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 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!

By Jonathan Marx
CCC Editor / News Director