Slot The Money Drop — Game Review
«Million Dollar Money Drop» Review
Set Design- 10
Gameplay- 7
Show Flow- 9
Potential Viewer Ratings- 7
Play-Along Factor- 10
Host- 5
Overall Rating- 8.0/10
Premise- The contestants, appearing in a team of two, start with $1,000,000, divided in 50 $20,000 stacks. The contestants will have to answer a total of seven questions throughout the game. Before each question is asked, the contestants will have to choose one of two categories shown on a big screen. After a category has been chosen, the contestants are shown four possible answers (three answers on questions 4-6, and two answers on the seventh question), over the “drops”. After the host has read the question, the contestants will have one minute (75 seconds on the fourth and fifth questions, 90 seconds on the sixth question, and no time limit on the seventh question) to place their money on what they believe to be the correct answer(s). With each round of spreading the money between the various drop zones, one drop zone must always remain clear. If the contestants place their money on the correct answer, they get to keep their money. If the contestants place their money on an incorrect answer, that money will be dropped through the drop zone and lost forever for that team. The game ends when a team either loses all of their money or answers all seven questions correctly. If the contestants are successful in answering all seven questions correctly, they keep whatever money they have left in play in the game. During the game after time has expired for any question, the contestants can use a “lifeline” called “Quick Change”. Using the “Quick Change” lifeline gives the contestants 30 seconds to make any money changes between answers and can only be used once per game.
Before I begin my review, I would like to bring your attention to two things. First, the reason why I posted this review so early (before Thursday) is because this show will be airing for this week only and I want everyone to take a look at the show before this week is over, if you haven’t already. Second, I posted an article spotlighting the premiere of Million Dollar Money Drop by comparing it to the U.K.’s The Million Pound Drop. With this in mind, I will be making comparisons between the two shows in order to enhance my review.
And now, for the review…
Like the U.K. version, Million Dollar Money Drop will only be a one-week event, probably airing every few months at a time. I like this kind of strategy by FOX network because I believe that this will pull a decent amount of viewers because of its limited availability. This was the similar strategy employed by ABC’s Who Wants To Be a Millionaire, when the show previously aired four nights a week in primetime that made that show as successful as it is today. But, I fear that this show may not reach a staggering amount of viewers because of the show not airing on one of the “Big Three” networks (ABC, NBC, CBS). Million Dollar Money Drop manages to maintain a decent level of suspense, excitement, and challenging gameplay as on the U.K. version. The host, Kevin Pollack, has the similar hosting style of Davina McCall, the host of the U.K. version, in terms of being a “straight-forward” and “to-the-point” host. However, I didn’t like it when Pollack said “How the hell did that get there?” when referring to contestants Brittany and Gabe from the first episode placing $20,000 on a random (incorrect) answer during the first question. There is no reason why the host should be cursing on television, especially when their show is airing during the “family nighttime” slot (8pm-10pm). A game show host should not have to work “blue”, but that’s just me. In addition to that, my only other three problems with the show are the gameplay difficulty and the questions.
There are three factors that affect the difficulty level of the U.S. version of the game: the “Quick Change” lifeline, the increase of the money stacks, and the increase in the time limits from the fourth through final questions. I wasn’t too crazy about Million Dollar Money Drop giving the contestants a lifeline to help them throughout the game because it strays away from the original U.K. gameplay difficulty. My opinion of the lifeline changed a bit as I watched the lifeline being played effectively when the couple playing on the second episode used the “Quick Change” to move $120,000 to an answer that they placed $880,000 on because of a previous last second decision that was made before time expired for that question. With the use of the lifeline, the couple managed to avoid losing that $120,000 for that round, even though they still lost the game. I’m just glad the U.S. version just stuck with the one lifeline, and not with the generic “three” lifelines, or helps, or whatever they call them.
In addition to the lifeline, the increase of time limits also decreases the level of difficulty. As expressed in the premise section, the time limits for the fourth and fifth questions have been increased to 75 seconds; the sixth question time limit has been increased to 90 seconds, and there is no time limit on final question, although Pollack will give the contestants an “extra fact” about the question and the contestants will have a final 60 seconds to think about their final answer. The increased time limits and the “extra fact”, like the lifeline, also decreases the game difficulty and makes the game less challenging. The only aspect of Million Dollar Money Drop that makes it a little bit more difficult than the U.K. version is the increase of the money stacks, from 40 up to 50. This makes the $1,000,000 more difficult to manage between answers within the alloted time limit. I have also noticed that the questions on Million Dollar Money Drop are strangely similar to the $200,000-$2,000,000 questions on the 2001 FOX game show Greed; Million Dollar Money Drop mainly asks statistical questions, or “Which came first/earliest/later?” type of questions.
