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Peggle

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Peggle
Steam header for Peggle
Developer(s)PopCap Games
Q Entertainment (Nintendo DS)
Publisher(s)PopCap Games
Valve Corporation (Steam)
Designer(s)Sukhbir Sidhu and Brian Rothstein
EnginePopCap Games Framework
Platform(s)Windows, Mac OS X, iPod, iPhone/iPod Touch, Xbox 360 (XBLA), Java ME, BREW, Nintendo DS
Release
February 27, 2007
  • PC
    February 27, 2007
    iPod
    December 18, 2007
    iPhone/iPod Touch
    May 12, 2009
    Xbox 360
    March 11, 2009
    Nintendo DS
    February 25, 2009
    Java ME
    October 2008
    BREW
    October 2008
Genre(s)Arcade
Mode(s)Single player / Multiplayer
This article is about the 2007 video game. Peggle may also refer to a 1991 arcade game.[nb 1]

Peggle is a casual action video game developed by Sukhbir Sidhu and Brian Rothstein of PopCap Games. Initially released for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X systems in 2007, it has been since ported to Xbox Live Arcade, the Nintendo DS (with the help of Q Entertainment), the iPod, iPod Touch, and iPhone, as a Java application, and even created as an extended minigame incorporated into the Massively multiplayer online game World of Warcraft.

Inspired by pachinko, each level of Peggle challenges the player to shoot a limited supply of balls at a field of colored pegs to clear out specifically-marked pegs while attempting to achieve a high score through skilled shot planning. Special powers associated with a number of cartoon "Peggle Masters" can be activated to benefit the player to aid in this task. Peggle initially sold slowly but was boosted by the inclusion of a themed demonstration in Valve's The Orange Box, and has since enjoyed over 50 million downloads from the Internet. Both its release on Xbox Live Arcade and the iPhones have enjoyed similar success.

Gameplay

Each board contains a number of blue "pegs" that are laid out in conjunction with the game's background picture. When the player starts each level, 25 of these pegs are randomly assigned as orange pegs, two as green pegs, and one as a purple pin that changes to any remaining blue peg after each round; a game option includes the ability to add shapes to these pegs for those who are color blind. A ball launcher is located at the top middle of the screen, and a ball catcher moves regularly back and forth along the bottom of the screen. In some levels there may be additional objects that will alter the ball's course but do not score points. Many levels feature pegs and other board features that move in a regular pattern or when struck by a ball.[1]

The goal of each level is to clear all the orange pegs by firing balls at the field before the supply of balls is exhausted. The player starts with ten balls but can gain more by having the ball land in the ball catcher or by scoring a certain quantity of points on a single shot. After a peg has been hit, it will be removed from the field after the shot has been completed, or if the ball is stuck on the peg. The player, by clearing orange pegs, increases a scoring multiplier for the remainder of the shots up to a 10x multiplier. While all pegs score points, the player earns more for striking orange ones and the current purple peg. The player may also be awarded "style points" which are awarded for performing tricks with shots, such as consecutively striking two orange pegs far apart or gaining a lucky rebound off the ball catcher; style points do not get the multiplier bonus. When the player hits a green peg, they activate the current "magic power" of the character for that level. Some powers activate immediately; one power causes a second ball to be generated from the green peg when struck. Other powers will have effects that activate on the next shot or for several more shots; one power shows the ball's path including rebounds, while another will extend the length of the ball catcher. Once all the orange pegs have been hit, effectively completing the level as announced by the song "Ode To Joy",[2] the bottom of the level is replaced with 5 bins of different values that the ball will eventually fall into. The player is awarded this score in addition to any unused balls remaining to get their final score for the level. If all the remaining pegs are cleared at the end, a bonus is awarded and all the bins turn to the maximum value.

In the regular "Adventure" mode of the game, the player attempts to complete five levels with each of the ten "Peggle Masters", followed by an additional five "Master" levels that allow the player to select any of the characters. The game features a series of challenges that require the player to complete boards under stricter requirements, such as having to clear more orange pegs or to remove all the pegs from the board. A "Duel" mode allows the player to compete against another player or the computer on the same board in attempting to reach the highest score. The Xbox Live version adds a "Peg Party" mode, where up to four players compete on their own boards using a limited number of balls, with players attempting to get the highest score.

