Game Review: Plants vs Zombies for Android

Plants vs Zombies was one of those US-only apps. Worse, it was only available through the Amazon App Market. Being the geek that I am, I did everything that I could to get hold of the game.


You can skip all these sh*t I have to say and read [S]he Talks App Rating & Review BELOW...


Desperate move 1: I downloaded a hacked version of it on the internet but it crashes after a few levels. Tip: DON'T BOTHER DOWNLOADING A HACKED VERSION OF PVZ AT ALL.


Desperate move 2: A few months ago, the Amazon Market had a bug and I was able to download one "free app of the day". When I finally got money on my debit account to buy the paid version of Plants vs Zombies, the bug was gone and I couldn't freakin' download anything - even the "free app of the day".


Desperate move 3: I tried using Market Enabler, one of my favorite apps that lets you download US-only apps on the Android Market. It was a female blonde moment for me. Market Enabler only works for the Android Market, duh.

And then, the day I had been waiting for arrived.

EA Games announced that PvZ was available for download on the Android Market. Within just a few days after release, I bought the game with much excitement. But the excitement only lasted 2 days.

[S]he Talks App Rating & Review

Plants vs Zombies

by Electronic Arts (EA Games)

RATING: 3 out of 5.

If you play Plants vs Zombies on your laptop or computer, there's not really much to say about playing it on your Android phone. The concept is the same - strategically select plants you need for a level, plant them, and survive waves after waves of brain-eating zombies.

PROS

• Planting on the lawn is so easy. Just click a plant on your slot and the screen and click the space where you want to plant it.
• Interface is smooth on my SGS2. I'm not sure if it's the same for mid-range to low-end Android phones or if the game is compatible with them at all. TIP: If you don't see it on the Android Market, chances are it's not compatible with your phone.
• Great time-killer if you loved PvZ on your PC.
• Crazy Dave, the Almanac, and Achievements are still around. Ah, memories.
• If you finish the Adventure series, you can unlock Quick Play mode and enjoy more hours of fun!

CONS

• Good luck with the 15-minute refund policy of the Android Market. The clock starts ticking as soon as you finish downloading an app. When you launch Plants vs Zombies for the first time, you will need to download an additional 50 MB data or so to play the game. That pretty much eats up the 15-minute chance you have to request a refund.
• Gameplay gets boring. I finished the whole game in 2 days and managed to figure out how to defeat each type of zombie. If it were on the computer, I'd still be able to figure these out but have more difficulty because of the darn mouse.
• Selecting plants from slots is not difficult for me but it could be for you. My phone has a 4.3-inch display and I have normal-sized hands. If your phone has a smaller screen size and you have bigger hands, you'll probably have trouble selecting plants.
• The option to restart a game is within your fingertips, really. It somehow reduces the challenge that's supposed to come with PvZ.
• THERE IS NO ZEN GARDEN. Nuf said.

FINAL VERDICT:

If it weren't for the Quick Play mode, I'd give this game a 2 out of 5. I think it's still more fun (not to mention challenging) on the PC because you have to struggle controlling a mouse to place plants on the lawn. Adventure Mode starts to taste stale after just finishing it in 2 days. I think this game is still best played on a computer or a device larger than 4 inches if you have big hands.

What's your take on Plants vs Zombies for Android?