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When it comes to movies, consumers expect a certain type of product depending on what studio/director/producer it comes from. Video games, not surprisingly, almost exactly mirror the film industry in this respect. Hollywood has Judd Apatow, Quentin Tarantino and Jerry Bruckheimer; gaming has Tim Schafer, Sam Houser, and Electronic Arts.
What films are to disc console games, TV is to casual games. Short, sweet and easy to digest, casual games are like a season of a half hour sitcom. This brings us to the Seinfeld of downloadable arcade titles, PopCap Games. With a history of excellent match-three puzzlers that are inexpensive, addictive, and fun to play, gamers always know what to expect. And with its latest release, Zuma’s Revenge, PopCap once again shows that it’s master of its domain.
In Zuma’s Revenge players control a stone frog who spits out colored orbs that look like Aztec designed croquet balls. A separate, long strand of balls rolls along a grooved serpentine path around you, heading towards an exit. Your goal is to shoot at the strand, matching three or more same colored balls together.
Initially this is a fairly simple task, but as the game progresses the need for strategy increases. Different colored balls are introduced, groved paths are more complex, your frog’s placement gets tweaked, and switching the color of ball you shoot becomes more and more important. Games are short, lasting only a few minutes, but are intense and very rewarding.
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If gameplay in Zuma’s Revenge sounds familiar, it should, its a sequel to the hit PC title Zuma, and if you’ve ever played it or its XBLA or PSN ports, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to find that not much has changed. Instead of completely overhauling a good title, PopCap just gave the original game the oomph it was lacking, with Zuma’s Revenge displaying much more personality and depth.
One of the biggest differences in this latest version is the polished game presentation. The graphics are noticeably sharper, the tribal sounds (delightful in the original) are more refined, and with even greater use of subtle humor, Zuma’s Revenge exudes much more of the goofy, Joe-vs-the-Volcano-Abe-Vigoda-drinking-orange-soda-island-chief vibe PopCap was going for in the original.
Revenge is also much bigger than its predecessor, with enough beefy content keep even Clara Peller happy. With more than 60 stages, 4 different modes and new boss levels, there’s plenty here to keep gamers busy.
While a multiplayer mode is sorely missed, with Zuma’s Revenge PopCap has given gamers exactly what they wanted, a new title that’s even better than the original.
Pros: Addictive gameplay, solid game presentation, improves on the original
Cons: Checkpoints spread out a little too far, no multiplayer
GamePro Score: 4.5
Editor's Choice
The Info – Developer/Publisher: PopCap Games, ESRB: E, Players: One, Price: $19.95
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