Modern Game Weekly - Uno

Welcome to Modern Game Weekly, this series will be focussed on more recent releases and is based around the 0 to Z of Playstation 1 Games series, with information on what the game is, the gameplay, story, critical reception and availability of the game. The story section will not be the entire games story, just a small section to give you an idea of the plot, spoilers will be kept to a minimum where possible.

The games chosen for this series are at random from my own ratings database, the database currently contains the majority of console releases from 2016 to February 2018 with releases up to April of 2015 added as well, with each game rated and ranked. Each game has their own rating broken down into five different sections.

The first is the numbered ratings, this uses a scale of 0 to 100 with a total of 10 of these ratings. One of the things that a part of this rating are critic review scores, these scores come from all console platforms the game is released on.

So for example Okami HD, which was recently released on PS4 and Xbox One, as well as previously being released on the PS3, all three of these releases factor in on the games overall rating. As a result shoddy ports of a game will seriously hurt the games overall score.

The reviews section takes a total of 12 reviews for the game if that number are available, both the six best review scores as well as the six lowest scoring reviews for the game, this covers reviews for console releases only. Information here will not be full reviews but snippets that stand out from the reviews.

The Availability section works exactly the same with a look at how available the game is assuming they are not digital only releases, with retailers Gamedude, eStarland and Amazon.com, while Retrogames may feature as older games are added to my database, the site currently only covers games up to the Xbox 360 and PS3 era.

      

The 2016 and 2017 releases of Uno are an updated version of the 2006 original release of the game on Xbox 360. Uno also received an update from Gameloft for the WiiWare and DSiWare releases in 2009/10. Each of the games releases are different enough to be counted as their own separate release, as such this Modern Game Weekly will only be covering the 2016/17 release of the game.

Uno is a video game adaption of the classic card game which dates all the way back to 1971. This video game adaption of the card game was developed by Chengdu Ubi Computer Software and published by Ubisoft Entertainment and Ubisoft KK.

The game released first on the Xbox One and Playstation 4 on the 16^th of August 2016 via the Playstation and Xbox stores. The game would receive a Steam release on the 3^rd of January 2017. A Nintendo Switch port of the game would be released on November 7^th of the same year.

Notable people who worked on this game, Zhou Min prior to working on the game as a Junior UI designer Min worked as a Technical Level Design Director on the 2013 released Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Blacklist, a role he also held for the 2012 release Far Cry 3. Going further back to 2006 he worked as a Level Designer on both Brothers In Arms D-Day and Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter.

Wei Jie Zhao following his work on Uno as a Lead Programmer, he worked on the 2017 released Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands as an Online Programmer. Prior to his work on Uno her worked on the 2013 released Flashback and Rayman Legends as a Programmer.

This latest iteration of Uno still has your traditional mode of play, this can be found in Solo Match against the AI, this mode uses the classic rules of Uno that anyone who has previously played Uno in either board or video game form will have no trouble jumping straight in.

The aim of your standard version of Uno is to be the first player to score 500 points over several round, this is done by the player discarding all of the cards in their hand. The player that discards all of their cards will earn points equivalent to the value of all remaining held card of the other players.

Additional cards to the numbers cards such as the Action cards (Skip, Draw Two and Reverse) are worth 20 points while Wild and Wild Draw Four Cards are worth 50pts. The Uno deck consists of 108 cards, of which there are a total of 25 of each colour red, green, blue and yellow. Each of the colours have two of each rank except for the zero card, the ranks for each colour are from Zero to Nine as well as the Skip, Draw Two and Reverse cards.

The Wild and Wild Draw Four Cards consist of 4 of each in a deck. When starting a hand each player is dealt seven cards, with the top card from the deck set aside to begin the discard pile. When a game starts the player directly to the left of the deal will start the game, unless the first card on the discard pile is an action or wild card.

Action cards and wild cards have differing effects on the game. Starting with the action cards and the Skip card, when this card is player the next player will miss their turn, when this is the first card on the discard pile the player directly to the left of the dealer will miss their turn.

