The digital delights of Sony’s scrumptious PlayStation Network service know no bounds. Aside from letting punters compete in online gaming, stream films, browse the Internet and more, its premier attraction rests in the copious supply of downloadable games ripe for the picking. From PSN exclusives to PSOne Classics, minis and plain old add-on content, Sony’s online space is chock full of goodies battling it out for your hard-earned digital dollars.
Welcome back to another installment of Inside PlayStation Network, where every Monday – Friday we’ll pluck a PSN release—be it new or old—and put it in the spotlight for a thorough dissection. Fancy getting a new PSN game but don’t know what one to plump for? Perhaps this feature will help. Didn’t realize that a game was available in your region until now? We’ve got you covered. Or, perhaps you were musing over what those lucky Japanese folk were tucking into over in the Land of the Rising Sun? You can be sure our coverage will extend to those rare regional exclusives as much as those firmly embedded on the public consciousness.
For our latest entry, we take on the undead in the hilarious indie outing, Plants vs. Zombies.
——————-
Developer: PopCap Games
Region(s) available: North America
Players: 1
Over the past 40 years or so, zombies have found themselves up against a diverse menu of the very best and worst humanity has to offer. From punks, civvies, and cops to rowdy Red Necks and bullish army types, being undead at least has its advantage: the world is a sumptuous smorgasbord ripe for the picking. Last time we checked, however, our shambling friends didn’t face any backlash from peeved-off plant life. Still, that’s exactly what the premise is here with Plants vs. Zombies; an idiosyncratic, yet immensely addictive tower-defence romp from the prolific PopCap Games. Here, a homeowner and his neighbour – “Crazy Dave” – must fend off the invading shambling Hordes of Hades using a myriad of vegetation matter.
And as daft as it sounds, it works. Testament to this fact can be seen in the game’s mammoth success upon its initial PC release in 2009, with the title becoming PopCap’s highest selling endeavour to date. It also raked in a succession of nominations, including ‘Outstanding Achievement in Game Design’ and ‘Best Casual Game’ from the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Anyway, down to the nitty gritty. The object is simple: shuffling corpses are invading your home ground, and it’s up to you to quell the zombie hordes by smacking them about with various plants and fungi. And we do mean anything. Potato mines, peashooters, cattail, cabbage-pult, can all be lobbed at the lumbering flesh eaters to drive them back to their graves. Each variety of plant (or fungi, but who’s keeping track?) boasts its own unique attributes in terms of defence and offense, and must be strategically placed all over the shop, from the back and front gardens to the roof. Yes, the roof – zombies might be dead, but the buggers don’t half get about.
As ever, our rotting friends have only one thing on their disintegrating minds – chowing down on human brains. That’s not say the local flora and fauna isn’t safe either, mind – the creatures have no compunction in devouring any poor plants that stand in their way as they shuffle inexorably towards the house. Enemies come in all shapes and sizes, such as crafty cadavers that can leap or fly over objects and those sporting makeshift armour. Furthermore, each foe packs its own array of abilities, including resilience to damage, speed and more. The zombies themselves travel on horizontal tracks, with plants (baring a few exceptions) only effective at attacking enemies in the same plot, so to speak. If an undead does successfully come knocking on your door, you’ve got a last ditch attempt to drive them back in the form of a lawn mower or pool cleaner. Once put into action, these devices eliminate all foes in a particularly track. However, these items must be upgraded later down the line in order to accommodate the game’s transition to more complex environments.
Vanquishing zombies rewards you with plenty of cash, which can be spent in a special store run by Crazy Dave. Here, you can purchase seed packs/slots and other helpful items to facilitate your zombie-stomping efforts. Seed packs are particularly handy, though you’ll need to have obtained enough sunlight in order to actually make use of them. Adventure mode’s the main highlight on offer, though PopCap’s also opened up a casket full of extras for your consumption. These include a gaggle of additional game modes, such as survival, puzzle plus a zombie-centric adaptation of previous PopCap efforts including Bejeweled and Insaniquarium.
Tune in again same time tomorrow as we once again have a nose around Inside PlayStation Network.