Uno/Skip-Bo/Uno Free Fall

It's all-out war in the David household right now. My wife has fought her way to the top of the hill and is taking on any family member silly enough to try and take her out in Skip-Bo.  It's been neck-and-neck in a couple of heated battles. My niece is starting to improve her game considerably but Shannon still wins every best-out-of-three match that has come her way. There's no stopping her 

Ok, so here's the deal, DSI games has come up with a re-imagining of three classic card games, Uno and it's cousin Uno free fall and the forementioned Skip-bo. The idea is to play these games only having colorful backgrounds and of course a computer to shuffle the deck. The games themselves are tried-and-true classics that have been around for who knows how long. I used to play Uno as a kid with my Dad on camping trips. Now through the luck of getting a second copy in my stocking this past Christmas, I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt, that competition has reared it's head in our house and now no one walks around without fear of being tossed a DS and the gauntlet thrown down.

In Skip-bo, players are dealt a preset amount of cards, the idea is to completely eliminate your cards in sequential order using a community pile of cards. It's so simple yet really, really addictive. Uno has you playing a game that forces you to try and eliminate your stack of cards by using one held in your hand by matching either the color, number or word on the card; problem is if you can't match the card last played on the discard pile, you have to draw another card. Uno Free Fall is the same game only played using more specific rules, like exact matches or timer driven modes.

This is a perfect example of less is not more since not much is required to play these games. Basic graphics that allow you to change the background from easy on the eyes blue to crazy movement yellow. There are tons of options that you can initiate on each game and, in some cases, up to four people can play. Each real person would need a DS and a copy of the game since there is no downloadable option. I would have liked to have seen some downloadable content; as there are so many versions of the games the developers could have had a couple be downloadable.

The tune that plays throughout the game seems eerily familiar to me and I couldn't quite put my finger on it. It does get a little long in the tooth but that doesn't matter, we all turn the music down so the trash talking can begin.

Gameplay: 7.5
So easy to play, the A.I. of the computer varies as the cards come out, just like real life. All games have options designed to challenge and infuriate.

Graphics: 6.0
I said it above, the average looking graphics are all that is needed. Anything flashy or overdone would distract from the concentration required to make things rough on your opponent.

Sound: 6.0
It's a tidy little tune that will probably be turned down by you.

Difficulty: Medium
The difficulty is only as tough as the cards dealt to you and how you play them.

Concept: 6.5
Rehashing these classic games has become somewhat predictable. Nice to see them putting several games on one title. The GBA version of this game does not include the Free Fall game.

Multiplayer: 8.0
Easily the game's driving force. You'll need a copy for every DS you want to join in, up to four players. This is the most heated challenge to descend on our household since the great Hot Shot golf shootout of 2004.

Overall: 7.2
You could do worse than to find a game that presents a set of challenges like this one.  Each game is different and if you don't have the means to play the real game with your family and friends then the A.I. is always there, lurking, mocking if you will.