On a side note, I think the ominous music cues being used for the moments before the opening of the incorrect answer drop zones subdues the suspense a little because you can tell when the drop zones will open by timing when the music stops, as opposed to the U.K. version, where dead silence fills the air in the studio during the moments before the opening of the drop zones, not knowing when the drop zones will open.
Overall, Million Dollar Money Drop still has the contestants pressured by the clock and the contestants, home audience and studio audience hanging on to the edge of their seats, but the U.K. version is still more challenging. The U.S. version is also more emotional than the U.K. version, like the one contestant who was on his knees in tears on the premiere episode because they lost $800,000 in cash on an incorrect answer, but also less challenging because of the use of the lifeline and the increased time limits on some questions. But, I guess the reason why the U.S. version added the use of the “Quick Change” is because the U.S. version wants to be more successful in giving away more money than on the U.K. version. This is a pretty good show to watch (for a FOX game show), and make sure you get a chance to see an episode this week!
And by the way, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone!
Money Train Origins Dream Drop Slot Review
Money Train Origins Dream Drop is a new casino slot from Relax Gaming where you can travel back to where it all began. In recent years, this game provider has provided the gaming world with world-class games, with their Money Train series being exceptionally entertaining to play. From the first creating Money Train, the sequels Money Train 2 and Money Train 3 were created, where new calibrations and features were introduced. Their MT3 certainly proved that dedication and the pursuit of perfection went hand in hand, resulting in one of the highest ratings we’ve given a game created. To follow trends and markets, a side series was also created, namely Money Cart, Money Cart 2, and Money Cart 3, which targets the UK market for easier access to the bonus game without the need of a bonus buy option.
After 6 versions within this series, it is now time for the seventh version, and we are very eager to find out what it has to offer. This is what Callum Sultana, Senior Game Product Owner at Relax Gaming, had to say about the game:
«The idea to combine two of our hottest releases Money Train and Dream Drop Jackpots came to us early on, but we wanted to make sure we could create something that did both of the elements justice. We feel we achieved this by retaining the most popular features of the Money Train series and adding 2 new bandits to the mix; the Banker and the Healer, while introducing the Dream Drop mechanic seamlessly into the gameplay experience.
In terms of narrative, we have taken the theme back to the origins of Money Train but amped up the frequency of features to keep it fresh and exciting. I expect this game to be quite popular with casual players as well as more experienced ones.»
Money Train Origins Dream Drop is a video slot from Relax Gaming with 5 reels, 4 rows and 40 paylines. You can choose between making a Min.bet of 0.2 and a Max.bet of 100. The game has been created in a version with the Dream Drop Jackpot and a version without this Jackpot, where the RTP is 94% (12% Jackpot contribution) and 96.11%, respectively, between the two versions. Money Train Origins Dream Drop has high volatility and a hit frequency of 18.35%, where you can win up to 10000X the bet + progressive Dream Drop Jackpot (if that version is being played).
Within this gaming experience among cowboys, healers, bankers, and payers, you have some great features to help you in your quest for big wins. The features are Wild Symbol, Money Cart Bonus Round, Dream Drop Jackpot, and Bonus Buy (only in the no Dream Drop version).
Money Train Origins Dream Drop Slot Information
The game’s design is a Western theme, where you will be reunited with the gang from the first Money Train edition. This time they have recruited some new friends, including the Banker and the Healer. In the background of the reels, you can see a small town where the sun is starting to rise. You can play this slot on all notepads, desktops, and mobiles. You create a winning combination by landing 3 or more of the same symbol type on adjacent reels starting on the leftmost reel.
The lower-paying symbols are diamonds, clubs, hearts, and spades. If you create a win with 5 of the same symbol type, it gives between 3X to 5X the bet. The higher-paying symbols are characters with background colors of blue, green, orange, and red. If you create a win with 5 of the same symbol type, it gives between 8X to 20X the bet. The golden revolver is the game’s wild symbol, and it has the same payout as the highest-paying symbol. The purple safe is the game’s scatter symbol, where 3 or more of these activate the lucrative Money Cart Bonus round. During this bonus game, you can use special symbols like bonus, collector, payer, banker, healer, persistent collector, and persistent payer. It’s now time to find out what the features do.
