Review: Peggle: Dual Shot

What can you say about Peggle that hasn't already been said? The casual game was an explosive hit almost overnight and has since been ported to just about everything under the sun. PopCap's latest incarnation of the game is easily its most interesting manifestation yet, at least on paper. Developed by the music/puzzle masters at Q? Entertainment, Peggle: Dual Shot for the DS sticks extremely close to the PC-original, but at the end of day this might not be a bad thing.

For players visiting the Peggle Institute for the first time, Dual Shot plays just like the PC games. The player aims a cannon that is used to fire pachinko-like balls through a course of pegs. Any pegs the ball hits on its way down disappear after that turn. The goal is to remove all of the orange color pegs before you run out of Peggle balls. There are a few things that keep this very simple formula, special power ups that can assist the player in earning extra balls or making those nearly impossible shots.

Dual Shot is a combination of the two main PC entries, the original Peggle and its expansion/sequel, Peggle Nights. Those familiar with the levels featured in these titles will be able to use the same tips and tricks to tackle these challenges again, but will find some interesting additions. The 45 new "Q Levels" add to the game's already generous length. While they may lack a nice cohesive theme that is featured in the main game, these levels don't require the use of a particular character power-up in order to complete and are some of the most versatile levels featured on the cart.

Another addition to this release is the inclusion of an "underground" subgame that gets activated after hitting five purple bonus pegs. While in the underground, you can sort of guide your Peggle ball by bumping it as it rolls along certain surfaces. Underground levels have you collect diamonds that are used as a score modifier and a collectable free ball if you're skilled enough to reach it. It's a fun diversion from main game and fits in pretty well.

Sadly, it's not all peaches and crème in this version of Peggle. The most noticeable feature that is missing is the replay feature. You can no longer marvel at your own skill (or luck, in my case) or show off incredible shots to your friends. It's not a huge loss, but still something that I would have liked to see included. The only technical issue I found with the game is the frame skipping during the "extreme fever" segments. Instead of entering into slow-motion, the game simply cuts the frame rate. It's not as elegant as its PC counterpart, but still gets the job done.

Controls for the game are fairly simple. The D-pad or shoulder buttons can be used to aim and the face buttons are used to fire or fast-forward time. You could use the touch screen to aim, but I found it more clunky than helpful.

Even with these very minor issues, Peggle: Dual Shot is one of those games I encourage nearly every DS player to pick up. Q? Entertainment could have gone off the deep end of their music-centric design, but that would have lost a lot of the simple charm that made the original game fun to begun with. The game presented here faithfully recreates the original experience while only adding minor changes where it is beneficial to the core design. Having three huge sets of levels on a single card and this portable makes it a no-brainer for those that just can't get enough Peggle action.

Score: 8 out of 10