darkoz
darkoz
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August 1st, 2017 at 3:33:46 PM permalink
Tropicana in AC has replaced Danger Arena with Nothin But Net. It is housed in the same circular cabinet with 3 seats 120' apart and is from the same company.



From a distance I thought this was an internet cyber game but it turned out to be basketball themed. From the street slang name you can assume some unintentional (intentional?) racism may have been in play here. This seems confirmed when beginning the game and you are given the opportunity to choose who you would like to play as -- A Black Man or a White Woman!





Yes, those are the only two options. I guess they figured no one would pick the white guy. We all know they cant jump.

Reminds me of the execs of the Barbie Doll franchise who thought it wise to cross-promote their new Black Barbie with the Oreo cookie company.



After that faux pas, the dolls were all pulled and they go for a LOT on Ebay. If you aren't able to grasp the significance, it has been long established within the black community that an Oreo is someone who is black on the outside but acts like a white person and it is not considered a compliment.

I wasn't sure who to pick as at different points in my life I have fantasized about being either for my own fetish reasons but finally I chose to go with the Black Man.

The X-Box style game controller of Danger Man has been replaced with a large "popper" ball (think the big red easy button) with a basketball graphical design. Your object is to depress the popper (basketball) when appropriate

Each game comes with 12 balls for you to catch and then throw in a 2-part action. Each time the ball is thrown at you or by you there is a colored (no racist pun intended here) meter which includes a green section. Horizontal for when you catch the ball and vertical for when you throw it.

A sliding bar whooshes across the meter. Hit the popper when it is in the green section to guarantee your catch or throw.



You score points for dunking the ball into the hoop. You win money based on how many points with the expected scale per your wager size. Wagers begin at $2 and go up to $20



The game is deceptively easy to understand and deceptively hard to win. At the beginning of each game you are told how many max points you can score that particular game. Info says it is possible to only be able to achieve a max of 35% of your wager on any given game. Again, here we have a game of skill where it is already predetermined and practically thrown in your face that you are already a loser. Best you can hope for is to minimize your losses.

I played about ten games and 8 times it was impossible for me to win more than 35%. Of the other two times, I received a powerball in one of them. This is a guaranteed win (I won $20 off a $2 wager). A powerball is thrown without you doing anything and is basically not counted as one of your 12 shots (a thirteenth ball - again SMH, having a bad luck number be key to a win.)

For both times I had the ability to actually win money with points being available, I wound up scoring zero. Meanwhile, when it was guaranteed I was a loser, I scored quite well. When it finally allows you the chance to win, suddenly the green sections which were fatter than a coke bottle shrunk to the size of a thimble. On top of that the sliding bar which moved at a somewhat sedate pace suddenly decided they were racing in the Grand Prix

As I said, deceptively easy to play and hard to win. I don't see anyone ever winning money unless they are one of those famous split-second sharp-shooters, and even then, they have to be lucky to be allowed to win.

Compared to Danger Zone it is a step in the right direction. Simple to play, it was a bit fun to try and hit the popper in the right moment, but then one can play those type games all day in most fun-arcades.

There were three consoles I saw. No one was seated at any of them. One was dedicated to Nothin But Net, one to the Pharoah skill game I previously reviewed and one had each seat to each of the three games mentioned here. Nine empty seats!
Last edited by: darkoz on Aug 1, 2017
For Whom the bus tolls; The bus tolls for thee
gamerfreak
gamerfreak
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August 1st, 2017 at 4:19:07 PM permalink
Is this made by gameco?

It does seem like an improvement over danger arena and pharaoh gemmies, but I don't think these skill based games will ever gain popularity unless they come up with a better mechanism to create variance. Randomly making the game easy or impossible feels bad. It doesn't give the player the impression that they'll be rewarded for practicing and improving their skill. The game needs to feel beatable while maintaining a house edge.

Take the two most popular skill games as an example, Blackjack and Video Poker. Any player can become skilled at thise games and reduce the house edge. But the difference is, it's possible to play any BJ or VP hand 100% perfect, and that's NOT the case with games like danger arena, where once the computer decides you can't win, no amount of skill will improve your odds.
joe.blasi
joe.blasi
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August 14th, 2017 at 9:50:23 PM permalink
So it's like the rigged arcade ticket / prize games???

Is the impossible mode random or based on the games target payout %?? aka UK pub slots
Romes
Romes
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August 15th, 2017 at 7:52:12 AM permalink
Thanks for the write up and review. It's ironic... They're trying to make these "skill games" and "video game style" games to attract millennials, yet the moment any of them look at or play this game they'll just never play it again due to it being so rigged and not actually based on skill. "Here's a skill game that has almost absolutely nothing to do with skill!" Um, no thanks.
Playing it correctly means you've already won.
darkoz
darkoz
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August 15th, 2017 at 8:44:24 AM permalink
Quote: joe.blasi

So it's like the rigged arcade ticket / prize games???

Is the impossible mode random or based on the games target payout %?? aka UK pub slots



From appeatances i would say random like a traditional slot

The space invaders skill game is more geared towards hold percentage non-random play.

I may review space invaders in the future. Everyone on here interested in a space invaders review?
For Whom the bus tolls; The bus tolls for thee
beachbumbabs
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August 15th, 2017 at 9:05:53 AM permalink
Good review with some spirit, thanks, darkoz.

I don't know why they can't just offer whack-a-mole for big bux, no whammies and be done with it.

Good stress reliever. Everybody wins. ;-)
If the House lost every hand, they wouldn't deal the game.
onenickelmiracle
onenickelmiracle
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August 15th, 2017 at 10:30:00 AM permalink
I seriously cannot believe the appearance of the woman in her crotch having camel toe. Wtf were they thinking for real.
I am a robot.
sixsisters
sixsisters
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August 15th, 2017 at 10:44:59 AM permalink
Quote: gamerfreak

Is this made by gameco?

It does seem like an improvement over danger arena and pharaoh gemmies, but I don't think these skill based games will ever gain popularity unless they come up with a better mechanism to create variance. Randomly making the game easy or impossible feels bad. It doesn't give the player the impression that they'll be rewarded for practicing and improving their skill. The game needs to feel beatable while maintaining a house edge.

Take the two most popular skill games as an example, Blackjack and Video Poker. Any player can become skilled at thise games and reduce the house edge. But the difference is, it's possible to play any BJ or VP hand 100% perfect, and that's NOT the case with games like danger arena, where once the computer decides you can't win, no amount of skill will improve your odds.



Love your comment about the game needing to feel beatable

http://triblive.com/aande/gambling/7240342-74/game-games-snow

“When you create a game, the most important element is the ability, or maybe even the illusion, that a player can win money ,”

I think Roger has a few game placements ???
100xOdds
100xOdds
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August 15th, 2017 at 12:36:42 PM permalink
Quote: darkoz

From appeatances i would say random like a traditional slot

The space invaders skill game is more geared towards hold percentage non-random play.
I may review space invaders in the future. Everyone on here interested in a space invaders review?


yes!
pls post link here to your new thread when completed since I sometimes miss new threads
Craps is paradise (Pair of dice). Lets hear it for the SpeedCount Mathletes :)
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