Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville

 Xbox One
User Score
5.6

Mixed or average reviews- based on 112 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 46 out of 112
  2. Mixed: 24 out of 112
  3. Negative: 42 out of 112
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  1. max_bolton_
    Oct 20, 2019
    10
    This game is absolutely great, maybe not as good as the others, but a fun game for sure!
  2. Unlike
    Oct 22, 2019
    10
    Had a lot of fun has its problems but are problems that will clearly be fixed one day
  3. dman7335
    Oct 22, 2019
    8
    Plants Vs. Zombies Battle for Neighborville is a fantastic game, from the PvE to the PvP, the whole game, just oozes greatness even if the game has some notable issues. The PvE areas are a HUGE step up from the previous title, PvZ Garden Warfare 2, and each area will put you through several missions leading up to some really creative boss fights. The only "problem" in PvE is that eachPlants Vs. Zombies Battle for Neighborville is a fantastic game, from the PvE to the PvP, the whole game, just oozes greatness even if the game has some notable issues. The PvE areas are a HUGE step up from the previous title, PvZ Garden Warfare 2, and each area will put you through several missions leading up to some really creative boss fights. The only "problem" in PvE is that each region plays out the same, get three items to make larger item that opens up boss area, kill boss, rinse and repeat. The collectibles are what make the PvE areas truly shine, with hunting down golden/diamond gnomes, chests, and other oddities that just sort of fit in the PvZ universe.

    The PvP is also incredible but also is where a majority of my issues come up. I love the design of the characters, new and old, but the balance is still out of whack after four weeks of founders. Those that just picked up the game might think that Nightcap is annoying but if you saw how she was a few weeks ago...let's just say you dodged a bullet there (her Fung-fu ability could kill any zombie from full health down to zero). I love the feeling of the abilities and most characters feel usable to some degree but some more balancing needs to be done (zombies are currently way stronger than plants). The main issue in PvP is the new sprint mechanic. While sprinting does allow you to get back into the fight faster after spawning, it also makes confirming kills extremely hard because once someone takes damage, they just sprint away to regenerate health. I have seen that they are making adjustments to sprinting (hope they make it so when you take damage you can't sprint for a short time) so hopefully that will be addressed sooner rather than later.

    The last small aspect I want to address is the monetization of the game currently. As of the time writing this, there is no MTX in the game but they are coming in the form of rainbow stars. The stars can be used to further the Prize Map (essentially a battle pass for free each month) or to buy items from Rux, but they have said that they will be earnable in game so we will have to see how intrusive they might be down the line once their implemented.

    I love this game and want to see it get better, and only time will tell if the community sticks with it or abandons ship, but I can fully say I'm in it for the long haul.    … Expand
  4. TPF1770
    Feb 7, 2020
    9
    Everyone seems to be hating this game because they removed many amazing features that were in garden warfare 2 and honestly, I don’t blame them for being upset, I myself am quite disappointed. But this isn’t garden warfare 3, it’s battle for neighbourville, it’s a completely different game. We can’t expect it to be the same. Yes the changes are quite strange and some are just poorly madeEveryone seems to be hating this game because they removed many amazing features that were in garden warfare 2 and honestly, I don’t blame them for being upset, I myself am quite disappointed. But this isn’t garden warfare 3, it’s battle for neighbourville, it’s a completely different game. We can’t expect it to be the same. Yes the changes are quite strange and some are just poorly made but we all will get used to them. In fact, after playing battle for neighbourville, I started to have more fun with it than I had for garden warfare 2. Look, garden warfare had many more features but just because battle for neighbourville doesn’t have the same features and introduced new ones (the new upgrade system) doesn’t mean that it’s bad. I mean to be fair it’s less interesting than character variants. However, the game has been a fun experience for me and the new content they add every month keeps the game entertaining. All you need to really do is enter this game with an open mind. Garden warfare is definitely better, but just because it’s better doesn’t mean battle for neighbourville is bad...… Expand
  5. Lushen1212
    Oct 25, 2019
    9
    Muy entretenido, enfocado al multijugador y con un aire a overwatch. Las dos facciones tienen heroes de diferentes clases con diferentes habilidades.
  6. dadaisnothing
    Oct 21, 2019
    8
    Battle for Neighborville is a worthy successor to Garden Warfare 1 & 2, and an entertaining shooter suitable for kids and adults alike. The large free roam PVE maps contain a wealth of content to explore and solo/co-op missions to undertake, and PVP is a lot of fun too. I have played the game solidly throughout its six week "Founders" pre-release and had a blast.

