Peggle - Review

Added March 26th, 2009 by Kim

PopCap Games (Bejeweled, Chuzzle, Zuma, Bookworm, Feeding Frenzy, Feeding Frenzy 2 and many more) can be found everywhere you look – the internet, PCs, PDAs, cell phones, consoles.  This company, well known in the casual gaming world, has brought another fun filled title to XBLA:  Peggle.

What?  You’ve never heard of Peggle?  You’ve got to be kidding, right?  Peggle was named by MSNBC in its “Top 5 most addicting computer games of all time.”  Ok, back up and I’ll give you the basics.  Peggle is loosely based on the decades old Japanese upright pinball game, Pachinko.  In Pachinko, you pull the lever, let loose a ball and watch it careen wildly off metal or wooden pegs until it lands in a bucket at the bottom of the playing field.   In Peggle, unlike Pachinko, as your ball bounces from peg to peg, these pegs disappear.    

For those familiar with Peggle, you might find yourself a tad disappointed that the 360’s version doesn’t bring anything new to the table (with the exception of Peg Party Mode, in no way does this lessen the fun or lose the addicting gameplay.

In the basic game, your objective is to clear the board of all orange pegs with a limit of 10 balls.  Using strategy and a whole lot of luck, you aim your cannon at the different colored pegs:  orange (the ones you’re trying to eliminate); blue (increase score); purple (worth 50 times the amount of the blue pegs); and green (activates the power-up related to the character you’re playing).  Located at the bottom of the colorful 2D screen, a bucket continually moves from side to side.  If your ball drops into the bucket, it’s added to your collection and can be used again.  Another way to earn extra balls is to rack up a minimum of 25,000 in one shot.  

Adventure mode (single player campaign) contains 55 different levels with 10 unusual instructors (such as Bjorn Unicorn, Tula the Sunflower and Lord Cinderbottom) to lead the way.  In this mode, you can’t choose your character; it automatically changes as you progress through the levels allowing you to experience different power ups and interact with changing obstacles.

Think you’ve mastered Peggle?  Try competing against your instructors.  Are you ready to switch up and challenge your peers?  Take the game online in Peg Party and compete with up to 3 others.  Want something with a different twist?  Head over to the challenge section.  Here, you’ll discover 75 challenges.  These include: clear the board of all 35 orange pegs; score at least 350,000 points in one game; clear all pegs (blue and orange) and more.  

While I was hoping the 360 version would add something entirely new (not counting the Peg Party), I highly recommend Peggle.  It’s a casual game that appeals to everyone.  For only 800 Microsoft points ($10 USD), you will definitely get your money’s worth.