I’ve said it before and I’ll say it many more times before I’m a dried, lifeless husk; Plants vs Zombies is one of the best games that has ever been made. I am, of course, talking about the original Plants vs Zombies; the lane-based tower defence game that had you planting sunflowers to generate energy and then defending lawns and gardens from oncoming waves of increasingly menacing zombies on their quests for brains.
The game was simple in concept but frankly incredible in its execution, a delightfully difficult but fair and balanced game that’s still fun to play today. I don’t care nearly as much for its sequel, which is a free-to-play game that throws half the balance out of the window in favour of microtransactions. It’s honestly just a chore to play. While I’m not putting the blame on PopCap’s parent company EA, it’s probably worth noting that the exploitative, grindy sequel was developed after the company was acquired by the mega-publisher.
I hadn’t expected there to be a new sequel, but EA’s confirmed the existence of one, seemingly out of nowhere. The game is in a pre-alpha state and is available to select few playtesters.
“In this plant-tastic Pre-Alpha, you should anticipate experiencing bugs (zombies don’t bathe very often) and other issues,” EA says (via Eurogamer)
“Don’t soil your plants just yet! Plants vs. Zombies 3 is under early construction and is not representative of the final game. Pre-Alpha is focused on getting your feedback on combat features only. We’re saving a lot more for later!”
As expected, this is a free-to-play game that’s stuffed with microtransactions that range all the way up to $99. One big change suggested by the screenshots is that instead of planting sunflowers for sun, that now runs off a meter. I can’t say that tickles me, but I’ll give it a go when it’s out in the hope that it even captures a fraction of the first game’s genius.
Last Updated: July 18, 2019
Magoo
July 18, 2019 at 08:41
PvZ best mobile game hands down.
Mark Treloar
July 18, 2019 at 09:00
Still better on PC
Mark Treloar
July 18, 2019 at 09:00
Also Infinity Blade best mobile game ever
Yahtzee
July 18, 2019 at 08:51
*Chuckles in Pokemon GO*
Dresden
July 18, 2019 at 09:00
*Chuckles more in Hearthstone*
Magoo
July 18, 2019 at 09:29
Got me there. >.>
SagatatiaRZA
July 18, 2019 at 09:45
*scratches balls in Auto Chess*
Admiral Chief Umbra
July 18, 2019 at 09:56
*Gets TRIGGERED in Tenno*
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/e9f6f7c594dffa588f31a5a1ced221095b95663e83b9caeb3d26a7353399070c.gif
Yahtzee
July 18, 2019 at 09:56
Only been playing auto chess on PC, fun little game to waste some time in. But it’s not really a balanced game.
SagatatiaRZA
July 19, 2019 at 10:09
Some people like to complain that it is purely RNG based but considering I reach a very consistent 2nd-4th places in nearly every single game I think it is fair enough. Besides any unbalanced tactics are open to everyone playing ^^
Dresden
July 18, 2019 at 09:00
*Chuckles more in Hearthstone*
Jacques Van Zyl
July 18, 2019 at 09:00
*chuckles in having it setup so I can play MTG Arena on Mobile*
Dresden
July 18, 2019 at 09:00
I don’t have enough free time in my life to learn that game from scratch and grind it as FTP player. But I agree, it’s a brilliant card game.
Jacques Van Zyl
July 18, 2019 at 09:00
Honestly, Arena is the easiest way to pick up the game if you’re interested, plus you get like 8-12 starter decks, and the only grind really is for the cosmetics. Cards you get a-plenty. The mastery/battle pass system is trash, especially for people like me who normally only play one day a week or so.
Still, great card game and Arena is the best way to learn.
Dresden
July 18, 2019 at 09:10
I have Arena on my PC and it’s fun, but I like to delve into a card game properly to learn all the cards and fun mechanics and with MTG Arena it’s simply too much with the limited time I have.
Jacques Van Zyl
July 18, 2019 at 09:10
Yeah, doing a deep dive on MTG is insane – I’ve been playing for just over 20 years now and still often find my self having to google certain card interactions. Game has crazy depth.
Admiral Chief Umbra
July 18, 2019 at 09:19
Great, now I’m in the mood to plant things and avoid work
Original Heretic
July 18, 2019 at 09:37
I just want to avoid work…
Craig "Crios" Boonzaier
July 18, 2019 at 13:23
I thoroughly enjoyed PvZ, gave PvZ 2 a try and realised what a microtransaction hell it was.
So I can only assume this version will continue to include Surprise Mechanics
For the Emperor!
July 18, 2019 at 09:56
PvZ was awesome. I played it on PC. No way I was going to play PvZ2 on mobile though, so I missed out on the micro transactions. Pity though, as my parents would have loved to play it on PC as well! Hell, I would buy the game for a base cost if it comes to PC so we can play it!