Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare

 PC
User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 224 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 155 out of 224
  2. Mixed: 39 out of 224
  3. Negative: 30 out of 224

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  1. Beeferin
    Jul 28, 2014
    7
    On the surface, Garden Warfare seems pretty cartoony and childish, and I won't lie: this game is clearly marketed toward kids/young teens. Essentially, the target audience for the original Plants vs. Zombies. If you liked Plants vs. Zombies at any point in your gaming career, and you enjoy third person shooters, then you've found a game that will fit neatly into a niche in your gamingOn the surface, Garden Warfare seems pretty cartoony and childish, and I won't lie: this game is clearly marketed toward kids/young teens. Essentially, the target audience for the original Plants vs. Zombies. If you liked Plants vs. Zombies at any point in your gaming career, and you enjoy third person shooters, then you've found a game that will fit neatly into a niche in your gaming collection.

    The first thing to note is that there IS customization. Garden Warfare has plenty of customization options, from cool to crazy, that you can deck your plants and zombies out with. Best of all is that the longer you play, the more stuff you'll have to choose from, including taunts and 'characters'. Some of the unique alternate characters genuinely play differently, and it's nice. Keeps things interesting. You can also change aesthetic and statistical aspects of your abilities. Digging even deeper, each class has its own unique 'upgrades' that let you reload faster, carry more ammo, or just generally be a more effective unit.

    Each of the base classes have a niche to fill on the battlefield. Sunflower/Scientist are the healers, Peashooter/Soldier are the base front line fighters, Engineer/Chomper are specialists, while Cactus fills a genuine sniper role and All-Star is a heavy, in-your-face class. If you've ever had a chance to play Team Fortress 2, the classes all fit similar niches, but diversify more because of their abilities.

    First thing most players do when they boot up the game is hit Multiplayer. The Welcome Mat is just that: it's there to welcome new players to the game by leaving out customizations, upgrades and ability variations. It's very much the stock version of Garden Warfare. One thing you'll notice immediately is that Zombies have an overwhelming disadvantage against Plants. Unless your team consists of solid, experienced players on the Zombie side, Plants tend to win quite often.

    The reason for this is largely because, one on one, Plants overwhelm the Zombies. In fact, there are plenty of situations a Plant can find itself in against multiple Zombies and come out the victor. They tend to do more focused damage and have more useful abilities. It also doesn't help that their healers are mobile, while Zombie healers have to camp. The only chance a Zombie team has of victory is to move as a group. Running off solo without tagging along with at least one other Zombie is a recipe for failure no matter what class you choose.

    Another thing you'll notice quickly is that the spawn system is fairly wonky. It has a tendency to spawn the enemy behind you, where you'll often be flanked immediately. Keeping an eye out behind you at all times is absolutely crucial to avoid an enemy sneaking up on you. Thankfully, in objective based game modes, this isn't a problem.

    Once you learn the flow of a battle and that teamwork is far more crucial in this game than in other shooters, no matter the game mode, it becomes a smoother ride. This game is not for solo warriors, unless you're playing on the Plant side. Then you have a legitimate chance of making an impact on your own.

    There are naturally other game modes - several variations of multiplayer, Garden Ops - and they each have their pros and cons, but you'll have to play them to really get an idea of what you like. Then, just stick with it. There's plenty of content to keep you busy for a while, but its flaws are readily apparent. If you can look past that, well, it's certainly worth the money.

