Wheel of Fortune (USA)
Wheel of Fortune is an American television game show created by Merv Griffin, premiering in 1975 with a syndicated version airing in 1983. Since 1986, the show has been adapted into various video games, most (if not all) based on the syndicated nighttime version. Most versions released before 1998 were published by GameTek, which folded later that year. The modern versions of the Wheel of Fortune video games feature co-host Vanna White since 1982 and host Pat Sajak since 1981. From 1998 until 2010, the show's announcer Charlie O'Donnell participated, with the last of which was released posthumously.
The video games released include a computer game for older Macintosh computers, a version for the Commodore 64, a game for the Nintendo Entertainment System released before the overhaul of the bonus round during the "Big Month of Cash", a version for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega Genesis, a Nintendo 64 version, several PC versions, as well as some arcade versions. In addition, several handheld game versions, as well as slot machine versions were also released.
The video games released include a computer game for older Macintosh computers, a version for the Commodore 64, a game for the Nintendo Entertainment System released before the overhaul of the bonus round during the "Big Month of Cash", a version for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega Genesis, a Nintendo 64 version, several PC versions, as well as some arcade versions. In addition, several handheld game versions, as well as slot machine versions were also released.
Technical
CPU
- maincpu Z80 (@ 3 Mhz)
Chipset
- Game Gear PSG (@ 3 Mhz)
Display
- Orientation Yoko
- Resolution 160 x 144
- Frequency 59.922738 Hz
Controlers
- Number of players 1
- Number of buttons 2
- Kind of controler joy (8 ways)
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Console versions
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Wheel of Fortune Original release date(s): 1986 | Release years by system: Commodore 64 |
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Wheel of Fortune Original release date(s): 1987 | Release years by system: Nintendo Entertainment System |
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Wheel of Fortune: New Third Edition Original release date(s): 1988 | Release years by system: Commodore 64 |
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Wheel of Fortune: Junior Edition Original release date(s): October 1989 | Release years by system: Nintendo Entertainment System |
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Wheel of Fortune Original release date(s): September 1990 | Release years by system: Game Boy |
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Wheel of Fortune: Family Edition Original release date(s): 1990 | Release years by system: Nintendo Entertainment System |
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Wheel of Fortune featuring Vanna White Original release date(s): 1991 | Release years by system: MS-DOS, Nintendo Entertainment System |
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Wheel of Fortune Original release date(s): 1992 | Release years by system: Game Gear |
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Wheel of Fortune Original release date(s): 1992 | Release years by system: Sega Genesis, Super Nintendo Entertainment System |
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Wheel of Fortune: Deluxe Edition Original release date(s): 1993 | Release years by system: Super Nintendo Entertainment System |
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Wheel of Fortune Original release date(s): April 1994 | Release years by system: Sega CD |
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Wheel of Fortune Original release date(s): 1997 | Release years by system: Game.com |
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Wheel of Fortune Original release date(s): December 2, 1997 | Release years by system: Nintendo 64 |
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Wheel of Fortune 2 Original release date(s): 1998 | Release years by system: Game.com |
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Wheel of Fortune Original release date(s): June 5, 1998 | Release years by system: PlayStation |
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Wheel of Fortune Original release date(s): March 8, 2003 | Release years by system: PlayStation 2 |
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Wheel of Fortune Original release date(s): March 19, 2009 | Release years by system: PlayStation 3 |
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Wheel of Fortune Original release date(s): November 2, 2010 (Wii and Nintendo DS) October 16, 2012 (PS3 and Xbox 360) December 14, 2012 (Wii U) December 21, 2012 (eShop) | Release years by system: Nintendo DS, Wii, |
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Wheel of Fortune Original release date(s): October 16, 2012 (Xbox 360, PS3) December 14, 2012 (Wii U) | Release years by system: Wii U, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 |
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PC versions
From 1987 through 1990, GameTek created five Wheel of Fortune computer games for the Apple II, Commodore 64 and MS-DOS. A 1994 PC edition with co-host Vanna White was created by Sony Imagesoft and released in June 1994. Atari released three PC editions with White and announcer Charlie O'Donnell in 1998, 2000, and November 2002, all of which were developed by Artech Entertainment, Ltd. Hasbro Interactive, which developed the PlayStation versions, also developed the PC versions.
