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Wednesday's Xbox Live Arcade Game Releases (2/6/08) PDF Print E-mail
Written by Alexis Morgenstern   
Tuesday, 05 February 2008
New to the XBLA tomorrow is Poker Smash, from independent game developer Void Star Creations. It's always great to see a unique title by an independent developer hit the XBLA, but it's even better when it sounds like a hit. An early review in the February 2008 issue of the Official Xbox Magazine (OXM) gave it a high 9.0 rating. It's one of the few reviews out so far, but says "it's one of the best action brain-busters in ages." Check out the demo tomorrow and purchase it 800 Microsoft Points ($10). See a video trailer for Poker Smash below.

Details of Poker Smash from Xbox.com:
- Innovative gameplay: 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.
- Multiplayer experience: Two-player offline and multiplayer over Xbox LIVE is featured.
- New leaderboards: In addition to the traditional leaderboards, Poker Smash features never-before-seen rivalry tracking and even movie recording with shared playback.
- Immersive environment: The next-gen 3-D graphics feature eleven different highly detailed environments and background themes, coupled with thirteen new original soundtracks for play.

In addition to Poker Smash, there's a free game update for a 2006 XBLA game, Crystal Quest. This includes a "score multiplier" to make game play "slicker and faster" than before. Blow off the virtual dust and revisit the game for a chance to get some achievements!

From Microsoft

Press release:

Puzzle with a Poker Twist – “Poker Smash” Launches on Xbox LIVE Arcade this Wednesday along with a Free Gameplay Update for “Crystal Quest”

Newcomer Void Star Creations, an Independent developer based in South Carolina, takes the puzzle game genre to a whole new level with “Poker Smash,” an action packed puzzler with a poker twist! In “Poker Smash,” players rush to clear rows of cards by arranging them into poker hands. To keep things interesting “Poker Smash” offers card-blasting bombs and a super slow-motion trigger for players caught in a bind.

The game features over 30 minutes of original music set against stunning visuals, and contains seven unique game modes, including: action, timed, puzzle, practice, custom playlist, split screen head-to-head and multiplayer tournaments. Casual and hardcore gamers alike won’t want to miss this highly polished addition to Xbox LIVE Arcade.

For the Achievement junkies, “Poker Smash” contains 12 Achievements with a total of 200 points, including: “Score of the Gods,” which requires gamers to reach 1,000,000 points; “The Thinker,” which requires gamers to unlock all puzzle groups; and “Pack Rat,” which is awarded after gamers unlock all 11 in-game themes.

To celebrate the launch of “Poker Smash” on Xbox LIVE Arcade, players will have the opportunity to participate in the “Poker Smash” Play & Win Sweepstakes, where one lucky grand prize winner will receive an Xbox 360 Elite console! Plus, four other winners will be selected to receive Microsoft Point cards. To be automatically entered into the sweepstakes, simply download and play the full or trial version of “Poker Smash” from Wednesday, February 6 at 8:00 a.m. GMT (12:00 a.m. PST on Tuesday, February 5) through Thursday, February 14 at 7:59 a.m. (11:59 p.m. PST on Wednesday, February 13). This sweepstakes is available in the US and Canada only. For complete sweepstakes rules, please visit:

“Poker Smash” will be available worldwide this Wednesday, February 6 at 9:00 a.m. GMT (1:00 a.m. PST) for 800 Microsoft Points and is rated E for Everyone by the ESRB. For more details on “Poker Smash” please visit:

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/p/pokersmashxboxlivearcade
Additionally, the Xbox LIVE Arcade classic “Crystal Quest” will receive a free gameplay update this week. Developer Stainless Games has added a fresh twist to the puzzle action by incorporating a score multiplier. This update will make the game slicker and faster than before and opens up the possibility of even higher scores!

The score multiplier increases every time gamers pick up a crystal, but failing to pick up a crystal or getting zapped negates the multiplier. To keep a level playing field, old Leaderboards will be retired after the update, but will still be viewable for posterity’s sake. The update also includes improvements to downloadable content, which is part of Stainless Games’ ongoing commitment to constantly improve the player experience. For more details on “Crystal Quest” please visit:

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/c/crystalquestlivearcadexbox360/

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