PopCap Announce Boxed Collection Of Greatest Hits

Despite the overwhelming success of the PopCap oeuvre, its most iconic titles have thus far only been available to UK customers to download, rather than purchase on the high street. That will change on the 18th February, when a boxed collection of its greatest hits will emerge on shelves across the country.

Peggle, Feeding Frenzy, AstroPop and the monolithic Bejewelled 2 will form the collection, entitled PopCap Hits. The release, published by Mastertronic, is significant in that it marks the first time that a selection of XBOX Live games have been boxed for retail.

It is possible that sales will initially be driven by the almost universal recognisability of Bejewelled 2, the most successful entry in a franchise that boasts 350 million downloads to date. Along with the unholy Farmville, Bejewelled 2 has contributed immesurably to the meteoric rise of “casual” gaming over the last decade.

That said, the other games in the collection are not to be overlooked. The arguably superior Peggle is an addictive electronic cousin of Pachinko, combining incredible ball bearing physics with bug-eyed forest creatures and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 (don’t ask).

The two headliners are supported by Feeding Frenzy, in which you control a marine predator who has to guzzle as many fish as possible, and AstroPop, in which you control a spaceship which grabs and blasts bricks to clear a path into space.

For those who might question the wisdom of releasing boxed versions of games which seem to epitomise the downloadable market, Mastertronic’s Product Director Neil McKenna sets the record straight. “Research has shown that 30 per cent of Xbox 360 owners connected to Xbox Live have never downloaded an Arcade title,” he says, suggesting that PopCap Hits “will prove to be a real draw for those unfamiliar with downloading titles and also act as a permanent keepsake for fans of PopCap”.

Whether he’s correct remains to be seen (though he probably is), it’s almost certain that the release of this title will give a welcome boost to the UK games retail industry.

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