When Carbonated Games and Microsoft Game Studio launched Uno in 2006 on the Xbox 360 as a part of the Xbox Live Arcade, it was a big deal and welcomed by players and critics. In 2016, Ubisoft and Mattle revamped the digital Uno experience, slowly adding DLC packs over the years. Here in 2024, Uno Ultimate Edition combines the DLC into one package, providing hours of highly enjoyable card-based gameplay.
Simply put, this is straightforward, everything you want from an Uno game, Uno. Local play? Check. Seamless online multiplayer? Check. Customization deck options? Check. Unnecessary but thankful it is there DLC? Also check.
Uno’s appeal comes from its simplicity. Anyone can play it as players simply need to either match colors or numbers. Standard rules are easily available, but customization options provide depth and variety for more enthusiastic players while still maintaining its simplicity. Want to stack Draw-2s? Go ahead. Want to force players to immediately play a drawn card when applicable? Sure, the option is there in any combination.
Again, everything you would want from a digital Uno experience is here and then some. The included DLC is also interesting as they incorporate other Ubisoft IPs. The Assassin Creed Valhalla option adopts some board game-like qualities, for example, but all still retain the Uno look and feel.
Even the presentation feels like you are playing an Uno game. From the way the solidly colored backgrounds slightly dance in waves or how a flowing glow indicates the player’s turn, the presentation complements the gameplay nicely.
My only complaint, although minor, comes from the online play. After each player’s turn, there is an awkward delay of a few seconds. It doesn’t sound like much, but it throws off the pacing especially after playing a while. In an age where online first-person shooters are lag free, it is unfortunate to deal with online lag within a turn-based card game. Players also need to tap a button to call “Uno” when there is one card left, so having this short delay can be a little frustrating. But other than this, online play is smooth and even features drop-in/out options.
Like pizza, it is sort of difficult to mess up the Uno experience when the foundation of the game is so solid no matter how you slice it. This Ultimate Edition is the way to go if you have not already purchased the base game, especially if looking to curiously implement new, entertaining rulesets. Uno, it is a fun game with tons of addictive replayability whether you play it locally against AI, online against friends or randos, or even the physical card game.
Not As Good As: implementing the Xbox Live Vision camera into the gameplay
Better Than: manually shuffling a physical deck yourself
Wait For It: Splinter Cell Uno DLC where you play with green glow-in-the-dark cards
By: Zachary Gasiorowski, Editor in Chief myGamer.com
X/Twitter: @ZackGaz
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RATING
OUR RATING - 8
8
SCORE
It’s Uno, which is always a fun game, made even more fun by including experimental DLC rulesets incorporating other Ubisoft franchises.