You know, I had a thought the other day – what if someone made a “Guilty Gear” slot machine? I mean, sure, the thought seems kind of unlikely, considering the fact that “Guilty Gear” is a very Japanese franchise that is not only developed in the land of the rising sun (where most forms of gambling are illegal), but it’s also got a very traditionally Japanese style inspired by anime and manga of the 90s, as we’ve already discussed in some of my previous posts related to the series. Still, after some thought, I don’t personally think that this is THAT big of a problem, because after all we’ve seen a couple of Japanese products, like “Neon Genesis Evangelion” or the all too famous “Ghost in the Shell” receive their own Western slot adaptations. And that actually got me thinking – what if more fighting games, Western OR Japanese, got the slot treatment? How would that work? Which franchises have the potential for that? So today I’m going to be talking about 3 fighting game franchises (besides “Guilty Gear”) that I think could make great slots!
1. Mortal Kombat
Come on, how can this NOT be number 1? It’s the biggest fighting game franchise in the West, having spawned two movies, a TV show, a webseries, an animated series, an animated movie, a picture book (maybe) and who knows what else! While the series plateaued a bit during the 2000s, it picked up quite a lot of steam with 2011’s reboot, which introduced new audiences to what the old ones loved so much about “Mortal Kombat” – tight 2D combat and gory fatalities! Its sheer popularity, combined with the fact that it’s aiming for an adult audience by default (which, shockingly enough, is the same exact audience that’s also playing online slots), could potentially make it a very successful slots franchise, and it certainly helps that it’s got a TON of very distinct and recognizable characters and settings that a potential slot developer can draw inspiration from.
2. King of Fighters
Okay, I do have to admit that a big part of the reason why “King of Fighters” makes it on here over “Street Fighter” is because, well, for a little while it actually seemed like the developer was perfectly content with letting the fighting game franchise die and resume it in the world of gambling. And sure, that could be a bit drastic, but I think they were on the right track – a slot addition to the main series (which is now going into its 15th entry, damn!) could greatly benefit both franchises. Fans of “King of Fighters” will go and check out the slot, while people who like slots might later decide to play “King of Fighters”, with the characters they’ve gotten to know through the slot. And hey, while I do admit that I’m not the biggest fan of this franchise, it’s pretty bright and colorful and has AWESOME character designs, which, at the end of the day, is exactly what a slot machine needs.
3. Primal Rage
Come on, we both know that’d make an amazing slot. For those of you who don’t know, “Primal Rage” was a series of arcade classics notable for pitting giant beasts against each other, mostly dinosaurs and apes. It’s literally like being a kid and playing with your action figures, except in a fighting game. It’s a fantastic series, and it definitely needs to make a comeback on today’s hardware, but we’re not here to talk about that. Instead, I’d like to take a minute to explain just brilliant a slot based around the concepts of dinosaurs fighting giant apes actually is. Let me put it this way – nobody expects slots to give us the meaning of life. We expect them to entertain, to provide us with a dumb spectacle and to maybe reward our luck from time to time. That’s it. And honestly, I can’t think of anything better to watch on the reels of a slot than a dinosaur fighting a giant ape.