Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2

Under its attractively bright and cartoony art style, Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 has a great amount of modes and customization options to enjoy, whether alone against the AI or with online allies and enemies. The interesting abilities options of the six new character classes gave me something to sink my teeth into, and the customization options are a great reward for playing outside my comfort zone. The sheer amount of enjoyment in this full garden will keep me in the war for some time to come.

A more complete, more refined version of the already stellar original, though arduous progression and empty solo missions spoil some of the fun.

A characterful and generous shooter, though its lack of balance is a thorn in its side.

If Garden Warfare was an attempt to make a multiplayer only shooter that just about anyone could enjoy, Garden Warfare 2 takes that a step farther by removing the original's budget-priced compromises. Making the original Popcap concept into a shooter isn't novel anymore, and I hope that the developers pay attention to the game's potential balance challenges over time to make sure that "asymmetric" doesn't become "lopsided." But Garden Warfare 2 stands strong on its own, and with friends.

Under the cheery looks is a surprisingly gripping shooter; one that, second time round, offers a healthier spread of modes and an addictive breadcrumb trail of hero progression.

Garden Warfare 2 is an undeniably fun shooter that, unlike the first entry, offers a lot more to do alone or with a couch player

I suspect I'll be hooked for the rest of the year.

Remember when online shooters were fresh and fun? Garden Warfare 2 certainly does.

Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 improves upon its evergreen predecessor by expanding the scope of the title with single player content and new classes and modes. Popcap has responded to the criticisms pointed at the original release well, and while this isn't a revolution by any stretch, the format has been precisely pruned for shear joy.

Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 builds on the original brilliantly. It takes everything its predecessor did right and does it again with more bells and whistles. There's new characters, levels and quests to explore and the sticker and levelling system have been tweaked to make acquiring the masses of new content feel achievable. The addition of single player quests and AI companions for Garden and Graveyard Ops make it a viable choice for when you just don't fancy playing with others or you want to power level a character you aren't too comfortable with playing in multiplayer. The current balance issues are an annoyance but the developers have already reassured users that this will be fixed soon; leaving little to criticise in this frantic, fun and family-friendly shooter.