<s>
Plants	B-Application
vs.	I-Application
Zombies	I-Application
:	I-Application
Garden	I-Application
Warfare	I-Application
is	O
a	O
2014	O
multiplayer	O
third-person	O
shooter	O
and	O
tower	B-Application
defense	I-Application
video	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
PopCap	O
Games	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Electronic	O
Arts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
third	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
Plants	B-Application
vs.	I-Application
Zombies	I-Application
franchise	O
,	O
the	O
basic	O
premise	O
revolves	O
around	O
plants	O
defending	O
humankind	O
from	O
a	O
zombie	O
invasion	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
PopCap	O
Games	O
began	O
the	O
development	O
of	O
Garden	B-Application
Warfare	I-Application
in	O
early	O
2012	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
decided	O
to	O
eschew	O
the	O
series	O
 '	O
tower	B-Application
defense	I-Application
roots	O
and	O
use	O
the	O
game	O
to	O
introduce	O
the	O
franchise	O
to	O
a	O
broader	O
audience	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
team	O
was	O
inspired	O
by	O
other	O
team-based	O
shooters	O
with	O
colorful	O
visuals	O
such	O
as	O
Team	B-Application
Fortress	I-Application
2	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
is	O
powered	O
by	O
the	O
Frostbite	B-Application
3	I-Application
engine	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
team	O
collaborated	O
closely	O
with	O
Frostbite	B-Operating_System
's	O
developer	O
EA	O
DICE	O
when	O
implementing	O
its	O
technology	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
revealed	O
at	O
E3	O
2013	O
,	O
and	O
released	O
in	O
February	O
2014	O
as	O
a	O
budget	O
title	O
for	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
and	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
,	O
followed	O
by	O
versions	O
for	O
Windows	O
,	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
later	O
in	O
the	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
supported	O
by	O
several	O
pieces	O
of	O
free	O
downloadable	B-Protocol
content	I-Protocol
upon	O
its	O
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
sequel	O
,	O
Plants	B-Application
vs.	I-Application
Zombies	I-Application
:	I-Application
Garden	I-Application
Warfare	I-Application
2	I-Application
was	O
released	O
in	O
February	O
2016	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Garden	B-Application
Warfare	I-Application
is	O
a	O
team-based	O
third-person	O
shooter	O
where	O
players	O
take	O
control	O
of	O
the	O
Plants	O
or	O
the	O
Zombies	O
in	O
either	O
a	O
cooperative	O
or	O
competitive	O
multiplayer	O
environment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
units	O
are	O
controlled	O
by	O
artificial	B-Application
intelligence	I-Application
(	O
AI	B-Application
)	O
and	O
are	O
consumed	O
upon	O
use	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
multiple	O
packs	O
available	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
cheap	O
ones	O
that	O
contain	O
only	O
AI	B-Application
units	O
,	O
or	O
more	O
expensive	O
ones	O
that	O
contain	O
items	O
of	O
greater	O
rarity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Boss	O
Mode	O
,	O
player	O
can	O
take	O
the	O
role	O
of	O
Dr.	O
Zomboss	O
or	O
Crazy	O
Dave	O
(	O
for	O
the	O
Zombies	O
and	O
Plants	O
,	O
respectively	O
)	O
who	O
circle	O
high	O
above	O
the	O
battlefield	B-Application
in	O
a	O
flying	O
contraption	O
and	O
send	O
support	O
to	O
players	O
in	O
the	O
ground	O
by	O
activating	O
radar	O
scans	O
,	O
healing	O
,	O
resurrecting	O
fallen	O
teammates	O
and	O
launching	O
air	O
strikes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
mode	O
is	O
available	O
for	O
Xbox	B-Protocol
SmartGlass	I-Protocol
and	O
Kinect	B-Algorithm
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
and	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
players	O
also	O
have	O
access	O
to	O
a	O
split	O
screen	O
cooperative	O
mode	O
,	O
in	O
which	O
two	O
players	O
engage	O
in	O
combat	O
against	O
endless	O
waves	O
of	O
zombies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Suburbination	O
(	O
released	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
Suburbination	O
Pack	O
free	O
DLC	B-Protocol
)	O
is	O
a	O
classic	O
back	O
and	O
forth	O
zone	O
capture	O
game	O
mode	O
in	O
which	O
teams	O
must	O
compete	O
for	O
control	O
of	O
three	O
different	O
zones	O
,	O
with	O
each	O
zone	O
held	O
granting	O
the	O
team	O
points	O
based	O
on	O
how	O
long	O
the	O
zone	O
is	O
held	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
is	O
also	O
Gnome	O
Bomb	O
,	O
(	O
released	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
Garden	O
Variety	O
Pack	O
free	O
DLC	B-Protocol
)	O
,	O
in	O
which	O
both	O
factions	O
