Plants vs. Zombies review (2009)
PC Gamer has republished a classic review of the tower defense game Plants vs. Zombies from the magazine’s May 2009 archives (Issue #200), originally written by game developer Tom Francis. The review verdict was unambiguous in its praise, describing the PopCap game as “huge, cheap, superb” — a combination of significant content, affordable pricing, and exceptional quality that clearly resonated with players and critics alike.
The article frames this republishing as part of PC Gamer’s archival initiative to resurface in-depth feature content from older print issues that never transitioned to the website when the publication went digital. In doing so, the outlet is introducing contemporary readers to perspectives and reviews from the magazine’s history, preserved in their original formatting and presentation.
The reviewer’s personal experience with the game is telling: they invested over 200 hours into Plants vs. Zombies, with the majority of that time spent in the Zen Garden mode — a relaxed, sandbox-style feature that contrasts with the timed tower defense challenges of the main game. The excerpt suggests the reviewer found significant staying power and enjoyment in the title, a testament to PopCap’s design that has proven remarkably durable across multiple platforms and nearly two decades of gaming trends.