Now that I’ve had some time with the demo I can happily say that the game is every bit as cute and addictive as Peggle or Bookworm Adventures were.  PopCap games has a way of taking tried and true concepts from specific genres and distilling them until they become deceptively simple with layers of strategy for those that care to delve deep enough.  Plants Vs. Zombies may not revolutionize the tower defense genre but it does provide a highly polished experience that is saturated with the charm associated with the PopCap name.  Waves of varied zombies take turns assaulting your lawn and it is up to you to plant various plant types in an effort to stop their evil plans.

The first few sections had me casually clicking my pea shooters and sunflowers to stave off the zombie horde but the difficulty quickly amped forcing me to act with a more deliberate plan of action.  I loved the fact that PopCap took the time to make both the plant and zombie side of the fight to have as varied casts as possible.  Rather than taking the easy way out of just making harder to kill zombies the player is treated to a inventive mix of characters that will get a chuckle the first time you’re faced with them.

I find it hard to review games from PopCap because of one simple fact…they’re fun.  I have a specific part of my gaming heart dedicated to games that are a joy to play and Plants vs. Zombies is that and then some.  Thanks PopCap for once again creating a game that procrastination from all work like activities.

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As soon as I fired up Peggle Nights I was transported back to the first time I got my hands on the original Peggle.  I had no idea what to expect when I picked up Peggle for the first time and was surprised when my eyes were treated to a cacophony of pastel colored animals all vying to “out-cute” the other.  There was so much about the aesthetic that would have ordinarily turned me off immediately but my love of gaming overruled my machismo laden first reaction and I powered through the first game like a champ.  The simple yet deep game grasped my attention and did not let go until I was privy to each and every one of the Peggle Master’s powers.

If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It

I am quite glad that Peggle Nights doesn’t mess around too much with what the original game provided when it came to gameplay.  The game is still played very much like a game of pachinko where your ball starts at the top of a level and falls down hitting pegs that eventually are removed from the level.  Your only real goal is to hit all of the orange pegs in the level to progress while racking up points on your way to doing so.  To spice things up a bit you’re also given the ability to use special powers that each of the Peggle Masters possess that can aid you in beating each of the levels.  These powers can range from a Super Guide ability that allows you to see how your ball will bounce when first shot to the eerily accurate Zen Ball power that maximizes any shot you make so you can rack up an even higher score.  The sequel has added the help of a new Peggle Master by the name of Marina who’s power  uses a hefty dose of electricity to help you shock the pegs into submission.

Deceptively Simple

After playing hours of the original and now a few more hours of the sequel I can appreciate the campyness of the Peggle Series and ahve come to view it as one of the integral part of the games.  Simply put, Peggle exudes pure fun out of every corner of the experience it provides.  You’re rewarded visually with little cues that let you know something “awesome” has happened when really all you did was click a single button in the direction you felt would hit the most pegs and hope for the best.  Out of this simplicity sprouts actual strategy that works its way into your shots before you realize it’s happening.  You haven’t experience real fun until you’ve had  “Ode To Joy” blaring from your speakers while a technicolor-ed array of random explosions, phrases, and point totalling that makes you feel like you’ve just solved the meaning of life rather than just shooting a ball at a couple of pegs.

Yes, I sound like I’ve drank some sinister brain washing kool-aid supplied by the folks at PopCap but anyone that’s played the game can attest to the fact that this game is addictive.  Hours can be sunk into just playing through the main story mode and infinitely more if you factor in the challenge modes or perfecting your scores in completed levels.  Both Peggle and Peggle Nights are great games that will immediately pull in anyone willing to give the game five minutes of their time.

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