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Plants vs. Zombies

EMAIL PRINT pc

9.1 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 39 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 238 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: PopCap Games

Developer: PopCap Games

Genre(s): Action, Strategy

Players: 1

ESRB Rating: RP (Rating Pending)

Release Date: May 5, 2009

Summary

Zombies are invading your home, and the only defense is your arsenal of plants! Armed with an alien nursery-worth of zombie-zapping plants like peashooters and cherry bombs, you'll need to think fast and plant faster to stop dozens of types of zombies dead in their tracks. Obstacles like a setting sun, creeping fog and a swimming pool add to the challenge, and with five game modes to dig into, the fun never dies! [Steam]

Cheat Codes & Hints: Cheat Code Central

Also On The Web: Official Website Steam Site

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

Destructoid

The most outstanding feature of this incredibly fun title is its personality. Every inch of Plants vs. Zombies is jam-packed with humor and attention to detail, and I never once stopped enjoying its clever take on the genre even after I had exhausted everything it had to offer. Do not miss this game -- titles this good don't come around often.

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100

GameShark

Plants vs. Zombies is an immensely fun and wonderfully imaginative strategy game that makes for one of the most enjoyable experiences of the year.

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100

AceGamez

Plants vs Zombies is what casual gaming is really all about; it's intuitive, easy to start and stop at any time, and has a tremendous variety of gameplay modes.

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Gamers.at

Simply a must-buy for gamers of all thinkable genres. Plants versus Zombies does everything right and brims over with pure, amazingly entertaining fun.

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Play.tm

Plants Vs Zombies is clearly a labour of love and on top of that it's what you might call the perfection of simplistic budget gaming. The game stimulates the emotional mind from start to finish, providing the kind of spontaneous quick-fire stimulation that our minds have come to expect from 21st century lifestyles.

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GamingTrend

PvZ succeeds masterfully at simplifying the tower defense genre into a game that nearly everyone can enjoy.

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Game Revolution

This variety and sense of not knowing what's next is what keeps Plants vs. Zombies fresh - as fresh as rotting zombies can be - and fun.

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The Onion (A.V. Club)

Plants Vs. Zombies’ gratification isn’t all instant. The rest of the time, it slowly shambles up on you.

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1UP

Despite its initial approachability, PvZ gets surprisingly challenging toward the end of the game.

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Worth Playing

Plants vs. Zombies is a wonderful take on the tower defense sub-genre of strategy gaming.

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Pelit (Finland)

With Plants vs Zombies, Popcap cements its place as masters of polished, casual gaming that still hits its mark even with grizzled gaming vet. Even though the first playthrough of Plants vs Zombies is far too easy, second one combined with the survival mode and the multitude of minigames offers a lot of replayability. The biggest star though is in the graphic design, all the plants and zombies in the game are drawn and designed with funny wit and style. One can't help but love those little flowers fighting it out. [June 2009]

Games Master UK

The brains behind some of the best puzzlers ever drop an undead vs. shrubbery bomb. [July 2009, p.75]

Cheat Code Central

The hilarious presentation, unusual subject matter, and super addictive defense gameplay are good reasons alone to give this game a try, but the bevy of content to explore, zombified adversaries to fight, and plants to collect will stamp out any doubts you might have had about whether participating in a war between zombies and flowers was a good idea.

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Gameplayer Sweden

Plants vs. Zombies is not just one of the best tower defense games out there, it also gives you a tremendous value for the mere 10 euro you pay for it. PopCap has really surpassed anything they have done before with this game’s beautiful graphics, depth and modes that will keep you busy for months. You’ll love every minute of it.

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Cynamite

Simply addictive and fun with surprising complexity for a casual game.

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VideoGamer

With a main game mode that spans 50 levels, numerous unlockable modes that extend the lifespan significantly, stupidly addictive gameplay and fun-infused presentation you'd be a fool to pass up Plants Vs Zombies.

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GameDaily

Hilarious and addictive.

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Wired

It’s a challenging game, too. I’ve logged enough hours in strategy games to qualify as an officer in certain South American militaries, but the last few levels of Adventure mode and many of those Puzzle mode levels require intense concentration and genuine skill.

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Edge Magazine

In feeding constant surprise, engaging wit and sharply pitched challenge during its course, Plants Vs Zombies proves again PopCap's incredible knack of taking an established game form and making it all its own. [May 2009, p.94]

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PC Gamer UK

Frighteningly compelling. [May 2009, p.74]

Eurogamer

A masterful combination of serious strategy and cartoonish delights - and by adding mini-games, survival modes and a shop, PopCap is practically rubbing it in. The result is as fresh and accessible as Super Mario, and as refined and considered as Left 4 Dead, wading into another established genre and polishing the central ideas in a way that will make it a hard act to follow.

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Multiplayer.it

Plants vs. Zombies is an action-strategy game from PopCap. The gameplay, based on the classic tower defense mechanics, is very easy to play but deep and addictive. It is the perfect game to play windowed during a boring meeting that will keep you tied to your pc for a long time.

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GamePro

An incredibly zany yet infectiously fun study of what happens when an irresistible force meets an an army of unmovable flesh-eating objects, Plants vs. Zombies proves that the masterminds at PopCap know how to take an original idea and run with it, producing addictive, and oftentimes hilarious results.

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IGN

It has that elusive "special something" that gets its hooks in you and convinces you to forego food, sleep, and other essentials just to see what the next level has in store. If you've never played a tower defense game before, this is the one you should try.

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GameSpy

Underneath its cutesy veneer Plants vs. Zombies is hardcore. Well done, PopCap. Well done.

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Absolute Games

Plants vs. Zombies is not as complex as classic titles of this genre, GemCraft and Protector, but then again, it doesn’t want to be hardcore. Its graphics are nice despite the minuscule 800x600 resolution, voice-overs make you smile, and there are many ways to entertain yourself (even more than in Space Rangers 2).

