Review: Plants vs. Zombies (Mac, PC)

May 31, 2009 by Jeffrey L. Wilson
Filed under: Reviews, Tower Defense 

pvz Review: Plants vs. Zombies (Mac, PC)

When it comes to designing incredibly addictive, infinitely playable casual games, no company can match the track record that the magicians at Popcap have produced. Zuma was marvelous. Even more so, Peggle. But with the release of Plants vs. Zombies Popcap has truly outdone itself by crafting what is one of the most fun, engaging, and dare I say flawless games of this generation. Hyperbole this is not.

Plants vs. Zombies’s premise is a simple one: You’re given the task of protecting your home from a zombie invasion by planting a variety of flora in the yard which grant a variety of offensive and defensive capabilities. As the undead make their slow march from the street toward your abode you seed a six square high grip with a number of plants including a exploding cherries, Peashooters (which can snipe from long range), and  Chompers (a zombie-eating Venus Flytrap-like green). The most vital plant of the dozens that you’ll acquire is the Sunflower, which is the fuel for your attack.

As with analog plants, these digital ones require sunlight to flourish, which is represented by falling golden orbs that are affixed with point values that let you purchase plants.  These will occasionally appear on the field all by there lonesome, but as you plant more Sunflowers, they appear at a far quicker rate, vastly increasing your “money” supply, and thus your armaments. However, you can’t simply litter the field with the most powerful of weapons and sit back; icons on the top of the screen display each individual plant’s refresh rate, some like the Sunflowers are swift, while others takes seemingly a lifetime to recharge.

Plants vs. Zombies has a perfect learning curve, which is directly attributed to Popcap’s in-game hand-holding; when you acquire a new weapon, the game tells you exactly what it does and immediately presents you with a chance to test it in action on the next level. And with the dozens of weapons available,  you’re encouraged to exterminate the zombie infestation in a number of creative ways. The genius of Plants vs. Zombies is that you can tackle the game in any manner which you deem fit. Love to mow mofos down? Stack your garden with the various types of peashooters.  Prefer to be more tactful? Lay down flora landmines, walls, and other items designed to stop the zombies.

On the topic of zombies, it’s the variety in the undead that help give the game a lighthearted, comical tone similar to the underrated 16-bit SNES actioner, Zombies Ate My Neighbors! The brain-hungry hordes consist of the standard lumbering types that are easy to bring down, as well as undead football players that are fast and hard to kill, pole vaulters that can leap over your plants, and even one that resembles a certain mega-popular pop signer that has a penchant of red leather and dancing in graveyards. Over the course of the zombie-slaying adventure, you’ll unlock a number of fun mini-games (zombie bowling is a rollicking good time), and a wacky neighbor will supply you with additional greens for bringing down the rotting masses.

picture 1 Review: Plants vs. Zombies (Mac, PC)

The tell-tale sign of a game’s excellence is directly tied to the number of hours one logs. Plants vs. Zombies devoured so much of my free time that my sessions with it became so much more than analyzing the mechanics and jotting notes; it had thoroughly became a part of my life as I started plotting times around meals and work to get my game on. Tower defense vets may find it not as manic as some other titles, but put it’s challenging nonetheless. Simply put, Plants vs. Zombies is a game that every gamer should play, casual or hardcore, to witness a prime example of programming excellence.


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Comments

3 Comments on Review: Plants vs. Zombies (Mac, PC)

  1. Bits and Bytes: 7/26/2009 | 2D-X on Sun, 26th Jul 2009 8:39 pm

    2. [...] Invade Xbox Live Arcade Popcap Games’ monster tower defense game, Plants vs. Zombies, has been confirmed as being ported to XBLA. No word yet on extras/achievements. [Hat tip: [...]

  2. Bits and Bytes: 8/9/2009 | 2D-X on Sun, 9th Aug 2009 3:59 pm

    3. [...] have quickly become the the joke/bane of webmasters and readers alike. Popcap Games’ latest Plants vs. Zombies ad campaign riffs on Evony’s by featuring stacked undead looking to satisfy their lords in [...]

  3. Bits and Bytes: 8/30/2009 | 2D-X on Sun, 30th Aug 2009 12:31 am

    4. [...] Online Just after a week after announcing that Plants vs. Zombies will be headed to XBLA, Popcap Games has revealed that Peggle Nights is also a-comin’. [...]

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