Ahh Peggle. What is there left to say about it? It’s a casual gaming phenomenon and rightly so as it’s brilliant fun. The premise is simple as always when it comes to casual puzzle games: fire a ball at orange pegs and try to clear them all within 10 balls. During Peggle’s story mode you come across ten different ‘masters’, colourful animals who can all lend you a hand via the green pegs. Simple yet brilliant.
Admittedly before I first played Peggle, I didn’t understand what the fuss was. It sounded silly and focused on randomness too much. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Propelling your ball to ensure you maximise your efficiency is all down to careful, precise movements. At times you won’t be able to hit an orange peg but you will be able to clear a path by destroying the various blue pegs in the way. Tactical manoeuvres like this are quite useful but it’s all a careful balancing act to make sure you don’t run out of balls.
Peggle’s already been seen on the PC, Mac, iPhone, Xbox 360 and DS so it makes sense that we finally see it on the Playstation 3. It’s not badly priced either at £6.29 making it roughly the same price as the Xbox 360′s version. The conversion to the PS3 has gone very well making Peggle as good on the system as any other. Controls are simple with the left analog stick used to move the cursor and the triggers used to make precise adjustments. Everything looks vibrant and cheerful and there’s no sign of slowdown at any stage.
Besides the Story mode there’s also the Challenge Mode, Quick Play and Master Duel single player modes which extends the fun the game offers. Challenge mode is appropriately named as I found it harder than the Story mode but also much more satisfying to complete. In all there are 194 single player levels which is impressive value by itself!
The lag-free multiplayer is also refreshing to see with Online Peg Party my favourite. It’s frantic as it allows 4 players to play together but it’s excellent fun, made all the more so by the total lack of lag. It would be a crime to buy this solely for the multiplayer functionality as although it is fun, this is a game that’s best as a single player challenge. The satisfaction that I felt every time I completed a stage and heard Beethoven’s ‘Ode to Joy’ was as strong as any multiplayer victory in more ‘hardcore’ titles.
Nothing has admittedly changed from the XBLA version of Peggle so only die hard Peggle addicts need bother with acquiring both versions. However if you’ve only got a PS3 this is a brilliant addition to your games collection. It’s a concept that might sound dull but there’s a reason why the game has been converted to so many systems: it needs to be played by absolutely everyone. The perfect game to play when you want 10 minutes of casual gaming, and also ideal for when you want 3 hours of obsessively working your way through a game forgoing sleep and all other life essentials. Go buy it.
VideogameUK verdict: 9/10
