Uno Rush XBLA Review

Written by Jim McIntyre Sunday, 05 April 2009 08:25

Uno Rush

Uno Rush is... Well a rush, I guess. It's fast. It’s hectic. It feels vastly different to normal Uno, and yet is the same in many ways. It’s like Uno’s more suave, charismatic, and energetic twin brother.

If you have played Uno before you will be familiar with the core concept here, and if you haven't well I'd be quite shocked. To refresh your collective memories Uno starts you off with 7 cards in your hand, there are numbered cards, and command cards. The pile in the center has a card turned face up, and displays a color and a number. You then take turns to play a card that shares either its number or color. The winner is the person who gets rid of all their cards first. It's a simple concept, and fun and easy to play.

Uno Rush changes things up by adding a timer within which you have to play a card. Don't play a card and you receive a card in your hand as a penalty. Your hand is also visible to other players, and you can play more than one card in a turn. For example if you have a run of reds at the end of your hand and the top card on the discard pile is red it will play all your reds till the top card in your hand is not a red or a matching number.

Both single player and multiplayer have a variety of modes. Theres standard uno rush, partner, elimination, and house rules. Partner as you may have guessed combines your score with a partner. Good when playing with someone real, not so good when your playing with a bot, as they tend to pick whatever color neither of you have at every opportunity.

Elimination puts an x next to your gamertag each turn you fail to put a card out. Three strikes and your out. This is an entertaining mode, but I found it often to be the most frustrating mode, as lady luck is even more heavily involved than in normal play, and she seems to enjoy making me her bitch, and forcing me out before I have the opportunity to do anything.

House rules allows you to toy with the rules, and is by far my favorite way to play the game. One of the best things about Uno Rush over standard Uno is the ability to play it with four people on the same console, as your hands are all visible to each other. Not that you will have much time to study your opponent’s hand, with the timer quickly ticking down.

If you are after a card game to play on the console with some buddies over, or even with your children, Uno Rush is guaranteed to provide some fun, just possibly not for all that long. Uno Rush is well presented, and keeps everything looking slick. It also uses your avatar, and for no real reason allows you to control where your avatar is looking during the match. Sound is pretty much just what you would expect from this sort of game.

Even if you really enjoyed standard Uno, Uno Rush may not be for you. The pacing of the game makes it feel like an incredibly different game. But that’s not to say it isn’t a fun game. For its price Uno Rush is a worth giving a spin if you are into card games, just don’t go in expecting a relaxing experience.

TGV Score: 74/100

The Good: