ve ever seen the sexy Russian agent. When he makes up a winning payline, the Hulk offers the following payouts: 30 credits for three matches, 125 for four, and 400 for five.

• Nick Fury and Black Widow

  Nicky Fury is the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., and he played a major role in helping form the Avengers. Black Widow is a field agent for the organization, and she later pulls double duty as anoriginal member of the Avengers. Both icons offer the same payout, although a winning combination must contain one or the other. Prizes include 25 credits for three matches, 100 for four, and300 for five.

• Hawkeye

  The world’s greatest archer is a founding member of the team, although fans often like to joke about his lack of powers in relation to guys like Thor and the Hulk. Despite these verbal barbs,he looks cool in a pair of sunglasses and offers the following payouts for a winning combination: 20 credits for three matches, 75 for four, and 250 for five.

• Avengers Logo

  This is the game’s scatter symbol, and it also allows players to unlock the Wall of Heroes Bonus. When it makes up a winning combination, it pays three credits for three matches, 10 for four,and 100 for five.

• Ace, King, and Queen

  These playing card values are often used on slot machines to round out the available symbols. In the case of the Avengers game, getting three or more of one of these icons offers thefollowing payouts: 12 credits for three matches, 50 for four, and 150 for five.

Please note that credits aren’t the same as dollars. If a game pays 50 credits for a winning payline, the initial line wager is multiplied by 50 to determine the payout. Therefore, a $1 wager ona winning combo worth 50 credits would pay $50 to the player.

While the payouts for this slot are solid, players should be delighted to learn that there are also a number of bonus features. In this section, we’ll take a look at all of them.

• Avengers Assemble on Reels Featur

  If Captain America, Nick Fury, Iron Man, Thor, and the Hulk appear consecutively in any order on an active payline, then the line bet receives a x200 payout. This is only available during themain game.

• Wall of Heroes Bonus

  When three or more scatter symbols appear during the main game, the Wall of Heroes feature is activated. This results in 20 Avengers icons appearing on the screen, and each of these concealsa member of the team. Clicking on an icon reveals a hero, and the goal is to match three of these in order to start the free game that corresponds with the character. Once the free game isover, the player returns to this screen to try for additional spins. This can continue until the Loki symbol is uncovered, which immediately ends the bonus and sends the player back to themain screen.

• Captain America Free Games

  Part of the Wall of Heroes Bonus, this feature awards the player with nine free games. Before each spin, a random multiplier ranging from x2 to x5 appears on Cap’s shield and determines thesize of any upcoming payouts. These free games cannot be re-triggered.

• Iron Man Free Games

  Part of the Wall of Heroes Bonus, the player begins with nine free games. These spins begin with a x1 modifier, and the multiplier increases by one every three spins. A symbol representingIron Man’s arc reactor (the thing that keeps his heart beating) appears in the middle of the third reel during the free spins, and it serves as an extra wild, substituting for all symbolsexcept the scatter. Additional free games can’t be re-triggered.

• Thor Free Game

  Part of the Wall of Heroes Bonus, this feature awards nine free games. Lightning emits from Thor’s hammer, placing anywhere from zero to five additional vortex wild symbols on the reels.Wilds from the reels can also be hit by lightning, although all scatters pay prior to being hit by the god of thunder’s mystical bolts. Additional free games can’t be re-triggered.

• Hulk Free Games

  Part of the Wall of Heroes Bonus, unlocking this phase of the game provides the player with nine free spins. The Hulk acts as a stacked wild on the third reel, and he substitutes for allsymbols except the scatter. Additional free games can’t be re-triggered during this phase.

Like all Marvel slots designed by Playtech, the Avengers game includes four mystery progressive jackpots. These payouts occur at random, and they’re referred to as Power, Extra Power, SuperPower, and Ultimate Power.

Power is the smallest of the bunch, and anyone lucky enough to win it should usually receive somewhere in the neighborhood of a few hundred dollars. Ultimate Power is the largest of the bunch,and it can often rise above a million dollars.

These jackpots can pay at any time, so even a losing spin may result in the player being taken to the progressive screen. When this happens, the player is face with a 4×5 grid filled with 20squares. By clicking on a square, an icon is revealed that corresponds to one of the progressives. When three matching symbols have been uncovered, the player wins the amount of the correspondingjackpot. The progressive then resets and begins growing with each subsequent spin.

Most of the Marvel-themed slots from Playtech tend to underwhelm when it comes to their audio and visual quality. Sadly, the Avengers slot machine continues this tradition.

While the images of the superheroes are certainly spot-on, there’s little in the way of animation or action on the reels. If you’ve grown spoiled by video slots with lots of characters running toand fro across the screen, I suggest tempering your expectations before playing this game.

The audio is the worst part of the game, as it’s virtually nonexistent while the reels or spinning. There’s a low hum that might make some players think their hearing is on the fritz, and theonly actual music is save for the pay table section. Even then, it’s the epitome of generic.

This is the biggest problem with all the Marvel slots, and I still can’t figure out why Playtech didn’t make more of an effort on this front. I guess they calculated that the games would attracta certain number of players no matter what, so there wasn’t any point in spending additional money on the product.