Judge Dredd Slot Machines

Comic book characters and superheroes are all the rage these days, and online casinos are always looking for ways to draw in additional customers and retain the players they already have. To thisend, game designer NextGen has created the Judge Dredd slot machine, which is especially geared towards UK-based gamblers.

Judge Joseph Dredd is a police officer in a dystopian future. He patrols the streets of Mega-City One, a vast North American city-state that stretches from Florida all the way to Canada. His jobis to enforce the rather harsh laws of the government, and he’s been empowered to serve as judge, jury, and executioner.

Dredd first appeared in 1977 in the pages of legendary British sci-fi comic 2000 AD. He remains their longest-running character, but he’s also branched out into his own titles. While he’s enjoyeda certain amount of name recognition with U.S. readers, he’s widely known throughout the United Kingdom and frequently serves as a vehicle for writers to comment on police states, the rule oflaw, and the unique conditions of Britain and the United States.

Most Americans might remember the character from the 1995 Sylvester Stallone film Judge Dredd. This was a truly awful adaptation of the comic (with the exception of super-hot Diane Laneas Judge Hershey), and I’m still trying to permanently purge it from my memory.

If you want to get a real sense of what Dredd is all about, give one of the following a try:

If you’re the type of player who likes to take chances, you can increase your potential winnings by activating the Superbet option prior to each spin. This costs more money, but it also adds morewilds to the reels. Here’s how it works:

• If the player wagers 25 coins, Judge Dredd wilds appear only on the third reel.
• When the player risks 35 coins, Dredd wilds appear on reels two, three, and four.
• If the player wagers 50 coins, Dredd wilds are available on all five reels.

In addition to increasing the Dredd wild action in the base game, activating the Superbet option also leads to more wilds on the enhanced reels during the bonus games.

The return to player, which is often expressed as just “RTP,” is an amount that reflects the customer’s expected return on their investment. This number is always expressed as a percentage, so a96% RTP would indicate that the game should receive back 0.96 for every 1.00 wagered.

The RTP is calculated over thousands of spins, so anyone expecting this percentage to consistently apply is going to be disappointed. During one or two sessions, the average could greatly exceedthe RTP, or it could be far below. If you play the game for significant periods of time, however, you should see the overall winning percentage start creeping close to the estimate.

Most slots have an RTP that’s limited to a single percentage. That’s not the case with the Judge Dredd slot, though, as the Superbet option provides a few additional possibilities.

If the customer is making a standard wager without the Superbet option activated, then the RTP is 95.223%. If a 10 credit Superbet is placed, then the RTP increases to 95.330%. Finally, there’sthe 25 credit Superbet and its associated 95.618% return to player.

All of the above percentages are slightly below the average for online slots. Before you dismiss the game, however, please keep in mind that the average return at Las Vegas casinos is 95%, soyou’ll still be coming out ahead of most land-based players.

While the game does offer a bonus round (which is discussed in a later section), the bulk of the action takes place on the main screen. In this section, we’ll review all the symbols that show upon the base game and also discuss their corresponding payouts.

Please keep in mind that payline wins are multiplied by the size of the wager on a winning payline. For example, if you wagered 2.00 on a winning combo worth 250, then your total win would be500.00 (2.00 x 250).

• Judge Dredd

  The ultimate force of good in Mega-City One, Judge Dredd is an almost unstoppable crimefighter who strikes fear into criminals and innocent civilians alike. This icon presents a close-up ofhis face, and it serves as the game’s wild symbol. As such, it substitutes for all icons except the scatter badge. When it’s part of a winning combination, this icon pays one of the followingamounts: 10 credits for two matches, 200 for three, 500 for four, and 2000 for five.

• Dredd’s Badge

  Following their graduation from the Academy of Law, each Judge is presented with a badge engraved with their last name. Along with their uniform and sidearm, this is the ultimate symbol ofthe Judge’s authority to arrest criminals and immediately pass a sentence on those deemed guilty. It acts as the game’s scatter symbol, and getting three or more on the screen activates theFree Games Feature. In addition to its other benefits, this symbol also offers payouts when it appears on the screen multiple times. Scatter wins are multiplied by the bet, and the followingamounts are available: 25 credits for two matches, 125 for three, 375 for four, and 2500 for five.

