Plants vs Zombies (iPhone)

 Plants vs. Zombies is yet another insidiously cute title from developer PopCap Games (who brought us Bejeweled, Peggle, and Zuma’s Revenge). The game was first release for PC and Mac in May of 2009, then on iOS for iPhones and iPads in February 2010. Since then it has expanded onto Xbox Live and the Nintendo DS (what, no PlayStation love?!). It also now has Game of the Year editions for PC and Mac with extra content (all for right around $20). Plants vs. Zombies has received critical acclaim from players and critics alike and continues to enjoy high scores on various video game ranking web sites. With all that said, I bought Plants vs. Zombies for my iPhone for $2.99 and I have been playing it avidly since I installed it. Plants vs. Zombies is extremely fun and its critical acclaim is well deserved!

The basic premise of the game is simple. It’s a tower defense game where you, the homeowner, uses a wide variety of plants to fight off zombies who are trying to cross your lawn, get into your house, and eat your brains. There are daytime and nighttime levels, as well as front yard, back yard and roof levels. There are some 49 different types of plants that do everything from shooting peas and cabbages at zombies to exploding chili peppers, an army of mushrooms, and stars that shoot in 5 directions. The basic strategy is to use the right kinds of plants to counter the types of zombies that are currently attacking you.

On the iPhone, all of the controls are performed via finger taps, which feels amazingly comfortable. Available game modes are Story mode (with first and second playthroughs) and Quickplay mode, which consists of all of the various types of games that you have unlocked in Story mode. There are 2 types of whack-a-mole games, all of the levels available in Story mode, plus a few off the wall games, like an attack of midget zombies and bowling with walnuts! The only thing that I do know is missing from the iPhone is the zen garden.

The sound (which I usually deliver via headphones) is top-notch and the graphics are essentially the same as you would see on PC – or at least it feels like that. Not once have I lamented either the size of the platform or the game’s visuals or graphics. Even the Plants vs. Zombies theme song is unlocked when you beat the game; which is a treat unto itself. It like this game was tailor-made for the mobile platform.

I have to say that Plants vs. Zombies is indeed very fun to play and somewhat addictive, even if only in small doses. I tend to play when I have 10 minutes to run through a level and that’s just fine. I am currently on my second playthrough, near the end, and I am still unlocking the most expensive plants. I still play the various Quickplay games to earn more cash and I wonder what I’ll be doing if I can manage to beat the game the second time through – like going after the slews of achievements, which all get ported over to the iPhone’s game center to share with your friends. So, in the final analysis, I’d have to give Plants vs. Zombies on the iPhone a solid 9 out of 10 and I heartily recommend it to anyone who can get it on their mobile or tablet device!