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Poker Smash xbox360 Game Reviews
Poker Smash
Critic Score
Metascore: 81 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
8.5 out of 10
based on 21 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 10 votes
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Rate this game

[Xbox Live Arcade] Poker Smash is an action-packed puzzle game with a poker twist. Poker Smash expands on the traditional match-three puzzle mechanic with elements of one of the world's most popular card games: poker. Make vertical and horizontal matches by forming poker hands, and play in seven different game modes, including multiplayer. Fast and fluid controls paired with radical features such as super-slow motion and card-blasting bombs make this game a whole new puzzle experience! Match-three gameplay with a twist. Create poker hands and form chains to rack up the big score. Seven game modes: Intense game modes include action, timed, puzzle levels (55 of them), practice, custom playlist, split screen head-to-head, and multiplayer tournaments. In addition to the traditional leaderboards, Poker Smash features never-before-seen rivalry tracking and even movie recording with shared playback. The next-gen 3-D graphics feature eleven different highly detailed environments and background themes, coupled with thirteen new original soundtracks for play. [Microsoft]

PUBLISHER: Microsoft Game Studios
DEVELOPER: Void Star Creations
GENRE(S): Card Games, Puzzle, Action
PLAYERS: 5
ESRB RATING: E (Everyone)
RELEASE DATE: February 6, 2008

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100
1UP
From the cleverly designed puzzles to the ability to speed up or slow down the scrolling of the cards at will, every part of this game feels painstakingly adjusted for maximum enjoyment.
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95
GamePro
One of the better games to come out on XBLA in the last few months.
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90
NZGamer
There's probably about four people on the planet that won't enjoy this game and 80% of the rest of us that do enjoy it will be very impressed by both what it brings to the genre and how it goes about presenting that gameplay to the player.
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90
Games Radar
Poker Smash is one of the best puzzle games you’ll find on Live Arcade, and for a mere 800 points, you just can’t go wrong.
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90
GameDaily
This is the best puzzle game of the year thus far, a perfectly blended mix of Tetris Attack-ish strategy and poker.
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90
Official Xbox Magazine
Unless you absolutely loathe poker or puzzlers, buy this game. [Feb 2008, p.75]
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90
Team Xbox
Every once in a while, a game comes along that really stands out in its genre, and Poker Smash is one of those games. By taking a generic formula and giving it a Vegas-like spin, Void Star Creations has put together a truly unique and entertaining experience that earns it a spot right next to the big boys in the puzzle genre.
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85
Gameplanet
You won’t regret investing in this game and adding it your Arcade collection, because I can guarantee whatever you thought was your favourite Arcade game just got knocked down a notch.
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85
Worth Playing
The unique gameplay and deep strategy make this the ultimate test of both brains and reflexes, and if you've been looking for poker with a twist, then this might be right up your alley.
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80
GotNext
Poker Smash is a rock solid bit of gaming, and an easy recommend for anyone who's ever found clearing out thousands of tiles a fun way to spend an evening's gaming.
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80
Giant Bomb
It takes the roles of poker hand ranks and applies it to the well-based puzzle game. Then it slaps on some good, evolved control mechanics. It’s a high-quality puzzle game that you should look at.
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80
Thunderbolt
If you’re ready for some fun multiplayer action and don’t mind a single-player side not as robust as some other puzzlers, Poker Smash is ready for you.
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77
Console Monster
A very addictive game with great graphics.
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75
PALGN
If you've already amassed a large collection of puzzle games on XBLA, you'll probably find nothing really significant to add Poker Smash to your collection. But if you're a sucker for Tetris styled games with a twist, you can't go past the slick presentation and fast-paced fun of Poker Smash.
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75
IGN
If you're a sucker for eye candy and you're looking for a twist on the line-'em-up-and-clear-'em genre, Poker Smash is a well-crafted game with a good variety of modes and options.
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75
GameSpot
Poker Smash is an exciting and fast-paced puzzle game that puts an interesting twist on a fairly standard gameplay formula.
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74
Planet Xbox 360
The presentation and graphics are actually damn good. The general graphics of the board, backgrounds, and cards are all pleasing to the eye, and the card clearing effects look great.
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70
Official Xbox Magazine UK
The core puzzling itself is horribly addictive. Poker Smash isn't going to make you want to eat ice cream-topped pizza but it is the perfect way to kill a few hours.
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70
Totally360
If your other half is anything like mine, this type of game is like catnip to ‘em so if you don’t want to lose your 360 for hours at a time, best to keep this one quiet.
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60
Xbox World 360 Magazine UK
Lacks the appeal of a "Hexic" or a "Lumines," but a surprisingly solid puzzler nonetheless. [Apr 2008, p.96]
60
EuroGamer
Poker Smash doesn't really work. Borrowing familiar poker hands is a nice idea on paper, but the need to include colours, winking icons and bombs ought to have been clue enough to leave it there alongside the spider-web doodles.
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What Our Users Said

Vote Now! The average user rating for this game is 8.5 (out of 10) based on 10 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

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