    Oh, and in case you're wondering, the Digital Deluxe version is only worth it if you give a crap about aesthetics. The actual unique aesthetics you get for it are minimal at best.    … Expand
  2. ANTI-
    Jul 3, 2014
    7
    Great game +9, lazy porting -2. Gameplay is solid and a good evolution for the franchise. Think a 3rd person, asymmetrical version of Battlefield without vehicles. Unfortunately, mics are defaulted to transmit for everyone with no option for push-to-talk or to permanently turn off all voice chat. At the start of almost every match, you will be sonically assaulted with audio clutterGreat game +9, lazy porting -2. Gameplay is solid and a good evolution for the franchise. Think a 3rd person, asymmetrical version of Battlefield without vehicles. Unfortunately, mics are defaulted to transmit for everyone with no option for push-to-talk or to permanently turn off all voice chat. At the start of almost every match, you will be sonically assaulted with audio clutter including annoying white noise, slight feedback, or irritating chatting/music from players, some who don't even realize they are broadcasting. The quick fix is to mute everyone at the start of each match. And then again if anyone with an annoying mic joins in-game. And finally again in the between game lobby. This is the epitome of lazy porting even though there are multiple articles where devs deceptively claim this game will not be a simple port. There is no written chat function. You cannot create a party with friends in-game, it must be done out of game thru Origin. There are a handful of minor bugs, quality-of-life issues, and rare crashing even though the game was released almost half a year ago for consoles . Ultimately a fantastic and humorous shooter soiled by terrible porting and not enough polish.… Expand
  3. saulot
    Aug 8, 2014
    5
    Like many Free 2 play team battle games PVZ garden warfare offers a solid team shooter with okay graphics and solidly distinct roles. How ever it is not free to play and if this were any other game besides a PVZ game the fanboy scores wouldn't be there to put this as high as it is. At the end of the day its an shooter with dated graphics quite a few bugs and a hefty price tag to go withLike many Free 2 play team battle games PVZ garden warfare offers a solid team shooter with okay graphics and solidly distinct roles. How ever it is not free to play and if this were any other game besides a PVZ game the fanboy scores wouldn't be there to put this as high as it is. At the end of the day its an shooter with dated graphics quite a few bugs and a hefty price tag to go with it. Returned… Expand
  4. adff500
    Aug 25, 2014
    6
    +++ Pros +++
    1. Various maps (over 10 + day/night versions).
    2. Co-op and Versus modes (also for beginners).
    3. Funny characters (8 total) and enemies.

    --- Cons ---
    1. Graphics are pretty poor.
    2. Lack of depth (planting and combat is very limited).
    3. Minor lags and connection issues (tested with 50 Mbps line).

    A decent online multiplayer shooter,that doesnt take itself too seriously.
  5. chez
    Aug 3, 2014
    7
    Must try for any FPS fans who like the PvZ franchise.
    Pros:
    Graphics
    Online gameplay has almost no lag
    Very easy to find a group to play with
    Card pack system and class unlocks keep game interesting

    Cons:
    Lack of game types for online multiplayer
    class system is very basic
    soundtrack is mediocre
    almost non-existent game updates/content updates
  6. Deathwafflez
    Nov 3, 2014
    7
    A well-made game i found it unbalanced at times all-star sucks and some characters OP *cough* marine bio but fun. getting gold is also quite slow and the 40,000 character packs are often a piece of crap but overall a fun experience ultimately flawed but fun
  7. YoloGamer
    May 5, 2015
    6
    ALOT OF LAG FOR ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(:(
  8. jonatan
    Aug 13, 2015
    5
    I bought this game to play with my friend at his home. The game is magic and fun but I thought 2p couch play meant you could actually play the full game with a friend home. But, it turned out that couch playing only allows "survive the incoming waves"-mode. It is far from what I expected.

    Home alone online = 10!
    couch play with friend = 2!
    My score: 5!
  9. SirWondra2001
    Aug 21, 2020
    7
    It is a awesome game. Lots of fun. But game has one big problem. Game breaking bugs. boring characters and even uselles characters. Bets mode in game is called "Garden OPS" but it is still realy buggy and sometimes we had problem with connecting on each other. if you want to play classic multiiplayer you might be forced to play "Gardens and Graveyards". Every other modes are pretty much dead.
  10. Manchesterfc
    Sep 6, 2023
    7
    Pretty fun but I don't like the way they did quest but everything else is good.

Awards & Rankings

93
#93 Best PC Game of 2014
100
#100 Most Discussed PC Game of 2014
92
#92 Most Shared PC Game of 2014

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
78

Generally favorable reviews - based on 11 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 11
  3. Negative: 0 out of 11
  1. Riot Pixels
    Aug 4, 2014
    65
    Garden Warfare gives out a weird vibe. It has solid gameplay, cool look and almost no game-breaking bugs, but it doesn’t have a heart. As if even its creators did not care about their project and made it only because the higher management told them to.
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  2. Digitally Downloaded
    Jul 21, 2014
    80
    While this game might have the look and feel of a "family friendly" shooter, the reality is that the people playing it are of a standard to make it one for the shooter veterans who want a change of scenery from the brown wasteland battlegrounds.
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  3. SpazioGames
    Jul 18, 2014
    75
    If you are looking for a fun third-person shooter, well-crafted, rich in content and sold at a honest price, there's really no reason not to install Plants Vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare on your PC.
    Read full review
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