Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare

 Xbox One
User Score
7.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 458 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 322 out of 458
  2. Mixed: 56 out of 458
  3. Negative: 80 out of 458
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  1. partyintheback
    Feb 25, 2014
    10
    Excellent Xbox One debut for the PvZ franchise! :) At just $40, this game's an absolute steal and I recommend it to just about anyone. Popcap Games and EA have a winner on their hands.
  2. imMara
    Feb 25, 2014
    10
    the game is amazing. Lacking a few things like minimap, crouching and sprint, but this things dont take from the overall experience. The game is simply a fun, well put together game. Congrats to PopCap, after PvZ2 I thought that studio was lost.
  3. Troublewalking
    Mar 6, 2014
    7
    After reading some user reviews on metacritic, I decided to jump in and buy this game. I was still worried the game would not be very good. My family and grand children, who love plants vs zombies just happened to come over just as I finished downloading it to my Xbox One. The game was a huge hit. Interestingly it was a bigger hit with some of the adults who like first person shooterAfter reading some user reviews on metacritic, I decided to jump in and buy this game. I was still worried the game would not be very good. My family and grand children, who love plants vs zombies just happened to come over just as I finished downloading it to my Xbox One. The game was a huge hit. Interestingly it was a bigger hit with some of the adults who like first person shooter games. Even those not playing enjoyed watching the plant and zombie carnage. It is certainly a great, family friendly party atmosphere type game. I'm horrible at first person shooters and even I was able to play this game at a level in which I could still have fun.

    The graphics are cute and the customization options are nice. It is a first person shooter multiplayer and it's cute aspect makes it so even those not really into first person shooters can enjoy it. The game uses the buying card packs mentality of many games these days and currently this is in game money that has no mirco transactions. So mom and dad don't have to worry about junior accidentally racking up a bill. The game money is earned easily as everything you do except for being vanquished seems to earn coins. Which means you can easily buy plants or zombies to help you in the different modes. This keeps with the game's cute factor and is fun. Early on it is great fun to buy these packs, customize your toons and enjoy the game.

    The best thing I can say about this game is I bought my Xbox One, bought battlefield 4 and Forza Motorsport. Which pretty much sat around with no one playing. I purchased Plants Vs Zombies, garden warfare for only 40 bucks. And bought Strider for 15 bucks. The 2 games together are about the price of one of the other games. My Xbox One is now used all the time by multiple friends and family. Which is what I was hoping for when I purchased the system.

    My son is a huge fan of the Mario Smash Brothers games. If you have a fan of that game this game will probably be loved and played over and over. The only thing he wishes Plants Vs Zombies had is the Mario Smash Brothers mode where you can watch matches, without playing. Being able to bet coins on matches you watch as Smash Brothers does would probably be popular also.

    The game is pretty much online multiplayer only. The Xbox One split screen mode is a nice offline option, which was a little confusing at first. It seems only the first player's unlocks affect what ranks your toons are. Or if they have opened all 3 of their abilities yet. As long as the first person has purchased some card packs to place plants and unlocked all the ranks of each plant or zombie the split screen action is just as much fun as the live game. Oddly though only the first person seems to earn coins and can buy packs. But the cards he buys are shared by both players. Which means if you keep playing split screen mode. You will have plenty of cards to enjoy the fray. So it is a nice off line option for 2 players. Especially if you have friends who are bit nervous about jumping into the online live action fray.

    The boss mode option is nice for those who want to try the action but are not at all into the shooter aspect. They get a far away view, and can click on sun or brains as the multiplayer action feverishly happens on the screen. And this allows them to buy "cards" like in the original PVZ , using those to help their side to victory in real time.