• Judge Death

  Perhaps the most dangerous foe ever faced by Judge Dredd (and fellow officer Judge Anderson), this leader of the Dark Judges comes from an alternate dimension where all life has been declaredillegal. He and his cohorts have made several incursions into Dredd’s world, and their evil plots have resulted in the deaths of over 60 million innocents. When this nefarious symbol createsa winning combo, the gamer can expect to receive one of the following amounts: three credits for two matches, 100 for three, 300 for four, and 1000 for five.

• Judge Dredd on Lawmaster

  The primary form of transportation for the Judges, the Lawmaster is a massive motorcycle with a robotic brain that provides crime scene analysis, crowd control capabilities, advancedcommunication, and a pair of mounted machine guns. If this icon creates a winning line, the following payouts are available: two credits for two matches, 50 for three, 250 for four, and 500for five.

• Lawgiver and Gauntlet

  The Lawgiver is the moniker given to the pistol wielded by Dredd and all his fellow Judges. It fires everything from traditional bullets to heat-seeking projectiles, and each one is keyed toits wielder. If anyone else attempts to fire it, they’re likely to lose their hand in the resulting explosion. As far as the gauntlet goes, it provides added protection to the Judges whenthey’re engaged in various forms of combat in Mega-City One. When one of these symbols comprises a winning line, the player can receive one of the following amounts: 20 credits for threematches, 100 for four, and 250 for five.

• Ace and King

  Most slot machines use playing card values as symbols. I’m not especially fond of this practice, as I would prefer to see these icons devoted to other, more theme-appropriate, symbols. Wheneither of these icons makes up a successful payline, the following amounts are available: 15 credits for three matches, 50 for four, and 200 for five.

• Queen and Jack

  These symbols are once again drawn from the game of poker. If one of these symbols makes up a winning combo, the player can expect to receive one of the following amounts: 10 credits forthree matches, 25 for four, and 150 for five.

• Ten and Nine

  These symbols are the lowest paying icons on the base game, although I’m certain players would rather get a minor win than nothing at all. If either of these icons is part of a winningpayline, they provide one of the following: five credits for three matches, 20 for four, or 100 for five.

In order to activate this special phase of the game, you’ll need to get three or more scatter badges on the reels. When this occurs, the player immediately receives 10 free games and istransported to a new screen.

During free spins, you can expect the Judge Dredd wild symbol to appear more often. In addition, any winning paylines or prizes are doubled.

The free games are played at the lines and bet of the trigger game, and any potential payouts are added to paylines and scatter wins. The free games can also be retriggered.

When the bonus phase has ended, the screen adds up all the player’s winnings for the round and displays a total. Once the amount has been deposited into the player’s account, the game returns tothe main screen and resumes as normal.

In addition to the base game and bonus feature, players have a chance for an additional payout…and they don’t even have to win to reap the benefits. Known as the “Random Bonus,” this feature canbe triggered after any paid game. When this happens, an animated version of Judge Dredd strolls onto the screen, pulls his Lawgiver, and fires a series of shots into the screen (presumably rightat the player’s head). This results in a random prize bonus, with all payouts awarded as displayed.

Once his work is done, Dredd casually saunters off the screen. While criminals might hate to see him coming, players are likely to cheer every time this uncompromising dispenser of justice putsin an appearance.

As if all of the above weren’t enough, the game also has a gamble feature that’s present on a number of the releases from NextGen. After any winning spin, you have the opportunity to instantlyincrease your winnings by predicting the color or suit of a face-down playing card.

Once you’ve received a winning spin, just press the gamble button on the main control panel. You’ll then be asked to predict the color or suit of a playing card with some cool Judge Dredd artworkon the back. If you choose the correct color, your most recent win is doubled in value. Pick the right suit, meanwhile, and your most recent win is quadrupled.

If your prediction is incorrect, you immediately forfeit the value of your most recent win. If you’re successful, though, you have the option of taking the money or gambling yet again. As long asyou make the correct choice, you can continue to risk your winnings up to five times in a row before being returned to the main screen.

If you’re a fan of post-apocalyptic tales or comic books in general, then you’re sure to get a kick out of the Judge Dredd slot machines from NextGen Gaming. The release is jam-packed withdistinctive symbols from Mega-City One, and the occasional appearance of Dredd on the screen is sure to send any 2000 AD fanboy into fits of joy.

While the paylines are fixed, the player still has a wide number of betting options to choose from. Gamers on a budget can spin the reels for as little as 0.50, while more ambitious customers canrisk up to 100.00. This makes the slot ideal for players of all financial backgrounds, and the expected RTP—while perhaps slightly below virtual averages—is still better than what you’ll find inmost land-based casinos.