Plants vs. Zombies

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• Expert Rating

  4.50 / 5

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  Priced from: $ 34.50

  Selling at 3 stores

• $34.50 - Dungeon Crawl
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Tae K. Kim GamePro (online) 06/05/09 Follow @pcworldau

Pros

• Infectiously cute and addictive take on the tower defence genre

Cons

• Game doesn't offer the manic sense of challenge that hardcore tower defence geeks hunger for

Bottom Line

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

Would you buy it?

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"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 favourite 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 modelled 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 defence games, it's easy to pass a few hours without realising it.

Flesh and flora

I won't say that the game is a cakewalk but it isn't particularly challenging either; I never had to restart a level once and I'm pretty terrible at these sorts of games. Still, the game offers enough mental stimulation that I never once grew bored and I happily defended my virtual home against the zombies up until the very end; the game does a great job of mixing up the gameplay as well-one level you're fending off zombies in your backyard and the next level you're up on your roof using an instantly generated mixed-bag of plants to keep the undead at bay. There are other modes available, including a suite of mini-games and a greenhouse where you can keep a virtual garden that adds a nice sense of value; the game clocks in at a budget price point of $20, which also helps.

Plants vs. Zombies is a terrific title and I recommend it highly, especially for casual and younger gamers. But even hardcore types who might be put off by the cutesy graphics and the kid-friendly vibe will find something to like about this awesome little title; if anything, the fact that it contains a zombie bobsledding team should be enough to sway you