Plants vs. Zombies is already such an established and widely beloved brand that PopCap could easily drop slapdash ports on every console, handheld, phone, and tablet and emerge more or less unscathed. But the casual giant doesn’t trade in quick adaptations and lazy cash-ins — as evidenced by the previous console, handheld, and even iOS editions of Peggle — so it comes as no surprise that the Xbox Live Arcade version of Plants vs. Zombies has been custom-fit for the Xbox 360, with reworked controls, extra gloss, and worthwhile new features.
Despite being a streamlined offshoot of the tower defense genre, Plants vs. Zombies faces the same hurdles as real-time strategy ports: the immediate sensation of pointing and clicking is difficult to recreate with analog sticks and buttons. But the game’s core simplicity aids in the transition to the 360 controller, as the grid-based lawns and rooftops mean you can easily flick between planting spots, and picking up sunlight icons is as simple as moving the cursor or pulling the right trigger. What’s here isn’t as precise or nuanced as using a mouse — or the fantastic touch interface of the iPad version — but it’s as suitable a replacement as possible on a standard controller.
