Artfag New Games Journalism

Valve Software’s own Gabe Newell.

peggle. nuff said.

I initially intended for my blog to be a gamer blog but then it somehow became a combination of humorous videos, images and then links to random Internet hilarity. I’ve also been lagging on the console gaming as of late, which is just sad, so I haven’t had much to report on. I had been hearing about Peggle for months but had no idea what it was about, nor did I make the attempt to read up on it. I was leaving for a trip and needed a new game for my DS and thought, “I should really hit that.” Soon after, I discovered that this was a game that I just couldn’t put down.

I haven’t felt so strongly towards a game since Left4Dead, which seems like so long ago now. Peggle, available across many platforms has easily become one of the most captivating games of all time. You just can’t put this shit down, it’s that addictive. Peggle is one of those games that makes you feel good about yourself, by just throwing you extra points for off-the-wall ball bounces and shout outs like ‘great job!’ Peggle is a cross between Pachinko and Arkanoid with a combination of the Price Is Right’s Plinko. That right there is pure awesomeness. Plinko is one of those games I always desired to play if I were ever on the Price Is Right. Peggle truly blew my mind though after that recollection and I succumbed to the fact that this was indeed better than Plinko.

With the limited supply of balls per level, the object of the game is to aim your ball in a direction that will destroy all of the orange pegs, which are scattered amongst an array of blue ones. You are also given purple gems that give you extra points and green gems that indicate a special power provided by the master character you are playing as.

The levels start out leisurely, but then eventually become more complicated and strenuous and as much as you may find that frustrating, your desires to complete a level are still high. You may feel like smashing a glass on the floor for playing a level over and over again, but the sweet taste of victory that you feel once you’ve completed one is something that you would want happening to you all over again. You can feel the excitement as you’re rewarded with extra points and a flashy array of fireworks (which by the way are the best thing to ever exist) and with an explosion of text that reads “EXTREME FEVER,” illustrating accomplishment and with sound effects, I can’t even describe on paper, or online for that matter. My friend Oscar has quoted that this game “makes him feel dirty.” Nice analogy.

Peggle is a casual game, unique in it’s design and gameplay and can be picked up and played instantly by almost anyone. It’s simple and fun, and not too complicated. You gain pleasure in your success of completing a level, which makes you feel like you’re in a happy place.

When I was travelling to the UK, I met this elderly man on the plane who didn’t speak to me at all until he saw me playing this game. He was intrigued by the arrangement of colors and interesting design and simply said to me “I can see that you are REALLY into this game, I don’t understand it but I know you’re into it.”

9/10.