Plants vs. Zombies: Timepocalypse (Halloween ComicFest Comic) - It's About Time

For those who don’t know, Free Comic Book Day is an annual event where, on the first Saturday of each May, participating comic shops are given special comics by participating publishers to give away for free (this can also extend to figures for the popular Heroclix tabletop game); these comics are mostly reprints of a company’s older comic, but can also feature original material (IDW has used the event twice recently to kickstart a Transformers-related series). Each year, there is also a (lesser-known) follow-up event on the last Saturday in October called Halloween ComicFest, which is essentially Free Comic Book Day Part 2, but usually features different free comics for distribution, often featuring Halloween-themed books in the line-up (this is also a mixture of reprints and original material). Today was one such Halloween ComicFest, and one of the comics up for grabs was a mini-comic from publisher Dark Horse, a print preview of a digital series called Plants vs. Zombies: Timepocalypse (in a similar fashion to the SDCC version of Plants vs. Zombies: Lawnmageddon). Aside from having a funny subtitle, this series is meant to tie in with the mobile game Plants vs. Zombies 2: It’s About Time. Though this is only the beginning of a larger story, I decided to review it anyway to see how well this comic does with interesting the reader in wanting to read more. Having read it, I can say wholeheartedly that this does the job well.

Following the events of Plants vs. Zombies: Lawnmageddon, Dr. Edgar Zomboss builds a Sun Vaccum that will, as the name implies, absorb all sunlight so that zombies can feast on brains unimpeded. However, when he tells a zombie to make some Pop Smarts (Strawberry flavor), the zombie puts them in the Sun Vaccum instead of the toaster, causing it to explode and open a portal, scattering the Sun Vaccum’s pieces throughout time. Zomboss then orders the zombies to go through and retrieve the scattered parts.

Paul Tobin returns as the writer for this comic, which he revealed to me when I got Lawnmageddon signed at Comic-Con, and he does as amazing a job as ever. There’s plenty of humor abound in this snippet of Timepocalypse, and I enjoyed every moment of it, since it’s the kind that fits within the Plants vs. Zombies universe. We also get to see how Nate, Patrice, and Crazy Dave are doing in this, as they are the main human characters, and so far the story does well with fleshing them out from the previous story. Ron Chan also returns as artist (and presumably Matthew J. Rainwater as colorist; the credits are listed in an ad for the digital release), and they again prove to be a great compliment to Tobin’s style of writing and add greatly to the humor value of the story, in addition to making the characters very lively and accurate to the source.

The Halloween ComicFest version of Plants vs. Zombies: Timepocalypse is a great way to get fans of the Plants vs. Zombies comic a reason to come back and make them want to see what happens next. The creative team from Lawnmageddon returns for this series, which is good as I think they did a wonderful job with the previous story and it seems the two will share a similar tonality and enjoyment level as a result. As a preview, I think it managed to hook me once again and I would recommend Plants vs. Zombies fans check this out via its digital release or the inevitable physical hardback; I personally am going to wait for the latter before I review the full comic in the future, mainly because I prefer physical releases. In any case, if you haven’t already and are interested (especially as a fan of the games), I would also recommend checking out the Lawnmageddon comic, as it, while not entirely required, provides some background on the events of Timepocalypse.

Plants vs. Zombies: Lawnmageddon (Full Comic)

I have previously covered the comic Plants vs. Zombies: Lawnmageddon, based on the popular PopCap game, on this blog, although it was a print preview from SDCC of the digital comic that was coming out at the time. I am covering that same comic again, only this time it’s the full package after reading it from a hardcover collection. I have also mentioned a desire to play a couple of Plants vs. Zombies-related games that were then coming out, Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare and Plants vs. Zombies 2: It’s About Time; my interest on those games has since waned, with a complete disinterest in the former due to lack of an offline multiplayer function and being unsure about the latter (despite the fact that I now have a smartphone) due to it being a free-to-play game with micro-transactions (I was somehow lead to believe it would also come to PC, my preferred platform for using plants to kill zombies). I recently acquired the hardcover collection of Lawnmageddon at the last San Diego Comic-Con, even getting it signed by writer Paul Tobin (I wasn’t really aware of when he was signing stuff, I just happened by his signing on the same day I got the hardcover). After having waited to read the comic until it came to print (my preferred way to read about using plants to kill zombies), I would say the investment was totally worth it.

In the city of Neighborville, a large horde of zombies has risen from the sewers in search of brains to devour. Meanwhile, a boy named Nate Timely arrives home and goes up to his treehouse, unaware of the approaching zombies. In his treehouse, Nate hears a noise and, mistaking it for a threat, attacks. However, he receives a counterattack and it turns out to be a girl named Patrice Blazing. The two quickly become friends, but soon afterwards the zombies begin to invade the treehouse. As the two flee from the zombies, they are saved by attacks from sentient plants while Patrice leads Nate to the home of her uncle, known to everyone else as Crazy Dave.

