14 DAY TRIAL // 
Plants vs. Zombies was a breakaway hit for PopCap Games, paving the way for the tower defense genre into the mainstream of the gaming industry. Since then, the studio has delivered some new entries, like Plants vs. Zombies Adventures on Facebook and Plants vs. Zombies 2: It's About Time on mobile platforms.
Now, the studio has brought forth its biggest and most surprising project yet – Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare. The game is a third-person shooter powered by the Frostbite 3 engine, the same great tech used in Battlefield 4.
With the promise of hectic action, a huge amount of customization options, not to mention plenty of great multiplayer matches, Garden Warfare is definitely looking like a step in the right direction for PopCap's franchise.
Does it deliver the goods or should it remain in the tower defense genre? Let's find out.
Plants vs. Zombies games didn't exactly have the deepest of stories, as it mostly revolved around giving players the core tools for the job and just letting them imagine their own reasons for fighting against zombies using common plants.
Garden Warfare is no exception, only this time presenting the conflict from a third-person shooter perspective which, in hindsight, makes quite a lot of sense. Up until now you laid the plants in the ground in a grid-like pattern, but now they can move around the battlefield in the hunt for zombies.
This time around, you can control one of four different characters from each of the two factions. The Plants have the Peashooter, the Sunflower, the Cactus, and the Chomper. The Zombies are formed by the Soldier, the Engineer, the Scientist, and the All-Star.
Zombies have different abilities and weapons, ranging from the machine gun of the Soldier, to the shotgun of the Engineer, the sci-fi blaster of the Scientist, and the gattling gun of the All-Star. Each character can also use three different powers, from a rocket jump for the soldier, to a teleport for the Scientist, and much more. You unlock these powerful skills as you play that class and most are tied to a cooldown, so you can't continuously spam them.
The Plants, on the other hand, use more outlandish attacks. The Sunflower can heal enemies but also zap them with a beam-based attack. The Peashooter, like its name clearly suggests, shoots peas but can also deploy Jalapeno bombs. The Cactus is more of a sniper and he can deploy potato mines or erect Walnut barriers, not to mention launch garlic drones. The Chomper, however, is one of the most outlandish characters, as he can take a bite out of the enemies or burrow in the ground and then launch surprise insta-kill attacks against foes.
Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare relies heavily on a customization system centered on stickers, which are available via sticker packs from the in-game store. You can buy the sticker packs with in-game currencies and, as of yet, there are no microtransaction options, in order to keep things balanced.
There are two competitive multiplayer modes, in the form of Team Vanquish, which is largely based on Team Deathmatch, although it uses a point system a la Battlefield, but also Gardens & Graveyards, which is similar to Battlefield 4's Rush mode.
On the Xbox One you also have access to a Zomboss mode in these competitive encounters, where you get an overhead map and can deploy various abilities on the battlefield, from a radar that spots enemies for troops on the ground, to health kits or area of effect attacks.
The cooperative mode is Garden Ops. Here, teams of up to four players can face off against waves of zombies while protecting their garden from enemy attacks. This is where veterans of Mass Effect 3's multiplayer mode will feel right at home. In each wave you must defeat the AI-controlled zombies and every few ones there are boss encounters where a zombie slot machine dictates what sort of perils you'll face, including tough opponents like the Yeti or the Disco.
Besides using your own skills, you can also plant helpers in special pots, which are acquired via the sticker packs.
Character customization is taken to new heights, as you can add many accessories to your plant or zombie, not to mention find sticker parts for new variations, like the ice Cactus.
In terms of visuals, the game looks really good, rocking a great stylized design and a solid 60fps framerate. The soundtrack is also stellar, as are the actual audio effects. Plant and Zombie noises might become tedious after a while, but they're pretty good.
Conclusion
Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare is an awesome third-person shooter based on PopCap's great franchise. The multiplayer modes are fun, hectic, and require a lot of dedication to master. The Garden Ops mode may be a bit too hard on the latter difficulties, but it certainly promotes teamwork.
