The Wild West has been popularized through novels and films. It immediately evokes images of rugged terrain, one street towns, bad outlaws and quick draw sheriffs. All these make for great action on online slot games as well. The different components of the online slots like symbols, animations and bonus games can use the Wild West theme very effectively. Most software providers include Wild West themed online slots in their portfolios. Microgaming and Playtech are popular software providers to Canadian online casinos. This article reviews some Wild West themed slot machines from these two software providers.
Wanted Dead or Alive, the Wild West themed online slot from Playtech, reflects the posters of outlaws put up by the sheriff. Such a poster is displayed while the game loads but is ripped off by the outlaw. The reels are set in the background of an animated Western town and the win combinations are greeted with gun shots to add realism to the game. The crafting of the graphics has a comic book look, which helps differentiate Playtech Wanted Dead or Alive from other online slot games of this genre. The high paying symbols are animated outlaws and actual playing cards are used for the low paying symbols. The dynamite is the wild symbol and awards the largest line payout of 10,000 coins. Three or more cash sack symbols trigger the mini bonus game on the reels, in which players choose one of the sacks to win bonus credits. The pistol symbol appearing simultaneously on reels 1 and 5 start the bonus game on the second screen. The player has to shoot the villain, who is in one of six hideouts. The fewer bullets the player uses, the higher is the bonus prize he wins. This slot machine also includes the popular Playtech Dollar Ball progressive jackpot game. It is live at Playtech online casinos like Omni Casino and Bet365 Casino.
Sunset Showdown is the Wild West themed online slot from the software provider Microgaming. In a departure from the norm, the cowgirl is the protagonist of this slot game instead of the cowboy. The thematic symbols include rider, cash bag, saddle and boots. Again the low playing symbols are actual playing cards. This is because card games were popular in the saloons of the Wild West. The cowgirl is a very versatile wild symbol. It doubles payouts when appearing in winning combinations and offers the highest line payout of 7,500 coins on its own. When the cowgirl symbol appears on reels 1 and 5 at the same time it expands to cover both reels after the normal payouts are made. The other reels are then spun three times without any cost to the player and any payouts made again if applicable. The pair of revolvers is the scatter symbol. It awards scatter payouts and activates the bonus game on the second screen. The cowgirl walks down the street of the Wild West town shooting at the bad guys. The player receives random bonuses for each bad guy shot. Sunset Showdown incorporates the standard Microgaming gamble game in which players can try to enhance their payouts in a double or nothing game. It can be played at Microgaming online casinos like Platinum Play, Spin Palace and All Slots.
