As humanity edges closer to an existence of blissful isolation, signposts on that road continue to go unnoticed. Gin Rummy on Xbox Live Arcade is the online version of the classic card game. Unlike Uno, it is a game favored by grown ups (old people), like Bridge, except it's fun.
Standard Gin is the default game, but other options are available such as 3-Hand Gin, Hollywood Gin and Oklahoma Gin. Up to four people can play online and the vision camera is supported. But it would be nice if the camera did not turn on automatically without telling the player. We can't be the only ones who leave our camera facing outward without giving it much notice every day, so the game should prompt the player to use it instead of just turning it on without warning.
The game lets you sort your cards four different ways, but it would be nice to have more options. Everyone likes their cards set up differently. The size of your cards was also pretty small, given the real estate available on the screen. The game plays Gin, it gets the game and it's strategy (No small praise. Go check out NCAA Football or Madden for examples of games that can't get that much right). More attention could have been paid to the presentation and control options.
But the bottom line is that playing Gin online is now possible for about $5.,It works, and is just as addictive as the real thing. Here's to hoping classic card and board games continue to populate Xbox Live Arcade.
