terpfan1980

Join Date 08/2004

+13

UNO [XBOX 360] review

Draw four anyone?

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UNO comes to Xbox Live Arcade
In the last few weeks Microsoft and their partner (for this game) Carbonated Games have put out an updated version of the old card game UNO in the Xbox Live Arcade.

If you've never played UNO then you've missed some of the most (normally) cut-throat card gaming fun a person could have. There's a nice article and description of the original game and it's history that can be found: here, with information from Wikipedia (among others).

If you have played Uno, then you know it's a fairly fast paced card game that involves the best in treachery, and occassionally some deceit, as you try to complete the task of getting rid of all of your own cards while loading others up with as many as you possibly can.

Sample screen shot from UNO on Xbox 360 Live Arcade

... rest of review continues in comments area (Please read the rest there if interested!)

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The rest of the review and comments

I don't believe I really need to waste the space here to completely describe the game, but I'll state that for the most part the version you can get on the XBOX 360 is a very enjoyable implementation. While it may not provide for every possible variation that has ever been played, it does allow for many variants, including Progressive Draws, and Progressive Penalties, as well as several other "house rules" type settings that let you configure the game to your own liking.

When playing multiplayer, you'll play over the internet (as with all Xbox Live gaming, a broadband connection is required) and can game match or create games using the rules that you want to play. If you can't find enough other gamers to play with your preferences, you can start a game and have the computer fill the seats of the missing players. Later, if someone else wants to join, they will take over for the computer players (and vice versa, the computer will take over if someone leaves the game).

Sample of the 35th Anniversary Deck/variation available on Xbox Live Arcade or standalone

Single players can play standalone versus the computer. Of course, there's always suspicion that the computer "cheats" (some players swear that happens!) and as with most gaming, you'll most likely have more fun playing over the net against other humans.

Sadly, because of the nature of the game and the layout of the information on the screen, UNO is stuck as a "single player" game for whomever is playing on any one console. To play multiplayer, you have to play over the net, as otherwise the extra players would have the ability to see your cards.

At some point down the road, the Xbox Live rendition will include the ability to use a web-cam type accessory that will let other players see who they are gaming with. I'm not sure that's a great idea (who really needs to see the geek playing the console while sitting in their underwear?!), but it will improve the "bluff" feature as you'll have the opportunity to try to read the facial expressions of your opponents.

Not sold in stores
So how do you get a copy of UNO for the Xbox 360? Well, as they say on the TV commercials "NOT sold in stores!" and "ONLY available via this special offer!" Those statements may not quite be true, but they're close enough. The game isn't a traditional retail packaged game. It's found via the Xbox Live Marketplace, specifically in the Xbox Live Arcade area. It's not sold with an actual cash retail price. You buy the game with "Microsoft Points" that you can purchase online, or via pre-valued cards with designated numbers of points on them.

UNO is "sold" for 400 points, which roughly translates for $5.00 (depending on how you purchase your points). At that price, the game is a bargain, and comes highly recommended.

A demo version is available for free download. At a minimum, grab the demo and give it a try. You'll probably find yourself hooked (though you will most likely also find you want to turn off the background music after a few games, addictive that it is, it's also annoying over time!) and be ready to pick up some Microsoft points to use for the purchase soon enough.

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I SO want to play this. But I want to play with my hubby, not with jerks from who knows where.

Do you buy a lot of stuff from the marketplace? I don't think Adrian has bought anything yet, although he does a lot of the free downloads. I don't know why, but he's averse to purchasing demos or games or other extras on there.

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Having just barely purchased an XBOX 360, and started investigating XBOX Live, this looks like a lot of fun. Thanks for the review.

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Texas Wahine said:

I SO want to play this. But I want to play with my hubby, not with jerks from who knows where.

Hey, I could be one of those Jerks

Seriously, you are right that it's not a game that will work for family play. That's one of it's drawbacks. You can play it as a family activity, but then you'd be playing with the family seated around the tube offering advice to whoever is playing, with each individual waiting for their turn to play the anonymous people (well, somewhat anonymous people) from across the internet.

Later, Texas Wahine also said:

Do you buy a lot of stuff from the marketplace? I don't think Adrian has bought anything yet, although he does a lot of the free downloads. I don't know why, but he's averse to purchasing demos or games or other extras on there.

UNO was my first Marketplace purchase.... the first item I actually used any Microsoft points to get. I got the points by using a Circuit City gift card that I got for free with another recent purchase (a DVD set there). The C.C. gift card brought the cost of the points down to a better bargain for me, though at $20 for 1600 points, they aren't that expensive.

Demo wise, well, the demos are all free. Download the demos as time allows. If you want the full versions of some of the same games, then you would wind up having to use points to make the purchases, but you'll know before using any points. XBL does a great job of letting you get the demos for free and not letting you spend points or money without knowing you are.

There are (supposedly well grounded) rumors that there will be a poker game coming soon to XBL Arcade. I am hoping that the charge (cost) for that game is pretty low too. If so, I'll probably use some of my left over points (1200 remain I think) to get that game.

Most of the rest of the games haven't really inspired me yet, or at least not enough to get on that system. I did really like Zuma, but I didn't like the controls for it on the Xbox 360, and got that game on the PC instead. Same cost (I think it cost the same both places), but much easier to play for me.

