An intense take on the classic card game

The original Uno on XBLA is arguably the most successful arcade game to date. Raking in the top 10 charts every month and still being played to this day, Uno was a smart addition the XBLA library. Now we have Uno Rush, which trickles down to being Uno, but faster. It’s a great game for 10 bucks that most casuals and hardcore can enjoy.

The major change to this version is that everyone’s cards are on the table for all to see. This eliminates the bluffing and light strategy the original Uno was synonymous for; however, this creates an almost entirely different game, resulting in frantic card throwing in rabid succession. This forces you to have the card you can get rid of in front of your hand before it’s your turn.

 

On paper, the controls of Uno Rush are simplistic, utilizing your choice of the D-Pad or the bumpers to navigate through your hand. The problem comes when these maneuvers just aren’t fast enough, causing you to have too many turns when you could have won, but were held back by unresponsive controls. I found myself wanting to play with a mouse, or having the option to increase sensitivity.

Its no question this game brings an awesome, frantic experience to the old Uno formula. Whether that’s good or not, depends on your perceptive. I found it nearly impossible to have the laid-back casual experience, playing this game while listening to a podcast. If anything, I found myself cussing more, and being more competitive than any Call of Duty match I’ve been in.

Uno Rush is a fun and fresh way to revisit the classic card game. The fast gameplay will be controversial, but are only held back by controls. The game also uses avatars, which is kind of cool. I can easily recommend downloading the game, but try the trial out first to make sure you welcome the gameplay tweaks. That said; I’m sure this robust XBLA game will have long legs.