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[PGGB]

I've played the demo for the full 60 minutes and I thought that the difficulty curve was too flat for me, but other than that it was really good. It seems too basic and simple at first, but it's great how at least in the adventure mode it gradually gets more and more varied and interesting, with new elements in nearly every level.
That's a really nice concept, as in Tower Defense games you usually have most stuff available from the beginning, and then the games just throw more and stronger enemies at you.

Cool game and likely very much worth the price

Yep, it may be too easy but it's definitely not shallow but rather quite complex with different tactics depending on what plants you take.

[Guert]

Damn you POPCAP!
You took one hour of my life! And I liked it...

Seriously, you gotta give credit where credit is due: This Popcap game may be a candy-coated shallow time waster but damn it, the high level of polish and the tight "short-goal/mid-goal/long-goal" structure just makes this game plain fun. I mean, I laughed. I exploded zombies. I played bowling with them. It's a freaking tower defense made for grandma and little sister. And it's good. Not perfect but quite enjoyable.

The difficulty was quite low for my personal taste but I'm definitively not their target audience and I understand why the curve ramps up slowly.  If you haven't tried the game, download the demo. Don't be ashamed. It's ok

[skaldicpoet9]

Man, this game is quite awesome. I just got done playing the demo and I have to say I am fairly impressed. I am somewhat surprised that the game was actually this good. I don't know why I wouldn't think it was though...Peggle has been one of my favorite games for awhile now. Pop Cap just has a knack for really fun, quick pick up and play type stuff. The game has a great style and some chuckle worthy moments here and there. When I actually have the money Pop Cap will have my $10 for sure.

[jstckr]

Casual game is an euphemism the industry invented for "bad game". Sadly, the games press media, mindless as usual, accepted this ludicrous bullshit - people did know and notice that games labelled as "casual" were shit when this whole farce began, remember? But nonetheless they stepped ahead and willingly adopted the "concept" of "casual game" into their vocabulary as if it was some kind of new genre - and now we have challenge-less, shallow shit like PvZ being accepted as a good game because of the "high polish and production values" ("candy").

[TeeGee]

Yeah! High polish, good production values, cohesive and minimalistic design, fun gameplay, and mild learning curve! All stupid press buzzwords meant to hide the fact that these game were made by the devil himself!

Give us our serious stuff like gore, manly marines and using 20 buttons (+ quick time events) for the simplest actions back! These are the only qualities defining true games! They push the medium forward, and not these simple stupid games that can actually be -- excuse me the use of strong words -- fun! 

[jstckr]

You did fuck up that strawman you set up there, congrats.

[TeeGee]

Have you even played the game?

[PGGB]

Casual game is an euphemism the industry invented for "bad game". Sadly, the games press media, mindless as usual, accepted this ludicrous bullshit - people did know and notice that games labelled as "casual" were shit when this whole farce began, remember? But nonetheless they stepped ahead and willingly adopted the "concept" of "casual game" into their vocabulary as if it was some kind of new genre - and now we have challenge-less, shallow shit like PvZ being accepted as a good game because of the "high polish and production values" ("candy").

It's fun.

[Nandrew]

It's amazing how anybody could consider PvZ to be "shallow". I imagine that this would be an incredibly difficult game to construct -- the sheer variety of plants, zombies, meta-game elements and unlockables would be enough to give Stephen Hawkings a headache if he had to sit down and design/balance this thing properly.

[WNF]

Beat it and loved it. I thought the puzzle modes were fantastic. At first it was a bit to get used to and it was kind of easy, but I really enjoyed it for a game that was meant for a younger audience (I think?).
To jstckr, you should remember that most people are playing casual games because they're casual and uninvolving (to some degree). If someone does polish it up that doesn't necessarily make it good, but as a casual game PvZ is great. It isn't a genre, casual gaming is a loose fitting label describing any number of games that are released by both professionals and amateurs and that fit into any genre.

[JoeHonkie]

It's fun.

Haha!  This is what I always think when someone tries to posit some pseudo-intellectual argument about why I should objectively dislike a video game.

I'd argue that the level of polish and the amount of attention that PopCap has paid to metagaming elements and alternative modes of play is actually quite stunning, and makes it a lot more complex and rewarding than it otherwise could have been.

I should pick this up, because that's the element that always sucks me in to stupid little games like Insaniquarium: Must get more shells to buy more fish to earn more shells to buy more fish....

[skaldicpoet9]

Casual game is an euphemism the industry invented for "bad game". Sadly, the games press media, mindless as usual, accepted this ludicrous bullshit - people did know and notice that games labelled as "casual" were shit when this whole farce began, remember? But nonetheless they stepped ahead and willingly adopted the "concept" of "casual game" into their vocabulary as if it was some kind of new genre - and now we have challenge-less, shallow shit like PvZ being accepted as a good game because of the "high polish and production values" ("candy").

Pop Cap killed jstckr's dog I bet

[Melly]

That post does feel a bit too hostile jstckr. If you did play the demo, then I guess that's your opinion, and I can see where you might get it from, but it seems disnecessary to be so angry.

For me, though, this game is an enourmous guilty pleasure. It's sickeningly cute in every way, stupidly easy, has a bit too much of the "This plant beasts this zombie, and nothing else" stuff, which is a cheap way to balance things, but fuck is it addictive.

At the good side, it's pretty creative in its design (except for being, you know, a tower defence), it has a solid short/mid/long-term goal structure, like Guert said (beat a level to get a new plant, beat a series of levels to see a new variation of the playing field, beat the game, etc), which greatly helps keeping you going, it's damn cute and may give you some chuckles with its corny humor, etc, etc.

I only wish it had a fucking hard mode somewhere. Survival Endless is as far as that goes, and it doesn't beat you because of strategical difficulty, but simply by overwelming you with more stuff than you can fight again or replace your plants fast enough. Don't expect much of a real challenge in this game, but it's still hella fun.

[Guert]

I agree with the "hard mode" or anything they could add to reach out for expert players. I've been playing Tower defense games since like... WarCraft 3 came out? So I'm kinda used to the style. If the game would walk up to me and said "Hey dude, I got something for your expert skills too. Wanna buy me?" I'd be totaly "Well, hop in you lovely game, you!"

And a coop mode too. Goddamm this game would be quite sweet.  :D