Review

Plants vs. Zombies

By Tae K. Kim
May 05, 2009 09:11 AM PST
Print
Email this!
Share
- Digg
- Yahoo Buzz!
- FaceBook
- StumbleUpon
- del.icio.us

An incredibly zany yet infectiously fun study of what happens when an irresistible force meets an an army of unmovable flesh-eating objects, Plants vs. Zombies proves that the masterminds at PopCap know how to take an original idea and run with it, producing addictive, and oftentimes hilarious results.

Even with a barrage of next-gen summer blockbusters hitting store shelves en masse, Tae found more than enough quirky content to enjoy in this unique, budget-priced defense game. Besides -- how can you mess up zombies?

GamePro Score
User Score
Write your review!

"Quirky", and then some...

I love tower defense games and Plants vs. Zombies is one of the more interesting takes on the genre that I've ever seen. It pits you against a horde of hilarious zombies that are threatening to take over your house; to keep them at bay, you command a vast army of plants. It may sound ridiculous but the game offers up a great sense of depth and complexity. It's ridiculously charming to boot, with a cute visual style and a quirky sense of humor.

My favorite aspect of the game is the sheer variety of enemies and plant types. The zombies range from the classic undead shambler to hockey loving zamboni drivers; there's even one modeled after a certain 80's pop-star known for his sweet dance moves. To combat this adorable menace, you're given access to a greenhouse's worth of plants. Some more insanely useful-the sunflower, for instance, produces sun, which acts as the game's lone resource-while others are there more for comic effect than anything; truth be told, I only used a small handful of the plants through my entire time with the game but it was definitely fun to experiment and try out new plants as I acquired them. The gameplay moves along at a brisk pace and as with all tower defense games, it's easy to pass a few hours without realizing it.