Game developer PopCap is known for their casual 2-D games with a tendency to be both colorful and addictive. Their 2007 release of “Peggle,” a pinball-style game complete with cute animals and fireworks, was a big hit that called for an equally strong follow-up title.
Two years later in May 2009, PopCap released “Plants Versus Zombies,” a tower defense game also for the PC, with an interesting notion that the game title explains quite clearly: the player uses various plants to fend off hoards of invading zombies.
The game became PopCap’s fastest-selling game, and was soon ported to other platforms such as the iPad in early 2010 along with a Nintendo DS version announced for 2011. The iPhone version of “Plants Versus Zombies” sold 300,000 copies in nine days, bringing in more than $1,000,000 in sales.
Nick Fitzgerald, a sophomore in mechanical engineering, said he finds the game to be both fun and easily accessible.
“It’s really addicting because it’s so easy for anyone to learn how to play. The story mode also introduces the game slowly, which keeps the game fun and easy, but keeps you wondering what new plants you might unlock next to defend your lawn,” Fitzgerald said. “The art style is also really cool, and all the different plants and zombies can add up to some good laughs.”
A year after announcing an Xbox Live Arcade version in the summer of 2009, PopCap announced that this version would be released Sept. 8, 2010. The Xbox 360 port is to bring new features and game modes, including two-player cooperative gameplay. Adding to its successful formula, the co-op feature allows two players to defend the lawn from the march of the undead, possibly allowing the players to divide up the task of planting and managing defensive and offensive plants. The versus mode allows two players to play against one another competitively, where one player is in the traditional position of defending the lawn with plants, and the other player controlling the invading zombies.
“The newest additions on the Xbox 360 definitely look like fun, especially with friends, and the versus and co-op modes are welcome additions,” Fitzgerald said. “I have to admit, I won’t really understand it until I try it, but I’m really glad ‘Plants Versus Zombies’ made the jump to multiplayer. It lets you spread the fun, and seeds, around!”
In a game market saturated by tower defense games, with many versions being offered for free online, it is difficult for new games in this genre to breakthrough and capture the attention of the masses.
Aaron Fung, a freshman in the College of Management, said he likes the fact that tower defense games allow for the use of strategic thinking.
“I like having ‘master control’ over my forces and being able to organize the offenses and defenses. Most tower defense games have upgrades for weapons and shields,” Fung said, “and those are a fun incentive to work towards when playing these kinds of games.”
Fung said the gameplay in “Plants Versus Zombies” doesn’t deviate from the basic tower defense formula on paper, and initially may appear to be lacking innovation.
“At first sight it seems rather uninteresting and similar to other tower defense games. However, the random garden tools and objects the game offers seem appealing to utilize,” Fung said.
Whether through its strong gameplay mechanics or attention-grabbing art style and humor, “Plants Versus Zombies” has appealed to both casual and hardcore gamers and as a result has sold well on all the platforms it has been ported to.
With the game being a hit on the PC platform with its keyboard and mouse interface, as well as the even more intuitive touch-screen technology offered by platforms such as the iPhone or iPad, the Xbox 360 port would soon test how well the game would play using a somewhat more limiting console game controller.
Thomas Pham, a senior in industrial engineering, appreciated having the game on his computer hard drive for ease of use.
“It was very convenient, and I always I had my laptop with me so it was easy to pull up and play for a bit while I was taking a break from studying,” Pham said. “I’m looking forward to the versus aspect of the game. I think it’d be fun to play as a zombie.”
The convenience offered by having the game right on one’s laptop is somewhat lost with the port to a console, but the new features and game modes appear to maintain the game’s seemingly universal appeal.
Having met with great success on the PC and breaking records in the iPhone/iTouch applications market, the popularity and success of “Plants Versus Zombies” will now be spreading to the Xbox Live Arcade.
“You’re killing zombies with plants,” Pham said. “What’s not fun about that?”
