Gamer

Plants vs Zombies

Status: Plants vs Zombies Adventure Mode cleared once, enjoying multiplayer for a bit
Achievements: 7 of 12
Gamerscore: 100/200
DLC Purchased: None

Hi, my name is Annette and I am an addict. My addiction: Plants vs Zombies.

If you had told me a couple years back that I would start playing games that fall under the “casual” umbrella, I would have scoffed, laughed in your face and told you you had me pegged all wrong. Games in this category just never showed up on my radar. If it wasn’t an RPG, a fun 3rd person shooter or an action-adventure style game, I didn’t feel it was worth my time.

Just before Plants vs Zombies was announced I had been approached to be a community manager for a new website featuring titles from the big “casual” players – PopCap, BigFish, Sandlot. Part of my research was getting familiar with how these games work, learning about all the different types out there and making sure I knew about the most popular ones. During the course of my investigations I stumbled on news from PopCap of a tower defense game featuring zombies. Zombies being another weakness of mine, I started following them on Twitter and reading press releases for more news. PopCap promised me something challenging yet fun and charming, and gave me exactly that.

In Plants vs Zombies (for the five of you who have no idea what it is about), you defend your house by planting various greenery on your lawn. You collect sunshine from sunflowers to help you plant offensive and defensive lines to keep the horde from eating your brains. New seed packets can be collected when you complete a level or by visiting Crazy Dave’s Shop when you have some coin to spend. There are different challenges during the day as opposed to evening, yard as opposed to roof. A completely wonderful gaming experience that delivers again and again.

With success on PC/Mac, iPhone and the iPad, it was only a matter of time before the game would find it’s way to the Xbox Live Arcade. PopCap was no stranger to the console with two Arcade collection discs as well as a slew of games available in the Marketplace. Their team did an outstanding job converting the point and click mouse controls to work with the 360 controller. I think that I can honestly plant a lot faster using the analog stick/bumper/A configuration. If only I could speed up how fast my sunflowers produce sunshine!

Go head to plant in Versus Mode

The Xbox 360 version also features extra content I never had in my PC version. In addition to the Zen Garden, Mini-Games and Survival Mode, I can also play local coop or versus mode with my husband. It would have been great if PvZ supported online multiplayer like Peggle does, but while I wait for them to patch that (fingers crossed) I am grateful I can play with others in my own home. And for gamers who decide to pick up the non-digital format of Plants vs Zombies, PopCap has also provided you with full versions of Peggle and Zuma.

Overall Opinion

Plants vs Zombies is one of those instant classics that every type of gamer can enjoy and should have at least one version of in their library. It is a great pick up and play title when you just want to pass some time but can also be enjoyed for an extended period, too. Earning money to purchase new seed packets and items for your Zen Garden encourage playing Adventure mode again and again, making each play through a different experience.

Plants vs Zombies will also be coming to the Nintendo DS in January 2011.

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