Gaming Signal: REVIEW: Carcassonne/Xbox 360

REVIEW: Carcassonne/Xbox 360

The classic tile laying game comes to Xbox Live Arcade, and doesn't miss a beat.

After the gaming goodness that was Catan for XBLA, I was really looking forward to the console version of Carcassone, one of my favorite analog games. I won't go in to deatails on how to play the game, I'm assuming you already know. And if you don't, you can follow the link above to find out.

So, how well does the XBLA version compare to the original? Very well, very well indeed. Carcassonne for XBLA is identical to the orignial, and you have the option of using using the River expansion or not. You also have the ability to change a few of the game and scoring options, basicaly allowing you to play the American version or the International version, with the big difference being how farms are scored. It's easier to score under the International rules.

I've played about 15 games already, and a very nice side effect of the game being on XBLA is the fact you can finish a 4 player game, against the AIs, in about 10-15 minutes. When placing a tile, the game will only allow you to place it in a legal spot, and in a legal orientation. You can flip the tile between facing, but only those facings that are legal will be shown. This cuts down on the time of trying to find a spot to place a tile.

There are also some nice graphical touches. Whenever a player scores, there is a nice little fanfare and the city will raise its walls and fly a flag, while a road will pave itself. Otherwise, the tiles are clear and look nice.

There are a few minor problems. It can be a bit frustrating to get a tile into the spot you want, especially if you are trying to choose between two katty corner spots. Also, as the board gets bigger, the camera zooms out. This makes it more difficult to see roads at a glance without zooming in.

Those nits aside, Carcassone for XBLA is a very fun game, and at 800 points ($10), its loads of. Highly recommended. I need to see more of you online so I can beat you....