Plants Vs Zombies

So after reviewing two brown modern first person shooters and my upcoming review list being dominated by more of the boring monotone fuckers I thought I'd skip to a requested review that actually seemed like an intriguing premise. Plants Vs Zombies is a tower defense casual game produced by PopCap and is the game that launched my interest in casual games.

Plants Vs Zombies a fairly straightforward game, zombies are invading your house and you need to plant. . . well. . . plants to defend yourself, the zombies knowing how to use objects such as ladders, pogo sticks even the ability how to fly using propellers and balloons, and the plants now capable of firing vegetables such as peas, cabbage and watermelon. Okay so maybe it's not that straightforward but you're not really supposed to pay attention to this. The intro level teaches you how to strategically plants "peashooters" on a grid to stave off waves of zombies. After completing a level you collect a cash reward and unlock a new plants to use, this may sound like it may be a clusterfuck with hundreds of plants to chose from but the game only lets you pick a certain number of plants for each level.

Basically what you do is collect sun to "buy" plants and use them. Each plant costs a certain amount of sun to buy creating the need for a strategy. While many people classify Plants Vs Zombies as a kid's game, I am not one of them. Younger players would lack the higher intelligence to beat some of the levels later on in the campaign. Plants have four main uses, repeated usage plants fire vegetables at the zombies until they are eaten, one time usage plants that either clear obstacles or explode zombies, support plants that create more sun or money and defense plants that range from barriers to spikes.

The good thing about this game is that it doesn't make you do the same thing again and again. New zombies are introduced with new plants after each level, the next levels often using the new zombies which require the new plants to beat them effectively. Every ten or so levels the game will change the levels weather and location so you have to rethink your strategy. After completing the campaign the game unlocks various modes that can be completed as extra challenges to ensure the game can be kept playing over and over again.

There is something though I have to commend the game on, and it's not something I normally take notice of which is the soundtrack. Quiet relaxing music is played in the background while you are playing each level as well as in the main menu, the zombies when slowly walking will make the usual sounds such as "braaaiiiins". It all creates a peaceful atmosphere that mellows you out nicely and compliments the gameplay beautifully.

There's not much to say about the game graphically, it's a simple 2.5D game where zombies attack and you can plant different plants on a grid system. Each plant has a noticeable difference in them as well as the zombies and different settings but other than that and its cartoonish style, there's nothing outstanding there for its genre. There is a bit of comedy in the game, each plant and zombie you've encountered and unlocked can be viewed for more information in what is called your Almanac and most of them have a funny quip or reference which adds a nice little topping to the game.

If this review seems a little dry and insubstantial it's because the game itself is just a bit dry and insubstantial. Even though I spent most of the review so far stating how good it is, the game does comes with its downside too.  Some of the plants are pretty much useless against the zombies, and some of the zombies themselves are complete bullshit, like the ones that swim underwater until they hit a plant to eat, or the ones that dig underground to eat away at your plants from behind. Few of the levels are obnoxiously hard and out of place and some of the levels feel kind of samey and drag on for too long. If you plan to buy everything in the game then you're going to replaying the campaign a few times. Some of the items cost a ridiculous amount of money for the perks they give you as well.

After completing the campaign, the game unlocks a mode called Zen Garden. Basically what this is is that you can buy plants here and give them water and fertilizer and when you do they give you a small money reward. Now this may just be me but this seemed really jarring to the actual game, it doesn't fit at all with the game seems like something the developers just added in because they could. Some of the puzzle and challenge modes are just impossible to beat or can only be beaten by pure luck and this doesn't strike me as good things.

These are pretty minor downsides but they are really quite annoying. Overall the game is good and a pretty good timesink, but you'd be better off buying a game like Zelda or Command & Conquer of you like strategizing so much. If you can't afford them however because you spent your last paycheck having a life then try this out because you get any deeper into gaming and your girlfriend (OR BOYFRIEND) won't be very happy when they find out what you blew off your anniversary for.