The most recent Wheel game for the PC was released in 2007 by Sony Online Entertainment, titled Wheel of Fortune 2, as it was an updated version of their 2003 online game. A revised version of this game was released in 2010 titled as a "Platinum Edition", although the graphics and possibly the rules are the same as its 2007 counterpart.
The most recent Wheel game for the PC was released in 2007 by Sony Online Entertainment, titled Wheel of Fortune 2, as it was an updated version of their 2003 online game. A revised version of this game was released in 2010 titled as a "Platinum Edition", although the graphics and possibly the rules are the same as its 2007 counterpart.
Online Versions
Wheel of Fortune on Facebook
Sony Entertainment, together with GSN Digital released a free Wheel of Fortune game on Facebook. It combines most aspects of the TV game show and allows players to become contestants competing for virtual currency, called "Wheel Bucks," by playing a "Main Round" puzzle on their own and a "Bonus Round" puzzle that will allow them to collaborate with Facebook friends to increase their winnings.
Players can use the Wheel Bucks to purchase more Power-Ups and receive 75 Wheel Gold for every level-up. There are also Power ups, with Free Play not on the wheel, but as a Power up. There are also three other bonuses (Timeout, Reveal Letter - which reveals a random letter and all its occurrences, and Double Bucks - Similar to the Double Play formerly used in the actual game). A player may also receive a spin of the "Spin & Win", which is a graphic of the Bonus Round wheel used to offer a random power-up, gold or an episode.
The Main Round works almost like the Online Game Sony Online Entertainment created in 2003, with 5 turns only, and no prizes/gift tags on the wheel. The top dollar is $2500, and follows the configuration of the current season. The bonus round is currently played for $5000 Wheel Bucks.
Arcade versions
GameTek also developed an arcade version of Wheel in July 1989. Playable by one to three players, the gameplay was much like the show with a few exceptions – a Bonus Round (as gameplay ends with this round), selectable difficulty of puzzles (normal or expert), a single Wheel arrangement for all rounds (top dollar value of $900; with all cash values in $100 increments and no Free Spin space), and prizes or bonuses. When a puzzle was solved, a $10,000 bonus was added to a player's score and that player gets an extra turn. In addition, there is no Speed-Up Round/Final Spin. Players were given a set number of "misses" (wrong guesses or hits on Bankrupt or Lose A Turn, adjustable by the arcade owner between 1 and 5) before gameplay ended and the player was prompted to buy-in and continue. Hitting certain score amounts could replenish these misses (similar to earning extra "lives" in other games). Player controls were limited to an encoder wheel (which was used to spin the Wheel or select letters and game options) and one button for each player to confirm said selections.
This was a video redemption game – while no real money was actually won (it was simply a means of keeping score), reaching certain score amounts would cause tickets to be dispensed. Graphics were on par with arcade games of the era (slightly over the home game systems of the time), and the game even featured a "Vanna" look-alike to "turn letters" on the board and urge on players with a simulated voice. The "Vanna" look-alike wore a red dress in odd-numbered rounds and wore a blue dress in even-numbered rounds.
This game used a software-based test menu (as opposed to DIP switches) to set the game options – they were saved to EEPROM.
This was a video redemption game – while no real money was actually won (it was simply a means of keeping score), reaching certain score amounts would cause tickets to be dispensed. Graphics were on par with arcade games of the era (slightly over the home game systems of the time), and the game even featured a "Vanna" look-alike to "turn letters" on the board and urge on players with a simulated voice. The "Vanna" look-alike wore a red dress in odd-numbered rounds and wore a blue dress in even-numbered rounds.
This game used a software-based test menu (as opposed to DIP switches) to set the game options – they were saved to EEPROM.
Redemption games
Lazer-Tron version (Spin To Win)
In 1992, Lazer-Tron released an arcade game loosely based on the show called Spin to Win. The main feature of the game was a 15-wedge wheel (each with three pegs) that very closely resembled the show's wheel. A light featured in the back of the game allowed players to easily see which space they landed on when the wheel came to a stop.