Money Train Origins Dream Drop Slot Features
What is the max win in the slot Money Train Origins Dream Drop?
You can win up to 10000X the bet + progressive Dream Drop Jackpot.
What features are available in the slot Money Train Origins Dream Drop?
The features are Wild Symbol, Money Cart Bonus Round, Dream Drop Jackpot, and Bonus Buy (No Dream Drop Jackpot).
Wild Symbol
During your spins, you can land wild symbols, which help enable more winning combinations by substituting for other paying symbols. Depending on whether you create a win with 3, 4, or 5 wild symbols, it pays 0.8X, 4X, and 20X the bet, respectively.
Money Cart Bonus Round
If you land 3 or more scatter symbols, the Money Cart Bonus Round is activated. You will then receive 3 respins, and every time you land a money or special symbol, these are reset to 3 again. Before you can start spinning the reels, the scatter symbols will be transformed into cash symbols, and a scatter symbol may turn into a persistent gold symbol. If you fill an entire reel with symbols (except for the Healer), you will receive an extra reel, where you can get a maximum of 2 extra reels.
You can land the following symbols during the spins:
Bonus Cash Symbol = This has a value of between 1X to 10X.
Collector Symbol = This will collect all values on the reels and add them to its own value.
Payer = This will apply the value it landed with to all symbols on the reels.
Banker = This will land with a value that is the multiplication of the bet, where this value is then added to all visible symbols during the current spin and any new symbols that land in upcoming spins.
Healer = This will restore 1 to 3 payers and collectors that landed earlier, where they get between 2 to 7 lives. These lives correspond to how many respins they will be active during.
Persistent Collector = This will collect the values from all symbols on the reels and then add this value to its own value. This collection is then repeated on every new spin performed.
Persistent Payer = This will apply the value it landed with to all symbols on the reels. This payout is then repeated on each new spin.
Dream Drop Jackpot
The Dream Drop Jackpot can be randomly activated during the spins by landing 20 golden DD symbols on the reels. You will then be presented with 20 options, where you can shoot between them, and once you have shot 3 Jackpots of the same type, you will receive it. You can only get 1 Jackpot per round, and these are Rapid, Midi, Maxi, Major, and Mega, which start with the seeding values €1, €5, €100, €25’000, and €500’000, respectively.
Bonus Buy (No Dream Drop Jackpot)
If you want to take part in the Money Cart Bonus Round right away, you can use the bonus buy option. You pay 80X and then land at least 3 scatter symbols that activate the bonus game.
Money Train Origins Dream Drop Slot Conclusion
Yes, there have certainly been many sweet rides that we have enjoyed over the years with these Money Trains. The last Money Train 3 transported us to a futuristic era with the possibility of winning up to an incredible 100’000X. With this banger of a slot in mind, it was still nice to travel back to a place where it all started. The gangs from the first version are on the platform waiting for us, along with some newly recruited members like the Banker and the Healer. Much is undoubtedly the same visually, with these new members making a perfect contribution to an enhanced gaming experience in the Money Cart Bonus Round. The banker lives up to its name and provides additional value to already landed and upcoming symbols, while the Healer was a true delight to land. This symbol will revive up to 3 existing payers or collectors, who can become active for up to 7 respins. A bit like a persistent symbol on adrenaline, where the balance can get a hefty boost with the help of these.
The big addition in this version is the Dream Drop Jackpot that has been added. This is a Jackpot that Relax Gaming has applied to a large number of new and classic slots in recent times, but what makes this version extra interesting is the fact that they have not only added this Jackpot but have made other adjustments. It adds a Dream Drop to the original game and calibrates its surroundings with new special symbols and a sharper design. Compared to the first version, the maximum potential win has been lowered from 20,000X to 10,000X; but you should keep in mind that a huge Mega Dream Drop Jackpot can land. The game takes and blends beloved elements with their Dream Drop Jackpot, paving the way for a new amazing ride targeted to the Jackpot lovers out there.
Money Train Origins Dream Drop is a slot that is a result of a mix between the original game and a Dream Drop Jackpot, with some new symbols sprinkled on top of that.
