Plants vs Zombies Battle for Neighborville Review: Better than most current shooters
The quirky shooter has come along way since its mobile gaming origins. Wilson Smith reviews the latest addition to the franchise.
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Forget Ghost Recon: Breakpoint and Borderlands 3, the best shooter game available at the moment is Plants vs Zombies: Battle for Neighborville.
The Plants vs Zombies franchise has come a long way in the last 10 years, moving from our mobile phones to the third-person shooter games on our gaming consoles and computers. As per usual the story is pretty simple, with the town of Neighborville being defended by the plants from the zombies who are starting to overrun the town.
Developed by PopCap Games and published by EA, Plants vs Zombies: Battle for Neighborville builds on the 2016 release of Garden Warfare 2, with a huge amount of content, giving players so much to actually do.
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Not only is there something of a story mode, but players also have access to various PvP (Player vs Player) and Pve (Player vs Enemy) game modes. Accessible via the Social Hub overworld, players can either play as plants or zombies (and change almost at will) in several different story modes, as well as jumping into the PvP area Giddy Park to practice combat or take on other players in multiplayer.
There are various competitive multiplayer matchmaking options in the FUNderdome, including team objective matches, 4v4 games and even a huge 24 player team mode, as well as weekly PvP events.
Plants vs Zombies: Battle for Neighborville is very much an online experience, with players even able to interact with each other in the overworld, but if this isn’t for you, you can switch the Social Hub to private.
The biggest change from previous Plants vs Zombies shooter games is the streamlined character roster and perks system. While Garden Warfare 2 featured different character variants, this has been taken out of the game, but on the plus side more characters have been added into the game, with 20 different playable classes across both factions.
The real customisation comes with cosmetic changes, and the impressive introduction of perks, with players able to adjust their plants or zombies depending on play style, as well as being able to set up to 3 different loadouts for each character.
The game looks visually very impressive, with the cartoon style graphics really give this game a fun appeal, and feels a lot like Fortnite. Also like Fortnite, Battle for Neighborville features a form of a battle pass, as well as various unlockable skins and cosmetics and emotes etc, however unlike many other similar titles out at the moment there are thankfully no loot boxes, microtransactions or real life currency involved.
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Cosmetic purchases are made using the in-game currency, which is earned simply by playing the game, while the battlepasses, known as Prize Maps are free, with a premium option to speed up progression called Rainbow Stars.
VERDICT
While the target audience is clearly a bit younger than other shooters, Plants vs Zombies: Battle for Neighborville is actually a lot of fun for gamers of all ages.
There is an impressive amount of content to get through with various PvP and PvE modes to enjoy and it’s very refreshing to play a game in this genre with no microtransactions or loot boxes.
My only real fault with the game is that the shooting mechanics occasionally don’t seem to perform as they should perfectly, but really isn’t a major issue. It is also worth noting that at launch there will be no cross platform playability, but I believe this is something that will be addressed in the future if enough people are playing.
If you’re a fan of other shooters and the Plants vs Zombies franchise, then you are definitely going to enjoy this and it will be well worth a purchase. Hopefully the game will continue to roll out fresh content regularly to keep players around long term, since it is a real blast to play.
Score: 4/5
RELEASE DATE, PRICE, AVAILABILITY
Plants vs Zombies: Battle for Neighborville is available for purchase now, with a regular retail price of around $49.95 to $59.95, which is pretty good value.
The game is accessible for gamers on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. Currently it will not be available on Nintendo Switch, but it could be ported sometime in the future.
EB Games will be selling it for $59.95, but you’ll be able to get it for $49.95 at JB Hi-Fi or for around $55 on the PS4, Xbox and Microsoft online stores. As always, shop around for the best deal and have fun!
Wilson Smith is a games writer for News.com.au. Continue the conversation with him on Twitter at @wilson_smithdt
Originally published as Plants vs Zombies Battle for Neighborville Review: Better than most current shooters