attempt	O
to	O
take	O
a	O
respawning	O
objective	O
,	O
the	O
Gnome	O
Bomb	O
,	O
to	O
the	O
opposition	O
camp	O
's	O
base	O
and	O
then	O
detonate	O
it	O
,	O
and	O
Taco	O
Bandits	O
,	O
(	O
released	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
Legends	O
of	O
the	O
Lawn	O
free	O
DLC	B-Protocol
)	O
where	O
the	O
Zombies	O
attempt	O
to	O
steal	O
three	O
tacos	O
from	O
Crazy	O
Dave	O
's	O
taco	O
stand	O
and	O
deliver	O
them	O
to	O
Dr	O
Zomboss	O
 '	O
mothership	O
tractor	O
beam	O
,	O
while	O
the	O
Plants	O
attempt	O
to	O
defend	O
the	O
tacos	O
at	O
all	O
costs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Garden	B-Application
Warfare	I-Application
had	O
its	O
roots	O
in	O
an	O
internal	O
gameplay	O
concept	O
produced	O
by	O
a	O
team	O
at	O
publisher	O
Electronic	O
Arts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Believing	O
the	O
concept	O
would	O
work	O
well	O
as	O
a	O
Plants	B-Application
vs.	I-Application
Zombies	I-Application
game	O
,	O
the	O
team	O
produced	O
a	O
prototype	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
development	O
team	O
hoped	O
to	O
use	O
Garden	B-Application
Warfare	I-Application
to	O
introduce	O
the	O
franchise	O
to	O
a	O
broader	O
audience	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
avoided	O
making	O
a	O
2D	O
tower	B-Application
defense	I-Application
game	I-Application
and	O
opted	O
instead	O
for	O
a	O
different	O
genre	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
team	O
came	O
up	O
with	O
different	O
gameplay	O
possibilities	O
such	O
as	O
making	O
an	O
open	O
world	O
or	O
a	O
single-player	O
action	B-Application
game	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
team	O
recruited	O
employees	O
who	O
had	O
worked	O
on	O
other	O
shooters	O
and	O
action	B-Application
games	I-Application
,	O
and	O
those	O
who	O
had	O
worked	O
extensively	O
with	O
the	O
Frostbite	B-Operating_System
engine	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
's	O
target	O
audience	O
were	O
players	O
who	O
liked	O
action	B-Application
games	I-Application
and	O
fans	O
of	O
Plants	B-Application
vs.	I-Application
Zombies	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
's	O
tone	O
was	O
not	O
as	O
serious	O
and	O
grim	O
as	O
other	O
shooters	O
such	O
as	O
Call	B-Application
of	I-Application
Duty	I-Application
and	O
Battlefield	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
team	O
ensured	O
that	O
teamwork	O
,	O
balanced	O
character	O
gameplay	O
and	O
skills	O
are	O
important	O
pillars	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
gameplay	O
,	O
similar	O
to	O
traditional	O
action	B-Application
games	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
introduce	O
tactical	O
depth	O
to	O
the	O
game	O
while	O
maintaining	O
a	O
sense	O
of	O
playfulness	O
,	O
the	O
team	O
took	O
inspirations	O
from	O
other	O
team-based	O
shooters	O
with	O
colorful	O
visuals	O
such	O
as	O
Team	B-Application
Fortress	I-Application
2	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
choosing	O
the	O
playable	O
plants	O
from	O
the	O
roster	O
of	O
characters	O
from	O
the	O
Plants	B-Application
vs.	I-Application
Zombies	I-Application
franchises	O
,	O
the	O
team	O
opted	O
for	O
characters	O
that	O
are	O
projectile-based	O
,	O
which	O
include	O
the	O
Peashooter	O
and	O
the	O
Cactus	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
characters	O
that	O
have	O
appeared	O
in	O
previous	O
Plants	B-Application
vs.	I-Application
Zombies	I-Application
games	O
returned	O
as	O
the	O
artificial	O
intelligence-controlled	O
potted	O
plants	O
or	O
zombies	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
team	O
faced	O
more	O
challenges	O
designing	O
the	O
zombies	O
than	O
plants	O
as	O
all	O
the	O
plants	O
easily	O
fit	O
into	O
different	O
gameplay	O
archetypes	B-Language
whereas	O
the	O
zombies	O
are	O
more	O
one-dimensional	O
in	O
the	O
original	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
's	O
was	O
initially	O
built	O
for	O
Windows	O
and	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
,	O
though	O
it	O
became	O
a	O
limited	O
time	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
exclusive	O
in	O
partnership	O
with	O
Microsoft	O
Studios	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
PopCap	O
called	O
the	O
transition	O
from	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
to	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
a	O
"	O
natural	O
migration	O
"	O
since	O
the	O
development	O
team	O
was	O
unprepared	O
to	O
launch	O
the	O
game	O
on	O
multiple	O
platforms	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
team	O
's	O
small	O
size	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Windows	O
version	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
June	O
2014	O
through	O
