Plants vs Zombies to lurch onto DS in January

Plants vs Zombies, also known as the only game that enables you to spit peas at butter-headed zombies, is adding yet another system to its multi-platform quiver. A DS version of the intoxicatingly cute and gory tower defense-style game is heading to stores at the turn of 2011.

Plants vs Zombies, developed by PopCap Games, started out as little more than a viral music video trailer on YouTube last year. It was originally released as a downloadable PC game in May 2009. Since then it has reached a critical mass that very few casual games have ever received. It expanded first to the iPhone, where it sold 300,000 copies in a week and a half, becoming the only iPhone game to gross $1 million in less than 10 days.

Above: The fact that this is clearly not your standard zombie game is what gives it its massive appeal 

PvZ is now available on Mac computers and is sold in packaged retail boxes at brick-and-mortar stores across the country. It will also hit the Xbox Live Arcade on September 8.

In addition to the same standard gameplay – in which you create a killer garden to massacre a hoard of oncoming zombies - the DS version will have "new and exclusive game content." It's slated for a $19.95 price point and hopes to bring even more gamers into the magical world of slaying the most adorable zombies ever.

Unfortunately, newcomers to the game will never get to see the awesome Dancing Zombie, a Michael Jackson lookalike created before the pop star's untimely death. The zombie was recently pulled from all versions of the game after a request from the Jackson family. Though, to be honest, we’re pretty sure this “request” was delivered alongside a letter from a lawyer, so we may be choosing a slightly generous word, there.

Above: The "Dancing Zombie" is sadly no more 

Nevertheless, Plants vs Zombies is clearly spreading faster than a real zombie apocalypse. Here is the video that started it all, which has now been viewed more than 3.2 million times:

Aug 23, 2010