    On the surface BFN’s PVP    Battle for Neighborville is a worthy successor to Garden Warfare 1 & 2, and an entertaining shooter suitable for kids and adults alike. The large free roam PVE maps contain a wealth of content to explore and solo/co-op missions to undertake, and PVP is a lot of fun too. I have played the game solidly throughout its six week "Founders" pre-release and had a blast.

    On the surface BFN’s PVP modes are essentially the same as GW2's, but subtle differences mean that they play quite differently, and veteran players should allow some time to adjust their play style. A longer time-to-kill, and the fact that players can sprint away from combat when they find themselves outgunned, mean that vanquishes are harder to come by. The game is geared towards team play now, and the epic vanquish streaks that some players were capable of in GW2 are no longer the be-all-end-all. This change in direction is reflected in the in-game scoreboard. The only relevant stat used to be the number of vanquishes a player had achieved, but now players are recognised for the amount of work they put into capturing or defending an objective and other supporting roles.

    As was the case with GW2 on release, the rollout of BFN’s multiplayer modes has been marred slightly by balance issues. EA have released one balance patch so far, one goal of which was to weaken the new Nightcap character whose devastating Fung Fu attack was sapping the fun for many players. Unfortunately the pendulum has swung too far in the other direction, and the zombie team currently seem to have the upper hand. However I am sure that there are further patches forthcoming, and that we can expect a reasonable balance to be struck before long.

    Another big change is the removal of character variants (Ice Pea, Fire Pea, Toxic Pea, etc.). Garden Warfare 2 had over 80 character variants to unlock, which was a big drawcard for many players, and ensured that the game would keep players busy for countless hours while they levelled each character. BFN has done away with variants in favour of unlockable upgrades, which let players customise each character to their play style. But the ease with which characters can be levelled up means that some players will master every character within weeks, and might lose interest after that.

    The jewel in Battle for Neighborville's crown is undoubtedly its PVE areas, which are a big step up from what was on offer in GW2. There are four PVE maps, each containing campaign missions, side quests, and hidden items to collect. Whereas I wouldn't have recommended either of the Garden Warfare games to solo players, BFN has enough PVE content to make it compelling even if you're not a fan of multiplayer. Again, it remains to be seen if the PVE content remains attractive once players have completed all of the missions on offer. Popcap/EA have been generous with adding new content to GW2, so hopefully they will add more PVE areas to BFN as the game evolves.

    Despite early reports of lag and aiming problems on the PC platform, I have found single player performance on Xbox to be fine, and not noticeably different from GW2. Split screen co-op does suffer from slight lag when one player opens a menu, but it’s not a deal breaker.

    Nevertheless, performance issues, along with the changes I outlined above, have resulted in an outcry from veteran players disappointed with the franchise's new direction (see the negative Metacritic user reviews, for example). However I think that once the dust settles BFN will be recognised as a solid addition to the series.    … Expand
  7. Crodis
    Oct 18, 2019
    9
    It's fun AND educational! I learned a lot about corpse/flora interaction from this game. I'm gonna be a scientist when I grow up. Play this game and you will be come smart like me. If you do not play this game you will grow up to be stupid, but play Zombies because plants give you valuable minerals and fibre and stuff for a healthy diet and zombies just give you diseases
  8. Panchogul
    Mar 15, 2021
    8
    El juego es buenísimo por donde quiera que se le mire, el modo de un solo jugador está bien entretenido, nada de que quejarme al respecto, el modo multijugador en línea es MUY divertido, muy variado y loco, pero por otro lado es exageradamente injusto y se bugea bastante pero creo que se debe a mi conexión a Internet.
  9. Adailson
    Apr 9, 2020
    10
    an incredible game, i have immensely fun with the game, great graphics, good mechanics, charismatic characters, basically one of the best games i have ever played
  10. Loggamer777
    Feb 27, 2020
    8
    I've loved this franchise for 10 years and yes this game isn't the best in the series but it's just EA trying to make up there mistakes and people just won't understand that. yeah variants are gone and i miss them too but just give it a shot and EA is trying to make a good game but they missed some key things and it gets some sorry reviews. Please give this game a chance. Whatever is wrongI've loved this franchise for 10 years and yes this game isn't the best in the series but it's just EA trying to make up there mistakes and people just won't understand that. yeah variants are gone and i miss them too but just give it a shot and EA is trying to make a good game but they missed some key things and it gets some sorry reviews. Please give this game a chance. Whatever is wrong with the game they will fix it I promise.This review has 0 offensiveness.… Expand
  11. Bam-Shambles
    Mar 28, 2020
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game is great,the multiplayer could use crossplay to not match up with the same people each round.The story mode is good it is just a bit too easy i finished it in less than a day.zombies also have a story mode but i would suggest the plants story mode due to it being mo finished and more polished… Expand
  12. ZoniX
    Apr 12, 2020
    10
    I know some people didn't like this game, but come on, there's so much possibility by eliminating the subclasses, now we can have more characters than before and it will be more fun!
    And on my own opinion, this game it's very nice and fun! And this is different than the previous games, that makes it better! Because it's not the same thing over and over

