If you’re a football fan in the UK, there’s no doubt that you know all about Shoot. The magazine was a mainstay of football journalism from its inception in 1969 through the 1990s. The magazine fell on harder times in recent years, but a recent relaunch as an online magazine and a mobile app has brought Shoot to a whole new generation of football fans.
The Shoot! slot machine by Microgaming takes the decades of great memories created by the magazine and translates them into a fun and exciting slot machine experience. Shoot is a five-reel, 50-payline slot machine that allows players to wager up to 20 coins on every line. Coin denominations are generally low, but given the fact that you can wager up to 1,000 coins in total, it’s possible to bet as much as $100 (or 100 units of your currency of choice) on each spin.
As usual for these slot games, the object is to match identical symbols across your active paylines – the more symbols you match, the more you win. But where Shoot really ramps up the nostalgia factor is through the use of some very cool symbols. The higher-value symbols are all represented by some of the most famous players in football history, including Pele, Maradona, Beckenbauer and Cruyff.
What makes these symbols particularly fun is that they’re designed in a style that’s just like the graphics found on the Shoot collector cards that used to come with copies of the magazine through the 1980’s. The fonts, the retro graphics and even the equipment (like flags and balls) used for other symbols are all out of a long forgotten era of football, making this game feel like a true throwback. In addition, there’s also a wild logo symbol that can substitute for any symbol to make a winning combination.
Of course, even with the vintage look and feel, Shoot still has the kinds of special features you’d expect to find in a modern slot machine. Hit three or more of the football card scatter symbols, and you’ll be awarded a chance to play the Magazine Bonus game. While this isn’t the most innovative game ever, it’ll definitely bring back a lot of memories for long-time football fans, which makes it a ton of fun to play.
This bonus game has three rounds for you to work through. First, you’ll see a table filled with vintage player cards, featuring former stars of the game like Bobby Moore and Carlos Valderrama. Choose four of these cards, and each will reveal either a prize of bonus credits, or a ticket into the second bonus round. The second round works the same way, but instead features vintage covers from old issues of Shoot. Once again, you’ll get to make your choices, winning more bonus credits and perhaps moving on once again to the third and final round of the game. Finally, if you make it to the third round, you’ll trigger the free spins game, winning as many as 35 free spins on the regular reels. During these free spins, all of your winnings will be doubled.
If the Shoot slot machine sounds like something that would bring back fond memories, we have good news: you won’t have to wait much longer to try it out. Shoot is expected to launch at Microgaming casinos in early May.