Nate and Patrice's first encounter.

Paul Tobin’s writing definitely captures the spirit of Plants vs. Zombies, working in the various plants and zombies of the game while still managing to tell an interesting and humorous story. While the story can be somewhat serious, its setting allows it a sense of humor that lets it not take itself too seriously. This works in the comic’s favor, since the game itself never really took itself that seriously to begin with. What helps sell the tone of the comic is not only the personalities and interactions between the central characters, but also the occasional gag involving some of Neighborville’s residents, which are always good for a chuckle.

Ron Chan’s artwork does an amazing job replicating the general art style of Plants vs. Zombies, with any new characters drawn such that they seem to fit in with everything else from the game. While everything is represented from the games really well, there is a great range of emotion in many of the plants, allowing you to feel bad for them when something goes wrong while fending off waves of zombies. This is helped by the coloring by Matthew J. Rainwater, who gives the comic a suitably brighter color palette to match the look of the game and give the art more life than it already has.

Crazy Dave is crazy.

Plants vs. Zombies: Lawnmageddon is a comic I would highly recommend to any Plants vs. Zombies fan. The writing has a good amount of humor to it without detracting from the story and the art accurately represents the game while still being fun to look at on its own. If you are interested in reading this comic, I would suggest picking up the physical hardcover collection since you can have the entire comic in one spot. Those that read the comic when released digitally might also want to consider the hardcover if they desire having a physical copy. Though I would recommend this to fans of the series, the comic does a good job of holding up on its own, so those looking for a good laugh may also want to consider checking this one out.

Bejeweled 3 (PS3)

One of my earliest reviews on Trophy Unlocked was for Bejeweled 3, the latest entry in PopCap Games’ popular Bejeweled series of puzzle games (it’s likely the first thing you think of when a match-three game comes to mind). It being one of my first for the blog, I am honestly not satisfied with how it turned out, since I was still learning at the time how to type reviews on a semi-regular basis and I had no idea what I was doing. As such, I wanted to make up for it somehow, so I decided to use the PS3 port of the game, the subject of this review, as an opportunity to do so. Originally I was hesitant about playing a console version of the game, since I feel that many puzzle games of its kind are better with a mouse, but I decided to give it a shot anyway, receiving the game as a Christmas gift (much like how I obtained the original PC version). Having played it for a while I think that, though it is a good port, it does have a few minor issues.

The gameplay of Bejeweled is rather simple: your goal is to match 3 or more like gems on the board to clear them so that more come down and the cycle repeats, generally until you run out of moves. While simple, it can get surprisingly addicting and sessions can last for a good while before you realize what time it is. Each Bejeweled game since the first has improved upon this formula while also adding their own spins on the concept (in one case literally). One thing Bejeweled 3 has to offer is the ability to make matches even while gems are falling, which improves upon gameplay significantly and allows more freedom for combos. It also has some of the best visuals seen in a Bejeweled game yet, which is also evident in the PS3 port, where the gems look more visually appealing than in previous installments. These improvements were in fact so popular that they were used for the retail release of the Bejeweled Blitz Facebook spin-off game. The music is also very good, in that not only is it somewhat memorable, but it also helps to create an atmosphere for each game mode without being distracting.

Bejeweled 3 has plenty of different gameplay options to choose from. One of the first ones that are unlocked from the start, and the first one I went for, is the Quest mode, which is comprised of a series of mini-games where upon completion you help restore a set of artifacts. Some of these mini-games are actually condensed versions of some of the larger options in the main game, some of which are unlocked by reaching a certain point in other modes, so this can give you a good idea of how the game plays on the system and what you are in for should you choose to explore any further. Other options include Butterflies, where you must match butterflies to free them before they reach a spider at the top; Ice Storm, where you must match gems to prevent ice from reaching the top; Poker, in which you must make good Poker hands through matching gems while avoiding Skulls; Diamond Mine, where you have to dig into the ground via gem matching while also excavating gold and artifacts; Lightning, where you must make matches as fast as possible before time runs out; Classic, which uses the gameplay mechanics of Bejeweled 3 while using the original game’s rule of being able to run out of moves; and Zen, an endless form of Bejeweled 3 designed to help you relax. The Zen mode of PS3 version of the game has slightly less options than in the PC version, mainly due to a lack of headphone use on the PS3, but otherwise it can still help with your relaxation (though the ambient noises you can pick from don’t replace the background music like in PC version). Whichever ones you want to play more often are up to your personal tastes, though personally, aside from Zen, my favorites include Lightning and Diamond Mine, and occasionally Butterflies, much like with the PC version.

