If you told me that PopCap was looking to branch out its Plants vs. Zombies franchise into other genres, I'd simply shrug at its inevitability. If you told me that their first attempt at expansion was the class-based shooter Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare, I'd raise my eyebrows quizzically. If you told me that Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare was a genuinely good game, said eyebrows would lift right off of my head and soar into low orbit.
Yes, Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare is a class-based, multiplayer shooter--an obvious attempt, given the popularity of Call of Duty and EA's own Battlefield franchise--and it's a surprisingly competent one that manages to work really well in spite of the legacy of its franchise. Taking the previously strategic game and reworking it as a pseudo-Team Fortress 2 is a ballsy move, and in spite of a few missteps it's a worthy addition to the franchise.
There's really no need for explanation on PvZ from a story standpoint. Plants and zombies duke it out, case closed. Sure, there are a few hints at the greater mythology of the series (Crazy Dave and Zomboss, for example) but any sense of story or progression is thrown completely out the window in exchange for self-contained multiplayer arenas where plants and zombies blast each other to smithereens. Once you wrestle with the remarkably unruly process of syncing the game up with EA's Origin services (inexplicably, I had to build a whole new account and was unable to tie the game into my existing account), you're plunked into a lobby where you can engage in co-op or competitive matches or, in the case of the Xbox One copy I'm reviewing, engage in some local split-screen co-op.
There are several classes to choose from on each side, and they're fairly analogous to Team Fortress' various types. Sunflowers are the game's healer units, peashooters are your basic shock troops, etc. The same holds true on the zombie side, with parallel classes to even out the two groups. There's really no advantage to playing Plants over Zombies or vice-versa, so most of the initial decision can be chalked up to personal taste. Once you're in the game proper, the more strategic elements of the game start to sprout: select points on the map can be set up with automated weapons to help hold down chokepoints, and completing certain actions will net you a quantity of coins, which in turn are used to buy Sticker Packs.
Thus, the self-sustaining organism of PvZ:GW really starts to show some of its flaws. The Sticker Packs, while incredibly nostalgic for this reviewer (I was raised on Panini sticker books), require a decent amount of in-game currency to purchase, meaning that there are times that you are "grinding" through certain levels without these helpful buffs, fighting a losing battle just to try and get more money to buy more Sticker Packs. Of course, sometimes you don't get all of the helpful units you were hoping for, and instead get things like moustaches and tattoos to customize your in-game avatars, or a portion of a larger unit that you collect piecemeal. It gives the game a weird rhythm that can be frustrating, especially in the multiplayer sphere.
But even when you're strapped for support, the game itself is a lot of fun, with a certain irreverence that a lot of the dead-serious shooters of the day are lacking. The graphics are clean and bright, with sharp textures and cartoony style that may not have the breathtaking photorealism of a AAA shooter, but are no less alive for it. Sound is suitably punchy, from the bursting pop of a peashooter round to the satisfying snap of a zombie's head being liberated from its body.
Hopefully (inevitably), there will be a few more game modes to round out the experience via DLC, as the team deathmatch mode, while fun, starts to wear thin after a while. Even the co-op only goes so far, but what's on display here, as lean as it is, is nothing less than a blast.