The player rolled three balls, one at a time, down a chute that would go into one of seven slots. Whatever he or she accumulated via the wheel at the end of the three rolls was what he/she won.
Ten wedges had ticket values normally ranging from 1-15, although some units had 20 as a top value.
- Bankrupt: Two wedges marked Bankrupt would cost the player all the tickets he or she accumulated up to that point. If the player hits one of the Bankrupts on the last spin, they win nothing. If any of the player's balls went into this slot, it would move the wheel to the nearest Bankrupt wedge.
- Lose a Ball: The player wins nothing for this spin and also loses the following ball. If the player's first spin was this wedge, they would be left with only one more ball to roll.
- Double Ticket Bank: The number of tickets the player accumulated up to that point would be doubled. If the player were to spin 5, 10, and Double Ticket Bank for the game, they would win 30 tickets.
- Bonus Jackpot: If the player's last spin resulted in landing on this wedge, a second consecutive game would be played and, if their last spin resulted in landing on this wedge again, they would win the Bonus Jackpot (which could be worth hundreds of tickets).
Some arcades customized their units with different labels in order to suit their specifications for movement of the wheel. Some labels even had the option to move two slots in either direction.
Funhouse version
In 1996, Funhouse released the first non-video Wheel redemption game. Out of seven large boxes spelling out JACKPOT, the A, K, and O had to be lit up via a 12-wedge wheel. A light traveled around the wheel itself, and once a coin traveled down a chute into the machine, the light would stop spinning on a value. Ten wedges had values normally ranging from 2-12 tickets, while Bankrupt gave the player zero tickets (but the player would not lose any tickets already earned). The twelfth wedge at the top of the wheel netted the player a lit letter plus the biggest value on the wheel, normally 50 tickets. If the player successfully lit up the last letter, in normal circumstances, 100 tickets would be won.
The game's backdrops were similar to Tyco's 1992 Wheel board game, only the photo was morphed to stretch across the machine. There was a letter girl at the left side of the machine.
ICE versions
In 2001, ICE released a Wheel redemption game similar to their popular Cyclone games. In order to spin a large, 20-wedge wheel offering bonus values, players needed to stop a light traveling around the game on a blue bulb marked "Spin Zone". Otherwise, a smaller amount of tickets were dispensed. This version uses the 1997 rendition of Changing Keys.
In 2004, ICE also released a coin pusher version. In order to spin the wheel at the top of the game, players needed to skillfully light up all 14 letters on a puzzle board spelling out "WHEEL OF FORTUNE". To do this, players needed to drop their coins onto a lighted section (the light would move back and forth along seven sections).
Konami version
In 2010, Konami announced plans to release a Wheel of Fortune redemption game based on the slot machine versions. In it, the player can choose between a regular mode or a Double Play mode, which costs twice as much as the regular mode yet gives out twice the ticket potential. A large wheel is spun using a smaller wheel which controls the power of the spin. Whatever the large wheel lands on is the amount the player plays for per letter occurrence. The rest of the gameplay works similar to the bonus round on the actual show, yet not the same. Random letters are revealed in the puzzle, and the player has to choose three different letters out of various highlighted letters, which can be either vowels and/or consonants (all the highlighted letters are in the puzzle). The player then has to solve the puzzle by typing in the missing letters in order to win a bonus ticket value. If the player fails to solve the puzzle correctly, they still win the tickets earned during the puzzle.
Slot machines
A series of popular slot machines, all based on the current version of Wheel of Fortune, were manufactured for North American casinos by International Game Technology. The most common machines use a version of the wheel built into the game and has a bonus spin in which the player can win coins and can also win a progressive jackpot by lining up three "Wheel of Fortune" symbols wins the progressive jackpot. The jackpot can be linked with other Wheel machines throughout one or more states and reaches into the millions of dollars.
In 1998, Tiger Electronics released a handheld game based on the Wheel slot machines. It featured a Progressive Super Jackpot which started at $5,000 and increased by $1, $2, or $3 depending on what the player's bet is. There were two ways to win the Super Jackpot – either land on the Super Jackpot wedge when spinning the Wheel (the Wheel would be spun when a SPIN symbol hit the payout line, offering an easy way to win the Super Jackpot or some value between $20 and $1000), or get three "Wheel of Fortune" symbols on the payline with a $3 bet.
