Plants vs. Zombies currently is the most popular download at the Itunes store and for good reason. The game was released in February of this year, and in this short period of time became the number one downloaded App in the App store, the number one downloaded game at the Itunes store and is the number one paid application on average. In other words; the game is Apple’s top item and bestseller all around! This being said, I think the popular game is going to take a shot at becoming the most popular zombie arcade game in history.
The game itself is simple enough to get the hang of, but it’s addictive qualities are quite amazing, in fact, since its proven success, lots and lots of new games are coming out, copying the game’s gaming system, adapting it to their own variant of the game. It is starting to look very much like Tetris all over again! Strictly speaking, the Zombie game can be categorized as a Tower defense game. There are plenty of those to play already, but the twist Plants vs. Zombies uses to set the game apart from the rest is that instead of using all kinds of missiles, arrows, or other projectile shooting weaponry, the Zombie survival game uses plants to accomplish the same task, which is; keeping the waves of zombies at bay. There are several types of plants(49 to be precise), each with their own unique capabilities either for defensive or offensive purposes. Like other Tower defense games, the plants have to be placed strategically in order to provide protection from the undead creatures, who will invade your house if they break through. Upon being successful in keeping the bloodthirsty zombies at bay, sunshine points are gained, with which more and different types of plants can be purchased.
Game play – Rating: 9/10
As the game advances, it will become harder and harder to stop the Zombies in their tracks, and a player will need all of his strategic skills for keeping the zombies from breaking through. Using the right plants in a good defense/offence combination, will do that job. There are 49 types of plants to choose from, which are shaped to make it easy to remember which plant does what in terms of offensive or defensive capabilities, and because the level of difficulty increases very slowly, players will have plenty of time to master the basics and enable themselves to maximize the usage of the plants.
Despite its unique features, Plants vs. Zombies has all the advantages arcade games have over regular games. Rounds play within minutes, and after a round is played the game can be left alone, and picked up at a later time, making it a perfect game for all intends and purposes, whether you want to play a few quick rounds during a break, or sit down with a cup of java and put in a few hours of quality gaming. Plants vs. Zombies will deliver.
As the player enters the higher levels, the game gets harder, and the playing fields will also become more complicated, making it harder to defend.
Graphics and Sound – Rating: 7/10
Technically Plants vs. Zombies is a zombie killing game, but the style it uses, to do this is funny, cartoonish and there is no blood at all. Watching zombies get dismembers, arms fall, without the accompanying blood that is almost mandatory in a zombie game, works more for making the zombies cute, rather than frightening. Perhaps the youngest should refrain from playing, but overall the game is pretty much harmless, and suitable for all audiences.
The plants are functionally shaped and colored, making it easy to remember their uses, and all the different zombies are easy to recognize. Shielded zombies are tough to kill, those without are easy. It’s all very functional, though never graphically challenging. In other words the graphics are adequate and serve their purpose, but no more than that. A game like this, does not rely on being graphically attractive, it relies on sheer addictiveness, because it is simply a lot of fun, to test your strategical abilities and find out if you are smart enough to keep the zombies from your doorstep.
As with the graphics, the sounds of the game are the same way. Functional, adequate, but nothing to write home about.
Overall – Rating: 9/10
Overall the game has turned out to be a very entertaining Zombie arcade game in the Tower defense category, with highly addictive qualities, that are typical for games in the genre. The version I tested was made for the Ipod and Iphone, but the game is available for free on most platforms like PC, handheld and Ereaders. It basically plays on anything capable of making an Internet connection. Judging by its popularity I think it is safe to assume that many of you already played a few round of the game, but if this is not the case I highly recommend for you to do so, because you are missing out on some good old fashioned arcade fun!
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