Newspaper Zombie
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—Newspaper Zombie's Plants vs. Zombies 2 almanac entry | ||
- For other uses, see Newspaper Zombie (disambiguation).
Newspaper Zombie is a recurring character within the Plants vs. Zombies franchise. Newspaper Zombies arrive reading a newspaper, protecting them from projectiles until it is destroyed, leading the Newspaper Zombie to rampage towards plants in rage.
As of Plants vs. Zombies 3, Newspaper Zombie has appeared in five games, with two similar Zombies appearing in two other games.
History
Plants vs. Zombies
- Main article: Newspaper Zombie (PvZ)
In the original Plants vs. Zombies game, as well as all Chinese spin-off games based on it, Newspaper Zombie is the first new zombie encountered at Night, first appearing in Level 2-1. Newspaper Zombie walks in reading a newspaper that blocks damage from projectiles such as Peashooter's peas and Puff-shroom's spores until it is destroyed. Once the newspaper is destroyed, Newspaper Zombie will get enraged and run towards plants at a faster pace.
Due to how he holds his newspaper, plants that attack other parts of Newspaper Zombie's body, such as Spikeweed and Lobber plants, can attack and defeat a Newspaper Zombie without destroying the newspaper.
Screen Door Zombie is similar to Newspaper Zombie, also using a shield to block front firing projectiles but is open to other sort of attacks, however, Screen Door Zombie lacks any sort of special ability in return to the shield having more health. Newspaper Zombie's newspaper also can't be removed by Magnet-shroom while Screen Door Zombie's screen door can. Newspaper Zombie costs 50 brains to use in Versus Mode.
In Plants vs. Zombies: Great Wall Edition, he was renamed and appeared as the Saturn Peach Zombie.
Plants vs. Zombies Adventures (Archived content)
- Main article: Barrel Zombie
While Newspaper Zombie didn't appear in PopCap's ill-fated Facebook game Plants vs. Zombies Adventures, the similar Barrel Zombie did, first appearing in Dire Spires. Like Newspaper Zombie, Barrel Zombie protected himself, in Barrel Zombie's case, with a barrel, and once the barrel broke, Barrel Zombie would run ahead in embarrassment. Unlike Newspaper Zombie however, Barrel Zombie would stop eating any plant in the way once their object of protection was destroyed, the exception being plants planted on the path like Wall-nuts.
Also unlike Newspaper Zombie, Barrel Zombie's barrel could be destroyed instantly by Flaming Pea, though this trait would somewhat be added to Newspaper Zombie in Plants vs. Zombies 2, albeit only visually.
It costed 600 coins to send Barrel Zombie to attack a neighbor, as well as 175 coins and 3 minutes to train one.
Plants vs. Zombies 2
- Main article: Newspaper Zombie (PvZ2)
Newspaper Zombie made a return in Plants vs. Zombies 2, being the first new zombie encountered in Modern Day. Like the first game, Newspaper Zombie holds a newspaper to block damage and then runs towards plants once it is destroyed. However, both Newspaper Zombie and his newspaper have more health and Newspaper Zombie runs much faster when the newspaper is destroyed, being as fast as a Zombie Chicken. Along with this, the newspaper can now block almost any attack, the sole exception being poison from plants such as Shadow-shroom.
Oddly enough, the Chinese version initially lacked the speed boost Newspaper Zombie gained, only having it added in version 2.2.1. Newspaper Zombie also has an achievement relating to him, Hot Off the Presses, which requires the player to light a Newspaper Zombie's newspaper on fire, which is simply a visual change. Due to his first appearance being in a conveyor level with Snapdragon, the player would have a harder time avoiding the achievement than obtaining it.
Newspaper Zombie also has a Veteran variant, Sunday Edition Zombie. Sunday Edition Zombie simply has 1,000 more health on his newspaper (1,800 damage rather than 800) and 30 more health himself (490 DPS rather than 460).
Interestingly, due to Modern Day being added in the Chinese version after the expansion update in the international version, Sunday Edition Zombie appears in certain Modern Day levels, despite the lack of these expansion levels in that version.
Before Newspaper Zombie was added in the game, Pharaoh Zombie could have been considered as the Plants vs. Zombies 2 version of Newspaper Zombie, as like Newspaper Zombie, he moves slowly and defends himself with a sarcophagus and moves faster once it is destroyed. However, compared to Newspaper Zombie in Plants vs. Zombies 2, Pharaoh Zombie initially moves much slower, gains less of a speed boost, and has more health on his armor, and having slightly more health overall, having 1,490 DPS compared to Newspaper Zombie's 1,260.
Garden Warfare series
- Main article: Newspaper Zombie (Spawnable)
Newspaper Zombie appears as a spawnable in both games in the Garden Warfare series, summoned by glowing dirt piles. Like the main games, Newspaper Zombie uses a newspaper to block against damage, gets faster when his newspaper is destroyed, and can be attacked by behind or directly in the head to be vanquished before his newspaper is destroyed.
Like most spawnable zombies, his attacks consist of Zombie Hurt, which deals 15 damage and Hard Rock Toss, meant to attack plants he can't reach. Screen Door Zombie returns in these games, once again having more health in return for lacking the speed boost ability, and Map Pirate also appears, being a spawnable exclusively in Garden Warfare, where they are basically Newspaper Zombie with more health. His Weed counterpart in Garden Warfare 2 is Leaf Shield Weed, though lacks the speed ability in return for having more health.
Plants vs. Zombies Heroes
- Main article: Newspaper Zombie (PvZH)
Newspaper Zombie's latest appearance is in the turn-based mobile card game Plants vs. Zombies Heroes. In this game, Newspaper Zombie is a Premium Uncommon in the 
Crazy class.
He is in the Professional tribe, costs 2
, has 1
/4
and has Gravestone. While he doesn't have a When Revealed ability, he retains a similar ability from the main games, getting +4 whenever he is attacked. His closest plant counterpart is Hibernating Beary, another card who gains strength whenever they are attacked.
Plants vs. Zombies 3
- Main article: Cell Phone Zombie (PvZ3)
While Newspaper Zombie doesn't appear in Plants vs. Zombies 3, he was effectively modernized for the game, replaced by Cell Phone Zombie. She is a Armored Theater zombie first encountered on Floor 6 of the Devour Tower.
Like Newspaper Zombie, she enters the lawn with an object blocking damage, in her case, her cell phone. Once her cell phone is destroyed, she will get enraged and speed up, running faster and dealing more damage than when she has her phone.
Gallery
Plants vs. Zombies Wiki has a gallery for Newspaper Zombie.
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Trivia
- When its newspaper is rotated 180 degrees, the newspaper's front cover is really the back cover, and thus, the title is at the end.
- In all Chinese regions, he is often named "读报僵尸" (Newspaper-reading Zombie) instead of "报纸僵尸".
- While he usually wears a white shirt, he oddly has a gray one in Plants vs. Zombies Heroes.
- When the player enters somewhere else and Plants vs. Zombies is still running or they simply press spacebar, when they come back Newspaper Zombie will appear above the "Resume Game" tab.
- Interestingly, in the first game, the almanac entry says that he nearly finished a sudoku puzzle, while in the second game, the almanac entry states that he nearly finished a crossword puzzle.
- Both of these explain why he gets angry when his newspaper is destroyed.
- Newspaper Zombie's glasses are available in the Xbox Live Marketplace for 80 Microsoft Points.
See also
- Newspaper
- Screen Door Zombie
- Barrel Zombie
- Pharaoh Zombie
- Sunday Edition Zombie
- Hibernating Beary
- Cell Phone Zombie (Plants vs. Zombies 3)
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