While the game itself is still fun to play, the thing that took away from it a little was the inability to connect a mouse to play. I know it seems weird to want to use a mouse to play a console game, but try making matches quickly under any sort of time limit while using only the D-Pad, which lead my left thumb to feel a little numb after a while before I took a small break. You can also use the sticks to navigate the cursor across the board, which is sort of like using a mouse cursor, but to me it just didn’t feel quite the same, so I just ended up numbing my thumb with the D-Pad (I kept pulling through with it since it felt more accurate than using the stick). The PS3 version also includes leaderboards, allowing you to compare your scores to that of other players over PSN, however this did not interest me since I like to play Bejeweled without having it feel competitive, so this also may have affected my feelings on the game a little bit. There’s also the effect the port has on SD TV’s, in that the game seems to just barely fit on the screen, though it is still otherwise playable. Despite these personal feelings about certain features, the port is otherwise very well put together. It also features slightly different menu and HUD layouts throughout, but they are done to accommodate the system and are not intrusive on regular play.

The PS3 version of the game also comes with a couple of extra games from PopCap’s library, namely Zuma, a match-three game involving shooting mutli-colored balls at a trail(s) of other multi-colored balls to eliminate them before they reach the end, and Feeding Frenzy 2: Shipwreck Showdown, in which you control a fish that grows bigger by eating other fish in various locales. Since I wanted to get the most out my experience with Bejeweled 3 on PS3, I decided to try those out to see how they played on a console. I have actually played Zuma before on a PC and liked it, so I was able to get some enjoyment out of the game, though I found using the stick to aim instead of a mouse to be slightly awkward at times, sometimes causing me to go off-target with my ball shots (that, and the presence of leaderboards affected me similarly to the main game in the package). By contrast, the controller layout actually works rather perfectly with Feeding Frenzy 2, though I can’t compare it to the PC version since this was my first time playing the game (for the record, I have also not yet played the original Feeding Frenzy game as of this writing). While the game does gradually introduce new gameplay mechanics as well as different fish you can control and consume, it started to feel monotonous after a while when I played the Story Mode Lite option (in which, unlike regular Story Mode, you don’t have to worry about limited lives or continues), so while I’m not saying it’s a bad game, I simply got bored with it after a while and stopped playing.

While not perfect, the PS3 port of Bejeweled 3 is very well-made and can be enjoyable despite its shortcomings. The slightly awkward control scheme makes playing each gameplay option a little more difficult than they need to be, but the overall quality of the port makes it easy to overlook the other faults and still have fun with it. The other two games in the package are still playable for the control schemes they have and they serve as an added bonus for extra replay value (and, for some, Trophies). If you are a fan of Bejeweled, even if you have already played another version of Bejeweled 3, I would still say to give this one a shot if you don’t mind the rough patches with the port’s design. Fans of the Zuma and Feeding Frenzy games, and their ports, might also be motivated to give this game a try, even if it’s just to have a physical copy of the ports of the original Zuma and Feeding Frenzy 2. It may not be as good without the use of a mouse, but this port of Bejeweled 3 is still worth a try for fans of puzzle games.

Plants vs. Zombies: Lawnmageddon (SDCC Comic) - The Seeds Have Been Planted

If you've ever been to San Diego Comic-Con or read our post on it, you know that the convention can be like hell if you let it. One of the good things about it, though, is getting exclusives that you couldn't get anywhere else, be it a special edition of a toy or a comic book among many, many other things. Today, I am going to cover something from the latter, a comic called Plants vs. Zombies: Lawnmageddon. For those unaware, Plants vs. Zombies is a game series developed by PopCap, the same company responsible for the popular and successful Bejeweled puzzle franchise. The gameplay involves planting plants in a garden as you try to protect your house (and your brains) from waves of zombies. I've played some of the game before and I enjoyed what I've played of it, and I plan to play the upcoming sequel titles, Plants vs. Zombies 2: It's About Time and Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare (the latter when it comes to Xbox 360, since I have absolutely zero interest in owning an Xbox One). Getting back on track, Lawnmageddon was an exclusive $2 comic at Comic-Con, via the Dark Horse booth, and with the help of my parents, my brother and I managed to secure a couple of autographed copies right when they were running out for the convention (on Preview Night no less) and I thank them for their effort. I actually got to reading the comic last night, and I can say that I liked what I read...so far.