    The online game modes are fun enough. The Gardens and Graveyards mode has the plants defending 7 gardens. While the zombies have 5 minutes to try to capture each garden. The plants defend one garden at a time, so these are 12 vs 12 or more concentrated in one area battles. The Vanquish mode is a first to 50 vanquishes (kills) plants vs zombies free for all. And the Garden ops is a great up to 4 player co-op play mode, where the plant players have to withstand 10 waves (or more in some instances) of zombie attacks. A very nice addition for those not into player verse player stuff.

    Most players will probably bore of the game quickly enough. Though after a week, the matches are still put together quickly and full. A sign the game is retaining some popularity. I also have not experienced any real problems with the EA servers, others complained about when the game first came out. The price, and the family friendly aspect makes this game worth buying. If EA adds patches regularly, adding different types of matches, more customization options and more maps this game should be a game that fans of these types of shooters will love. Articles I have read say EA plans to add more content, possibly for free. Which should keep this game fun to play for a while.

    If EA adds a patch that allows people to play the original Plants vs Zombies one and two on your Xbox One with this game. It would be a 10. IMO that would make this the perfect online and offline game.    … Expand
  4. Eliut
    Aug 7, 2014
    9
    I must confess that at first this game is not struck me, then I get it on a special offer discounts, And then since I started playing it, I have not dropped... It's so addictive that I did and get the 100% achievement.
  5. JamesDeLuca
    Jan 2, 2015
    8
    Pleasantly surprising. I downloaded this game with the expectation that it would suck major arse. Not the case. This game is fun. Download it and play as a chomper.
  6. Flute
    Mar 9, 2014
    10
    This game is surprisingly fun and will make a nice break between the adrenaline rush matches of titanfall. It runs at 60 fps, doesn't cost full retail which makes giving digital a try bearable, and has plenty of free dlc on the way. The only downside is it's on EA servers but that shouldn't be an issue since this game will never be as big as titanfall or bf4. Go play it and have some fun!
  7. Tylerw065
    Mar 3, 2014
    10
    This game is excellent. I was very sceptical at first to see how it would turn out because of the collaboration with EA. But Pop Cap have brought us a brilliant game, the designs are incredible and the colours are magnificent and vibrant. There is nothing in my opinion that is wrong with this game 10/10 !
  8. jruebear
    Mar 6, 2014
    10
    PvZ Garden Warfare is a fantastic shooter and a stellar multiplayer experience. For competitive gamers, Team Vanquish is incredibly well-balanced given the variety in classes for both the zombies and plants. For cooperative games, Garden Ops is a challenging and fun way to fight waves of zombies. Definitely paying homage to the traditional PvZ top-down strategy game.

    Finally, the    PvZ Garden Warfare is a fantastic shooter and a stellar multiplayer experience. For competitive gamers, Team Vanquish is incredibly well-balanced given the variety in classes for both the zombies and plants. For cooperative games, Garden Ops is a challenging and fun way to fight waves of zombies. Definitely paying homage to the traditional PvZ top-down strategy game.

