Peggle 2 is a casual puzzle videogame developed by PopCap Games and published by Electronic Arts. It's the third official game despite its name.
In production since 2012, Peggle 2 was announced during the E3 2013 press conference and also as a timed exclusive for the Xbox One.[1] Although the gameplay mechanics remain mostly the same, Peggle 2 features a different set of masters, with Bjorn Unicorn the only returning member among a set of four other new ones. There are also new gameplay options, in-game features, and more. Critically, Peggle 2 was praised for the implementation of new masters; its vibrant visuals, soundtrack, and the addition of trial levels as challenges. However, it was also criticized by some for not having enough facets that made it truly different from its predecessors.
Synopsis
Peggle 2 is a magical game full of bouncing balls, magical pegs and bricks made of pure compressed joy!
Test your luck and skill by clearing pegs, bashing bricks and timing your shots just right to achieve EXTREME FEVER! Discover 5 magical Peggle Masters and use their preposterous powers over 120 levels and trials to shatter expectations and acquire high scores beyond the realm of plausibility! And then, once you've honed your talents, deploy them against others in 4-player Peg party mode, or against a single opponent in Duel mode.[2]
Gameplay
Gameplay for Peggle 2 has remained similar to the first Peggle game, with exception of a few things such as new masters and choosable costumes to use on them.
Challenges are now separated per Master and called “Trials”; they're located at the Adventure Mode screen. The Fever Meter is now called Multiplizer, while the Ball-o-tron is now called Balljector.
In multiplayer mode, players can play online with other users or chose a local match. Online “peg parties” can go up to four players while local gameplay is two players. The host of the game can choose the board map, set the timer, the number of orange pegs, number of green pegs, and number of rounds. The goal is the same as normal game mode, but if a player fails to hit one orange peg in a shot, 25% of their total points are removed just like in Duel mode.
List of Masters and Powers
| Bjorn Unicorn | Jeffrey | ||
|---|---|---|---|
 | Power: Super Guide 3 turns, activates next turn Shows which way your ball will bounce! |  | Power: Bowlder Activates on next turn only Big heavy ball of stone crushes all pegs it touches! |
| Berg | Gnorman | ||
 | Power: Deep Freeze 2 turns, activates on current turn Makes pegs slide when they're striked! |  | Power: Uber Volt Activates on next turn only Charges up the ball so each peg it strikes will zap two more pegs! |
| Luna | Windy (DLC) | ||
 | Power: Nightshade 2 turns, activates on next turn Lets the ball pass through blue pegs! |  | Power: Fairy Flock Activates on current turn Transforms boring blue pegs into pretty pointy purples! |
| Jimmy Lightning (DLC) | |
|---|---|
 | Power: Multiball Activates on current turn only Throws two other balls into the mix! |
DLC
- On April 22, 2014, Windy, the Fairy Master was released as the first DLC master in the series. The pack comes with 10 new levels, 10 new trials, 30 additional objectives, 2 extra costumes for Windy and 3 new achievements.
- On June 24, 2014, Jimmy Lightning was released as the second DLC master in the series. The pack comes with 10 new levels, 10 new trials, 30 additional objectives, 2 extra costumes for Jimmy and 3 achievements.
- On August 12, 2014, the Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare Costume Pack was released for all platforms. It contains 7 costumes, one for each master (including Windy and Jimmy).
- On October 15, 2014, the Eerie Attire Costume Pack was released exclusively for Playstation 4. It contains 7 costumes, one for each master (including Windy and Jimmy).
- On November 18, 2014, the Shiver Me Timbers Costume Pack was released for all platforms. It contains 7 costumes, one for each master (including Windy and Jimmy).
Development
Click here to read an article about the game development in the Polygon website.