Reverse cards will switch the order of player, with the turn order going from clockwise to counter clockwise, an additional reverse card would switch the turn order back to a clockwise turn order. If this is the first card on the discard pile play will begin counter clockwise.

Draw 2, this card when played will make the next player in the turn order draw an additional two cards, as well as miss their next turn. If this is the first card on the discard pile the player to the left of the deal will draw two additional cards and miss their turn.

Wild Cards are next up, a Wild card when put on the discard pile by a player allows them to determine the next colour of card to be matched. If the first card on the discard pile is this card then the player to the left of the dealer will determine the starting colour, with play resuming as normal.

Wild Draw Four/Draw Four Wild (+4 and wild) when this card is played, the player will determine the next colour to be matched, the next player in the sequence will draw 4 cards and miss their turn. This card can only be played if the player has no cards of the current colour. If this is the first card in the discard pile the card is returned to the deck, they are shuffled and the top card flipped to start a new discard pile.

When the game begins and the discard pile has been started by the dealer, the player must do one of the following, play a card matching the discard in either the same colour, number or symbol, when a Wild Draw Four card is played the following player has the right to challenge that the current players hand meets the conditions of play. Play a wild card or a playable wild draw four card or draw the top card from the deck.

If a player has drawn from the deck they must either play or keep that card, the player Is unable to play any other card on their turn. A wild card can be played at any time, even if the player has other playable cards. In the event of an entire deck being used during a game, the top card is discarded and the pile reshuffled with the game proceeding as normal.

The second mode in addition to the traditional 4 player mode is a 2v2 mode, here two players can partner up and take on another pair of players, both modes also support online play as well. In addition the 2v2 mode has several different house rules that can be implemented to change up the gameplay. These match settings include Stacking, this is when a draw two or wild draw four are played, you may play the same type of card to add to the penalty and pass it down to the next player.

Addition options in the match setup include 7-0, Jump-In, Force Play, No Bluffing and Draw-to-Match. The latter one being when you draw a card on your turn, you must draw until you get a playable card. The player is also able to set the score limit by the number of rounds that will be played.

Like the last iteration of Uno the game features different card themes, with the last game having the likes of Project Gotham Racing, Kameo Elements of Power and Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix. This latest release also has card themes, sadly not as good as the previous version, this version comes with a Winter theme and a Rabbids theme which are both free DLC.

Also there are two paid DLC’s as well with a Just Dance card theme (just thrilling) and a Rayman card theme. The three Ubisoft game themes also come with four unique cards. The game offers beginners an interactive tutorial as well as leaderboards, online lobbies and your overall results are tracked.

Starting with the Zero2Zed rating for the game, Uno starts off with a solid opening score with an 80, and overall the first half of scores remain pretty steady around this point. With the game earning another 80 rating and an 80.6 rating, the game also does not drop below a 78.3.

The second half scores to however take a hit with the game only peaking at a 73.6, with the game rapidly falling from here on. While it could have been much worse though, with the game earning a couple of mid 60s scores and a 63.5 score. The game did take a significant drop for its final score down to a 53.8.

Critic reviews play a major part in this scoring system and Syberia received a very mixed reception, The games was best received on the PS4, where overall the game has rated as being decent. The more recent Switch release however could only average out at above average overall. It was however the Xbox One version of the game that hurt its overall performance, with critic reviews peaking at only a 70 and falling as low as a 25.

Grading wise the games first half grades were pretty solid with the game falling into the B grading range with all five of its grade. The game earned itself a couple of B- grades while the remainder were solid B’s.

The second half grades however were a significant drop, while the game did earn four grades in the C range, it only received one C+ grade which is the top end of the range, the game earned a couple of C grades and a C-. The final grade however was overall pretty poor with the game earning a D, averaging out the game comes in at an overall rating of 72.0 which converts to a C+ on the grading scale.

On to the first critic review which comes from Worth Playing who rated the PS4 version of Uno at an 80. With the reviewer finding the game to be a good alternative to the type of fare typically seen on a console. 

