Released: February 27th, 2009
Developer/Publisher: Q? Entertainment / PopCap
Verdict: Ultra Extreme Fever
Pros: Extremely Addicting, High Replay Value, Perfect Portable Translation
Cons: Total Loss of Productivity
You know that eternal “PS3 vs 360″ argument that rages on in trendy suburban corners and crowded fanboy forums? I’m starting one of my own. Brace yourself for the following flame-mail-inducing statement: Peggle is the new Tetris.
(pause for effect…)
I’ve been testing this argument out on Twitter to a myriad of casual gamers, staunch Tetris diehards, and recent Peggle converts, and it has been one entertaining discussion. The general consensus is that I am losing the argument, but track me down in a few years to recant your stance when Peggle is on every console known to mankind, is included free with every cell phone, you’ve logged 1200 hours of game time, and your kids want to don Tula or Lord Cinderbottom costumes for Halloween.
Like Skynet, it’s inevitable. Don’t resist.
Tut-tut-tut! Before you close your browser window in disgust, you need to know that I was addicted to the original gameboy version of Tetris as a young teenager. I’d fall asleep nightly, playing imaginary games of Tetris in my head, without intention. The blocks would just appear in that netherspace, and my brain would start rotating and shifting them. Heck, I still get down with some monochrome Tetris action every full moon or so.
Let’s refocus our gaze on Peggle, PopCap’s Pachinko-meets-pinball addiction. (Please humor me and keep reading, as I have sacrificed 45 minutes of Peggle time to write it). In the past few days I’ve met individuals who have never tasted this game’s magic. Rather than bore you with a textual description, go spend 30 minutes playing it. The rest of you are curious how it makes the transition to the Nintendo DS.
Something I’ve always loved about PopCap is their uncanny talent to create games with longevity. Like Valve or Rockstar, they can kick out a timeless hit almost every time. The brilliance of Peggle is that its core gameplay and physics can be applied to any platform with relative ease. That being said, even yours truly, a Peggle fanatic, was a bit underwhelmed at first blush.
Here’s a timeline of my inner monologue as I experienced Peggle: Dual Shot for the first time…
- 4:02pm – YES! Thank you Mr. Mailman. Thank you PopCap. Thank you Radiate PR!
- 4:05pm – Imaginary personal assistant, clear my calendar for the next 72 hours!
- 4:07pm – “Loading Rainbows.” Good charming stuff.
- 4:08pm – Huh, more modes than I expected. They packed in Peggle Nights too? DOH! And they’re all locked. Adventure Mode it is. Alright Bjorn, let’s do this you giant-nosed unicorn.
- 4:09pm – The pegs have lost some of their sheen. Probably the limitations of the DS hardware? Overall the levels lost some graphical pop. Bummer.
- 4:11pm – Man, the stylus control rocks. Nice and tactile. Let’s try try the D-Pad.
- 4:11pm and 30 seconds – Oook let’s stick to the stylus!
- 4:13pm – Come on, come on! Yes! Hit.that.peg. Papa needs a free ball and a 25,000 point style bonus!
- 4:14pm – Oh my god, oh my god. Is it gonna hit? Is the aim true? A split second of Timpani Drums…OMG ULTRA EXTREME FEVER!!!
- 8:01am, the next morning – Tula TOTALLY looks stoned, dancing around up there with her eyes all jiggly.
- 6:30pm+3 friggin days – Crap, I better pen this review or Popcap won’t keep sending us free games.
The moral of that totally fabricated timeline is this: Peggle Dual Shot loses some of it’s graphical luster in the translation, but you stop noticing after the first few boards. Then, you stop noticing the passing of time and everything melts away. For some of ya, that statement is a warning: Do not take your DS + Peggle to your dayjob, as you will be fired.
This little cartridge is packed to the brim with 120 levels of Peggle, Peggle Nights, Multiplayer Duel Mode, 90 challenges, and quick play.
The long-awaited DS iteration even has a completely new addiction called “Underground Levels” in which hitting your purple bonus peg 4 times opens up a rainbow and sends you into a lush bonus area. In these areas, you collect gems by triggering pinball-style bumpers scattered around both the top and bottom screens. Admittedly these areas are much trickier to master, and are rooted more in luck than skill. These underground levels are my only complaint about Peggle DS. They feel tacked on, and somewhat break the flow and wistfulness of the normal game. Still fun, still challenging, but not flat-out magical.
So, wrapping up our “Peggle is the new Tetris” discussion (notice I didn’t say argument, as I assume you now willfully agree with me, hehe), I feel compelled to point out a few similarities the two puzzlers share. Both have longevity and are ridiculously addicting. Both are simple to learn, and difficult to master. In their purest form, both games can be translated to any platform. Both have an alluring net that can snare the most hardcore, or the most casual of gamers.
If you’re an existing Peggle fan, buying this version for your DS is money well spent. For the Peggle virgins out there, you’ll receive the same recommendation. And for the naysayers: Just you wait :-)
Thank GOD this review is over! Now I can work on at least tripling these Adventure Mode stats…
- Shots: 764
- Free Balls: 232
- Style Shots: 103
- Best Shot: 211,690
- Best Fever: 232,000
- Total Score: 17,254,500
- Retries: 50
Enjoy the fever…
Popularity: unranked [?]
