| Author | Review |
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Elem3ntal80
332,998
TA Score for this game: 587
Posted on 19 March 09 at 18:07, Edited on 25 January 13 at 17:56 |
This review has 47 positive votes and 5 negative votes. Please log in to vote. |
Peggle...it is a pretty simplistic concept, which is good in that anyone can pick it up and start playing, but to be good at the game, there is quite a bit of strategy involved.
Basic gameplay: For each stage there is an array of pegs and you aim and fire a ball from the top of the screen and hope to hit as many pegs as possible on its way down...kinda like the Price is Right's Plinko on steroids. The goal is to score as many points as possible.
A certain number of the pegs are orange. As you hit more of these orange pegs, a meter will go up in which you can earn multipliers for all subsequent shots. If you clear all the orange pegs before you run out of shots, you will recieve a special bonus at the end. The slow motion theatrics and resulting "Ode to Joy"  when you hit that last orange peg will make it all the more rewarding.
There is one purple peg for each shot that gives you an additional multiplier for just that shot. This purple peg moves to a different location for each shot.
There is also two green pegs per level that unleash the special ability of the character you are using. There are 10 different characters all with their own unique special shot.
There is a bucket at the bottom of the screen that moves back and forth. If you are fortunate enough to have your ball land in the bucket, you will receive a free ball in single player or bonus points in multiplayer. You can also earn free balls by scoring a certain number of points on one shot.
There are also several ways to get bonus points by doing "skill shots" such as hitting an orange peg off a long bounce or making it in the bucket after bouncing off its rim. There is also a super special bonus if you manage to clear every peg in the level.
For single player, there is the Adventure Mode in which you go through all 55 levels and try to accumulate as many points as possible. Once you complete Adventure Mode, Challenge Mode unlocks which presents 75 various challenges such as completely clearing certain levels, beating the computer in duel mode, or beating a certain number of levels in a row.
Online multiplayer consists of two modes, either Peg Party or Duel Mode. In Peg Party up to 4 players compete on their own map and have 10 shots to score as many points as possible. There is an update of the score between each shot and you can view each of your competitors screen between each shot as well if you desire. In Duel Mode, you compete against one other player on the same map and alternate shots. The winner is whoever has the most points when the shots run out or the level is cleared. You can also do Duel Mode on local multiplayer.
Sounds simple, but requires a lot of strategy to become skilled...and a good bit of luck helps as well. Choosing which character to use also plays heavily into your strategy since certain special abilities are more useful depending on the level layout. Challenge Mode is just that, challenging, and will require patience  and many retries. You will soon learn that you will have to start paying attention to where that bucket is and plan your shot to have the best chance of getting a free ball.
This is getting long...sooo overall I found Peggle a very enjoyable game. I also found the online multiplayer very fun as well. If you are like me, you will sit down with this game and before long you will realize it is 4 or more hours later...and the sun is starting to come up 
If you are interested in achievements (aren't we all?), there are two in particular that will take awhile...clearing all challenge levels and clearing all pegs in all levels...but I guess you can see that for yourself by looking at the TA ratios.
Cheers! 
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Latrelus
60,809
TA Score for this game: 133
Posted on 25 February 10 at 22:57 |
This review has 18 positive votes and 8 negative votes. Please log in to vote. |
The Good: Presentation is excellent with vibrant and vivid colours = Slick gameplay and simple controls are easy to like = Addictive and fun gaming style will appeal to all ages and skill levels.
The Bad: Soundtrack can get annoying after a while, especially if you're stuck on one level.
Arcade Classics. That simple phrase conjures up a plethora of both conscious and sub-conscious images of late nights spent down at your local amusements as you pump your entire week's pocket money into what is basically a glorified TV with some knobs and buttons on it. Like some kind of primitive pay-to-watch meter system. That's how I spent my childhood. Playing titles that will be cemented in the minds of many for years to come, timeless. Games that are beautiful in their simplicity, a place where graphics take a backseat to thrilling and memorable gameplay with a huge lean towards having the most fun as possible. Xbox Live Arcade's 'Peggle' is a game that has set itself a goal - to encapsulate the playability of the penny arcade in your front room. Taking the game at face value, Peggle is the spiritual successor to the iconic puzzler 'Breakout' of many, many moons ago but nonetheless a timeless classic that has spawned many imitations. The basic idea (as it has been for years) is that you have bricks, a paddle and a ball. Your mission statement for each level is to eliminate the bricks using the ball and the paddle. Simple, no? It's a tried and tested model that works.
