Poker Smash
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Hands on with Poker Smash for iPhone
I recently had the opportunity to spend time playing Drew Card's Poker Smash game. Built for iPhone, this application offers standard matching game strategy (think "Bejeweled" or "Tetris") mixed with a bit of Poker savvy. With Poker Smash, you can eliminate cards by matching 3 of a kind, but you can also go for straights, flushes, full houses, and so forth. That adds a pleasant layer of complexity to what would otherwise be an ordinary game. As time progresses, cards move up the screen -- first slowly, and then as the game proceeds, much faster. You can slide cards left and right, but not up and down. Your goal is to create winning poker hands, allowing those cards to be eliminated from the stack. Better hands receive better special effects -- a straight or a flush produces in-game minimalist fireworks. Poker Smash is not a terribly deep game but it's an amusing one, and one that's perfect for short times when you just want to play a little when sitting in a waiting room or caught on a bus. I found that it quickly engaged my interest and that I was disappointed to hear my name called or my stop approach. Selling for just two bucks, it's a good value too. Poker Smash was originally developed for the Xbox 360 LIVE Arcade. Games that can make the leap from another platform to the iPhone tend to include strong offerings, having been worth the extra development costs needed to create the port. I enjoyed playing Poker Smash and can unreservedly recommend it as a nice little addition to your iPhone gaming arsenal.
Cheap Defense Grid, Winterbottom and more on XBLM next week
In addition to officially revealing next week's XBLA offerings, Major Nelson has also laid out Xbox Live Marketplace schedule for the rest of June, including the Deal of the Week, Games on Demand and Avatar Marketplace. The Deal of the Week -- or Deals of the Week, rather -- takes the spotlight, with several decent titles on sale. Darwinia+ will be marked down to 800 points ($10), while Defense Grid, PB Winterbottom, Rocket Riot and Poker Smash will all be marked down to 400 points ($5). Also, the OneBigGame charity project, Chime, will be reduced to a puny 240 points ($3). Meanwhile, both Tomb Raider Underworld and Command & Conquer 3 will hit Games on Demand on June 29, and some Crackdown 2 Avatar items will be released on July 1.
TUAW's Daily App: Uprising
Match-3 games are pretty easy to come by, so presentation is the really the qualifier -- does it do something a little more interesting than the average block-matcher? On that level, Uprising succeeds. While the core gameplay is pretty common (you pull blocks around a board, trying to match them out in sets of three or more before they reach the top of the screen -- it's very similar to Xbox Live's great Poker Smash, if you've ever played that game), the treat is in the presentation. The blocks pause for a second as you match them, adding a little bit of extra strategy to your timing, and the simple graphics and sounds add up to make a stylish and intriguing match-3 experience. There is a bit of a hitch in the controls -- the touchscreen makes it a little confusing to see where the blocks are going, or which blocks you're moving sometimes, but the advantage is that multitouch works, so if you're careful about it, you can move more than one block at a time. That's something I've never seen in any match-3 game before, so Uprising is definitely worth the download. It's currently on sale for free as of this writing, too, so go check it out on the App Store.
This Wednesday: XBLA gets Ikaruga, Poker Smash DLC
Hey, it's tough to keep the lid on an exciting secret. If we knew Ikaruga was coming to Xbox Live Arcade this Wednesday, we'd probably blurt it out at every opportunity too. Sort of like what we're doing now. In case you haven't gathered, Treasure's mesmerizing shooter is finally, officially coming to Xbox 360 this week -- f'realz, confirmed and for 800 MS Points ($10). You're all smiles now, but just wait until the game crushes your ego to a pulp in its unrelenting, unforgiving bullet-hell fist. Those who prefer their gaming to be less hectic and humiliating should note that Poker Smash is receiving some downloadable content this week, with an "Environment Pack" adding two new Action Mode environments and a "Puzzle Pack" adding 15 new weapons. No, wait ... puzzles. Definitely puzzles. Each pack will set you back 100 MS Points ($1.25). Gallery: Ikaruga (XBLA)
Two Poker Smash DLC packs release this week
Accompanying the press release announcing this week's XBLA release Ikaruga, is information regarding new downloadable content for Voidstar Creations' puzzle matching game Poker Smash. The new DLC will release this Wednesday and will be available in two separate downloadable packs. An Environment Pack that adds two brand spanking new environments for you to get your game on and the Puzzle Pack which adds thirteen additional puzzles to the mix. Each pack will cost you 100 Microsoft points and a part of your soul. But only the bad part of your soul, so it's a win-win for all.
Poker Smash receives title update
Posting on the Void Star Creations boards, Drew Card, of the company that created the recent XBLA puzzle game involving connecting cards, told gamers that the title update for Poker Smash had completed certification and was now live. The game has been well received, though several issues have plagued it that nave been notorious in the community surrounding it. The title had a habit of randomly freezing up on people, there was issues with a few of the achievements and there were some stat errors. Fortunately the Void Star Creations guys seem to have patched out those issues, and anyone playing Poker Smash should have a much more enjoyable playing-card puzzler experience than then had before. Happy Smashing!