Development

Peggle was originally envisioned by PopCap's studio director, Sukhbir Sidhu, inspired by pachinko machines.[3] However, he recognized that pachinko was mostly luck-based, and would not translate well into a video game. After seeing a 2D engine created by PopCap programmer Brian Rothstein, Sidhu recognized how to bring the game to reality, and worked with Rothstein for the first five months of the game before bringing in additional programmers.[3] The initial development focused on bringing together elements of pachinko with Breakout Initially, they had used the similar "rapid-fire" mechanic that was used in pachinko along with numerous moving targets, but they found this to make the levels either too fast-paced or too demanding. They found over time that a static field of pegs provided a more enjoyable experience: the path of the ball would be more predictable and led to the gameplay mechanic of requiring only a selected subset of the pegs (the orange pegs) to be cleared.[3] Once they had established the core mechanics, they brought on character artist Walter Wilson, background artist Marcia Broderick and an additional coder, Eric Tams, to help complete the game within its two-year development period.[3] Even with their game established, Sidhu and Rothstein faced internal challenges at PopCap to increase the level of interactivity with the game, but the two defended their vision of the game.[3]

Though the game was technically completed within a year, PopCap opted to spend more time to polish the game, improving the visuals and background images.[3] The team spent time to refine the various sound effects used in the game to provide an appropriate atmosphere to the game. In some cases, they had found the sound appropriately early on; the sound of the ball hitting a peg was borrowed from another game in development but was considered perfect for Peggle. Other cases required iteration; the sound of the ball shooter was closer to that of a cannon, while a "plunk" sound effect was used when the ball catcher caught a ball, but these were changed to more airy sounds (an air cannon and a brief angelic chorus) in order to make the elements sound as if part of the game's music.[4] The team found that it helped to create a defining moment at the end of each level when the player is moments from clearing the final peg. This initially was programmed as a simple message stating "Extreme Fever" and the music of "Ode to Joy" as a placeholder, with Sidhu wanting to recreate the "wild sounds and visuals" that were present on winning pachinko games. However, the team found that the players reacted well to the simpler placeholder elements, and the team focused on improving the presentation of these, including adding a zoom on the current ball as it neared the last orange peg to be cleared.[3]

Versions and sequels

"Peggle Extreme", a ten-level version of the game, was packaged with the Windows version of The Orange Box featuring levels inspired by Half-Life 2, Team Fortress 2, and Portal. It also includes five Master Challenges.[5] Peggle Extreme was eventually made free to download for anyone with a Steam account.[5] Peggle Extreme was developed in conjunction with the Valve Corporation after programmer Tams learned that Peggle was played often at Valve's offices and that Valve had helped to promote the game on Steam. PopCap proposed a version that would pay tribute to Valve's games, which Valve readily warmed up to and helps PopCap with its development, including providing graphical assets and artwork.[3]

Peggle has been ported to Xbox Live Arcade,[6] the iPod,[7] and the iPod Touch and iPhone.[8] The Xbox Live Arcade version includes the "Peg Party" mode where up to four players can compete simultaneously. Both Xbox Live Arcade and iPhone versions include the "Duel" mode, with the iPhone version having the players share the iPhone between turns. Peggle has also been ported as a minigame inside World of Warcraft, featuring levels based on the game content, though featured a limited set of Peggle Masters to use. Warcraft players can also use Peggle to decide how to split up loot from successful quests.[9] Subsequently, in July 2009, a free standalone, ten-level edition of Peggle themed around Warcraft in a similar manner as Peggle Extreme, was released.[10]

PopCap released a sequel to the game, Peggle Nights, in September 2008 for Windows machines. The sequel expands upon Peggle by adding one new Peggle Master in addition to new levels and challenges.[11] The Xbox Live version of Peggle will receive Nights as a downloadable expansion to the game in late 2009.[12] Peggle: Dual Shot is a Nintendo DS port of the game, developed by Q Entertainment; the game includes content from both Peggle and Peggle Nights.[13]

Reception

The game did not initially perform well in sales when released for Windows, but according to Sidhu, sales of the game took off following the release of Peggle Extreme as part of The Orange Box; Sidhu stated that the special version of the game helped to bring in video game players that would "never be caught dead playing a game with unicorns and rainbows".[3] Peggle (both trial and full versions) has been downloaded more than 50 million times from the Internet as of early 2009, though PopCap has not released how many of these downloads were for full sales of the game.[24][25]