With the reviewer finding that despite its simple rules it remains fun thanks to decent AI and a good sized online community. The reviewer continued by saying, it may not be as cheap as the Xbox 360 release was, but if you’re looking for a fun card game on PS4, you can’t go wrong with Uno.

Next up is Everyeye.it who also rated the PS4 version of the game at an 80, with the reviewer calling the game an excellent card game, that you should keep on your hard drive, because you won’t know when you want to play it, but sooner or later that you will.

The review commented on the inclusion of the Rabbids deck, and the likely other Ubisoft themed decks to come, that will like have to be purchased separately, but concluded by saying the initial 9.99 euros is hard to say no to (Translated from Italian may not be 100% correct).

ZTGD are next up with another 80 rated review for the PS4 version of the game, with the reviewer really pleased with this new offer of Uno. With the reviewer finding the game to be one of those that is always being opened for the odd game or a few quick matches.

They continued by saying, Ubisoft have managed to not mess up the formula (as they did with their recent Tetris game) and make sure the important things such as online stability, remain solid. Concluding the review said. All I can say is that if you love Uno, you’ll love this.

GameSpew are next up with a fourth 80 rated review for the PS4 version of the game. The reviewer finding the game to have a crisp and clear game designer, with an easy to pick up and play feel to it. The reviewer however was critical of the lack of variety in the game and the lack of additional pack designs.

Concluding the reviewer said. Ultimately if you enjoy Uno then you’ll probably enjoy this version of it. At £7.99 it’s perhaps a little pricey for a game that you may play rarely, and the lack of 2v2 local multiplayer is a shame. There's been little change since the PS3/Xbox 360 version, but that version was solid enough that it's no great loss.

The final 80 rated PS4 review comes from Eurogamer Italy, with the reviewer finding that even without the predicted add-on’s from other Ubisoft IP’s, the basic game of Uno that is on offer is a super recommended game. Although not particularly innovative compared to past editions, we are still talking about one of the best card games ever made.

The reviewer continued by saying that the game is a masterpiece of playability and strategy in its simplest yet profound form, concluding the reviewer said. I am sure that you will come back to play with friends and perfect strangers in months to come.

For the next review we head over to the Switch release and Gaming Trend who rated Uno at a decent 75. with the reviewer praising the classic Uno gameplay that is one offer, the reviewer also praised the inclusion of Ubisoft themed cards and the support of multi console and online play.

The reviewer however was critical of the long loading times they suffered while player, as well as the sparsely populated multiplayer lobbies. The reviewer also found that being able to see opponent cards in local multiplayer does soften the competitive nature of the game.

Concluding the reviewer had the following to say. UNO’s empty lobbies might be a disappointment, but local play, house rules, and the Ubisoft game themed cards breathe new life into the family game night staple.

Heading to the other end of the review scale now, where we find a 60 rated review from PSX-Sense. The Dutch publication finding that Uno remains a very nice card game, but Ubisoft has done very little effort with the Digital version to make something special out of it.

The reviewer found the number of modes on offer was very scant. The reviewer found the online portion of the game to be far the best part, with things kept very basic here, the reviewer also praised the reasonable asking price for the game, but they did feel the could have done with a bit more work on it.

The first Xbox One reviewer is up next, this comes from GameRant who also rated the game at a 60. With the reviewer finding Ubisoft’s Uno does a good job of replicating the original card game as a video game.

With the game being a good option for player who want to play with friends but are not close to home. The reviewer however found the games shortcoming for in person players mean it definitely doesn’t qualify as a party game.

Back to the Switch for the next review which comes from Gaming Age who rated the game at an above average 58. With the reviewer finding all in all that Uno for the Switch isn’t all that exciting. The reviewer was critical of the games slow load times, while visually looking solid it is far from spectacular.

The reviewer did continue by saying, but it’s Uno and that is not really needed to make it work. They continued by saying, It’s a solid representation of the classic card game with enough new to make things interesting.

Back to the PS4 for the next review which comes from DarkStation who rated this latest incarnation of Uno at just an above average 50. The reviewer finding the PS4 version is an average offering that doesn’t take advantage of the fact it is a digital game, with it providing a serviceable version of the popular card game, but not much more.

