Emotional involvement seems to be the modus operandi of this video gaming generation. On either edge of the budget spectrum, whether in Grand Theft Auto IV or Flower, developers are trying harder than ever to get gamers to feel. Even in the NES remake Bionic Commando: Rearmed–a game where the player either dies or kicks ass the entire time–there is a moment when the protagonist calls the name of one of the key supporting characters and the effect is surprisingly chilling. With such a gaming climate, PopCap’s Plants Vs. Zombies (PC), and its game-for-gaming’s-sake attitude, is a refreshing anomaly.
[aditude-amp id="flyingcarpet" targeting='{"env":"staging","page_type":"article","post_id":640643,"post_type":"story","post_chan":"none","tags":null,"ai":false,"category":"none","all_categories":"gbunfiltered,","session":"D"}']An addition to the tower defense genre, PvZ has the player tending his or her lawn to fend off hordes of (unscary) zombies. You plant sunflowers to generate sun. Using said sun, you plant an amalgam of offensive and defensive plants: Pea Shooters, Cherry Bombs, Potato Mines; the names tell you the cuteness quotient is near "Hamsters-dancing-to-bad-techno." But each plant is unique and there are over 40 to be earned to use against the game’s 26 zombies, who come at you with pole vaults, zambonis, and Michael Jackson’s dance moves.
It’s addictive, ridiculous fun, especially because the game is so perfectly paced. Across the 50 levels, the difficulty amps up in the style of arcade classics like Kickle Cubicle or Bubble Bobble. At first things seem too easy, then you can’t believe how hard things are and how well you’re rolling with every twist, making PvZ perfect for casual and hardcore audiences alike. In the teen levels and after, every battle culminates into a projectile- and zombie-filled chaos, but it’s a chaos that you’ll likely navigate with ease. Also the screen gets clouded with countless sprites of flying watermelons and bungee jumping undead, with no slow-down on even a modest gaming rig.
PvZ also hosts myriad un-lockable content–mini-games, puzzle, and survival modes, plus a zen garden side project–each with several variations. Game host Crazy Dave also has plenty of upgrades to sell with the money you get off freshly fallen corpses, right from the back of his hatchback. And that brings us to PvZ’s chief flaw: its cash dropping system. Around level 20, you’ll likely have earned around $7500, but the truly desirable upgrades (and there are several) all start around $7000. Some are $20,000. In order to buy everything in the Crazy Dave’s hatch, you’ll have to play through PvZ’s 50 levels many times. In Pop Cap’s defense, however, the subsequent play-throughs are enhanced with equipment-based twists. Crazy Dave takes the liberty of choosing some of the plants you have to take into battle, forcing the player to adapt to new play styles. Even upon completion, the game keeps wrinkling its play dynamics to stay fresh and challenging.
Ultimately, PvZ is a Valhalla of lighthearted but seriously engaging game play. Its old-school flavor is reverently balanced against its Tim Burton-esque soundtrack, silky animation, and superb sound effects. For standard $60 MSRP, this would still be a no-brainer for tower defense enthusiasts, but PopCap gives us this package-less package for a third of that, making it one of the must-plays of the year for all gamers.
Required.
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(This post was originally written for my online portfolio: www.brutestomp.com.)