Video game number two hundred and sixty: Plants vs. Zombies

Video game review number two hundred and sixty in my 365 Games in 365 Days project is "Plants Vs. Zombies"

Ah yes, another "tower defense" game you might say.
Well, kinda....but this one has zombies in it, and it's universally accepted by the interwebs as one of the better ones ever made.

Pop Cap (makers of awesome games like Peggle, Zuma, Bejeweled, Feeding Frenzy, etc) have a knack for creating fun, addictive arcade games...and this one is no different.

You have a house with a large front lawn (made up of 5 "strips") that you must defend from zombies using your different plants. At the end of each row is a lawnmower, which is the last line of defense before the zombies enter your home and eat your brains.

Much like the other tower defense games, you have a variety of different weapons, including plants that freeze people, shoot in rapid fire, smart bombs, blockades and more. I've played for 10 or 12 levels so far and I think I've only unlocked about 25% of the plants you can have in the game...so that's a good sign.

Unlike other tower defense games, all these weapons only fire in one direction, so it's not about building mazes and having the enemies walk by each of your guns as much as possible. I have mixed feeling about that...building mazes can be cool, but at the same time, the simplicity here is fun too.

The zombies come in different varieties including normal, traffic cone (these guys are tougher), bucketheads (again, tougher), pole vaulters (fuckers I hate because they jump right over your guns) and more.

Apparently, this game has been released on everything from the PC to the iPhone...but for some reason, this is the first time I'm playing it. While I haven't gotten very far into the achievements, I can already tell this one is built for the long haul. I imagine I'll play this one again as a time waster (quick 5 minute levels are possible), and it's probably one of those games that's easy to play while you're on the phone or something.

Overall Score? 7.75/10. I like it, quite a bit...and it's fun but tower defense games have never been my favorite type of shooter. It's definitely above average, but it's not something I'd rush to tell all of my friends that they should go buy for 15 bucks. Try the demo...and if you like that, you'll probably like the game.

Achievements? One so far...but there will be more. Oh yes, there WILL be more.