Common Sense Media Review
By Chris Morris
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Keep the undead at bay the organic way in this fun title.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Play
Videos and Photos
Plants vs. Zombies (DS)
What's It About?
The undead are trying to invade your house and eat your brains. Rather than pulling out firearms, you'll defend yourself with a variety of goofy plants and other organics like pea shooters, giant walnuts, and cherry "bombs". It's a game that seems born of '50s B-movies, but never loses its sense of humor. Zombies, for instance, wear things like pots and traffic cones on their head as protection. The gameplay mechanics in the campaign are the same as the PC version of the game.
In addition, this DS version of the title offers a series of mini-games, including four that are exclusive to this platform. These include a home run derby title, which blends zombies and baseball, and a side-scrolling shooter game.
Is It Any Good?
There's a reason Plants vs. Zombies is such a popular tower-defense game. It's goofy, genuinely funny, and the gameplay is rock solid. Whether you play for minutes or hours, you'll walk away happy. What the Nintendo DS version adds is a collection of new achievements (such as blow up 10 zombies with a single cherry bomb and beat a night level without picking up any sun) and four exclusive mini-games. They're all enjoyable diversions, but ultimately, it's the main game that's the most fun. The DS does, however, add a terrifically entertaining two-player versus mode for players in the same room.
The DS version suffers on two levels, though. Because there's so much going on onscreen with Plants vs. Zombies, the DS screen size is often overcrowded, which can make it hard to see everything happening at once. Also, with the iPhone version costing just $3.99, the $20 price tag on the DS version seems excessive. That said, the game is just as addictive now as it was when it was first released for the PC in 2009.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Which of the plants is your favorite and why? Would you rather play as the plants or the zombies?
Why do you think zombie games are so popular these days?
Game Details
- Platforms : Nintendo DS , Nintendo DSi
- Pricing structure :
- Available online? : Not available online
- Publisher : PopCap Games
- Release date : January 18, 2011
- Genre : Strategy
- ESRB rating :
- Last updated : November 11, 2020
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