MotionX Poker Quest

If you've played the original MotionX Poker, then you'll be at home with this version. It is essentially the same game with some additional graphics and an Egyptian theme. In a nutshell, you use the device's accelerometer to roll 5 dice (like in Yahtzee) to achieve the best poker hand against the "gods". Additional dice and awards are granted based on the accumulation of winnings or meeting certain game goals.

The graphics and dice movement realism is, of course, fantastic like their other offerings, and the game can be somewhat addictive. The MotionX games meet my requirements for a good "twiddle" game. It starts up relatively fast, gameplay is simple, and you can stop it at any time and pick up where you left off later.

However, having played the original MotionX Poker game, I was a little disappointed that this version didn't push the game further. When I saw the name "Poker Quest", I had hoped they were going to add a new dynamic of play to the existing game. I'm not sure what I expected, something between Poker and Parcheesi I guess. The new games gives previous players new dice to look at and additional goals/awards to achieve, but I found myself getting bored quickly, having gotten my fill of the original after playing it for a couple months. For players new to MotionX Poker, the original has a Chinese theme versus the new Egyptian theme.

One welcome addition to the preferences was the option to allow you to continue to play your own music while playing the game. This of course turns off the sound effects, but they aren't essential to the game. You can also turn off the dice rolling vibration effects, but that was also present in the original.

I would have liked to have seen this version of the game advanced with a multiplayer option. A way to play against a 2nd live player via wireless. That would have made this a worthy successor to the first game. I also wish the game could follow the physics of the phone's orientation. Ok, maybe that isn't fair, but I just wish when that one die was on it's edge, I could nudge it toward the Ace instead of the 9. Maybe it could be a cheat mode. =) I would also like to see a version of Yahtzee with the MotionX engine in the future.

On it's own this is a visually pleasing game that is well designed, and has some good play life if you haven't burnt out on the original. The new graphics, dice, and awards might be appealing if you are a veteran of the game. There is also a Lite version of Poker Quest, which is FREE with limited levels, so it can't hurt to check it out.