Just when you thought it was safe to turn on your DS…
The ultimate digital crack is now portable.
DO: Clear all of the orange pegs.
TYPE: Pachinko Simulator
PLATFORM: Nintendo DS
PRICE: $19.99
MEAT: It’s Peggle on the DS with a smattering of extras and tweaks. For the uninitiated, Peggle is essentially pachinko (or Plinko from The Price Is Right) in digital form. You have a board full of blue, purple and orange pegs and blocks and the goal is to launch your ball from the top of the screen and clear all of the orange blocks. It’s an incredibly simple concept that Popcap has been able to tweak into something that rivals the addictiveness of a Vegas slot machine.
Add to this a variety of characters who each have their own special power-ups, ranging from multi-balls to having the computer calculate the best angle of attack, and a slew of challenge boards, bonus modes and extra point modifiers and you have a game that will sink its claws into you for hours on end. Peggle DS has also added a Peggle Underground mode that lets you rack up even greater point totals by going into a bonus screen if you hit the new gold peg (which appears after clearing 5 purple bonus point pegs). Another interesting feature of Peggle DS is that you need only to hold your stylus on the screen for a few seconds and it will zoom in on the target area, giving you the ability to fine-tune your shots.
PERKS: New modes; contains both Peggle & Peggle Nights; Ode To Joy is still as satisfying as ever.
SCREAMS: For slightly crisper graphics… That’s about it.
VERDICT: Buy. It’s only $19.99 at most places (sometimes cheaper) and it’s one of the best cost-to-value purchases you can make. And this is coming from someone who already owns Peggle on the PC and XBLA.