Plants vs Zombies

Review from Cav - Sunday, 25 September 2011 @ 2:08am

If you and I had a dollar for every time you’ve heard me use the term ‘quick fix gaming’… we’ll let’s just say we could probably buy each other a beer or two. QFG is a must for me these days, so I was quite happy to put my hand up to review both Bejeweled Twist and Plants vs Zombies, the latter of which I had heard so much about but never played. Now I have no idea what in the blue hell has kept me from this game, as friends around me have been playing it on their iPhones and the like, but I really enjoyed this game. The last time I reviewed a ‘Tower Defence’ type game, also on the DS, was Lock’s Quest, which I possibly gave a slightly unfair pasting, but that game was rather lengthy and didn’t fit the QFG tag. That being said, as said before, Plants vs Zombies just really fit in well with my lifestyle.

This is the part where I am meant to tell you how the game works and for the four of you who read this that actually haven’t played the game, I will try and some it up as descriptively as I can:

The game is based in fictitious suburbia, where players must defend a house and it’s occupants from the threat of today’s favourite gaming subjects: a zombie horde. The attacks from the undead are relentless as they approach from not only the front yard, but the backyard, rooftop and your swimming pool as well. Don’t be fooled into thinking that these zombies are your everyday, run of the mill zombies. These guys (I only use that term as I cannot decipher whether there are actually any female zombies within the droves…. maybe their ‘chesty bits’ have already decayed away, thus limiting my ability to class them) are rather practical. These zombies have upped their defences in various different ways, including the following:

• The use of metal buckets and traffic cones for head protection
• The use of ladders and vaulting poles to avoid obstacles
• The use of screen doors and newspapers as shields
• The use of floatation devices and SCUBA gear

Clever little buggers, hey?

So what do you have at your disposal to defend yourself against these necromantic minions? Plants of course! … well if it wasn’t plants then the guys who gave the title to this game should be drawn and quartered. All that aside, who would have known of the ballistic qualities that Mother Nature’s finest possess? I am also buggered if I know why I just spent thousands installing solar panels on my roof, as I have just become aware that Sunflowers do the exact same thing, although I am unsure on how to harness that energy and focus in back into the grid to reap the profits. The large variety of plants provide both defensive and offensive qualities, including kelp and lily pads for use in the pool and pots for the rooftop challenges. ‘Sundrops’ (for lack of a better term) are produced naturally and by Sunflowers and are the unit of currency as each plant type has a cost associated with them. Once purchased you are required to assemble your plants to prevent zombies from entering your house. Zombies travel in straight lines, horizontally, only deviating if confronted with garlic, or turned around by a certain type of mushroom and made to attack his fellow zombies. The last line of defence, before the zombies invite themselves into your house for tea and brains, is a lawn mover, which will take out all zombies in that row.

Upon defeating zombies and levels you will receive coins and diamonds which enable you to purchase from a local trader, Crazy Dave and his 'Twiddydinkies'....whatever the hell that means. For some reason Dave reminds me of Pro Wrestling’s Mick Foley with a saucepan on his head. Dave’s retail outlet is the back of his hatchback, which has the ability to rotate stock with a simple closing of the door. How’s that for an optional extra? Dave has a variety of plant enhancers and other weapons to acquire, my favourite being that one piece of slapstick comedy gold: a garden rake, although it disappointingly disappears after making its first connection/ Dave also has a bit of a green thumb and is able to assist you in starting up a Zen Garden. In this Zen Garden you will be able to grow plants that produce more money, which can be collected by a chocolate addicted snail. Yes, you read that correctly. These plants can also be sold to Crazy Dave, but what he does with them I dare not think...........

To quote Stiffler from American Pie 2:

“Stay the fuck away from the ficus. That’s a jizz-free ficus!”

grasoihydf - Dave speak for 'Hi'

There are quite a few puzzle levels and mini games to be played, which pads this game out quite well. I did manage to have a go at the Wireless Vs game play and found it to be a little one sided. I suppose that because during the course of regular game play we are all focused on having the Plants be victorious, so the poor sod who gets to take control of the Zombies loses…. Well they did in the half dozen of so games I played. For those who have played any Wireless Download game on the DS, the hook up lag is still there, but it was pretty smooth once the game was going.

One thing that disappoints me is the big difference between this DS version and the version on the iPhone. When your screen is packed with both zombies and plants going at it the game slows visibly and chugs along until the numbers are thinned. The clarity of the iPhone3 over even the new 3DS has also left me a little disappointed. Also the layout of the screen is a step backwards too. For some of the mini games, the button to start the flow of zombies is placed over the playfield, making it very difficult to place your place without triggering the game early

Oh, how could you not rate the soundtrack for this game? Any game that has a film clip with dancing zombies and a singing sunflower while the credits roll instantly scores extra points in our Pros column. I found myself singing it for the next couple of days.

Pros

• Challenging and funny - great combination
• Single DS Card Multiplayer
• Film Clip in the Credits

Cons

• 'Laggy/Chuggy' when the screen is full of action
• Screen layout
• Price compared to its Android and Apple bretheren