Peggle takes this template and bends it, shapes it and gives it new life by upping the ante on the graphics, but not losing any of the fun that made that style of game iconic. In front of you is presented a patten of blue and orange bulbs in various configurations, a ball release at the top and a paddle moving left to right at the bottom. To beat the level, the player has to hit all of the orange balls using the ten balls in your arsenal. One by one you aim the ball (which also moves left to right on its axis) for the best angle of attack into the blue and orange bulbs. Fans of the genre will appreciate the familiar, while new fans will get their heads around Peggle easily as the learning curve is not very steep. Powerups are also plentiful, and come in the form of a character such as a cartoon horse and a comedy hamster all bestowing different bonuses to the player. These powerups are activated by lighting up the green balls (two per level) and can activate goodies such as multiball, fireball and the 'Zen' ball - which is wherever you fire the ball, the Zen Master (an owl) will tweak your shot to attain maximum points. It's a real hoot...geddit?
There are over 50 different levels, all of varying and original designs, modelling around the level background adding variety to a game that could get a bit repetitive. Peggle doesn't take itself too seriously. Actually, it's a right laugh. For example, instead of the loading screen? You get a note on the screen which 'Gathering fluffiness' and 'Composing Ode to Joy'. Now, if you weren't familiar with the Beethoven Opus that I've just mentioned then you will be if you manage to clear all of the orange balls and bricks with the available balls. That is to say, when you complete the level, Ode to Joy blasts out of your speakers accompanied by fireworks and fanfare similar unseen since the days of Mario when you juuuuuust managed to jump over the flagpole to get into the castle.
To say that Peggle is addictive is an understatement. It's about as addictive as crystal-meth…but far better for your health, but not by much as you will be spending hours trying to perfect your shot so it bounces into as many orange balls and nets you maximum points. It's also the little things that make Peggle stand out as a 21st century puzzler. Let me set the scene, your faced with one ball left in your arsenal and there are 3 orange bricks (or pegs) to hit and boy, they couldn't be further away from each other. You have no powerups or bonuses left, and the paddle moving relentlessly from left to right at the bottom of the screen seems to taunt you as you aim your final shot. You fire, and the ball heads towards one peg, bounces off the wall to hit the other then amazingly, deflects off a blue peg and flies towards the other orange when everything goes slo-mo n and then BAM!, the fireworks hit and the flukiness of your shot is tantamount to euphoria.
Peggle doesn't take itself too seriously though, as you can the mascots for the powerups take the forms of gophers, unicorns and…erm, pumpkins. Also the loading screen is emblazoned with slogans such as 'preparing fluffiness' and 'enhancing cuteness', a theme which continues throughout. Initially viewed as 'another' block-esque puzzler, Peggle can be enormous fun played alone or with friends to see who can get the most pegs in one shot. The flukiness of the game is also incredible as seemingly impossible shots are just nailed by the slimmest of margins by absolute chance.
There's plenty of gameplay here for an XBLA title. For example, aside from the aforementioned single player mode, there's multiplayer, a surprisingly well thought out and fluid online multiplayer game type using a ranked system based on experience. A challenge mode is also present with some pretty difficult levels to complete all for the glory of 'Ode to Joy' and those precious achievements.
Conclusion:
Peggle breathes new life into a game genre that was previously exhausted over various platforms from your mobile phone to your home computer. It gives the 'block breaker' classic a modern and more over, extremely fun and replayable gaming experience, one which you can pick up and play for a couple of levels, or tackle the ever increasing difficulty of the challenges to inviting your friends over Xbox live for a game. It's addictive too, really addictive and should sit well in anyone's collection who likes a bit of fun, and takes themselves about as unseriously as Peggle itself. |
DaBlackAlbino
173,451
TA Score for this game: 119
Posted on 23 January 13 at 12:59, Edited on 18 April 13 at 22:53 |
This review has 8 positive votes and 2 negative votes. Please log in to vote. |
Synopsis:
Peggle is another game from the well-loved development studio PopCap, and suffice to say it is definitely one of the better games to come out of the studio. Peggle is a very unique puzzle game that borrows elements from Puzzle Bobble and Pinball to create a very innovative and addictive title. In Peggle you essentially have a screen full of blue and orange pips, your mission is to hit all the orange pips on the board within 10 shots, which means aiming carefully and planning your shots so that they bounce off at specific angles and hit a ton of pips, racking up score and increasing your multiplier along the way while you get the ball to generally try and engage in some chaotic bouncy physics defying carnage that would raise even a kangaroo’s eyebrow in a mixture of jealousy and bewilderment.
