Bush Mackel

There was a time when I was really into Texas Fold’em. But then you have kids… You wakeup and have a wife – And suddenly your time isn’t quite your own anymore.

But a couple months ago when I saw something for a Xbox Live Arcade game called Poker Smash, those Hold’em juices started to flow again!

Very recently the game was finally released, and yesterday I downloaded the demo and took it for a spin.

What is Poker Smash?
It’s a puzzle game in the same vein of Tetris or Super Puzzle Fighter where your available blocks are the high playing cards, (10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace) with all the suits being represented (Spade, Club, Heart and Diamond). To clear the cards you have to make hands upwards from three of a kind. So three of a kind, straight, flush, full house, four of a kind, straight flush, royal flush…Oh and the coveted five of a kind is represented too. The cards start at the bottom of the screen and scroll upwards, so if you don’t make some hands before the board reaches the top, it’s game over.

First Impressions
The first thing about Poker Smash that you’ll like will most likely be the presentation. Graphics are very crisp, effects are awesome, and music is good too (even if a bit too country for my tastes).

Gameplay
I think what is most interesting about this game is how the gameplay is different than a lot of other puzzlers out there. I didn’t give it much thought going in, but when you start playing you’ll probably notice that it’s not that easy to make hands. I think the reason for this is because in most puzzle games you deal with only one dimension of the blocks – Like color. You match up enough of the same color, or you use a bomb of that same color and presto, lines are gone. Or in Tetris, you just have to fill the gaps and *poof* lines are gone.

In Poker Smash, you can always line up colors (since they are one indication of a card’s value) but that usually only yields three or four of a kinds. To get anywhere in the game, you have to start recognizing the “more complex” hands and that requires looking at suits and card combinations (like straights and full houses) which just don’t come as easily as matching colors. Plus, that also makes you have to look at 5 different kinds of blocks (10 -> A) where usually in these kinds of games you’re only dealing with 4 different types of blocks.

“So Yay or Nay?”
Trust me, after playing Poker Smash for a minute or two, the scroll speed will increase and YOU WILL start to struggle to make your hands. Truthfully, I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. On hand i feel that it’s cool that a puzzle game stretches your mind that much and that lines don’t come that easily. On another hand I wonder if I want to put that much effort into a XBLA game and if the juice will be worth the squeeze. Maybe the answer will come in the way of multiplayer and if you can manage to get some good games going.

My thoughts are, the demo is AT LEAST worth checking out and even not being huge into puzzle games, I’m SERIOUSLY thinking about unlocking this one. I mean, it is really fun albeit a bit challenging. (#):)