At CNN, Mark Saltzman names Plants Vs. Zombies the best strategy game of 2009. The game (which you can play a limited version of for free) threatens you with a Grandpa’s vision of zombie hell: they start on the sidewalk, they won’t get off your lawn, and the only way to stop them is with some creative gardening:
The notion of plants defeating zombies is very cute, and the round sweetness of the graphics helps to blunt the vision of charred flesh and dismemberment. The graphics can’t blunt the violence completely, however, so if on-screen violence turns you off you probably won’t enjoy the game.
For me, the real let-down of Plants vs. Zombies was in its simple geometry. Zombies are always on the right, coming toward the left. The lawn is a small set of very large spaces in the game, too. Look at the screen capture of the game I’ve made above. See the areas of light and dark green? You can only fit one plant on each, making for some limited choices. With limited choices, gameplay quickly gets dull.
Plants vs. Zombies is an example of a “tower defense” game, so named for the image of being holed up in a medieval tower with invading armies to be repelled. Another “tower defense” game I enjoy much more is Bloons Tower Defense 4 by NinjaKiwi. In this game, the only violence you’ll encounter is that of popping balloons, making it safe for the eyes of the littlest kids (like Plants vs. Zombies, it’s also price-accessible — you can’t beat free). Also as in Plants vs. Zombies, the number of defenses available to you expands as you play the game more and more. But unlike the unidirectional gameplay of Plants vs. Zombies with few gamespaces, the gameplay of Bloons Tower Defense 4 features a variety of twisty, turny, splitting and joining paths along which balloons drift. Choices on the placement of defensive weapons can also be made down to the pixel, and with range in mind that choice is strategically crucial.
Plants vs. Zombies is fun for a few hours of snow-bound fun before it gets old. But when the drifts come up to your door and you won’t be able to get out for days, settle into Bloons Tower Defense 4 for harmlessly absorbing escapist fun to fill the time.
I disagree with your conclusion, Jim. I enjoy both games, but I enjoy Plants vs. Zombies more. The reason for me is drama, and clarity. Zombies are a threat. They add a feeling of consequences to a loss, when I play with a suspension of disbelief. Balloons? Why worry about them?
There’s also just no character in a balloon. It doesn’t have a face. It has no personality. I don’t feel that I’m playing against anyone with Bloons Tower Defense.
In terms of clarity, there are just too many darned balloons on the field for me to track in the upper rounds of Bloons Tower Defense. I can’t really tell that I’m making progress. There are definite markers of progress in Plants vs. Zombies.
To each his own. But I prefer the balloons to the zombies — I’d rather smash things that don’t have faces.
I also disagree. Both games are actually on par. If you wanna play Bloons take a look at Bloons TD Games
cheers
Joe
If you like plants vs zombies, go play btd5. Then decide which is better. In p v z, you play the game for a while and then beat it. In bloons td 5, you can play forever and not get tired of the same thing, due to unlimited levels and endless possiblitys of gameplay. While plants vs zombies has charm, btd5 has wit, and lots of fun. I havent played p v z very much, only a few levels on hard (like 10) and i do realize it will likely get more complex. I have seen many, many levels of pvz, but bloon’s extreme customization and hours and hours of leveling up fun, win me over.