[Game Review] Plants Vs. Zombies (PC)

As of writing this, I've just 100% finished Plants Vs. Zombies, aside from growing the tree as high as possible. And all I can say is... well, keep reading.

Premise

Plants Vs. Zombies is just one of those games where the premise alone gets you. Basically, your some random dude in the middle of a zombie apocalypse who's just trying to stay safe in his house. Naturally, being one of the few humans left in the world, the zombies all want to eat his brains. So what does he do? Plant vicious plants that guard your house from zombies with their life. I just love it when movies and games take the zombie route in a humorous, hysterical way. So naturally, the premise alone of Plants Vs. Zombies deserves a high score in my book.

Score: Above Average 8/10

Gameplay

The gameplay in Plants Vs. Zombies takes the Tower Defense genre to a whole new level. You see, it's not just your typical old tower defense game. Plants Vs. Zombies has a tower defense-like feel and objective, but the real time interactivity within the game add something that really spices up the genre as a whole. In a typical game, you plant your sunflowers(or other sun producing plants) as soon as possible to start building up sun power. With sun power, you can plant more seeds in turn, including more sunflowers. Eventually, you have to start growing offensive plants such as the peashooter so that approaching zombies will be killed before they reach your house. Other than that, you don't really need to use any of the other plants, though it's highly recommended and especially in the later stages of the game. Some of the other types of plants include wall-nuts, which act as a wall that the zombies have to eat through to get to your other plants/house, as well as other types of support plants such as the magnet shroom, which steals metal buckets, ladders and many other magnetically attracted objects from zombies. All in all, there is a lot of strategic complexity to this delightfully simple game. And in my eyes, it's a perfect balance that other games should strive for. And with so many different modes to keep you occupied--adventure, mini game, puzzle and survival--perfect really is the correct choice of word.

Score: Perfect 10/10

Sound & Graphics

Plants Vs. Zombies utilizes very two dimensional looking graphics, though it can still pass as looking like a modern game. It's not as if the graphics are pixelated or anything horrible. In fact, they look quite nice if you ask me and are absolutely fitting to the game. The music is also nice and fitting, though all in all neither of these categories are very special in this game. Not that it matters much, of course.

Score: Above Average 8/10

Final Thoughts

So maybe there is a lot I can say about this game. Hell, I could talk about it for hours. If you haven't played Plants Vs. Zombies yet then what are you waiting for? Definitely one of the best games of 2009, and it's very cheap. Seriously, I don't care what kind of games you normally play or enjoy. Plants Vs. Zombies might be a chance of pace from the usual, but it's a nice one. I can't remember the last time I played a game from start to finish in 100% completion. BUY THIS GAME NOW!

My overall score is: 9.0/10.0