Gallery
Reception
In general, critics positively covered Peggle 2. In terms of gameplay, IGN critic Ryan Caffrey found it just as good as the previous Peggle games but was a bit dismayed with the levels not having as many “crazy gimmicks and wild themes.”[3] In a favorable review, Game Revolution found Peggle 2 the wrong type of game for its console-launch price: “Replaying boards over and over again for the perfect score or binging through the entire campaign of puzzles in one sitting can leave you feeling numb to PopCap’s incessant celebration.”[4] GameZone's Mike Splechta noted frame-rate issues,[5] Splechta also panning the game's Kinect mode was criticized by for being “rather pointless.”[6]
The board challenges and trial levels were praised for their difficulty and adding replay value and variety to Peggle 2.[7][8][9][10] Game Revolution stated it made the game “an excellent chaser for Xbox One’s more hardcore experiences,” and Edge opined the trial levels “a delightful change of pace: you know there’s a solution, that what it tells you to do is possible, and as such they require a lot more thought than the fire-and-forget nature of traditional Peggle.”[11] The multiplayer mode was well-received but also faulted by reviewers for its sparsity,[12][13] lagging issues,[14][15] and (most commonly) not allowing local play.[16][17][18][19] Caffrey disliked the removal of the two-player Duel mode of the previous games,[20] and Reiner criticized the multiplayer mode for occasionally dropping the player in the middle of online rounds where he's “forced to play the majority of the game in a losing position until a new one starts.”[21] The automatic saving of clips of shots in the Xbox One was heavily criticized for overdriving the GameDVR system.[22][23][24][25] Caffrey described the Playstation 4 port as better than the Xbox One version for having less overscan issues and a manual clip-saving feature, where the automatic saving of clips in the Xbox One version overdrove the GameDVR system; in addition, he appreciated the game's use of the DualShock 4's light bar for being “very much in the spirit of Peggle's joyous attitude.”[26]
Mark Walton of GameSpot was enthusiastic towards the presentation, including its music and “colorful and imaginative backdrops;” he noted that it was “brilliantly designed to stimulate the senses, and give you a real feeling of accomplishment, even for the smallest of tasks,” which made Peggle 2 as “fun and as accessible as humanly possible.”[27] Carter called the visuals “vibrant, crisp, and full of character,” noting its varied and detailed backgrounds and calling the soundtrack “easily PopCap's best work by far.”[28] Official Xbox Magazine UK was enthusiastic towards the audio, particularly its “twisted classical” fever themes of the master and the goat sounds of Jeff's levels.[29] Splechta also applauded the visuals and sound but found them “disappointing" for a next-generation console game, reasoning that they were more suitable in a mobile game.[30]
Review Scores
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Trivia
- Lead artist Drew Robertson took pictures of cryptids and other fantastical creatures and taped them on a studio room wall; using these, a hidden backstory made up by Robertson about magical beings with powers that can release happiness to the world via pegs, music and sounds from the audio team, the artists dreamt new characters.
- Celestial Realm's Extreme Fever music is a remix of Korobeiniki, the theme for Tetris.
External links
References
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20131211234944/http://www.oxm.co.uk/60920/why-is-peggle-2-an-xbox-one-exclusive-there-are-a-lot-of-unique-features-says-popcap/
- ↑ https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/p/peggle-2/bnczhkwrz7br?activetab=pivot:overviewtab
- ↑ http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/12/09/peggle-2-review
- ↑ http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/peggle-2
- ↑ https://www.gamezone.com/reviews/peggle-2-review-it-s-finally-here/
- ↑ https://www.gamezone.com/reviews/peggle-2-review-it-s-finally-here/
- ↑ https://www.digitalspy.com/videogames/xbox-one/a536925/peggle-2-review-xbox-one-bright-bouncy-and-brilliant/
- ↑ http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/peggle-2
- ↑ http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/12/09/peggle-2-review
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20131222200504/http://www.edge-online.com/review/peggle-2-review/
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20131222200504/http://www.edge-online.com/review/peggle-2-review/
- ↑ https://www.gameinformer.com/games/peggle_2/b/xboxone/archive/2013/12/10/ode-to-joy.aspx
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20131222200504/http://www.edge-online.com/review/peggle-2-review/
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20150924010139/http://www.egmnow.com/articles/reviews/egm-review-peggle-2/
- ↑ https://www.gameinformer.com/games/peggle_2/b/xboxone/archive/2013/12/10/ode-to-joy.aspx
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20150924010139/http://www.egmnow.com/articles/reviews/egm-review-peggle-2/
- ↑ https://www.destructoid.com/review-peggle-2-266900.phtml
- ↑ http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/12/09/peggle-2-review
- ↑ https://www.gamezone.com/reviews/peggle-2-review-it-s-finally-here/
- ↑ http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/12/09/peggle-2-review
- ↑ https://www.gameinformer.com/games/peggle_2/b/xboxone/archive/2013/12/10/ode-to-joy.aspx
- ↑ http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/12/09/peggle-2-review
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20150924010139/http://www.egmnow.com/articles/reviews/egm-review-peggle-2/
- ↑ https://www.gameinformer.com/games/peggle_2/b/xboxone/archive/2013/12/10/ode-to-joy.aspx
- ↑ http://www.gamerevolution.com/review/peggle-2
- ↑ http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/12/09/peggle-2-review
- ↑ https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/peggle-2-review/1900-6415588/
- ↑ https://www.destructoid.com/review-peggle-2-266900.phtml
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20131211005221/http://www.oxm.co.uk/67769/reviews/peggle-2-review/
- ↑ https://www.gamezone.com/reviews/peggle-2-review-it-s-finally-here/
