You’ll only really get a good idea of whether or not you like a game by playing it, but if you read our in-depth review then you’ll at least know what to expect when you load the game up.
Special Features
There are two mildly interesting special features that could come into play when you start the reels spinning on The X Factor Judges’ Jackpot game, so read on to find out more:
Wilds
Anyone who has ever seen The X Factor will know what the show’s famous ‘X’ looks like. Keep your eyes peeled for a Golden ‘X’, as that will play as a Wild in the game, replacing any symbol except for the Bonus Studio one.
5 Golden ‘X’s will pay a percentage of the jackpot, depending on the amount staked.
Judges’ Panel Bonus Round
If you land a Bonus Studio symbol on an active line and in the first reel, you’ll enter the game’s bonus round. The judges’ desk will be revealed to you, complete with the panel that will tell you whether or not you’re going to be a success. The panels will spin around and reveal either a Tick or a Cross vote and, just like on the show, you should be hoping for a Tick! If you get one then you’ll be winning some money, with the size of your prize dictated by the stake per line that you were playing when the bonus round was activated, multiplied by the Activation Multiplier, multiplied by the X Bonus Multiplier. That might sound confusing but there’s no need to worry, the computer works it all out for you.
Golden X Progressive Jackpot
That Golden ‘X’ symbol that works as a Wild isn’t just something to keep your eye out for because it will substitute in for any other symbol, it’s also how you win the progressive jackpot. See five Golden Xs land on a winning line and you’ll be taking home a percentage of the biggest prize in the game. How much of the jackpot you’ll win depends entirely on the size of the stake on the winning line, with £5 per line resulting in the entire thing heading your way. The amount of the prize you win gets gradually smaller the smaller your stake per line is, with a 1p stake resulting in a 0.2 share of the progressive jackpot.
Gameplay & RTP
Let’s start off by discussing the Return To Player average of The X Factor Judges Jackpot. 93% is a little disappointing, truth be told, with some of the better games reaching up to the 98% mark. It’s not the worst thing in the world, mind, with some games creeping as low as 90% or lower. Does a game’s RTP matter to you? It’s all a case of personal opinion. The reality is that if you’re a massive fan of The X Factor then you’re likely to be really happy playing the game and getting involved in a slot that’s based around a theme you love. If, on the other hand, the amount of money you get back matters to you more than the theme of any individual game then you’re not going to be impressed with a below average Return To Player percentage. There’ll be many of you that don’t particularly care for The X Factor, don’t really mind what the RTP is and just want to play a decent, immersive game. Will you be pleased with this one?
Probably not, is the honest answer. It’s not that The X Factor Judges Jackpot is a poor game, especially as the theme is fairly consistent throughout. It’s just that it feels a bit like they’re trying to get away with the fact that it’s based around a massively popular TV show and haven’t put all that much thought or effort into it. From the moment you start the game up and see ‘The X Factor’ in big writing, you’ll notice that the graphics aren’t all that brilliant. There are sweeping spotlights that move around but they seem to judder and not move very smoothly. Move into the game proper and things aren’t that much better, with reels seeming to meander around on their path rather than have a realistic ‘spinning’ look. Even the bonus round seems a little bit thrown together, with the panels that the Ticks and Crosses appear on looking a little bit cheap. There is a bonus round, though, which makes The X Factor Judges Jackpot better than some Virtue Fusion games out there.
There’s also a progressive jackpot, which you can’t turn your nose up at even if it’s not one of the largest you’ll find. The theming of the game also comes together well, especially for those that are a fan of the TV show. The line numbers are placed in rectangles that take the show’s font into account, whilst the reels themselves stand in front of a big X Factor looking sound stage type thing. The symbols are made up of a Microphones, a Group, a Male Singer and a Female Singer, perhaps intended to represent the various groups that the contestants get separated into on to the show. It all just feels a little bit paint-by-numbers, however, with no real love put into the game. Rather than making the progressive jackpot about finding Golden Xs, for example, could there not have been a ‘Judges’ Houses’ feature? Not a bad game, but it could have been so much better.