PopCap Reveal Game of the Year Edition of Plants vs. Zombies and Others

Following our recent announcement that PopCap would be releasing a boxed collection of its greatest hits on February 18th comes the even more exciting news that tomorrow will also see the release of the Game of the Year Edition of Plants vs. Zombies.

The horticultural tower defense game will share its release date with boxed retail versions of Amazing Adventures: The Carribean Secret and a stand-alone version of the mighty Bejeweled Blitz. These releases (by UK Indie publishers Mastertronic) will mark the first time that any of the titles will appear in boxed form on UK retail shelves.

Plants vs. Zombies met with almost universal acclaim upon its initial release in 2009, and its cult status was affirmed when it was later released on the iOS in 2010. Fans were charmed by its combination of silly aesthetic and tight gameplay, and the game sold 300,000 copies in the first nine days it was available on the App store. Players have to strategically place different plants and fungi to defend an unassuming suburban home from a lurching hoard of zombies.

Perhaps the best known game on the roster is Bejeweled Blitz, the social iteration of arguably the most successful series of casual games ever. Beginning life in 2010 as a Facebook application, the game was soon available as an independent download. The game will allow lovers of gem-blasting action to either hone their skills alone or compete with friends online.

Finally, Amazing Adventures: The Caribbean Secret is a puzzle adventure game which combines beautiful artwork with minigames. Players must piece together the clues they find to discover the location of the fabled treasure.

Despite the huge success of these titles on the download market, “there remains a huge market for shoppers who like to purchase physical games”, says Mastertronic’s Product Director Neil McKenna. Whatever the customer base, it seems certain that the release of all four boxed titles (including PopCap Hits) tomorrow will provide a welcome boost to the UK games retail industry.