It’s been awhile since I first wrote up my very extensive review of Peggle, one of PopCap’s ubiquitos casual games. It’s also been awhile since PopCap has done anything new. Venice followed on the heels of Peggle, but it wasn’t very good and doesn’t really rank with the other hits in their stable like Chuzzle, Zuma, and Bejeweled.

Now finally, they’ve released a followup to their biggest seller, but it feels like more of a special edition than a sequel. The reviews posted on PopCap are shouting praise for Peggle Nights from the highest mountaintops, but based on the actual content of the game, it’s embarrassing that this took so long to make. Even though every Peggle Master has a new alter-ego, none of them have new or even slightly different abilities. 90% of the content of this game is taken verbatim from the first. I’m all for not fixing what ain’t broke, but this is ridiculous.

They added only one new Master, and while the ability is good, it’s also just about the only new feature to speak of. There are all new levels, sure, but for the most part they’re more frustrating without being any more satisfying than the originals. Even with slightly fancier backgrounds, let’s be honest…how hard is it to make a new Peggle level? There’s even a level-expansion pack in the works since apparently there is easy/lazy money to be made here.

The bizairre tounge-in-cheek humor of the first one is fully embraced here, and that’s a good thing, but most of the issues that dogged the original – no netplay for multiplayer and no support for higher resolutions to name a couple – are just as they left ‘em. One of the great things about Peggle (and most PopCap games) is that it’s one of those games that the whole family could play. I literally would end a session of FarCry and try to beat some Peggle challenges. My mom beat the game and my girlfriend got through most of the challenges. So obviously Peggle is casual gaming, but that doesn’t justify a lackadaisical approach to actually making the thing. It’s actually pretty amazing that Peggle sports a colorblind mode, yet not a widescreen mode.

Well enough about low-res puzzle games, check out this cool concept gallery of modern classics if only they were released for Atari…in ultra low-res.

EDIT: No sooner after writing this post did I recieve a update in my inbox telling me that PopCap is in fact gearing up for another release later in the month. Let’s hope this one lives up to its predecessor.