The reviewer continued by saying. Online play works fine, but without voice chat it loses the social elements that makes Uno fun in real life. The reviewer did find the special rules and Rabbids deck do spice things up, but do little to improve the quality of this tedious card game.

Concluding the reviewer had the following to say. Only players who would love to constantly play Uno with online strangers might get excited by this. Everyone else should play their cards right and stick with the physical card game.

Staying with the PS4 version of the game we find God is a Geek with their 50 rated review. With the reviewer finding that the game offers the basic elements of the card game very well. With the reviewer praising the games bright and cheery visuals with an irritating elevator music soundtrack.

The reviewer however found that this incarnation of Uno fails to quite capture what made the predecessor on the 360 so wildly popular. The reviewer also found the restrictions on voice and audio chat although understandable result in the game being a very silent and dull game.

The reviewer also had a few connectivity issues as well as players being booted out of matches, or failing to find matches at all, the reviewer also had issues with the game freezing mid match, resulting in the whole match having to be abandoned.

Concluding the reviewer had the following to say on the game. It’s hard to imagine how Uno could be messed up: it’s a simple game with simple requirements for fun, but somehow Ubisoft has managed to completely fail to understand what made the 360 version so popular.

It wasn’t the nudity or the drug use, but the ability to communicate with other people on the platform, and the opportunity to make new friends. The restrictive social aspects of this version make it ultimately feel a bit hollow. There is fun to be had with your friends, but if you don’t have any that will play, you are probably better off playing the actual card version.

For the final review we head back to the XboxOne version of the game and by far the lowest review score received by Uno which is a poor 25 from Destructoid. With the reviewer finding the previous release on Xbox 360 to be a better game in every single way aside from resolution.

The reviewer continued by saying. I was so excited for this. I had hoped to relive the days of big ol' dicks, and making new friends on Xbox Live, but instead I got a lifeless card game that faintly resembles a game I used to love.

Oh, and Rabbids. Fucking. Rabbids. Concluding he gave a box quote for Ubisoft with the following. Uno is a shining example of misleading marketing and a great argument for Xbox Live to adopt Steam's refund practices.

This is the part of Modern Game Weekly where is visit four online retailers and see what the availability of the title is, and what price you would be looking at if you wanted to pick this title up, the sites that I will be using for this are Amazon.com, eStarland.com, retrogames.co.uk for older generation titles and Gamedude.com I know the last one is very location specific, but from a podcast I listen to, I’ve heard they have a huge stock of games, Ebay has now been dropped unless the game is unavailable at other retailers.

With this being a digital only release the usual stores of Gamedude, Retrogames.co.uk, eStarland.com and Amazon.com are of no use. So we will be heading to the PSN Store, The Xbox Store and the Nintendo eShop for the game prices.

Starting with the PSN Store we find that Uno has a usual price of £7.99 if you are in the UK, this game is currently on offer however with a price of just £3.99. If you are in the United States you will be looking at $9.99 for the game, converting this to British Pounds it works out at £7.11, so when not on offer purchasing this game via an American PSN account will save you 88p.

If you are accessing the PSN Store from Australia you will be looking at $7.55, with the game currently on offer from its usual price of $14.95. If on the other hand you are accessing the PSN Store from an EU country, you will find the game currently on offer at €4,99 from €9,99

Next up is the Xbox Store, where if you are in the US you can pick up this game for $9.99, with the UK price the same as the usual PS4 price at £7.99, with the US version working out at 88p cheaper when converting the price. If buying the game for the Xbox One in one of the EU countries you will be looking at an outlay of €9.99, while in Australia it will set you back AU$14.95.

Lastly we have the Nintendo eShop where if you are accessing the store from the United States you will be looking at $9.99 for the game. In the UK the game will cost you the same as on other systems of £7.99 and remains 88p more expensive when converting the US price. While if you are looking to buy the game in EU countries it will set you back €9,99

Written by

P J Gibbon