Special Review! "Plants vs. Zombies"

Hello everyone.  When I first started this blog, oh so long ago (yesterday), I said that I was likely going to be reviewing non-daily apps every once in a while.  These may be apps that were daily apps before I made the blog, apps that are on sale, apps that I really like, or possibly even apps from which I am warning everyone to stay.

The extra-daily app that I'm going to be reviewing now is PopCap's "Plants vs. Zombies."  PvZ is, and has always been, my favorite PopCap game.  I bought it when it first came out on PC, and I'm been praying for an Android version ever since.  My wish came true early last week, when it was exclusively released for free through the Amazon Appstore.   Time to review!!

Above is the starting screen for my favorite game ever.  As you can see, it is a beautiful image of happy plants (minus the paranoid-looking nut at the corner) getting ready to battle a few zombies.  

After choosing a name for your account (you can have more than one, which is great if you share your phone), your only option is to choose Adventure (unless you count options, help, and achievements).  Quick Play is unlocked later.  After you choose adventure, you watch a short cutscene of a bunch of plants on a lawn fighting zombies.  It's a great preview of what is to come.

This is the battleground.  In the top left, there is a pea-shooter icon, and your current amount of sunlight (currency).  To play the game, you tap the seed packet, and place it on the ground where you want it.  Sunlight naturally falls from the sky (during the day.  There are nighttime levels), and you can get more using sunflowers.  

Forgiving the slight glitch in the screenshot (there is a delay in capturing), this is basically what it looks like during gameplay.  You need to create an army to keep the zombies from getting to your house.
After stopping the zombies from reaching your house, you win the level and unlock a new plant to use.

Between levels, you can choose which plants you want to use to fend off the zombies.



Now, I need to address the "Goods" and the "Bads" of the Android version of "Plants vs. Zombies."

Good

• Provides excellent gameplay at a low cost.
• Tons of levels to keep you playing for hours.
• Achievement system (for those that require a pat on the back)
• Beautiful graphics
• Great soundtrack

Bad

• Resolution was clearly ported from the iOS version.  This makes it horizontally stretched.
• If the screen times out, it has to restart the app (this could be fixed with an update)
• Must be downloaded over Wi-fi.

Now, all of the "bads" could easily be fixed with an update, and none of them are really a big deal.

For this reason, I have to give PopCap's "Plants vs. Zombies" a 5 out of 5.

Plants Vs. Zombies is by far the best game I've ever played on Android, and if you don't own it already, you need to buy it.  In fact, if you like it enough on Android, you should buy it on your computer, too.  Last I checked, the Game of the Year edition is only $10 on Steam, and it comes with multiple extra game modes.

5 out of 5