Let’s say you really enjoy playing one of the new characters for the Zombies, Super Brainz. You play as him a lot, level him up, and unlock some upgrades. Then you open a sticker pack and nab one of his variants, Cosmic Brainz. If you want to get those same upgrades for Cosmic, you’ll have to go through that whole leveling process again. Completing the quests from the bounty board does provide you with an experience multiplier that will make leveling easier the second, third, or tenth time around, but between the coins and this new system, there’s a distinct “grinding” aspect to Garden Warfare 2.
Additionally, having that many different playable characters in a game will naturally lead to a lot of imbalances when you do face off against foes. When I first started playing a couple weeks ago, I noticed that, on the whole, the Zombies felt like they took more damage and died quicker than their vegetative counterparts. I mainly noticed this while playing through the single-player and co-op modes, but it was enough that it made me hesitant to even try and engage in any multiplayer. EA patched the game recently to address some of the balancing issues in the game, and that has helped. Still, there’s a feeling that the Zombies are a little outgunned and a little less adaptive to the dynamic situations that often arise when you’re in the mix of things.
While some aspects of the game have suffered a bit, the co-op is stronger than ever. Local co-op is now supported (on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions only). Garden Ops, a horde mode for up to four players where you have to defend a point against ten waves of zombies, returns from the original game, and the Zombies now have their own version with Graveyard Ops. Additionally, Garden Warfare 2 has added the ability to play against enemy A.I. bots in all of the game’s multiplayer modes. So, if you’re itching to play some Gnome Bomb, Suburbination, or Herbal Assault with your friends but not against other players, you can.
Finally, completing the single-player quests for either the Plants or the Zombies unlocks a new challenge, Infinity Time. This new mode also supports up to four players where you try to survive as long as possible against a relentless horde of garden gnomes that are bent on destroying time. However, instead of playing as a Plant or a Zombie, you’re placed in the metal frame of a giant mech, which has abilities of its own and helps to make the mode feel a little different from the Graveyard and Garden Ops. While the mode is endless, there is something of a goal here. Defeated gnomes in Infinity Time drop time shards; the more shards you collect, the better your rewards at the end. These rewards include some unique hats/customization options, but also variants of the six new character classes (Rose, Citron, Kernel Corn, Super Brainz, Captain Deadbeard, and the Imp) that can only be earned in this mode. It’s fun addition overall and your friends don’t have to unlock it in their own game in order to join you.
Garden Warfare 2 is the kind of multiplayer game I’ve always wanted. I am free to enjoy the chaos and camaraderie of playing with friends against another team, and can do so in the comforting knowledge that that is only bots. The pressure of not letting down my team or having to be the best Garden Warfare 2 player to ever grace the planet is removed. In other words, I can engage with the game how I want, not how it tells me to. If I had one wish for the game, it’s that it offered more variety in its co-op only modes. I’m not sure if BioWare has sole propriety over the type of objective focused, squad-based co-op that it implemented in Mass Effect 3 and Dragon Age: Inquisition, but a mode like that would go a long way towards making Garden Warfare 2 the greatest collection of “multiplayer hits” out there today.
This co-op review of Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 is based on the PlayStation 4 version of the game. A copy of the game was provided by the publisher for review purposes.
Verdict
Co-Op Score
Overall
The Co-Op Experience: Rally the zombies together and defend against the plants in Graveyard Ops, or play as the plants and fight off the zombies in Garden Ops. Both modes support up to four players. Garden Warfare 2 also allows you to play any multiplayer mode against a team of enemy A.I. bots
Co-Optimus game reviews focus on the cooperative experience of a game, our final score graphic represents this experience along with an average score for the game overall. For an explanation of our scores please check our Review Score Explanation Guide.