If nothing else, Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare may mark the first time anyone has ever watched a headshot and called it adorable. Though it seems like it shouldn't, Pop-Cap and EA's first attempt at bringing the world of the popular tower-defense game into a new market works. It's by no means a deep and intricate shooter, but it's appeal lies in its fun and easy to pick up gameplay. Undoubtedly targeted towards kids, younger gamers will love the charm and Saturday morning cartoon feel of the game. Against all odds, Plants VS Zombies: Garden Warfare is simply a lot of fun.

If you've played the original Tower defense games Plants vs Zombies and its sequel, not much has changed here; at least on paper. You'll still be plopped into a war between house plants and the shuffling undead, but here it all takes place in a 3D shooter...for some reason. Playing as either the Plants or the Zombies are both a lot of fun and though the game obviously shares more than a line of code or two with the fellow EA-produced Battlefield 4, both feel different. There's a surprising amount of depth to the game, it's just not obvious at first.

"...a sort of starter-kit for the shooter genre. "

It's perhaps easiest to look at Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare as a sort of starter-kit for the shooter genre. This may not be the deepest and most intricate shooter, but it does feature mechanics from popular shooter like Battlefield and Team Fortress 2. Each side is broken up into four(ish) different classes and it's easy to see where they would fit in to a more normal shooter. Take the plants for instance, they have the cactus, which acts as a sniper, the pea-shooter, which plays like a soldier class, the sunflower which acts as support and the Chomper, which is more of a tank character. EA has done a great job adapting the formula to the Plants vs Zombies formula.

So how does it play? It's fun, repetitive but fun. Garden Warfare features a fair amount of modes; most you've played in other shooters but are fun enough to keep you busy. Gardens and Graveyards, a mode similar to the rush mode from Battlefield 4 is easily the main attraction, but there are also modes similar to Obliteration where you'll have to secure a bomb, death matches and survival modes. Each map and game mode has different perks for different classes and they're a lot of fun to play through and find, but you can only find them once and after that, Garden Warfare starts to lose its charm. Each match starts to feel the same after while and combining that with the server issues I experienced while reviewing the game and you have a game that may be out of your rotation quicker than it should be.

"...it's a kid friendly shooter that actually performs admirably..."

It's clear that Garden Warfare is aimed towards a younger and more casual crowd, and as fleeting as the fun is for adults - kids will love this game. It takes all of the charm and fun of the game they know and love on iPads and iPhones and brings them to life like never before. There's also a ton of customization modes here, allowing you to add stickers and other costumes to your character and make them your own. What's best, it's a kid friendly shooter that actually performs admirably (at least most of the time).

It feels like it shouldn't, but somehow Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare works. It may not be the most in-depth or intricate shooter you'll ever play, but it works as a fun shooter that's quick to pick up, especially for kids. EA and Pop-Cap have done a great job translating the 2D world of the franchise to a fully 3D environment and it drips with charm. Garden Warfare won't replace your normal shooter, but it will serve as a great diversion.