Plants vs. Zombies Review

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Game Description

Keep Those Darn Zombies Off Your Lawn!

The undead have risen from their graves, and the zombie horde is at your very front gate hungry for your brains! It is up to you and your arsenal of zombie fighting plants to push back this relentless horde and keep them from your doorstep.

Find just the right mixture of pea shooting plants, bushes, cherry bombs, and other foliage to bring down those zombies in a variety of ways, such as decapitating them, blowing them into black powder, or using great man-eating Venus Flytraps to swallow a zombie whole!

Figure out which plants work best against the 26 different zombie types, such as pole vaulting zombies which jump over bomb plants or mining helmet wearing zombies which take more damage.

Innovative Defense Game

It seems like a simple concept: select from a number of plants, each with a different way to take down the zombies, place them along a certain path, and then wait until you can purchase more plants by collecting the sunray resources. This gets intricately more complicated though, because there is no way of knowing which path you should cover first or the variety of zombie types which will rush down a certain path.

There is a great deal of strategy which you'll have to employ as you progress to harder levels since you can only bring in 7 different plant types for a particular level. Add in other obstacles, such as a setting sun, creeping fog, or a swimming pool, and the difficulty level can quickly become rather challenging.

Fun, Addictive Gameplay

Plants vs. Zombies presents a rather quirky tower defense-style game which is both challenging and fun. It's simple interface and straightforward concept make it easily accessible to gamers of all experience levels.

With nearly 50 main levels and five different game modes, Plants vs. Zombies also brings a great deal of replayability to the table.

Unlock a ton of fun mini games and puzzles including Vasebreaker, Last Stand, Wall-Nut Bowling and I Zombie (check out our I Zombie Endless Guide!).

Experience hours of addicting gameplay as you enjoy mowing down the masses of colorful zombies to the tune of some rather catchy, top-notch music.

If you like defense style games with a fair share of humor, download Plants vs. Zombies and put an end to the zombie legions today!

What the Pros are Saying

• "Addictive action and supercute visuals make Plants vs. Zombies an enjoyable, engaging romp." - Gamespot, 8.5/10 - Full Review
• "Plants vs. Zombies is one of the strongest titles to come out of PopCap's genius factory. There's a ton of creativity, replay value and fun smashed into a relatively small [package]" - UGO, A - Full Review
• GameRankings.com score - 89.93%/100% (as of May 21, 2009)
• Metacritic score - 88/100 (as of May 21, 2009)

Plants vs. Zombies Review

Plants vs. Zombies mixes two very unlikely enemies in this charming and fun tower defense game.

You've Never Played Anything Like This Before

There is a horde of goofy zombies on the loose full of pole-vaulters, snorkelers, and Zamboni drivers and it is up to you to fill your garden with a wide array of protective plants, be it peashooters, sunflowers, wall-nuts, or cherry bombs. The gameplay itself is strongly in the realm of the tower defense genre where there are a set number of plots in your lawn where you can plant your plants and avenues which the zombies will then approach your house in waves, all of which you must repel to save your brains.

Truly Addictive and Strategic

What makes Plants vs. Zombies so enjoyable is how addictive and accessible it is as well as the hilarious and zany setting. Whether it's planting a potato mine to take out a “Thriller” zombie or watching a poor wall-nut's look of despair as he gets eaten, the visuals and music do a great job of drawing you into the action. One of the great things about the gameplay though is the sheer variety, such as just when you get used to fighting the zombies in the day they start to attack at night and you have to learn a whole different strategy for your night-time vegetation.

The use of unlocking new plants at the end of each level and slowly changing the game dynamic is great for new players since it eases them into the difficulty. The only downside to this gentle learning curve is that it can take a while to reach truly challenging levels for more experienced players and this could be an annoyance. Yet even with this small issue, there are plenty of game modes that tower defense fans can test their skills on without too much main adventure gameplay.

So Many Other Game Modes and Mini-Games to Enjoy

For instance there is a survival mode which lets you keep your plants between levels and requires you to constantly change your garden as different waves of zombies come at you. This means you can try out some of the more exotic plants and has its own strategic challenges. Then there are several mini-games and puzzles which are quite entertaining, such as I, Zombie which flips the tables and has you deploying zombies in a delightfully evil twist.

Conclusion - One of the Best PC Strategy Values Available

Overall, Plants vs. Zombies provides an entertaining and addictive gameplay experience that draws you in with its charm and strategic complexity. Its wide array of plants, zombies, and level conditions keeps things fresh as you work your way through the 50 level main adventure and through the various other game modes. While the pace may not be to everyone's liking, the action can get rather intense and challenging if you only stick with it for a little while.

Considering the hours of enjoyable gameplay you can find, plus the relatively cheap price, Plants vs. Zombies is a great game for tower defense fans of any age.

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