UNO Boost on Facebook: A goofy, give-and-take twist on the original

The fast track, scream-inducing card game, UNO, has reintroduced itself to Facebook with a new look and feel. UNO Boost puts the classic in unique, new packaging that publisher Game House hopes will spur virtual goods purchases and that UNO fans will appreciate. Game House took the original Facebook card game and... didn't do much to it.

Well, aside from taking Boost cards, turning them into both a strategic tactic and a commodity, and apparently removing what made the original so enjoyable. UNO Boost, while introducing an element that could launch its fun and strategy levels into the stratosphere, inexplicably removed the live play feature found in the original Facebook rendition. Game House giveth new features and taketh away defining ones.

Find the rest of our impressions of UNO Boost after the break.

UNO Boost in actions
All things considered, the core gameplay of UNO in UNO Boost remains unchanged. The color switching, number matching and quick turning still remains, but Game House turned Boost cards into more of a conscious decision than ever. While players can still draw Skip, Draw and Wild Cards, they can also replace cards in their hand with Boost Cards at will. These Boost Cards come from a pool that will recharge once daily, but can also be purchased using Coins. This currency, which accumulates from matches won, can be purchased from within the game using several methods including credit cards (but no Facebook Credits yet, sorry folks).

Boost CardsAlso found in the store are new characters to play against, individual Boost Cards and Boost Packs. Notice my use of the word "characters." These are the guys who have seemingly replaced your friends in UNO Boost (the ability to add friends is currently bugged in my experience). The personally-adored live play feature (complete with chat room) in the original UNO for Facebook is, hopefully for now, no more. Imagine the possibilities of being able to play Boost Cards against your friends in real time, shifting the playing field in an instant under your control. Sure, things would get crazy quickly, but that's what UNO is all about, right?

Instead, your friends are merely people to compare scores with this time around as you play characters like Kevin the Coach and Oog, a cave man. Opponents increase in difficulty level as you increase in player level, which is determined by how badly you defeat opponents in matches. Your experience points earned for each successful match is a combination of the numbers on his cards multiplied by the character's difficulty level and other factors. Basically, the more cards your opponent has in his hand when you win, the more experience points you gain for winning.

UNO Boost is a fun way to waste some time thanks to the brand new Boost Card system, but without the live play feature of the original it could loose steam quickly. Hopefully this is added to the game at a later time, because Boost Cards plus live play and chat could make for a huge success.

The guys behind Collapse! Blast are super serious about social games

That's not to be confused with "super cereal." GameHouse, creator of hit Facebook game Collapse! Blast, announced that it's expanding its Victoria, B.C. studio with a larger office with plans to double staff there to 45 staffers in 2012. And they'll be working toward one goal: making more social games.

"Social game development is the number one priority for our company in 2012 and Victoria is an attractive area for expansion due to the city's high caliber of talent combined with a great quality of life," GameHouse head Matt Hulett said in a statement. "I believe this strategic expansion of our social games studio in Victoria will not only grow our games portfolio, but it will also solidify our leadership position in the overall games industry."

This new office will be headed by Alex Mendelev, who came to GameHouse last year as a package deal with the acquisition of Victoria-based social games maker Backstage Technologies. Just in case Hulett wasn't clear, the Seattle-based games division of RealNetworks mentions it's invested $11 million in social gaming this year alone.

In short, expect a lot more from where the recent Bayou Blast came from. In speaking with us about the matching game, which has been growing since November, Hulett hinted that GameHouse is rather bullish on social casino games. (Well, so is everyone and their mother.)

[Via GeekWire]

Are you a Collapse! Blast or Bayou Blast fan? What other types of games would you like to see from GameHouse in 2012?