Peggle is a simple game and yet within that simplicity there is a formula which creates a genuine, enjoyable and addicting game experience, if you’re new to the Puzzle genre and are looking for a game that’s both fun and easy to pick up then look no further – Peggle is your game. The game comes with a variety of single player and multiplayer game modes, you have the adventure mode which is essentially the games campaign, the challenge mode for those looking to hone their pegglin’ skills by trying to pass some of the game’s most gruesome levels as well as the Master Duel, a mode where you’re pitted against an AI to see who can score the most points from the board.
Peggle has some insanely challenging boards to be cleared within the plethora of different levels it encompasses and it is such levels that will put even the most die-hard puzzle gamer to the absolute test in order to master the game, achievement wise this game is no walk in the park and it could take a newbie weeks or even months of practice to truly master the game, however despite this – in the games sheer simplistic difficulty there lays a certain charm, if the difficulty doesn’t manage to put you off then Peggle will truly shine as a stand-out XBLA title in your collection.
Play or avoid?
If you’re not a fan of Puzzle games then there’s no guarantee you’ll enjoy Peggle – so get the trial. With Peggle there are no sexy 3D graphics or advanced plot-line, the game is just bare bones ball bouncing combo carnage, if you’re looking for something with a little more depth – Peggle is not the game for you. If you’re looking for something simple, fun and enjoyable that can be picked up and put down without too much hassle, then this should definitely be up your street. Peggle offers something refreshing from the copious Bejeweled and Tetris titles that lurk around the puzzle section of the Xbox Live Arcade and thus feels like a breath of fresh air for someone looking to enjoy a puzzler that’s just a little different.
Run-down:
Visuals: 4/10
The game is extremely colourful and childish in its art style, however other than that there’s not an awful lot to say in regards to the visuals as most of the game’s 2D textures are static images. For a 2D puzzler they do the job, however graphically the game is quite weak – luckily Peggle is not the type of game that needs to rely on its graphics in order to be remotely enjoyable.
Sound: 7/10
The sound effects are vibrant and give off a joyful, care-free and colourful ambiance; the background music does get somewhat repetitive but the excellent sound effects more than make up for the various monotonous and simple backing tracks.
Gameplay: 10/10
This is where the game really shines, the game is incredibly simple and it’s somewhere within this mad simplicity that an enjoyably addictive experience can be found. Who ever thought bouncing a ball around could be so much fun? With the inclusion of combos and multipliers you’ll find yourself trying to keep the ball juggled in the air for as long as you can, trying to hit as many pips as possible in one fell swoop in order to rack up a decent combo. Of course the higher the combo, the more points you’re going to get and hence a bigger e-peen/position on the leaderboards! Simple game dynamics, yet extremely fun and with a large number of different game modes to boot the replayability is enormous.
Originality: 10/10
Peggle is a one-of-a-kind game owing to the fact that there's no other puzzler out there delivering the same game mechanics in the same way that Peggle does. Peggle stands by itself in offering a fresh, innovative and addictive game experience which derives from the game's abundant simplicity. They say some of the best ideas in life are simple ones – Peggle proves this theory to be true.
Overall Score: 31/40 – Awesome
If you enjoyed reading this please do check out my other reviews and articles at my .com publication befittingly and rather imaginatively entitled "DaBlackAlbino". I am an independent writer from England that works for no corporate developer or magazine and thus I offer independent and honest gaming related reviews and articles which are based upon my own experiences as a gamer, rather than those of a paid journalist/writer.