The story of Lawnmageddon, written by Paul Tobin, follows two kids, a boy named Nate Timely and a girl named Patrice Blazing, as they deal with an invasion of zombies that emerge from the depths of the sewers. The comic itself is only 12 pages long, so I don't think I can say much about the story, but I do think it's an interesting set-up. The introduction of these kids to the world of Plants vs. Zombies may seem odd since there was maybe only one important character in the original game, Crazy Dave, but I do think they're good at their purpose of moving the plot along, since I'm not sure how else you can create a coherent comic out of a game like that (plus, there is actually an interesting way Crazy Dave is worked into the story). Either way, I think Paul Tobin did a good job with the writing from what I have seen.

Then there's the art by Ron Chan, with colors by Matthew J. Rainwater. I think Ron Chan does an amazing job capturing the art style of the game, particularly with the designs of the titular plants and zombies, enhanced further by Rainwater's colors. The new child characters, along with the other humans you see in the comic, also look like they fit right in with whatever shows up from the game. There is no doubt here that Chan and Rainwater did an amazing job in the art department.

Quick, buy it before they run out!

Now the reason I said "so far" and "from what I have seen" is because, when I finished reading the comic, I found out exactly why it was an exclusive: at the back of the comic, on the inside cover, there is an advertisement for Lawnmageddon being a digital comic, which from the ad appears to be a six-issue deal. I decided to review this comic anyway because of the way it was packaged as a one-shot book, but I do plan to revisit this comic later once it finishes its run.

The Comic-Con version of Plants vs. Zombies: Lawnmageddon serves as a good first look at the digital series and gives those that bought the exclusive a good taste of what's to come. For those interested in checking it out, especially if you are already a Plants vs. Zombies fan, I would suggest doing so, either as it is released or, for those who prefer print material (like me), by holding out for the eventual hardcover collection, which can be pre-ordered on the Dark Horse website. I think the print comic that I read is enjoyable so far, but as for the overall quality of the finished product, we shall have to wait and see.

Bejeweled 3: A Gem That Shines Brighter Than Ever

Bejeweled is a puzzle game with a simple concept: Continuously match 3 or more like gems to clear them from a field. It's easy to understand, but it can get challenging and very addicting. It was this that made the game from a simple internet game to one that you can play almost anywhere. It soon became one of PopCap's most popular titles, spawning a sequel, Bejeweled 2, and two spin-offs, Bejeweled Twist and Bejeweled Blitz. Recently, PopCap released the series' true second sequel, Bejeweled 3, and it is no less addicting or challenging.

Bejeweled 3 has 8 different modes, some of which are new to the series and put interesting twists on the gameplay. To start, there's Classic, which is like playing the original game, and ends when you can't make any more matches. Zen is a carry-over from Bejeweled 2 and Twist, with some options added to give the player a sense of relaxation. Lightning is also a carry-over of Blitz Mode from Bejeweled Twist, but now you can increase your time by matching certain gems together with regular ones. Fans of Bejeweled Blitz should feel comfortable with this version.

The two new options I enjoyed the most were Butterflies and Diamond Mine. In Butterflies, you must match Butterfly Gems with other like gems before they inch to the top of the screen, where a Spider eats them and ends the game. In Diamond Mine, the player has to match gems in order to dig underground to collect gold and other treasures. They must do so until they dig to a white line to reach the next level before the time runs out. Once you know what you're doing, these modes can become very frantic, which I liked, and I found them to be an enjoyable, challenging experience.

The new Ice Storm mode is one where you have to clear gems in order to destroy pillars of ice before they reach the top of the screen. The size and frequency of the pillars differ as the game advances, and once they reach the top, you have to act fast to destroy them or the game is over. The other new mode is Poker, where you swap gems to create matching hands of cards, which give you more points the better they are. At times, a skull will appear on one of the options, and you must create a higher hand in order to get rid of it. If you create the type of hand the skull is on, the outcome of the game is determined by a coin toss. While these two modes are interesting, I personally got bored with them after a while because they didn't really keep me excited, but you can have your own opinion.

The last new mode is Quest, where you must complete certain objectives in order to recover artifacts. This can be used as a way to get a preview of the various new modes of the main game, to see what tickles your fancy. The objectives can become very challenging on their own, leading to many close calls. Once you know how the challenges work, you can beat it in a short amount of time, but it is still an enjoyable and satisfying mode to play.

Another part of the game is the ability to earn Badges and swap gems while another set of gems falls into the screen. These were introduced in Bejeweled Blitz, but are no less great additions to the game. Badges are earned when you complete certain tasks, which anyone who enjoys getting achievements while playing will enjoy. The aforementioned new modes of play take the new swapping ability to their advantage, keeping them fresh and addicting.

Bejeweled 3 is a game that I would highly recommend to fans of casual games, especially of the Bejeweled series. Some Hardcore gamers might be turned off by the idea of something as simple as matching gems, but I feel they would be missing out on something spectacular. If you have even the slightest interest in this game, I suggest you try it out.