The gameplay for Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 has gotten considerably bigger. Big-big, folks, but before we get into the nitty-gritty of what to expect in the modes category of the game, let’s talk technical gameplay matters first.
Starting with controls, they are just about on par with the last go around with PVZGW. They play tight and fast for the most part, but still have a sporadic first shot issue, much like in the previous game. This means, when I go into scope my target, the crosshairs tend to be off the mark when the gunfire/plantfire/zombiefire begins. I tend to move the crosshairs around like someone who has had too much coffee (that could be the case during the review period, but eh).
Anyway, they aren’t too much of an irritation, but they are enough to almost curse about. Almost. Earmuffs, kids.
Aside from zooming and crosshairs, you also get some simplistic, yet unique attacks to go along with your default. The game features multiple choices of attack, via the square/circle/triangle, the bring down heck and a half on the enemies. For example, if you’re playing an innocent daisy, you can recharge fellow players/plants, unleash a huge ray of light or set down a plant to recharge your health. Each of these are unique to the character you’re using. This makes some characters more powerful than others, but PopCap Games tried their best to give even advantage across the board. It works to a degree, but there are some characters (like the crab orange thingy) that outshine their brethren, especially in these attributes. Related to this is the ability to customize your characters. You can literally change the outside of the character, abilities and other stuff to make the characters your own. I do like the customizing options, as I know there will be fans out there just nuts about it.
Aside from controls and options, the artificial intelligence of both enemies and NPC have been dramatically improved. The enemies (mostly zombies in this review session) do their best to avoid fire and to inflict pain when inhumanly possible. They also do their best to sneak up in the stealthiest of ways (nothing like getting hit when you’re zoomed in on a target to scare the crap out of you). Depending on your NPC for help is something you can rely on with Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2. I had quite a few times where my team needed to get rid of some zombies before a time limit was reached and they didn’t disappoint. I’m impressed with the AI in this game. Maybe some AAA titles can take pointers from PopCap’s efforts.
As gameplay goes with controls and intelligent beings in the game, you won’t be disappointed with how PopCap Games treated things, though I still think there is some room for improvement in the control scheme. Or less coffee. Whatever comes first.
Anyway, here is what you really want to know about, which is what you have to look forward to in terms of modes. Ze modes, ladies and gents:
Backyard Battleground – This is an open field of war between zombies and plants. You can go into the backyard battleground, explore the entire area, find treasures here and there, as well start fights you intend on making money from to open more card packs. It’s basically a free-for-all, though you can go into it with friends or solo.
Garden Ops/Graveyard Ops – This is a series of missions. You can earn some great rewards from them, money and such. You can go solo, local or multiplayer in the missions, which is a huge plus. The solo option is a big deal this year and going into it alone with NPCs isn’t that bad, even when it should be. There were times, though, where the game felt like it was going slow in a big environment. For example, there was an op where I was placed in a colosseum and the waves of zombies just seemed to trickle out. Chasing one set of zombies from the opposite side of a rather large level seemed like it took forever. Granted, having a group of people (actual friends) playing alongside of me would have made the game a bit more manageable. Regardless, there’s still fun to be had here.
Top Zombies Badges/Top Plant Badges – If I had to choose the best part of the game, this would be it. You are asked to go through a series of multi-level stages that equal out to cool rewards at the end of each one. There are around 3-5 missions for each stage you play and each mission gives its own set of challenges that don’t feel repetitive. For example, there is a great stage nearly at the end of the Top Plant Badges stage, where you have to fight a gigantic pirate zombie, who can curse you with poison, which would instantly kill you. To get rid of the curse, you have to find barrel zombies (zombies with barrels over their bodies), eliminate them and then all is well (you can return to killing the big zombie). You are timed in this mission and you are constantly attacked by waves of zombies at the same time. Intense stuff for such a simple game that’s typically repetitive. Anyway, the payoff with the badges mode is good enough to go through such intensity.
Multiplayer Portal – Honestly, I didn’t spend a huge amount of time here. The game is not out yet (duh) and there weren’t a lot of opportunities to truly explore the entire depth of the MP experience, at least not until the public gets ahold of it. I will update this review in a week or so to give a better opinion of it. With that said, I did get a chance to play a game of domination (Turf war) for a period of a few hours this past week and it was fun. I would expect the variety of play and large environments are going to keep MP gamers happy like they did in the previous title. I have high hopes for this and I’m sure they won’t be disappointed.
In addition to the above modes, the game also gives you ‘quest boards’ to pick up goals. For example, if you’re playing on the zombie side of the field, you can choose a quest like ‘Vanquish 1 Super Bean Boss’, which will grant you three stars, if accomplished. You can use those stars to open chests, customize shrubbery or other beautiful nonsense in the game. You have a large variety of active quests to pursue in the game, so you won’t be short in that department. In the same vein as Destiny’s bounty boards.
On the presentation side of the equation, the game is an absolute upgrade from the last time around. You get much better character models with far more active animation than the last generation iteration of this game (which I reviewed on the PlayStation 3), such as petals on the daisy moving like hair or the lost look of the zombies that clearly demonstrate how out of their mind they can be. The good folks at PopCap really put the metal to the pedal in the visual department. The flow of the animation, lighting (especially the lighting), particle effects and subtle add-ons to make the characters bloom (pun intended) with personality, shine through from beginning to end. This series has now become more than just a simple spin-off from its mobile brethren.
To cap the entire package off, the environments are equally as detailed. While I will say the girth of the environments are still limited in some respects, sometimes even difficult to move around depending on location, they’re pretty to look at and have a lot more to them than in the previous title. For example, the initial battleground level has a huge, though even, landscape to it that contains an enormous depth of field. It reaches far back for the background and doesn’t falter when showing off details (trees, broken fences, moving enemies) from hundreds of feet away. It’s impressive how deep and wide the levels can be, though again very limited in boundaries.
The overall presentation of Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 is a considerable upgrade from its previous title. It gives me faith that the game after this one will reach epic scales (sandbox? Nah).
Having said all of the above, is this game fun? Heck yes it is. The first attempt of this series brought a mild amount of fun that didn’t have much longevity, at least for me, attached to it. It felt like an experiment that worked, though there wasn’t much to the experiment to make the experience last. This time around PopCap Games threw in the kitchen sink, allowed for different gameplay styles to meld together into one fun experience. It’s not going to replace Fallout anytime soon, but it certainly will be a pleasant right turn on the gameplay ramp when you’re looking for a rest stop from AAA titles.
Anyway, onto the summary!