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G Smith007
213,420
TA Score for this game: 119
Posted on 09 September 10 at 19:17 |
This review has 11 positive votes and 6 negative votes. Please log in to vote. |
Peggle is one of the most simple and addictive games ever made. It is easy to pick up and start playing. To play all you have to do is aim and fire a ball out of a dispenser with the A button. Then watch as the ball bounces its way through the pegs, clearing them as it hits each one. The objective is to clear all the orange balls before you run out of balls. Blue pegs give you points but can block your shots. The purple pegs give you bonus points and the green pegs give you a special power to the character you are playing as. Each of the 10 character has its own unique power. This can change the gameplay a bit. For example, Warren the Rabbit gives you a lucky spin on a wheel of fortune.You can win a Magic Hot, Zen Shot, Extra Shot or Triple Score. At the bottom of the screen a bucket moves slowly across. This gives you a free ball if your ball lands into it.
Peggle has made its way to other platforms from PC, Nintendo DS and Ipod Touch. You won't find any changes in the Xbox Live Arcade version. There are 55 puzzles, 75 challenges in total. It also has some multiplayer modes.
Duel mode and Peg party. In Duel mode you have players taking in turns trying to get the highscore. Peg party can be played with up to 4 players each with their own table.
Peggle is great fun for a reasonable price.Once you start playing the first few levels you can get hooked.Popcap are great for making simple and addictive games and Peggle is one great example.
9/10 "Excellent!"
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Twinkling82
70,304
TA Score for this game: 147
Posted on 18 July 12 at 21:57 |
This review has 7 positive votes and 7 negative votes. Please log in to vote. |
This review was originally posted on http://gamingirl.com which I own
You have a little canon at the top of the screen, and all you have to do is to hit the small balls at the screen, called pegs. A unicorn named Björn is presenting the game for you, and as you advance in the adventure mode, you’ll meet the other masters. Each one of them has different powers that you engage by hitting the green pegs. To clear a stage you have to hit all the orange pegs, hopefully ending the level by falling down to the most valuable part of the bottom that appears when you hit the last orange peg.
The biggest amusements must be the power ups engaged by hitting the green pegs, but also the spirit of the game. It’s pure, childish and magic and more than all, it’s sweet. You can put your three year old in front of the screen with the controller and not worry if the game turns M-rated. It won’t. And your child will most likely have their time of their life if they like to push buttons and see the screen react. The game is very relaxing, but I bet it can be challenging as well, when it comes to clear the levels completely – not sure how much I look forward to it..!
A lot to choose from
Single player contains Adventure Mode, Master Duel, Challenges and Quickplay. Quickplay is just like level select in other games, and you can check your highscores in each level. Masters Duel is a head-2-head mode against the CPU in shape of one of the masters that taught you how to play this game. Challenges are rather similar to adventure mode.
If the first 55 levels aren’t enough for you, there’s a whopping 60 level expansion pack for this game – or it’s actually a sequel, but for the x360 version, that we are reviewing here, it shows as expansion pack, doubling your gaming time.
For the players who wants to play online there’s Peg Party and Duel. Peg Party is for up to 4 players at the same time, dueling to get most points within 10 shots. You have to get more points than your opponents, so trick shots and bonus pegs – the purple ones – are vital here. After each shot all players are compared and everyone get to know the score and positions.
Local duel is available, which seems very fun to play. The players take turn to shoot for points, just like in the Masters Duel. With a lot of playing time, most people will be very good at this game because it’s so simple and there aren’t many surprises or changes in the game.
The game is downright beautiful to look at; the graphics are smooth and clear all the way through and the mind-bending colours are chocolate for the brain, all in High-Definition. The drawings are sweet and the characters are cute.
The music is well-chosen for the games acoustic feeling and fulfils the harmony within it.
The goals seem very obtainable, yet it demands some aiming skills from the player, not to mention whole lot patience – but don’t most games demand that? Many of the goals also seems to be fun to go for, but this game in itself can entertain for hours, and you don’t have to go for the goals to enjoy it.
No annoying glitches
I haven’t encountered glitches or errors, but the music might be a bit too repetitive for the most people to play for many hours straight. Again, this game might be repetitive on its own though, but streaming or playing music from another source while playing surely helps out a bit to avoid suddenly loneliness. Eyeballs seeing pegs can be a bit of a peggle – right?
Looking at other puzzle and arcade games, this is by far one of the most simplest ones, but it makes your brain work. Because of this games pure, magic and innocent look, I just love it for what it is. Hit balls, make points. On top of that, there’s a huge amount of levels available.
It's been years since I wrote this, and I can safely say; This isn't my proudest work, but I decided to post it regardless.
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