    10/10 Nice game
  13. Playmaker1622
    Nov 15, 2020
    10
    Pvz: bfn, es un buen juego con actualizaciones constantes de 1 a 2 meses, con un buen balanceo de personajes, y un multijugador muy estable.

    Recomendable si eres fan de pvz, o buscas un juego de disparos para toda la familia
  14. ANormalPlayer
    Sep 19, 2020
    10
    A mí sí me gustó he jugado más de 120 horas y no me aburre y lo que estoy poniendo aqui es relleno para 75 letras
  15. FuntimeGamer383
    Oct 14, 2020
    10
    Eu não entendo porque teve gente que não gostou do jogo, ele tem potencial! Eu estou jogando mesmo que o jogo acabou, e estou amando! É porque tem aqueles fãs de PvZ mimadinhos que falam mal do jogo, porque ele não é o Garden Warfare 3! E daí? O joogo é exelente! Melhorias legais, mapas muito bonitos, história e diálogos bem humorados, e modelos extremamente bonitos! Comprem. Só porque nãoEu não entendo porque teve gente que não gostou do jogo, ele tem potencial! Eu estou jogando mesmo que o jogo acabou, e estou amando! É porque tem aqueles fãs de PvZ mimadinhos que falam mal do jogo, porque ele não é o Garden Warfare 3! E daí? O joogo é exelente! Melhorias legais, mapas muito bonitos, história e diálogos bem humorados, e modelos extremamente bonitos! Comprem. Só porque não tem variantes, não quer dizer que não seje divertido!… Expand
  16. Robloxcraft_YM
    May 11, 2021
    10
    Muy Bueno esta completo, es divertido, los gráficos son increíbles, es muy colorido, Aunque yo lo jugué en Xbox Series X.
  17. JACOBJORDANBA
    Jun 24, 2021
    10
  18. jakebayne2002
    Dec 23, 2021
    10
    my favorite plants vs zombies game !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good
  19. Elgamerbot99
    May 24, 2023
    8
    Unos de mid shooters favoritos, tiene la mejor jugabilidad de los tres juegos. También es mi saga favorita de Videojuegos, talvez sea el peor de los 3 shooters de PVZ pero es el más divertido.

Awards & Rankings

72
#72 Best Xbox One Game of 2019
34
#34 Most Discussed Xbox One Game of 2019

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 14 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 14
  3. Negative: 0 out of 14
  1. Gamers' Temple
    Dec 31, 2019
    80
    Battle for Neighborville's goofy, cartoonish world makes it a shooter appropriate for younger gamers, but don't dismiss it as a kids' game. The gameplay will please most shooter fans, and it's good to have an option that doesn't take itself too seriously and in which the players are focused on having a fun time. It's a great change of pace for when you want a more laid-back but still fun shooter experience.
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  2. Official Xbox Magazine UK
    Nov 18, 2019
    80
    An endearing shooter that builds on strong roots to excellent and often hilarious effect. [Issue#184, p.70]
  3. Game Informer
    Nov 6, 2019
    78
    Battle for Neighborville delivers exciting competitive and cooperative multiplayer, but an overly complicated economy and inconsistent PvE elements take away from the experience.
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