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I should add, if you all do grab UNO, look for Terpfan1980 (add me as a friend if you want) and send a friend invite and I'd be happy to play against you. If you have the XBL headset (should have come with the system if you got the premium one?) then you can chat voice and just shoot the breeze while playing.

I had a nice conversation last nite with someone that had been to APG (Aberdeen Proving Grounds, in Maryland, near Baltimore) and was telling me what a bleh! place that was. I knew right away, since I live "in the area" and almost had a job there not long back. She told me she was there when her husband was in "Haaarrmy Training Sir!" (think Stripes for that reference) some time back.

She mentioned also having been at Ft. Lost-in-the-woods Missouri and brought back memories for me

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Nice to see such a graphically intensive game come out on the Xbox 360. Those cards are using pixel shader 3.0? 50 billion pollygons a card you say? Honestly how many processor cores does it take to move a bunch of cards.

By the way your so-called 'review' bears a lot more similarities and characteristics of an advertisment than a review, probably because its shameless forum advertising.

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By the way your so-called 'review' bears a lot more similarities and characteristics of an advertisment than a review, probably because its shameless forum advertising.

Nice to know this is still an area that occassionally lets the trolls have their say.

As to your somewhat valid complaints here:

UNO isn't a graphically intensive game, but it does look nice on the 360, and is a fun game to play. For some people, it's a nice game to let significant others enjoy when the box isn't busy running Oblivion or something similar.

The point being that the 360 isn't just for kick ass graphics, it can be used to run games that family members get to enjoy.

On the down side, that means potentially losing valuable play time (for games like Oblivion) over to these other games, but I suspect (probably like the cynical troll directly above) that Microsoft has done this all with the purpose of selling more hardware, and more Xbox Live memberships. Unfortunately for them, that probably won't happen until the price comes *way* down, since most families don't have 4 bills laying around to plunk down on the console, along with at least the same amount to buy another HDTV monitor to use with it.

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Enough of your de-humanising troll branding, you seemed to have missed the obvious point i was making, and no im not going to point out the obvious for people with an intellectual capacity the size of a half eaton apricot. Im not going to reply further to let this poorly disguised promotion dissappear into the voids of nothingness. And if your wondering, about anything, i dont care.

P.S reviews offer critical analysis beyond the obvious. Nor a third of the review being dedicated to a "NOT SOLD IN STORES" subsection. write that down.

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de-humanising troll

I call it like it is.

If you think this was a promotional piece, then you are about as far from the truth as you could possibly get.

#1 I don't work for Microsoft, I do have a small financial interest in them -- very small -- as there are a few (as in less than 25 shares) shares of Microsoft stock in the IRA I created for my wife. At present, those shares have *lost* several dollars each.

#2 Though I do make my regular living supporting (administering) Microsoft based systems, I am not known as someone that worships of the altar of all things Microsoft or Bill Gates related. Far from it. I regularly curse Microsoft, despise their anti-piracy tactics, their digital rights managements efforts, and firmly believe that Judge Wapner, I mean Thomas Penfield Jackson, was right in ordering their break-up. If we had a Justice department with a set of cajones, and a Judge with half-a-brain (or in the words of the new resident troll above: "people with an intellectual capacity the size of a half eaton apricot" serving at Justice or in the capacity of the Judiciary that are over-seeing the case) then Microsoft would be several companies today, hopefully a bit leaner, a bit meaner (perhaps) but a lot more competitive, and a lot less "dominant" in the industry.

#3 I *pay* for the games I comment on, and will not write a review of a game until I've played through it enough to find problems that may be encountered or at least enough to get past the intro/demo/welcome screens so that I'm not writing about something I've barely seen (which should serve as a lesson to a certain intellectually devoid individual who I'm answering here).

Now, take your apparent Sony PS3/Nintendo Wii loving fan-boy self back to the hole which you crawled out of. If you wish to call someone a shill, bring a better case next time.

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P.S reviews offer critical analysis beyond the obvious.

BTW, that may be what you expect in reviews, and if so, have at it. Go buy the system if you choose, play the game, and tear it up one side and down the other. Belittle the graphics for being too simplistic (as if a card game needs top of the line graphics), cry about poor frame rates (at times), pout about repetitive music (and miss the point that you can replace the sound track if you want), blast the game for not being an action filled shoot-em-up or otherwise hardware intensive state-of-the-art game.

That's up to the *reviewer* to choose to do. The reader is welcome to take the review as it is, and even, shocker, welcome to comment that the review doesn't provide enough information in certain areas, though I would suggest that in doing so they not attack the reviewer and mischaracterize them as a shill, or mischaracterize the original comments/review as a promotional piece.

Just keep in mind that the comments/review above are about a simplistic game that costs an average of $5 for most persons that would purchase it. It's intended for a different audience than a game like Oblivion, Need For Speed, Test Drive, Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter, or something like Blazing Angels, Full Auto, Moto GP or other similar games are.

Again, read the first paragraph at the top of the original article:

If you aren't interested in Xbox gaming, or aren't interested in the game UNO, please stop reading here, ignore the message/thread/forum posts here, and have a great time

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Damned if you do, and damned if you don't, eh terpfan?

Sounds fun. Just gotta convince the hubby that I can't live without UNO on 360. Hehe.

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