Plants vs. Zombies

An acceptable response to brazenly self-asserting wackiness in a game's title is probably outright repulsion. Stalin vs Martians, Robot Dinosaurs That Shoot Beams When They Roar - your gut reaction is to groan and roll your eyes so hard that it hurts to blink. What's wrong with simply calling your game Turning Point: Fail of Liberty? Or Soldiers: Heroes of World War IP.

Plants vs Zombies quickly kicks that cynicism. In its bleakest description it's a tile-based tower defence game in which zombies lurch from the right side of the screen to the left, while you place anthropomorphic plants to defend your lawn from the attack. It's cute, clean, wacky fun that for a while appears to be a throwaway, casual game from that timesink manufacturer PopCap.

Soon, as you could have guessed, it turns into cute, clean, wacky and sinisterly addictive fun. The sedative effect of planting your units is alarming, and while the low-level strategy won't be found taxing in the slightest, the gentle, creeping introduction of new plants and new enemies provides compelling impetus to keep playing. In fact, every level introduces a new unit, eventually expanding your available plants to the point where choosing your leafy battlements is half the challenge.

Weed Killers

You're forewarned of the kinds of zombie you'll face in a level, from plain zombies, to zombies with bucket helmets, to zombies riding dolphins, to zombie bobsleigh teams, and dancing Thriller zombies. You're given no clue as to the secret hidden abilities of the newly discovered ambulatory corpses, instead you learn as you go, with your findings recorded in the curiously witty zombie almanac.

As you play, a secret mountain of mini-games and distractions piles up back at the menu screen, lying in wait for that moment where you think you're ready to leave the game. Zombie bowling, the glorious Zen Garden, and the one with the vases with zombies hidden inside them, they all prove to be as heinously addictive as the main adventure is.

I've only felt this way about a game once before, and that was the first time I played Peggie - Plants vs Zombies is as simple an idea as PopCap could manage, and one whose system of rewarding the player for every moment they surrender is as refined as the Half-Lifes and Total Wars of the world.

Honestly, we'd like to know what the PopCap team were smoking when they conceptualized Plants vs. Zombies and where we can find some of that? Not only is the game a totally bizarre concept, but it also has the design spectacle of a game outlandish to where the undead is usually found.

Imagine waking up one day and confidently saying that a tower defense game featuring plants pitted against zombies set in a sunny suburban garden is going to work. We can safely say that right from its inception, Plants vs. Zombie has that sparkle factor. It generated enough of a buzz to get quite a few players purchasing the game. But often, novelty games have their limits - can the same be said for Plants vs. Zombies?

Your Garden is the First Line of Defence

Anyone who dives into this mad idea will instantly find Plants vs. Zombies is one of the most accessible tower-defense games ever created. The narrative is comical, the visuals are appealing, the mechanics work near flawlessly - and most significantly, the gameplay is relentlessly addictive. Before you know it, you're heavily immersed in fending off hordes of undead with your plant-based arsenal.

The cartoony visuals are complemented with an intuitive gameplay interface. You'll be planting sunflowers to generate a currency that purchases battle-wielding plants that shoot zombies off your lawn. Sounds a little mundane? Well, let me tell you that this gets infinitely harder to successfully complete each level.

Zombies are strengthened, more agile, and more determined to eat the brains of the owners. This considered you'll have to economically manage your plants to upgrade and purchase more elite assets to defend against the growing threat. The mechanics are delivered in a seamless, enjoyable manner that becomes incredibly addictive.

Whether you are playing story mode, free-mode, or any of the mini-games - there are countless hours of entertainment with Plants vs. Zombies. It's the epitome of how a tower defense game should be made. Bar a couple of inefficiencies with quick actions on the battlefield - the gameplay is arguably near perfect.

Brain-Eating Fun!

Rarely will you find such a strange idea to deliver refined and excitable gameplay? Plants vs. Zombies is an instant hit with any respectable gamer. It brings some of the most engaging styles of tower defense gameplay mixed in with a laugh-out-loud visual and narrative style. Even with the repetition fears this genre usually brings, the game's diversity creates endless entertainment.

Pros:

• Near flawless tower defense mechanics delivered in an excitable manner
• Comical visuals keep the game intense yet hilarious
• Strategic approaches keep gameplay engaging

Cons:

• Some minor annoyances with replanting quickly after a plant has been destroyed