The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

When it got down to considering games to review for this issue, many titles went through my mind. The newest Pokemon would have been a good choice, or maybe the portable murder-simulator Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars could also have been a good one. Ultimately, I decided I didn't want to go through the headache of a) having to find and purchase these games, and b) having to devote a lot of time energy to something right before spring break. So, I decided to pick a game that was not only readily available, but one that was cheap that was going to be pretty easy on the scrambled eggs that were once my brain. This is why I've chosen Peggle, more “casual” game then some of the more hardcore gamers want to admit they'd play, and one that is definitely a good title for people that don't want to have to deal with the stress and brain-ache that other games drag with them.
Peggle can be a kind of difficult game to describe. If I had to sum it up, I'd say it most closely resembles Pinball + Plinko... on crack. The object of the game is to shoot a ball from the top of the screen down to the bottom, trying to eliminate all of the orange colored pegs before you run out of balls. Don’t think it’ll be that easy though, as you're going to have to first hit some blue pegs to make them disappear in order to open up shots to the orange ones. Or, if you're feeling really cool, you can strategically bounce your ball off of said blue pegs to hit the orange pegs.
But, out of context, that could see kind of boring – just shooting the ball and watching it fall down to the bottom of the screen (and hoping it lands in the free-ball bucket). However, the game’s 55 levels are incredibly varied, each one with different environmental obstacles. Oh, and everything is colorfully illustrated and shiny. And there's a unicorn that farts rainbows.
In addition to the orange and blue pegs, there are also green pegs and purple pegs. The purple pegs grant you a point bonus, helping you rack up points towards earning free balls and high scores. The green pegs are where the real fun is, though. Depending on which Peggle “master” you've chosen, the green peg will activate that master's special ability. There are 12 masters in all, each with their own unique ability. Abilities can range from things like multiple balls to adding pinball-style flippers to the sides of the stage. These abilities vary the game incredibly, and depending on which one you use it can drastically your strategy.
In addition to the actual gameplay aspects, the aesthetics of the game make you feel incredibly at ease and comfortable. Other than the aforementioned rainbow-shitting unicorn, the bright colors are soothing, and are a welcome contrast to the varying shades of brown, gray, and red seen in “Resident Gears of Master Chief 4”, or whatever the hell shooter game came out this week. Not only that, but you don't have to drop $60 on it either. Peggle has been available on the PC for a while now, but it was also just released for the Xbox Live Arcade for the low-low price of $10 (or 800 points in Microsoft Fun-Money). And, every time you beat a stage, the camera zooms in on the ball as it’s about to hit the last peg, and then plays “Ode to Joy” while the ball flies through the air with a rainbow-colored streak. And no, I didn’t make that up – it’s just that fucking awesome.
After you’ve beaten the 55-level “adventure mode”, you unlock the challenge mode. Challenge mode uses stages from adventure mode and gives you specific goals to complete, such as getting a certain score or eliminating a set amount of pegs. And, if you’re playing the Xbox version, there’s also a multiplayer mode so you can take on your buddies both on and offline.
Ultimately, the gameplay is relaxed and fun, without the stress of trying to save your buddy from a hail of gunfire or toiling to level up your blacksmithing so you can finally make that sword you've been drooling over. The last thing you want to have to worry about is trying to survive a zombie attack right after you finish a 12-page paper. Sometimes you just need to unwind with a game like Peggle, with no real consequences for failure that you can pick up and put down any time you want.
In closing, Peggle is a game that's easy to learn, but hard to master. Towards the end of the 55 level game, I was shooting balls like a pro, pulling off shots I would never thought possible when I started. Peggle is definitely worth checking out if you want a game that’s stress-free, has lots of bright colors, and is just an all around blast to play.