    Finally, the animations are glorious. If you think kittens are cute, check out the sunflower class. This game works perfectly as a third person shooter. It showcases the game's superb and fun artwork. I recommend this game to anyone who enjoys a good shooter or action game. For me, the game is pure bliss.    … Expand
  9. OmeganOne
    Mar 13, 2014
    9
    This game rocks my socks. It's just plain fun to play! The goofy characters, the technicolor world, just a great intro to on line only shooters. Look it's cheap fun, not Titanfall or COD, it's not suppose to be. Leave the butt brown "gritty' world behind for a while. Living in full color is great, family friendly fun, on the cheap. Only minus is lack of melee attack for all charters andThis game rocks my socks. It's just plain fun to play! The goofy characters, the technicolor world, just a great intro to on line only shooters. Look it's cheap fun, not Titanfall or COD, it's not suppose to be. Leave the butt brown "gritty' world behind for a while. Living in full color is great, family friendly fun, on the cheap. Only minus is lack of melee attack for all charters and lack of off line story mode; these charters are just too funny to look at and I missed not knowing their origin stories. Check it out at a minimum, but at $40 it's a great purchase.… Expand
  10. Rodneyc
    Mar 14, 2014
    9
    Very surprised with how much fun I had playing this game. With all the different game modes, characters, weapons, and special abilities it will be hard to put down. A great game for the kids, wife, or parents anyone would enjoy. It is definitely worth the $40 price point.
  11. therealgiggles
    Mar 26, 2014
    8
    I can't get enough of this game, it's a blast every time I play it. I love the couch co-op mode as well, although it would be nice if you could go into the multiplayer modes with a guest on the same screen. It's at the perfect price as well and would highly recommend any Xbox One user to pick this up!
  12. locoesloco
    Sep 18, 2014
    10
    It´s simply the funniest shooter game ever made. You can change the characters lots of times, you can mock tour enemies. It keeps you playing a lot of time: there are so many locations and modes, and when you get tired of a character, you can easily change it for another in seconds.
  13. JoshLuck1995
    Oct 27, 2014
    8
    Had a play on this after subscribing to EA ACCESS (which I highly recommend) - I wasnt expecting much but this is great fun, it really brings me back to my childhood when I really had great fun on fun games like this. It's great fun give it a go.
  14. youlouz
    May 8, 2015
    7
    Nice game, worth buying

    PROS
    -Great Graphics
    -Good concept
    -Fun online

    CONS
    -Gameplay gets repetitive really fast
    -Not enough characters to choose from
  15. PhoenixEX
    Jan 23, 2015
    8
    This game is a fun third person shooter with lovable characters from the original games. If you have been a fan of the original strategy games, then you may find it quite charming to see these characters come to next gen consoles with full 3d models. This game has beautiful graphics with a word that you can really interact with. When you shoot at a garbage can or a beach ball, it willThis game is a fun third person shooter with lovable characters from the original games. If you have been a fan of the original strategy games, then you may find it quite charming to see these characters come to next gen consoles with full 3d models. This game has beautiful graphics with a word that you can really interact with. When you shoot at a garbage can or a beach ball, it will actually explode unlike the more popular shooter franchises like call of duty. You can explore each map in its entirety by rocket jumping, going into hyper mode, or flying around in a garlic or Zomboss drone. The game is charming with cool characters and abilities. Not only that, but who doesn't like taunts and hats? Well, the game is good but there are some flaws. First off, our copy of the game is loaded with bugs and glitches and can go so far to crashing the entire game. Another things is that the entire game is internet based, so when your internet is down or you don't have an Xbox Live account, then you are pretty screwed. Lastly, there needs to be some nerfing. Although most of the characters strengths are more based on your preference rather then stats, there are some characters that are just generally OP and you would find many people using them. This may stop the variety of abilities. Overall this game is super fun and these problems aren't much to how fun the game is. The game makes a solid 8.3 in my opinion.… Expand
  16. Ripper89
    Oct 28, 2015
    10
    I love this game with a passion. Coolest 3rd person shooter. Good mechanics. Cool characters and amazing customisation. Pity not enough people play this game any more.
  17. PHJ
    Feb 25, 2014
    9
    Plants vs Zombies Garden Warfare is a nice 90 out 100 game, witch mixes perfectly FPS and Casual genres and bring to you the same style, same idea and same objectives that the Tablets version brings to you, but in 3D, with a great Engine and some great Graphics. The weak point is how the engine works in the Split Screen Mode.
  18. NobleDhu
    Feb 25, 2014
    10
    It is a fun and challenging game. The innovation applied in a game that was once simple has exceeded my expectations. A great choice of FPS out of wearing patterns.
  19. Whity1
    Feb 25, 2014
    8
    This is a very fun game. I rated it an 8 right now cause they need to tweak some of the classes and maps.

    One map I've played on the "rush mode" is impossible for the zombies to get past the second stage of the map. I would've said the first but after 8 hours of game play the other team finally made it past the first capture point. Then again we were outnumbered 2 to 1. The foot    This is a very fun game. I rated it an 8 right now cause they need to tweak some of the classes and maps.

