Apples to Apples - now on 360 because no one wants human contact
 

Launching with very little fanfare, Apples to Apples arrived on XBLA last week for the paltry sum of $10. For those that haven't played before, here's how it works. For each round, one player is chosen as the Judge, and that player draws a green card with an adjective like this:

http://i781.photobucket.com/albums/y.../greencard.jpg

All the other players have a hand filled with red cards containing nouns, many associated with pop culture, like so:

http://i781.photobucket.com/albums/y..._red_cards.jpg

Players choose a red card which they think most fits with the adjective, and the Judge chooses his favorite, who gains a point. The role of the Judge then rotates to another player. Games on XBLA go to 6 points by default, though you can customize the game somewhat.

Focus on XBLA is definitely towards the multiplayer. There's a singleplayer mode, but it's really terrible:

http://i781.photobucket.com/albums/y...ngleplayer.jpg

The computer presents you with different Judges, each with distinct personalities (cowbow, princess, etc.) and you choose the red card you think they would choose, then find the word in the simple word search. The whole mode can be completed in half an hour, but you unlock a bunch of avatars you can use in multiplayer.

The game supports up to 6 players online, and the interface works well. I've played several different nights and haven't had much trouble finding a match. It would be nice if some fellow GFFers get the game, especially those from the Meet, since it's easier to choose cards if you know your audience.

This is a picture of local multiplayer, since I couldn't find a shot of online multi. Close enough.

http://i781.photobucket.com/albums/y...ultiplayer.jpg