Upon release to Xbox Live Arcade release, Peggle was the top selling game for the first two weeks of release, and remained in the top ten applications for several weeks afterward. Within a month, over 100,000 players were listed on the Xbox leaderboards for Peggle, though this number also includes players who purchased the game through the PopCap Arcade Volume 2 retail package which contained the game as well.[26] IGN editor Cam Shea ranked it eighth on his top 10 list of Xbox Live Arcade games. He stated that while its theme could easily turn players off, they should not let it, as it is infectious and fun.[27]

The release of Peggle on the iPhone was extremely popular, placing the game as one of the top ten applications purchases through the App Store for the first two weeks it was available.[28] During a weekend in June 2009, the title was put on sale for $1 (normally $5); the sale caused the game to become the most purchased application in the App Store, with a PopCap representative stating that they made as many sales during this four day period has they had in the three prior after the game's launch on the Store.[29]

Peggle is considered to be an addictive game.[30] The game is stated to have a simple premise that follows the KISS principle, but requires some amount of repeating playing to master, similar in fashion to early arcade games, leading to its addictive qualities.[31] Peggle is also claimed to entice the user to play "just a few more minutes".[32] The accessibility of the game across multiple platforms is also considered to contribute to its addictiveness.[31] MSNBC named Peggle as one of the "Top 5 most addictive computer games of all time."[33] Despite its addictive nature, the game, like many of PopCap's casual games, is also considered a stress reliever. A study underwritten by PopCap at East Carolina University found that across 132 subjects, Peggle was found to increase their mood by 573% across all subjects, with a 45% reduction in depression.[34][35] Peggle along with other PopCap games were also found to help children with ADHD improve their attention span and memory recall, in a survey done by Information Solutions Group on behalf of PopCap.[36]

PC Gamer Magazine (UK) published its own list of their 100 favorite computer games of all time and listed Peggle at 40.[37]

Championships

In April 2009, at I-Series event i36 in Coventry, UK, Cherise Sellers became the first European Peggle Grand Champion, beating Vini Holden in the final.

Awards

  • PC Gamer magazine (UK) (2007) Top 100 Video Games of All Time (#40)
  • PC Gamer Magazine (UK) (2007) 5 Most Addictive Video Games of All Time
  • MSNBC.com (2007) Casual Game of The Year
  • Salt Lake Tribune (2007) Top Ten Video Games of 2007 (#8)
  • Joystiq.com – Top Ten Video Games of 2007
  • Games For Windows Magazine (3/08) Downloadable Game of the Year Finalist
  • Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences – Overall Game of the Year
  • Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (2007) Best Downloadable Game of 2007
  • JayisGames.com – Finalist, Most Innovative Game of the Year
  • GDC Awards (2007) Finalist, Best Downloadable Game of the Year
  • GDC Awards (2007) Finalist, Best Handheld Game of the Year
  • GDC Awards (2007) Runner-up, Puzzle Game of the Year
  • PC Gamer Magazine (2007) Alternate Award
  • Rab's Joint (2009) Most Addictive
  • Angry PC Gamers (2008) Best Overall Game of the Year

Notes

  1. ^ Peggle shares its name with a relatively rare 1991 arcade game; the object of that game is to rotate the entire playing field to keep a bouncing character in play, who bounces off and removes the pegs. See: "Screenshots of 1991 Peggle arcade game". system16.com. Retrieved 2007-10-22.