    One map I've played on the "rush mode" is impossible for the zombies to get past the second stage of the map. I would've said the first but after 8 hours of game play the other team finally made it past the first capture point. Then again we were outnumbered 2 to 1.

    The foot soldier for the zombies is by far the weakest character in the game. You can't kill somebody with a whole clip of your main weapon and sometimes takes more than 2 clips. His special attack is underpowered too unfortunately. I've had multiple direct hits on people which should have killed them yet didn't. Once they tweak him it will even things out

    The cactus's onion chopper needs a zoom on it. Most of the time you need to get high enough to stay out of enemies sight but thst leads you at a real disadvantage killing someone. Yet if you get close you only have 5 health so one hit from anything destroys you.

    Boss mode was fun but either needs to speed up on the air strikes or give you more points for healing, reviving, and assisting on enemy kills with the radar. Most of the time you don't have anything to do except wait for sun/brains and the cool down of your stuff. I haven't tried it with the tablet but that may make a difference.

    The garden ops was a blast, but had some balancing issues in my opinion. I always felt either severely under challenged or severely overwhelmed. The slots either give you a small challenge or a ridiculous one.

    All in all I've really enjoyed this game so far. For $40 it's definitely worth a buy. Once they tweak the game it will be amazing.    … Expand
  20. Plasmaneedle
    Mar 17, 2014
    8
    This game is not incredibly innovative or standout, but its fun, lighthearted humourous, gameplay make this game easy to love and fun to play. At 40$ it's worth your time.
  21. Sharona
    Feb 25, 2014
    9
    This game is seriously fun! Everyone in my house, young and old are enjoying playing PvZ. Multiplayer and 4 Player Co-Op have been our favorite. And @ $40, it was a total steal.
  22. mikegwald
    Feb 26, 2014
    10
    This is what its all about . FUN and that is what you get when you buy this game pure FUN . this is one of the best games i have played in years its colorful its silly and its very balanced do not pass this up you will have a blast playing 100%
  23. Detroitphan
    Feb 26, 2014
    9
    Very fun, solid well-developed game. It's not your usual COD or BF game, but I think that's a good thing. The unlockable characters and customizations really keep you in the game and wanting to play more. The only gripe I have so far is that the camera angle sometimes, only sometimes isn't that great. I love the look on the XB1 and the controls are pretty tight. I would definitelyVery fun, solid well-developed game. It's not your usual COD or BF game, but I think that's a good thing. The unlockable characters and customizations really keep you in the game and wanting to play more. The only gripe I have so far is that the camera angle sometimes, only sometimes isn't that great. I love the look on the XB1 and the controls are pretty tight. I would definitely recommend this game, especially for the pricetag!… Expand
  24. Her02N0one
    Feb 26, 2014
    9
    Incredible 3rd person shooter! This game has a fun value that I've never experienced in any shooter before. The Smart glass feature when you have a birds eye view on the battlefield is great fun for a kid that isn't the best but wants to help out. This game is highly recommended to anyone interested in a colorful shooter.
  25. DowntownArtist
    Feb 25, 2014
    10
    Excellent game. One of the most games released in 2014. Split Screen feature is amazing and the co-op mode allows you to enjoy this crazy game with your friends. 10/10
  26. Randomman93
    Feb 25, 2014
    10
    First off all, i cannot belive this game only got 6.7 user score, as i am writing this review. I downloaded the full game, and well.. I played it for 8 hours straight, and thats rarely the case with me. Excellent amount of details in both the plants and zombies, great maps, fantastic graphics, and most importantly- Wow at the amount of stuff you unlock in the game! Its just crazy. EveryFirst off all, i cannot belive this game only got 6.7 user score, as i am writing this review. I downloaded the full game, and well.. I played it for 8 hours straight, and thats rarely the case with me. Excellent amount of details in both the plants and zombies, great maps, fantastic graphics, and most importantly- Wow at the amount of stuff you unlock in the game! Its just crazy. Every plant and zombie you use have each own level plus a main progession level. To level a plant or zombie, you have to do specific challeges for that plant or zombie. There are also alot of accesories to unlock for the plants and zombies, like new glasses, weapons, new hats, and alot more. All in all, just get this game already- its Amazing, it really deserves a 10 of 10!… Expand
  27. Teslacise
    Mar 8, 2014
    6
    When I first installed it I only played the "Garden Ops" mode, and it was a ton of fun. Now that I've tried playing the other multiplayer modes I've found the game to be full of server lag with a good stable internet connection which makes the game nearly unplayable. It's quite disappointing because if this worked I would give the game a 9 out of 10.
  28. PrometheanSigma
    Feb 26, 2014
    8
    A great improvement to the PvZ franchise, Garden Warfare will keep you entertained, and will keen your head in the game.

