➤ Military green thumb 🎮

Do you want to know how well a brand is managed? Ask the managers of Plants vs Zombies that from an excellent mobile game, they managed to move to the console sector without overselling the brand and turning the excellent tower defense mechanics into a shooter absolutely worthy of respect, perfectly accessible by young and old. This without considering the whole franchise made up of gadgets, soft toys, t-shirts and so on. Plant Vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare was one of the most interesting titles in the early months of Xbox One's life, although there were not so many game modes. Now, two years later, we are ready to analyze the sequel: will PopCap Games have used the right fertilizer?

Will Plant Vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 be able to repeat the success of the original?

The eternal struggle for public green

Plant Vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 takes place in a stalemate. The clash between flowers and brain-eaters has in fact come to a standstill, the two factions live perched in their respective fortresses, separated by a strip of land in which none of the sides can excel. An exhausting conflict, full of acts of heroism and moments of cowardice, which deserves to be sung by bards and minstrels and which instead at best collect a few screams from zombies who love disco dance. This setting allowed PoPCap to create the first real big news of the game. Instead of a simple menu in which to select the game mode or open some pack of stickers, at each access we will be greeted by a real single player hub in which the sections of the title are represented with objects or places.

For example, to play a multiplayer game we will have to turn on the portal and physically enter it. To see our statistics we will be able to take a stroll in a trophy room, while to buy the stickers it will be enough to approach a vending machine and so on. Obviously, everything is mirrored for both plants and zombies and we will be able to change sides at will. In the disputed area we will be able to find secret areas, hidden bonuses or simply excellent opportunities for quick sessions in Horde mode. In fact, at the center of the battlefield there is a flag that we can hoist to start attracting waves of increasingly powerful enemies, trying to resist as long as possible and to scrape together some coins to use for our purchases. Unfortunately, this choice has a price: the game requires a continuous online connection, even for solo missions, so that every progress can be recorded online. Graphically speaking, however, the game runs at 60 fps on both game systems, but on Playstation 4 the resolution is 1080p, while on Xbox One it is 900p. In this hub we will also find another very important novelty of this second chapter: the single player missions, which will allow us to experience our troops in a series of increasingly difficult clashes against enemy forces, relying on the help of some bots. In total the missions are about twenty, more and more difficult and with a fairly varied game design. In some we will simply have to defend our base camp, in others we will have to infiltrate the enemies, recover specific objects or eliminate a particularly tough boss. The best so far was the one inside a shark's mouth that we had to treat for toothache; Yes, you read that correctly. While not a hair-pulling addition, these solo missions are undoubtedly a welcome change for those looking for something different or wanting to get familiar with the game. Furthermore, if you want, all the multiplayer modes can be played with bots, or perhaps in local split-screen with a friend who, by connecting with his account, will be able to accumulate money and experience as if he were at home.

Meadows and graves

The heart of the game obviously remains the multiplayer modes, which in addition to the great classics are enriched with some new options that make the gameplay increasingly varied and absurd. In total there are seven multiplayer modes: the inevitable Welcome Mat, in which only the basic characters can be used and those who die too often have a health boost, a mode that mixes all the others in random battles, the team deathmatch team, one in which we have to confirm the killing by collecting light globes, a "conquer and control" with three control points, Bomb in which we have to blow up the opposing gnomes by taking them to our base and defending them for a few seconds, and finally Tombs and Gardens, in which you have to capture a series of control points within a certain period of time until the final confrontation and where the plants can finally also attack.

In this mode PopCap Games has indulged itself, because each of the beautiful and gigantic maps has as a final control point a minigame different from the others that completely messes up the cards on the table and that varies according to who attacks and who defends. In one we have to aim three mirrors to thaw a huge zombie yeti, while in another we played a kind of soccer game in which we had to push huge colored balls into the opponent's goal. For those who prefer to play in cooperative there are also the Garden Ops for four players, which must be faced as a real horde mode in which it is essential to coordinate with your teammates. In conclusion, it may be a very simple game (and it isn't) but Plant Vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 is undoubtedly a title full of things to do. Yes, because obviously both online and offline missions are tied to a series of objectives and rewards that will give us multipliers of experience and money, the perfect ecosystem to always guarantee us a reason to play another game. Also to be commended is the game's netcode which, at least for the moment, seems solid as a rock from day one, exactly like its predecessor. Another point in favor: Electronic Arts has promised a lot of free content. We hope that any new maps are as beautiful as the current ones, colorful and huge scenarios in which it can happen to get lost among the thousands of fun details.

Xbox One achievements

Plant VS Zombies Garden Warfare 2 can count on 51 achievements for the usual 1000 points. Most achievements are unlocked by eliminating a certain number of enemies or under certain conditions. For example by killing a plant using the goat or with a very specific skill. The other achievements instead concern unlocking new characters, completing a certain number of multiplayer sessions or changing the appearance of our soldiers. Overall not a difficult title to "mill", but it could still take a long time.

Chlorophyll or rotten brains?

Obviously, there were also additions to the roster of game classes, which are full of decidedly interesting news and at the moment perhaps a little too powerful. Plant side we have the Rose, which fires homing bullets, stuns and can do area damage for a short period of time; the Cedar, equipped with lasers, temporary shields and the ability to become a sphere that knocks down enemies; and the Cob, equipped with air strikes, The Matrix-style somersaults and powerful cannons.

The remainder are those of the first chapter: the Sunflower, the Peashooter, the Cactus sniper and the fearsome Masticazombie, still one of the most fearsome plants in the hands of an experienced player. On the side of the brain-eaters we have instead the Zombolino, which can throw enemies in midair, shoot at 360 ° for a few seconds and above all summon a Titanfall-style mech with incredible firepower. Then there is the Pirate, who can count on a parrot drone that launches bombings, a cannon, explosive barrels and a weapon that can both act as a sniper and a short-range flak cannon. Finally, the Zombie Superhero represents the melee class, as it can count on flying punches and kicks, but also on a deadly death ray and a sort of Hadouken. The confirmed zombies are the Soldier, the Scientist, the Star Player and the Engineer. In both cases, the "historical" classes have not undergone any additions whatsoever, unless you get the pieces for the special characters. In fact, what will make you want to accumulate a lot of coins (or spend real money) will be the possibility of unlocking different versions of the various soldiers who will be able to count not only on new aspects, but also on different skills. For example, the Cedar could launch rays that freeze the opponent, the Scientist could count on a weapon that fires sonic waves (complete with dolphins stuck on it), the Sunflower launch electric discharges that hit nearby targets and so on. In total we will be able to unlock more than 100 special characters, some of which are particularly rare, the so-called "Legendary Characters", which obviously can only be obtained by opening the most expensive card packs (and with a little luck). As for the balance of the various classes, let's say that everyone will undoubtedly find their favorite character, but in some cases the developers may have fallen in love with the character a little too much. La Rosa is a seemingly light hero but capable of doing incredible damage as a support, thanks to her area stun and homing bullets. The Cedar is another very powerful class and even the Pirate, thanks to the two fire modes, seemed to us all too versatile. Of course, given the nature of the game, we weren't expecting an ultra-balanced shooter, but maybe a few tweaks wouldn't be a bad idea.

Comment

Tested version Xbox One Resources4Gaming.com

8.5

Readers (17)

8.2

Your vote

Plant Vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 is a very solid, colorful and fun game. The mechanics are based on the tried and tested foundations of the previous one, the new modes enrich the offer and the same can be said of the new characters, also given the possibility of multiplying your roster of characters.