Plants Vs Zombies: Garden Warfare Xbox One review by Kavita Rawal after the break.
Plants Vs Zombies: Garden Warfare is the first console release by Popcap who initially created Plants Vs Zombies prequels as an app.
This game requires an Xbox Live Gold subscription to play considering the vast majority of the game is pure online multiplayer.
Garden Ops mode consists of 4 players teaming as plants and defending their garden against ten waves of zombies. Two of those waves being boss fights, team work is generally the key. The types of plants you get to play in any mode are as follows:
- Peashooter – a cute damage dealer at all ranges.
- Sunflower – a happy healer yet can still cause a fair bit of damage.
- Cactus – ranged damage dealer, potato mines can be lethal.
- Chomper – close combat damage dealer, extremely satisfying to play.
Mechanics are fairly straight forward, using the trigger you would attack normally. Using LB, Y and RB would use your class’ special abilities. All classes are rewarded for playing their part. For example, the sunflower is given points for healing other characters and plants.
Multiplayer mode is where players have the chance to be zombies. I must admit, I am normally afraid of zombies, but this is one game I can play! The zombie characters are:
- Foot Soldier – like the soldiers on ‘Call of Duty’ but dead. Damage dealer.
- Engineer – builder zombie with a typical builder’s bum. Mid range damage dealer.
- Scientist – partial healer, has a great shotgun and crazy hair.
- All Star – big beefy zombie, with defense and hard damage dealing capabilities.
Multiplayer matches are great fun! I played both sides, and played all the classes to see which suited me best. It can get the same reaction out of me, like the ‘Titanfall Beta’ did…a mixture of swear words. I could not help loving all the characters though. The Peashooter is extremely cute with his little noises and face. If someone is trying to revive you (which takes the point back off the opposing team), and they die in the process I cannot help but go “awww” at their character. That may be my feminine soft side coming through there. I giggle at the sounds the Scientist makes every time he respawns.
The multiplayer modes that are available are:
- The Welcome Mat – basically ‘Classic Team Vanquish’ for new starters with certain health boosters if you are getting nuked.
- Team Vanquish – a deathmatch allowing versions of the characters you have unlocked to be played.
- Gardens and Graveyards – player zombies fight to turn plants’ gardens into graveyards.
- Classic Team Vanquish/Gardens and Graveyards – Same version as above without the customization of characters.
Splitscreen mode I found rather disappointing. I thought you would be able to join a multiplayer game with someone else on your console like you have been able to do with other games like ‘Halo’. Instead, its a survival game. If you only have two players, you basically last against waves of zombies as long as possible. I found it rather dull, unfortunately.
Each mode earns you a rank and coins. Coins help you purchase sticker packs which can unlock character customizations and also smaller versions of the plants, to plant in plant pots (how many times can I say plant in one sentence?). These help in garden ops mode to defend your garden, they are also rather cute.
This is a comical and action packed game to play. Fun for all the family. I worry on how long I will stay interested in just these short burst of games. Will this happen with every multiplayer that comes out in this new generation?
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