TMZ Slot
Every now and then a slot manufacturer releases a pop culture referencing game which is a little niche in its target audience appeal, according to my better half TMZ is a massive youth culture news show based on celebrity life – I’d never heard of it and had to take to google to figure it all out after coming home from playing the slot! TMZ is so called for the 'thirty mile zone' of TV and movie studios in an around Hollywood, the show was founded and is hosted by pint sized lawyer turned journalist Harvey Levin who rose to fame as a result of the first O.J Simpson trial. Apparently TMZ and Levin are one of the primary reasons the Kardashians came to fame and that Paris Hilton is such a major celeb – well you learn something new every day!
So far as the machine itself goes we have a fairly standard 5x3 reel, 30 fixed pay-line penny style Vegas slot. There is an old school nudge feature which I quite like for the expanded wilds, a multiplier on one of the scatter symbols and several bonuses based on segments of the TV show. The big draw however with this game is the featured photo booth technology which allows the player to take a selfie and join the news-team on screen in the studio and around Hollywood!
Theme & Features
Much like IGT’s Ellen Slot games they have gone for real authentic game interaction here from the official partnership, Harvey and the team specifically recorded audio and video for the game so instead of weirdly clashing soundbites it all gels really well, fans of the show will be enthralled I am sure with even the music coming from the show’s theme tunes.
The reel symbols are all show props, locations and cast members or guests so you will need to have a read through on the pay-table the first couple of plays to get an idea which symbols you want to see dropping down and combining. The T, M and Z from the logo form a trigger for the news room bonus feature whilst landing the M on its own grants an additional win multiplier to the one you automatically receive when you increase bet size.
That gives you a random choice of three bonus rounds, Celebrity Safari, Celebrity Spin Cycle and Celebrity Mug Shot Free games. All of the rounds incorporate celebrity voice overs, animations and cut scenes but none seem to have mega value and they don’t seem to engage very often.
Newsreel wilds expand vertically and change to a radio tower image when appearing on three reels or more at the same time to combine wins in what is called the breaking news feature which is essentially an old school pub style auto nudging feature of the wilds, albeit with the extra expansion and some tv show scenes thrown in for entertainment value.
Summary
If you are a fan of the show you will love the game for sure as you can be really invested in the TV theme and all the extra audio and video work that has been done. If you aren’t into the non-mainstream theme on this video slot game you may struggle for entertainment value.