EA	O
's	O
distribution	O
platform	O
Origin	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
released	O
for	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
and	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
in	O
August	O
2014	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
versions	O
feature	O
remote	B-Device
play	I-Device
with	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Vita	I-Device
as	O
well	O
as	O
costumes	O
based	O
on	O
Sony	O
's	O
characters	O
including	O
Ratchet	O
,	O
Clank	O
,	O
Sly	O
Cooper	O
and	O
Fat	B-Application
Princess	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
became	O
part	O
of	O
EA	B-Application
Access	I-Application
,	O
EA	O
's	O
subscription	O
service	O
on	O
the	B-Device
Xbox	I-Device
One	I-Device
,	O
in	O
October	O
2014	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
company	O
also	O
supported	O
the	O
game	O
after	O
the	O
title	O
's	O
launch	O
by	O
releasing	O
several	O
pieces	O
of	O
free	O
downloadable	B-Protocol
content	I-Protocol
,	O
including	O
the	O
following	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
Legends	O
of	O
the	O
Lawn	O
Pack	O
:	O
The	O
Legends	O
of	O
the	O
Lawn	O
Pack	O
featured	O
seven	O
new	O
character	O
variants	O
,	O
including	O
the	O
Centurion	O
and	O
the	O
Jade	O
Cactus	O
,	O
new	O
customization	O
sets	O
and	O
AI	B-Application
consumables	O
,	O
new	O
Garden	O
Ops	O
waves	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
Taco	O
Bandits	O
game	O
mode	O
;	O
also	O
includes	O
the	O
Suburbination	O
Pack	O
for	O
PlayStation	O
consoles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Garden	B-Application
Warfare	I-Application
received	O
a	O
generally	O
positive	O
reception	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
critics	O
felt	O
that	O
it	O
had	O
successfully	O
converted	O
Plants	B-Application
vs.	I-Application
Zombies	I-Application
to	O
a	O
new	O
and	O
broader	O
audience	O
with	O
the	O
genre	O
shift	O
,	O
and	O
recognized	O
PopCap	O
for	O
creating	O
a	O
moderately	O
successful	O
shooter	O
in	O
their	O
first	O
attempt	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
gameplay	O
was	O
praised	O
for	O
being	O
functional	O
,	O
mechanically	O
solid	O
and	O
precise	O
,	O
with	O
Gies	O
noting	O
the	O
heritage	O
it	O
shared	O
with	O
DICE	O
's	O
Battlefield	B-Application
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Petit	O
agreed	O
,	O
writing	O
that	O
she	O
felt	O
that	O
it	O
resembled	O
the	O
tower	B-Application
defense	I-Application
root	O
of	O
the	O
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
she	O
commented	O
that	O
the	O
mode	O
was	O
less	O
exciting	O
when	O
compared	O
with	O
the	O
competitive	O
multiplayer	O
modes	O
since	O
players	O
are	O
only	O
fighting	O
enemies	O
controlled	O
by	O
AI	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
though	O
some	O
critics	O
disliked	O
its	O
randomness	O
,	O
saying	O
that	O
it	O
was	O
frustrating	O
as	O
the	O
upgrades	O
are	O
not	O
class-specific	O
,	O
meaning	O
that	O
grinding	B-Application
was	O
needed	O
to	O
acquire	O
the	O
desired	O
upgrades	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Garden	B-Application
Warfare	I-Application
was	O
the	O
fourth	O
best-selling	O
retail	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
UK	O
in	O
its	O
week	O
of	O
release	O
according	O
to	O
Chart-Track	O
,	O
behind	O
only	O
Thief	B-Application
,	O
The	B-Application
Lego	I-Application
Movie	I-Application
Videogame	I-Application
and	O
FIFA	B-Application
14	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
sequel	O
,	O
Plants	B-Application
vs.	I-Application
Zombies	I-Application
:	I-Application
Garden	I-Application
Warfare	I-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
was	O
revealed	O
at	O
the	O
Microsoft	O
E3	O
Press	O
Conference	O
and	O
released	O
on	O
February	O
23	O
,	O
2016	O
,	O
for	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
,	O
Windows	O
,	O
and	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
comic	O
series	O
,	O
written	O
by	O
Paul	O
Tobin	O
and	O
drawn	O
by	O
Jacob	O
Chabot	O
,	O
was	O
released	O
by	O
Dark	O
Horse	O
Comics	O
on	O
October	O
28	O
,	O
2015	O
;	O
it	O
takes	O
place	O
between	O
Garden	B-Application
Warfare	I-Application
and	O
Garden	B-Application
Warfare	I-Application
2	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
third	O
game	O
,	O
Plants	B-Application
vs.	I-Application
Zombies	I-Application
:	I-Application
Battle	I-Application
for	I-Application
Neighborville	I-Application
was	O
released	O
in	O
October	O
2019	O
for	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
,	O
Windows	O
,	O
and	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
,	O
and	O
in	O
March	O
2021	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
.	O
</s>