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Armchair Empire

That said, Plants vs. Zombies remains a triumph for PopCap. The game joins their Peggle at the top of the addictive, just-one-more-level-and-I'm-off-to-bed, list.

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GameSpot

Addictive action and supercute visuals make Plants vs. Zombies an enjoyable, engaging romp.

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Game Over Online

Plants vs. Zombies is one of those addictive games where you always want to play just a little bit longer -- just to see what crazy thing might appear next, if for no other reason.

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PC Zone UK

Addictive. [July 2009, p.71]

PC Format

PopCap at its finest. [July 2009, p.95]

Thunderbolt

So addictive, charming and entertaining that everyone could be converted to its cause.

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Gamer.nl

Plants vs. Zombies is a casual game in the way only PopCap Games can design. The game is charming, original and addictive. It lacks depth in comparison to other Tower Defence games, but makes up for lost ground by adding new and fresh rules. And if you're looking for a challenge, just hang on. You'll find it eventually.

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Eurogamer Italy

Cheap price, lot of fun, addictive gameplay. Plants Vs Zombies deserves your attention and your money.

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Hardcore Gamer Magazine

Plants vs. Zombies is a huge game with a great sense of humor, and while it tends to play itself once a strategy is completed and the field of fire constructed, putting it all together and experimenting with the possibilities stays fun for a long, long time. [Summer 2009]

Everyeye.it

Pop Cap realizes another masterpiece. Plants Vs. Zombies re-invents tower defense game and offer a great number of minigames and other activities.

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Eurogamer Spain

Fun and addictive.

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Teletext GameCentral

PopCap Games' best yet and the best ever Tower Defence - whether you think that's faint praise or not.

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Total PC Gaming

Plants Vs Zombies is a simple but clever tower defence game, which uses its considerable charm to keep you coming back for more. It might not take you very long to see most of what it has to offer, but you’re sure to have a laugh while you’re at it.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 9.1 (out of 10) based on 238 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Luke O gave it a10:
I got this game purely on the reviews it received and when I loaded it upfor the first time, I was disappointed. The flash-game type graphics and horizontal, linear gameplay made me regret it at first, but the more I played it, the old adage to never, ever judge a book by it's cover hit the mark again. Engrossing, tactical, exciting gameplay coupled with heaps of great unlockables and delightful, quirky humour prove yet again that graphics don't mean everything, and doesn't mean a game doesn't have high polish. I've spent many enjoyable hours playing this game, unbelievable value for money. The best $10 I've ever spent.

b00tsy gave it a7:
Its a nice and basic game with an original look. Graphics are nice cartoonish and it has the fun factor aswell. To rate it with a 10 or a 9 like a lot of the other reviewers have done i wont do, it simply does not deserve that. However its worth the buy and a fun game to play on the side (once in a while). I am missing some options in the game. Once you created a profile for example and you have played some levels you can not select the early levels if you want to play them again. Did not see an option for multiple profiles either. Also the game difficulty settings can not be found. Things like that.

M L gave it a9:
PopCap has the reputation of taking simple and/or old games and piling tons and tons of polish on them producing, in most cases, the gold standard in that genre. Plants vs. Zombies continues in that tradition hands down by turning Tower Defense games into hours and hours of fun that can be enjoyed by young, old, and all ages in between. I feel I can't give it 10/10 though simply because of the appalling step backwards PopCap took in regards to its graphics for this release. PvZ plays at 800x600. That's it. Nothing larger, nothing smaller. Contrast this to previous PopCap games such as Bejeweled Twist that plays at ANY resolution by using a vector graphics engine. PopCap is capable of producing games that run at multiple resolutions and simply failed to for this release. For this, it loses a mark and gets a 9.

Miles P gave it a10:
This game is great! It's incredibly creative, and makes it easy to play for those inexperienced or lacking a newer computer (for playing graphics heavy games, which this is not) and is still challenging for the average gamer. I played this game straight and no other for a whole two weeks- and then got my nephew hooked on it when I was done. He shared the same opinion (but theres not much age difference between us). And as such I am ashamed that so many people here are picky about the graphics, since when has any game EVER revolved around graphics? Who here has played Super Mario 64? It was an incredible game too, but sharper graphics at the time were available. Don't give bad reviews just because of graphics.

James A gave it a10:
those people who gave this game 0 (or gave it a low score) just because it doesn't great graphic are the worst critics/gamers ever. A game isn't about graphics, it's about game play and replay value. This game is addictive and challenging, as well as being fun. For $20, this game is worth it! Mini-games are fun and have great concept, adventure mode is challenging to the mind, the garden is great. Honestly, if you don't like game because of the game play, I'm fine with but what I'm not okay is when you don't like game just because it's graphics. It's just a bad excuse to hate the game. Anyway, buy this game if you like tower defense or strategy, then get it, it's worth every cent you spent.

Ben F gave it a10:
Plants vs. Zombies is a great game even if you run out of things to do the endless survival is a real challenge i got to 29 flags before the zombonies destroyed my tallnuts, all my chery bombs where killed, and my corn cannons where Destroyed :( Try to get more than 29 (say 30) and BUY THIS GAME You wont regretet if even for the laughs in the descriptions.

Tom K gave it a10:
Whilst starting at a slow pace, the game soon picks up to an alarming, adrenaline-filled masterpiece. The music, animation and simplistic graphics are just wonderful. It is horrifically addictive. I've just got this at the same time as Crysis and I can quite easily say I much prefer PvZ. I've argued with my parents quite a lot recently because I've stayed glued to my seat gaping at this sparkling diamond of a game. I can wholeheartedly say to BUY THIS GAME!

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