Peggle (Xbox 360) Review

Peggle is not new. It been around for 2 years now, Sitting in steam and Gametap gaining a cult following. With titles including Peggle extreme and Peggle nights, It has already proved that it has what it takes to convert the hard-core gamer, Into Mr. Semi-casual Gamer due to the sheer addictiveness.

It a simple game when you get down to it. It’s developed and published by Pop Cap games, who also have titles such as the challenging Zuma and the widely played (& loved) Bejeweled. But this is by no means at all a bad thing. The beauty of Pap Cap games are that they are pleasing to the eye, simple to play and in some cases, including this one, extremely addictive.

The core game play is simple enough. There are 25 orange and any number of blue pegs on the screen. You drop or fire (Depending on how you see it) balls at the pegs to light them up, Getting chains or simply picking off that last orange peg that’s been niggling at you. After the ball has finished following the laws of the beautiful physics implemented on the Framework engine, It either drops off the screen into . . . well oblivion, or into a handy little cup that glides back and forth. The bonus to doing this is that you’ll get that ball back, Handy if you need to make that extra shot.  If you successfully manage to get all the orange pegs eliminated the game goes into Extreme Fever mode, where the bottom of the screen turns into 5 pockets. Each pocket is worth an amount of points, the highest being 100,000 points.

So with the basics covered, what are the play modes? Well there is a fun story mode that unlocks all the characters, from the strategic Bjorn to the masterful Hu the owl. Along with the unlockable characters the story offers you 50 levels of progressively harder “peggle boards” With an addition of 5 Master levels, granting you 55 boards and approximately 2-3 hours of game play. Then there are the challenge modes, Again 50 bards but each presents a challenge, whether they be Getting 300,000 points on one bard or completing 5 boards in a row with only 10 balls.
There is also master duel, and quick play.

With all that out of the way, let’s talk about actual hands on play. At a first glance Peggle looks very childish and maybe even a little camp, with the inclusion of rainbows and cute animals. The first time I played it, it seemed a solid game. However after playing it for a good 5 hours I have noticed the odd concern, which I will voice later on. You start the game with only the adventure mode unlocked, but don’t let that concern you. You begin the adventure mode as Bjorn the unicorn, and are taught the basics of peggle. It takes less than 15 minutes to fully get the hang of it and the tutorial is in no way patronizing. After the initial 5 levels/boards your on your own, and trapped. I say trapped because the sheer addictiveness that the game seems to infect you with. The progressions of the levels seems steady and only when you reach the 40th – 50th boards you realize that this game requires you  to develop strategies and skills to hit as many orange pegs in one shot as possible. Then, just as you feel a sense of accomplishment, the game throws you into the 5 master levels, that pose great difficulty and will have you growl and rant as you try to complete the adventure mode to move onto the challenge mode. All in all the game play is solid and the controls work well with the game. Simply point with the left stick and fire the ball with the A button.

Now onto my concern — I previously commented on the physics being great and accurate, this is true, until you hit that final orange peg. Then things get a bit messed up as the game seems to cancel the physics and guides your ball as it sees fit. It feels as though there is an underlying code, sometimes, that bases you “Fever” score on statistics. I.E. 1 in 10 chance of getting the big 100,000 point bonus.

All in all Peggle for the Xbox live arcade is an addictive and fun change of pace for the hard core gamer and the casual players. Its high fun factor and overall quality makes it shine against Crystal defenders, the Final Fantasy tactics Arcade game, released on the same day as Peggle.

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