XBLA in Brief: Poker Smash
It's time for another XBLA in Brief, where we give you a quick look at the most recent XBLA offerings and let you know whether or not they're worth your time. This week's Xbox Live Arcade offering is Poker Smash, a puzzle game with a playing card twist. Of course, there are precisely a gojillion puzzle games available on Xbox Live Arcade. Is Poker Smash any different? Does it do anything to stand out? Read on to find out.%Gallery-13040%
Poker Smash smashes Xbox Live Arcade
It's Xbox Live Arcade Wednesday once again, and this week we get an interesting new title in the form of Poker Smash. The title combines two popular Arcade themes, playing cards and puzzle games. You can match colors or create poker hands in order to destroy insidious blocks. An interesting title yes, but we're not quite sure that the title is as interesting as the video above used to promote it. We won't spoil it by trying to explain it to you. In fact, we're not even sure we could if we tried. Rest assured that it's supposed to make you want Poker Smash ... somehow.Also, don't forget to grab the title update for Crystal Quest that adds a new score multiplier to the game. Oh, and Major Nelson reminds us that there is also a Play & Win contest for Poker Smash in which you can win either an Xbox 360 Elite or 4000 MS Points. All you have to do is download Poker Smash (full or trial version) between February 6 and 13. Seems easy enough to us.[Video via XBLArcade]
This Wednesday: Poker Smash batters XBLA, Crystal Quest gets polished
Do you like the concept of poker but feel perpetually bored by the not-so-visceral aesthetics of the game? Perhaps the gambling aspect always gets you down in the mouth (and wallet). As announced last week, Void Star Creations' puzzler Poker Smash will be this Wednesday's Xbox Live Arcade title. The game will, erm, smash its way onto the network February 6 at 4:00 a.m. ET for 800 MS points ($10). Unfortunately, that $10 is not an ante, and you can't win that money back with a good play.Also coming this week is a free update to Crystal Quest that, according to the Gamerscore blog, will "add a crazy multiplier scheme to offer even higher scores."%Gallery-12912%
Poker Smash smashes the XBLA this Wednesday
We're getting good at finding out which upcoming XBLA game will be releasing before the official announcement from Microsoft comes along and this week played out just as expected. Void Star Creations' Poker Smash will release to the Xbox Live Arcade this Wednesday and for 800 Microsoft points you can expect a smashing good time. Or, at least, that's what Void Star promises. Poker Smash's release will also be accompanied by a Poker Smash Play & Win where gamers can win an Xbox 360 Elite and Microsoft points galore.And if the release of Poker Smash doesn't bring happiness to your life, Stainless Games just announced that they'll be releasing a free update to Crystal Quest that'll add a new multiplier element to the game allowing for higher scores and more crazy craziness. As a result of the update, the old leaderboards will be retired, so if you reign supreme high atop the Crystal Quest boards we advise taking some sort of screenshot. Then, in the future, when you talk of your Crystal Quest mastery, everyone will be forced to believe your mad skills from "back in the day".%Gallery-13040%
Poker Smash on XBLA next week
Developer Void Star Creations has confirmed that its Xbox Live Arcade title Poker Smash is coming next Wednesday, February 6. Of course, it could be a bluff, but the excitement seems legit and we doubt the team would want to give away its tell this early in the game.No word yet on price. If your loins are craving for a poker-Tetris hybrid, perhaps the soothing use of Rez HD will tide you over until next week.%Gallery-12912%[Via X3F]
Poker Smash releasing to XBLA next week
The developing crew over at Voidstar Creations has confirmed via their website that XBLA game Poker Smash will be releasing to the Arcade next Wednesday, February 6th. For the uninformed, Poker Smash is a game that blends color matching tile games like Tetris with, well ... poker! Keep an eye out for Voidstar's Poker Smash next week (again, fingers crossed) and possibly another XBLA surprise as we're sure Rez HD will keep you busy until then. Oh, and work on your poker face too.%Gallery-13040%[Via GamingTalkHQ]
XBLA screeny blowout: Rez, Tron and Poker Smash
After sniffing through the deep, dark and musty bowels of Microsoft's Xbox Live Arcade marketing materials, not only did we get a nasty sinus infection, but we came across spiffy new screenshots from a few upcoming XBLA games. What Arcade games? Well, you're jumping the gun there stallion with all your questions as we were just about to tell you. Ahem. Screenshots from XBLA games including Rez, Tron and Poker Smash which can all be viewed in the galleries posted after the break. So please do us a favor and make our sinus infection worth getting by viewing as many screenshots as possible. We read somewhere that the only way to cure a blogger's sinuses is to view their screenshot galleries ... just saying.
Poker Smash: poker meets Puzzle Fighter
It's always nice to watch new media for Xbox Live Arcade games come out of nowhere. Cruising over at GameTrailers, we uncovered a video for Poker Smash, from Void Star Creations. The game takes standard puzzle game mechanics (match tiles of the same type) and throws in a little bit of poker flavor. As in most puzzle games, the object is to match up tiles of a similar color. The twist is that each tile is in fact a poker card, and players can also create poker hands instead of merely matching colored tiles together. We don't know many more specifics other than that, though it appears online multiplayer may not be included, as the official site lists "split screen head to head" only. Poker Smash is currently slated to hit XBLA before the year is out.
December and January XBLA games revealed
In a press release announcing the Fall Update's Xbox Live Arcade Hits program, Microsoft also announced the next few months' upcoming Xbox Live Arcade games that are scheduled for release. As things stand right now, the next XBLA games to get released are Arkadian Warriors, Brain Challenge, GripShift, N+, Omega Five, Poker Smash, Rez HD and Sensible World of Soccer. No specific release schedule for each game has been confirmed just yet, but it's always nice to see what's headed down the old XBLA pipeline. And this list also lets us officially get excited for N+ and Rez HD. A big w00t to that!
