Plants vs Zombies

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Reviewed by: Bane 12:59pm 04/06/09 7 member comments Genre: Adventure Developer: Publisher: PopCap Games Classification: G Consumer Advice: For general exhibition Release Date: 5th May 2009 Platforms: PC	8.5 0 MEMBER RATING: Average of 197 Ratings Login to submit your review score
The Good bits Fun, easy to learn and worth the budget price. Great sense of humour.	The Bad stuff Not much replayability.

The problem with Plants vs Zombies, and the reason it isn't the next Peggle or Bejewelled is the fact that it ends. Eventually you will have finished the game and you won't be able to challenge yourself any further. Peggle and Bejewelled don't really have a foreseeable ending - you can always strive to better your score.

It's confusing that PvZ didn't get a scoring system actually, because it sets itself up for it. The game is Tower Defence with fixed paths - you are a gardener using plants to defend his house against waves of zombies. Like many other TD games, PvZ has different types of enemies and a variety of plants utilising a range of strengths to take them down. The game rewards you with money to buy upgrades to your plants - though the primary resource in the game is sunlight.

The money reward is probably the most obvious way in which they could have lengthened PvZ's longevity - simply measure how much cash you earned each level and allow you to replay them in an effort to earn more. By the end of the game I was farming gold pieces anyway - using specific plants to increase my gold output and other plants to just slow the levels down.

The game mechanics are functionally fine - granted eventually the game gets broken with the introduction of certain plants - and it's a fantastic way to ease your way into the fundamentals of Tower Defence. The game almost encourages symmetrical defences, and then it robs you of it with various hurdles. It's like a reset button on your tactics - well, you adjust your symmetry a little and then you're fine.

Actually the game challenges the player quite well - night levels restrict your resource gathering and hamper your efforts to stick to your typical strategy. Eventually the game actually ramps up to a difficulty level which might challenge even hardened Tower Defenders - no small achievement for a game of this calibre...

At some point I realised that I was taking a game in which flora attacks zombies far too seriously. The game lasts about 8 hours already - which isn't too shabby even for hardcore games these days - and what you get out of it is engrossing fun. The game features puzzles, quirky writing and vibrant colours and it's cheap - it's a great casual game.

The fact that it's not the next Peggle or whatever doesn't really

matter - it's a really good game in its own right. There were definitely choices made in the development process which might have held this game back from being all it can be and the depth in the game is more accurately an illusion of depth, but it's still very much worth the price.

I'd say Plants vs Zombies is definitely worth a look if you're after a game you can play for five minutes and then leave - come back and play it again another time. Be warned though - you might not be able to stop after just five minutes.

Comments

Game Comment by Ravie316

I started playing this game online thru Bigpond. I saw it for sale & my local K-Mart for $20. This is the best game for your buck for the end of 2009 & start of 2010.

I have now gotten friends, family members & people from work onto this game.

Game Play is about defending you house from ZOMBIES. The come thru the front yard, back yard & also over the roof.

The Mini games are fun & allow the awesome experience of the Adventure mode to be played in a different way....like slot machine, bowling, etc.

Buy or Play online to see if this is you cup of Tea. I'm sure that Plants vs Zombies is something that all ages will love.

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Game Comment by ||))anny\//

What is this game you may ask?

It�s a very good strategy title from the makers from Bejewelled and Peggle.

If you�ve played either one, you know you�ll enjoy this. Don�t want to download and install it? Just play it online!

Game Comment by miapia123

This is one of the best games I have EVER gotten my hands on! My husband and I spend an hour everyday just watering our plants, and taking turns taking on the zombies. The extra puzzle games are a blast. They couldn't have done any better! BEST GAME EVER

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Game Comment by bonzsu

I am just coming up for air since downloading this game when it was released. It is fun, strategic and adventurous all in one hit.

Game Comment by gamesforlife

My sister and I are completely addicted to this game and keep fighting over the computer to play it.
I love this game. I haven't played anything like it before.
I know it sounds strange, but we actually water the plants in the mini game before we go to school and then collect the money after we get home.

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Game Comment by tsturman1

This game is wonderful, fun, creative, and exciting! If you wanted a game for your child aged 5-11 then this would be the perfect game for your child and it comes at a Very Cheap Price! If you didn`t choose to like this game then thats fine but the people that love this game shall love it forever and deserve to play it all the time!! I hope alot of kids get there hands on this game sooner or later because its a really really fun game to play.

Game Comment by espytma

This is a game where you plant different kind of plants to defend your house from different kind of zombies. After you complete the main game, other modes are unlocked which extend game play forever. Additional plants can be purchased and used to replay the main game.
I highly recommend this game.

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