Peggle for the Xbox 360 Review RD

Intro:
Get this game. Even if you aren’t into puzzlers, you’ll like this game. People who have played any other version of this game know what I’m talking about. And that would be a significant amount of people, since this game is on almost every major gaming device: PC, DS, Xbox 360, PS3, and iPHONE, though there’s probably more.

Gameplay:
Basically what you do in this game is fire a metallic ball down the screen, trying to hit the pegs on the way down to the bottom of the screen. You have ten balls, and there are four types of pegs to hit; blue, orange, green, and purple. Most of the time the objective is to clear the screen of all the orange blocks. And then you win. Sounds simple? It is (and that’s why it’s addicting), but there are a number of different factors that make it a little more complicated.

For example, hitting the green peg activates a special power. What the power does depends on what master you’re using. The powers vary in effect, and trying to use them in the most advantageous way possible adds a whole new layer of fun and strategy. The purple aren’t quite as exciting; they add a point boost when you hit them. Which brings me to another thing; points. Trying to score a new highscore is something all in itself, but you’ll also want to get points for extra balls. You see, if you get enough points in one shot you get an extra ball. Get more points, and another extra ball. And so on. I think theirs a maximum of four extra balls you can get, but you’ll have trouble trying to get even one extra ball.

Another extra feature is the bucket at the bottom of the screen. It slides back and forth, and if your ball lands in it you get an extra ball. Pretty simple, but purposely trying to get your ball into the bucket while still hitting pegs can be pretty difficult. Most of your bucket shots will be from luck alone. Also, there are special bonuses you get from doing hard-to-do things. Like, making your peg bounce off a special peg and hitting a special peg a long ways away, or the ball bouncing around the bucket and still managing to get in it.

Graphics:

The graphics in this game could be described as “ok”. They aren’t bad, but they certainly aren’t revolutionary or anything of that sort. This is a game on Xbox Live, so it meets the standards, but I wasn’t too impressed with them. They are, however, extremely happy and bright, which counts for something I guess. They are smooth, not sharp, and kind of relaxing, if you’re into that kind of thing.

Sound: This is where the game lacks the most. The sound is, well…meh at the most, and that’s if I’m being generous. The best I can describe it as a mix between elevator music and smooth jazz. It mostly used as a filler. Just in the background, drifting in your mind…yeah, not that great. Certainly not memorable. If you have any way to play music on your Xbox 360, play it.

Game Modes:

Single Player-

Adventure
The standard game mode for single player. Play through all of the game levels, each new section with a new master and a new ability to use when you hit a green peg. Pretty cool. Once you beat it you can play through it again to try to get some highscores and/or achievements.

Quick Play
Yep, you guessed it; play any of the levels you have beaten in Adventure mode. Great for trying to get new highscores and/or achievements

Master Duel
Play against one of the Peggle Masters (AI) on any of the levels you have completed in Adventure mode. Set the difficulty to easy, medium, hard, and expert. Great for a “multiplayer” experience in single player.

Challenge
You can only play this mode once you have beaten the adventure mode. In this mode there are a bunch of challenges for you to complete, like clearing all the pegs in a level or getting x amount of points on a single level. I tell these, these challenges can get hard. That, combined with the fact that their must be 50+ of them, makes this mode the most fun and adds a whole new layer of replayability to the game.

Multiplayer-

Xbox Live Peg Party-
Play with up to four friends on Xbox Live on any of the levels with custom settings. Pretty good, except it takes forever for the turn to end and a new turn to start.

Xbox Live Duel-
Pretty much the same as Peg Party except with only two people.

Same Console Duel-
Same as Xbox Live Duel except local instead of Live.

Replayability-
Since this is a puzzle game, it automatically has a lot of replayability. The challenge mode and Xbox Live Peg Party are the two modes you’ll likely be playing the most once you finish the Adventure mode, which won’t take long. The lack of levels kind of sucks, but hey, fifty-five levels isn’t that bad, it’s better than only having five. You’ll probably be playing this game for a long, long time. Did I mention that this game is super-addicting? I can’t stop playing this game once I start playing it.

Is it Worth Getting?-
Get this game. I don’t care if you don’t like puzzlers, or already have another version of it. Get it. Get it. GET IT!!!

Please.


Categories
Score
Comments
Gameplay
9.4
Awesome and addicting.
Graphics
7
Standard.
Sound
5
“Meh” at the most.
Game Modes
7.5
Standard; challenges are cool and will last a long time.
Replayability
9
It’s a puzzler, what would you expect?