One of the truly remarkable features of the internet is how it simulates actual life and makes actual life seem redundant and inconvenient.
MySpace and Facebook recreate social venues where people would ordinarily talk face to face over five dollar lattes, Ebay simulates grandiose Vegas auctions and eliminates commission charges/entrance fees. Websites like Cryptologic bring the casino to your laptop without the pesky cigar smoke and cheap lighting. Well, the cheap lighting may remain intact to capture the feel of a true slot machine in the virtual game entitled “Break Da Bank” from Microgaming.
The game has the look and feel (and odds) of a similarly designed Vegas slot machine, accepting bets from $5-$25 and allowing the player/online gambler multiple chances to jackpot or at least take home a little souvenir by way of a maximum 5 possible paylines (should the max bet be chosen) across the traditional 3 reels.
Like a real casino too, the over-stimulating sound effects and shape-shifting reels distract from the fact that these cyber-machines don’t pay out nearly as much as they hype. Also this particular game’s software is not available to U.S. Citizens, so an alternative knock-off (or real machine) would have to fill its shoes if you actually live in or around Nevada. Otherwise, the aesthetic feel is there, simulating reality and all its unabridged harshness.