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UNO RUSH Review for Xbox 360

UNO RUSH Review for Xbox 360

Frantic yet Oh So Fun!

Microsoft’s Days of Arcade have brought us a number of great downloadable titles, not least of which is UNO RUSH, the sequel to one of the most-played titles on Xbox LIVE. UNO RUSH provides players with a fast-paced alternative to the laidback experience found in Uno. Instead of relying on a lot of luck and patience, UNO RUSH forces players to make quick decisions in order to implement strategy. Consequently, UNO RUSH is an addictive gaming experience with loads of play value. Of course, if you played Uno simply to virtually hit on Xbot-ladies, UNO RUSH doesn’t offer quite the same single’s bar atmosphere. Thankfully, the game is so good you won’t miss it at all, you dog!

UNO RUSH screenshot

UNO RUSH is a new take on the classic card gameplay of Uno. Naturally, playing like-colored cards and numbers still figures into the mechanic, but instead of hiding your hand, playing cards one at a time, hoping the cards stay in your favor, or bluffing your way to victory, UNO RUSH uses a unique, exposed-hand combo system that lets you control your own destiny. That’s right; all players will have all the cards in their hand turned up so everyone can see what they have. This allows neighboring players to develop counterstrategies. If players were forced to play only one card per turn, no one would ever win. But, in UNO RUSH, players will organize their cards in such a way that they can discard multiple cards in one long run. This is done by shuffling your hand, organizing like-colors, and making sure disparate colors are linked by like-numbers. As such, it is possible to get rid of all the cards in your hand in one fell swoop.

Sounds simple, right? In theory it is, but you will have to do all this rearranging in just a few moments, as each player is only given around two seconds on their turn. Moreover, players are constantly switching up the cards, thwarting your best-laid plans. To make matters worse, draw two, draw four, wild, reverse, skip turn, and a brand-new shuffle card will constantly frustrate you. Finally, calling out UNO! (via the X button) and challenging opponents too slow to react (by pressing Y) becomes an even more crucial part of the game. I can’t tell you how many good-natured expletives get volleyed back and forth between friends. This all leads to split-second decision-making, lighting quick movements, and solid competition. It is a combination of factors that leads to a lot of intriguing gameplay. It’s well-worth the 800 MS points ($10 USD) it costs to download the title.

UNO RUSH screenshot

In addition to standard play, you can also pair up in Partner mode or try to survive the longest in Elimination. Partner mode is great fun, as you and a friend will use team strategies to foil your opponents’ plans, rather than simply playing all against all. In Elimination, you can win by discarding all your cards the fastest, however, the victor is usually the one that hangs around the longest. Every time a player can’t discard, they are given a strike; accumulate three strikes and you’re out! These modes are nice additions to the package. Unlike many other arcade titles out there, players will likely play these alternate modes frequently. Still, the standard mode of play will always rule the day, as it is the one that best breeds competition, boiling the blood in an instant.

As fun and as solid as gameplay is, there are a few problems with the game. For starters, the controls don’t seem to work efficiently considering the time constraints placed on players. Selecting individual cards with A, and then moving them down the line with the analog stick, especially deep into a round, can get very cumbersome. I would have liked to have seen instant, move-to-the-front and move-to-the-back buttons mapped to L3 and R3. Also, organizing large stacks of cards can be overly daunting. This is due to the fact it is often difficult to distinguish which card your cursor has selected. Some kind of highlighting or elevated demarcation needed to be introduced.

UNO RUSH screenshot

Also, initially there were a ton of multiplayer connection issues in UNO RUSH. Connection quality was artificially bad, party formation was often difficult, syncing up games often led to long waits, and players joining mid-game could cause crashing and disconcerting lag. Thankfully, the recent Xbox 360 firmware update seems to have done away with most of the technical issues that plagued the game at launch.

UNO RUSH screenshot

UNO RUSH is a very complete game that offers Xbox 360 owners support for all the LIVE bells and whistles they crave. First, the title touts full Avatar support – a function that is surprisingly satisfying, especially because of their expressive nature and players’ ability to shake their heads with the right analog stick. Second, LIVE Party and voice chat makes hooking up with friends and meeting new friends (and enemies) a snap. Third, full guest support means playing with friends locally doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice going online. I found this to be a quite compelling feature, indeed! Finally, peripherals like the Xbox LIVE Vision camera and even the Big Button controller are supported, though you won’t have enough time to pay attention to video feeds and the Big Button controller is far less precise.

As far as presentation is concerned, the crisp visuals are transmitted in 1080i. The game board is clean and the Avatars are a lot of fun. The only visual hiccup seems to be that the stacked cards are a little too small to read when you have a lot of them. The background music is catchy, reminiscent of the original Uno release. Sound effects are generally very good, but the scaled-sounds whilst discarding steal the show; talk about satisfying!

In summation, UNO RUSH is a great LIVE Arcade title. While some may be initially discouraged by the title’s frenetic pace and seemingly unforgiving controls, once you get the hang of things, you’ll never want to let go!

RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 4.1 Graphics
The clean-looking game board and expressive Avatars are great! Cards can be difficult to distinguish at times. 3.8 Control
Controls are inefficient, but this usually adds rather than detracts from the fun. However, a few advanced commands would have been nice. 4.5 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
The music is very catchy and the sounds are perfect! 4.5 Play Value
Once you get the hang of things, this game is full of amazingly addictive content. 4.0 Overall Rating – Great
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

Game Features:

  • Xbox LIVE exclusive: UNO RUSH is the sequel to the number-one selling Xbox LIVE Arcade title UNO, and is exclusive to Xbox LIVE Arcade.
  • Full support: Full avatar, LIVE Party Chat, Xbox LIVE Vision camera, and Big Button Pad support is provided.
  • Multiplayer action: It’s couch play for the whole family, with up to four players per console, and full guest support for multiple users per console over Xbox LIVE.
  • Exciting UNO-style gameplay: Several special command cards affect different aspects of the game, including skipping the next player’s turn, reversing the direction of play, changing the color of the discard pile, scrambling the next player’s hand, or making the next player draw two or four cards.
  • Screen Resolution: Up to 1080i (Standard HD).

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