    First of all, this game is stupid. This is not bad - it might be stupid, but it's hilarious and extremely fun. There are 2 games I want to reference here that I think this game was partially modeled after. First of all, Mass Effect 3 veterans might realize the similar    A great improvement to the PvZ franchise, Garden Warfare will keep you entertained, and will keen your head in the game.

    First of all, this game is stupid. This is not bad - it might be stupid, but it's hilarious and extremely fun. There are 2 games I want to reference here that I think this game was partially modeled after. First of all, Mass Effect 3 veterans might realize the similar shop system, item system, and several characters per class. Battlefield veterans will realize the similar gameplay and classes. This game is definitely one of the best Xbox One semi-exclusives, and you won't regret buying it.

    One of the problems I found, and one of the reasons I'm penalizing the game are because of the godawful servers. I can't find a match making game without my Xbox being put into stasis waiting for a game, or errors connecting.    … Expand
  29. marvelousmighty
    Feb 27, 2014
    9
    PvZ:GW is very similar to "Conquer's Bad Furday". It's a lot of fun. After each match you get token's based upon how you did that match & if you won the battle. You can use these tokens to purchase decks of card's that give you different cosmetic options, upgrades & different classes. I've actually had more fun on PvZ:GW than I did on Titanfall's beta. It has a competitive, yet lightPvZ:GW is very similar to "Conquer's Bad Furday". It's a lot of fun. After each match you get token's based upon how you did that match & if you won the battle. You can use these tokens to purchase decks of card's that give you different cosmetic options, upgrades & different classes. I've actually had more fun on PvZ:GW than I did on Titanfall's beta. It has a competitive, yet light hearted fun vibe to it that's hard to describe.… Expand
  30. wbox
    Mar 1, 2014
    10
    Very fun game, espeically good for kids and FPS beginners! The style is funny and shooting is fun. My kids could not stop playing this. Good job, Pvz guys!
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Awards & Rankings

37
#37 Best Xbox One Game of 2014
15
#15 Most Discussed Xbox One Game of 2014
34
#34 Most Shared Xbox One Game of 2014

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 65 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 44 out of 65
  2. Mixed: 21 out of 65
  3. Negative: 0 out of 65
  1. GameCritics
    May 16, 2014
    75
    With a variety of interesting characters and well-balanced gameplay, Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare should have been a perfect entry-level team-based FPS, letting younger and more casual audiences learn about the fun of meeting others online and shooting them in the face. Sadly, the frustrating unlock system puts a damper on that, and it never manages to make players feel rewarded for playing.
    Read full review
  2. games(TM)
    Apr 9, 2014
    80
    Thoroughly and unexpectedly wonderful. [Issue#146, p.102]
  3. Games Master UK
    Apr 7, 2014
    68
    Like homemade fertiliser, it does the job, but not like the proper stuff. Also, it whiffs a bit. [May 2014, p.67]
See all critic reviews »