Xbox One’s backward compatibility resurrects sleeper indie hit Poker Smash

I care more about Microsoft’s efforts to bring Xbox 360 games to the Xbox One than I thought I would when the company first announced it, and one of the games the company added today is a big reason for this.

Xbox One backward compatibility is getting support for Street Fighter IV, Luxor 2, and Madballs in … Babo: Invasion today, but the standout addition for me is the 2008 Xbox Live Arcade release Poker Smash. This is a puzzler that has blocks falling from the sky, but unlike the match-3 games it’s most closely related to, it uses poker rules. You score points and eliminate blocks by matching up full houses, flushes, and straights instead of just three jewels of or candies of the same kind. It’s a clever twist on familiar gameplay, and one that makes for excellent leaderboard chasing with friends.