In more recent years, as video-based slot machines with many paylines have become popular, video versions of Wheel machines have appeared, with the wheel built above the main screen. In 2004, a Special Edition version featuring Sajak, White, and O'Donnell was created by IGT. A second version of the Special Edition machine was produced in 2006, which features nine video terminals situated around a giant wheel in the center. In this game, multiple players may become eligible for a bonus spin at any given time.
In 1998, Tiger Electronics released a handheld game based on the Wheel slot machines. It featured a Progressive Super Jackpot which started at $5,000 and increased by $1, $2, or $3 depending on what the player's bet is. There were two ways to win the Super Jackpot – either land on the Super Jackpot wedge when spinning the Wheel (the Wheel would be spun when a SPIN symbol hit the payout line, offering an easy way to win the Super Jackpot or some value between $20 and $1000), or get three "Wheel of Fortune" symbols on the payline with a $3 bet.
In more recent years, as video-based slot machines with many paylines have become popular, video versions of Wheel machines have appeared, with the wheel built above the main screen. In 2004, a Special Edition version featuring Sajak, White, and O'Donnell was created by IGT. A second version of the Special Edition machine was produced in 2006, which features nine video terminals situated around a giant wheel in the center. In this game, multiple players may become eligible for a bonus spin at any given time.
Play-along versions
Mattel also released an electronic handheld Wheel of Fortune game that allowed players to point the device at the television and play along with the puzzle. The unit included video tapes in these three editions with puzzles on them and allowed players to program their own puzzles. While the first edition was released on June 1988, a second edition was released in November 1989 while the third edition was released in December 1994. The first and third editions features hosts Pat Sajak and Vanna White while the second one replace Sajak with Bob Goen.
Pinball machine
A Wheel of Fortune pinball machine was released in Fall 2007 and was developed by Stern Pinball. It was designed by Kevin O'Connor and Margaret Hudson, and featured host Pat Sajak and announcer Charlie O'Donnell.
Handheld games
Tiger Electronics released an electronic handheld game for Wheel of Fortune in 1995, and a Deluxe version came out in 1999; both came with expansion cartridges. Both use the 3-round format the show used early during its run, but if there were only 2 players (Player 2 being the computer player), Player 1 would start Round 3. As usual, the player with the most money after the third round plays the Bonus Round, but if the computer player wins, no Bonus Round is played and the game is over.
Wheel Of Fortune for Nook Color
Wheel of Fortune for Nook Color is a $4.99 app, which can be played like the TV version, solo, against computer players, or in Toss-up mode (which consists of three quick "toss-up" rounds).
Cancelled versions
In 1983, GameTek planned to release a version of Wheel, along with conversions of six other popular game shows (Jeopardy!, The Price Is Right, Family Feud, Password, The Joker's Wild, and Tic-Tac-Dough), for the Atari 2600.[1] However, these plans were canceled when the North American video game crash of 1983 occurred. Since many felt that the Atari 2600 was not powerful enough to faithfully reproduce these games, it is believed that if these games had been developed and released, they would have been released as a hybrid video/board game (such as the Quest for Rings on the Odyssey2).[2]
In 2004, Tiger Electronics teamed with VEIL Wireless Technologies to make a Wheel game which let home viewers play along with the actual TV show (similar to the 1988 Mattel game). The game, titled "Wheel of Fortune Live Play," was cancelled days before its intended release date because of technical issues. Despite its apparent cancellation, one unit was sold on eBay in December 2006 under the Parker Brothers brand name.
In 2004, Tiger Electronics teamed with VEIL Wireless Technologies to make a Wheel game which let home viewers play along with the actual TV show (similar to the 1988 Mattel game). The game, titled "Wheel of Fortune Live Play," was cancelled days before its intended release date because of technical issues. Despite its apparent cancellation, one unit was sold on eBay in December 2006 under the Parker Brothers brand name.
See also
- Video game based on a Russian adaptation of the show