Review; Plants vs. Zombies

What to know
Your home is going to be invaded by the undead. The only thing that can stop them are plants. What do Zombies do when they meet you? Eat your Brains! What do you do when you meet some Zombies? Plant, Plant and Plant some more…..
PopCap has always been a staple in my gaming universe (I still play my GBA version of Book Worm on a regular basis) but for some reason I overlooked Plants vs. Zombies. Maybe it’s because I was up to my ears in Zombies this year… (Don’t get me wrong – I love them) but I’m extremely glad I got this game for review. Amazing doesn’t even begin to cover it as I guarantee you will be captivated from the very first mouse click.

Gameplay
It’s tower defense at its absolute finest. There are five modes of play; Adventure, Puzzle, Survival, Mini-games and the Zen Garden..(Each has it’s quirks but Adventure mode’s 50 levels is where it’s at.) This starts out very slow which put me off at first but I trudged along and became easily enchanted.
Each level starts out with a preview of the Zombies you will be up against and the plants you have to work with. At the front of your house, you also have a set of lawnmowers that will mow down a row of Zombies, but only once per level, per track. Sunflowers are your most prized possession at first as they provide you with sunshine and that is what powers your ability to use the other plants in defense of your home. You also start out with a peashooter, cherry bomb, and a few other little quirky seeds, but I mainly stuck to the basics. It gets hairy after awhile and I knocked my mouse into my coffee cup trying to keep up with the sunshine falling, the coins dropping and the gravestone dissipating. After completing each level you receive a new plant to add to your stock and eventually you meet your neighbor, Crazy Dave. He gives you amusing tips and will let you buy things to help fight the good fight. When day turns to night is when things get interesting. Your sunflowers barely work and you have to change up your game and choose your plants wisely. Same goes for the backyard pool area and the roof. It keeps evolving and your strategy better evolve alongside it or your house might just get swarmed.

Playing with Friends
It would be awesome to get together with friends and play Whack-A-Zombie or bowling with Walnuts. Some people have criticized these two for being weak, but they are the exact kind of games that keep me sitting at the computer for hours, fighting sleep like a six year old waiting for Santa. Seriously, the mini-games are like being at the carnival, only you don’t have to deal with the ten dollar beers and scary carnies.

Amusements
As I clicked on the help section, this is the clever message I received: “When Zombies show up, just sit there and don’t do anything. You win the game when the Zombies get to your house.” – This help section brought to you by the Zombies. Although clever that actually pissed me off at first – I wanted the help! ( Few minutes later a smirk emerged.)
More adorable than scary, the Zombie horde leaves hilarious messages in the Almanac you receive after completing a certain number of levels. A little MJ thriller revival will get you laughing and I can’t get enough of Whack-A-Zombie either, you give me a mallet and something to hit… and this girl is in heaven.

For eyes and ears
The music really hits the spot. A little creepy and a little whimsy, I enjoyed every single tune and all of them fit perfectly with the scenes playing out. I’d love to be able to download it on Itunes and listen to it all day. The graphics are more than what you would expect for such a simple concept and the transition from day to night and from front yard to back yard go off without a hitch.

Gamer Goals
I really think most gamers will go for the completion of the Adventure mode. Survival mode is also something to work on as it can be frustrating at points and may take longer to master. Casual and hardcore gamers alike will find something to keep them entertained. The replay value is endless.

Glitches and Mistakes
Flawless. No, really!
I am in awe of how PopCap continually churns out projects that run smoothly, are updated regularly and stand the test of time.

Hearts
This moved from a 3 to a 4 all the way up to a 5 really quickly. At the beginning I thought it was too easy but after awhile it became just what I was looking for. Overall this game will keep you interested long after you’ve beaten the standard Adventure mode. I have nothing bad to say about this game and I didn’t have the highest hopes going into it. Here’s hoping we see a DS port in the near future.

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