References

  1. ^ "Peggle Dual Shot :: DS Game Review" Kidzworld.com. Retrieved on 2009-04-02.
  2. ^ Saltzman, Marc (2007-03-08). "Peg 'Peggle' as a highly addictive PC game". USA Today. Retrieved 2009-05-19. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i "FEATURE: The Making of Peggle". Edge. 2007-11-27. Retrieved 2009-05-29. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  4. ^ Mastrapa, Gus (2009-06-10). "The Sounds of PopCap, Part 3: Peggle". Crispy Gamer. Retrieved 2009-06-15.
  5. ^ a b "Peggle Extreme on Steam". Steampowered.com. Retrieved 2007-10-14.
  6. ^ Arendt, Susan (2008-01-09). "Peggle Coming to Xbox Live Arcade". Wired. Retrieved 2009-05-29. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  7. ^ Buchanan, Levi (2007-12-07). "Peggle for iPod Review". IGN. Retrieved 2009-06-12.
  8. ^ Evans, Daniel S. (2009-05-21). "Peggle (for iPhone)". PC Magazine. Retrieved 2009-05-29. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  9. ^ Breckon, Nick (2009-04-23). "Peggle Hits World of Warcraft with Peggle-based Loot Rolling, Custom Talent Tree". Shacknews. Retrieved 2009-05-29.
  10. ^ O'Conner, Alice (2009-07-08). "Peggle: World of Warcraft Edition Spreads Free Glee". Shacknews. Retrieved 2009-07-08.
  11. ^ Ralph, Nate (2008-09-17). "Review: Peggle Nights Deals New Hit of Same Addictive Gameplay". Wired News. Retrieved 2009-05-08.
  12. ^ Faylor, Chris (2009-08-26). "Peggle XBLA Getting 'Nights' Expansion". Shacknews. Retrieved 2009-08-26.
  13. ^ Hatfield, Daemon (2009-02-23). "Peggle: Dual Shot Review". IGN. Retrieved 2009-05-09.
  14. ^ "Peggle (pc: 2007)". MetaCritic. Retrieved 2009-05-29.
  15. ^ "Peggle (xbox 360: 2009)". MetaCritic. Retrieved 2009-05-29.
  16. ^ "Peggle Deluxe for PC". GameRankings. Retrieved 2009-05-29.
  17. ^ "Peggle Deluxe for Xbox 360". Retrieved 2009-05-29. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |publusher= ignored (help)
  18. ^ Meer, Alec (2007-06-28). "Best of Steam". Eurogamer. Retrieved 2009-05-29.
  19. ^ Whitehead, Dan (2009-03-11). "Peggle". Eurogamer. Retrieved 2009-05-29.
  20. ^ "Peggle". PC Gamer UK. June 2007. p. 76. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  21. ^ "Peggle". PC Zone. August 2007. p. 76. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  22. ^ McCaffrey, Ryan (2009-03-11). "Peggle Deluxe". Official Xbox Magazine. Retrieved 2009-05-29. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  23. ^ Brudvig, Erik (2009-03-10). "Peggle Review". IGN. Retrieved 2009-05-29.
  24. ^ "PopCap Announces the Launch of Peggle(TM) Dual Shot for the Nintendo DS(R)". Market Watch. 2009-03-03. Retrieved 2009-05-29.
  25. ^ Musgrove, Mike (2009-05-02). "Peggle Finds A New Home". Washington Post. Retrieved 2009-06-12. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  26. ^ Langley, Ryan (2009-04-14). "XBLA: The Road To NPD - Xbox Live Arcade Sales For March 2009". Gamer Bytes. Retrieved 2009-06-12.
  27. ^ "IGN's Top 10 Xbox Live Arcade Games". IGN. 2009-05-07. Retrieved 2009-08-07.
  28. ^ Thompson, Amy (2009-06-04). "Palm Pre Games Limited as Designers Wait for Access (Update3)". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2009-06-12.
  29. ^ Frushtick, Russ (2009-06-15). "'Peggle' iPhone's Meteoric AppStore Boost". MTV. Retrieved 2009-06-15.
  30. ^ Buchanan, Levi (2007-04-23). "PopCap's 'Peggle' is a gradual addiction". MSNBC. Retrieved 2009-06-12.
  31. ^ a b Lahiri, Sumantra (2009-03-10). "Why Is Peggle So Addictive?". Gamasutra. Retrieved 2009-06-12.
  32. ^ Woyke, Elizabeth (2008-10-03). "Tech Addicts". Forbes. Retrieved 2009-06-12.
  33. ^ Smith, Ken (2007-08-23). "Top 5 most addictive games". MSNBC. Retrieved 2007-10-17.
  34. ^ Meer, Alec (2008-04-28). "Peggle Is Good For You". Rock Paper Shotgun. Retrieved 2009-06-15.
  35. ^ Russoneillo, Carmen V. (2008). "A Randomized Controlled Study of the Effects of PopCap Games on Mood and Stress". East Carolina University. Retrieved 2009-06-15.
  36. ^ "'Casual' Video Games Bring Relief and Enjoyment to Children With ADHD". PR Newswire. 2008-07-16. Retrieved 2009-06-15.
  37. ^ "PC Gamer's Top 100: 50-01". PC Gamer Magazine. 2007-08-13. Retrieved 2009-05-08.
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