LO500 Featured Battle: Plants vs. Zombies vs. Marvel vs. Capcom

Okay, so we only picked this one because it sounds hilarious ... but these two games are also worthy foes.

When it comes to casual, addictive games, Plants vs. Zombies is one of the best. Unlike your Farmvilles and your Bejeweleds, this game is not one that hardcore gamers are ashamed to admit they love. You fight against zombies, which makes the game seem more bad-ass in spite of its cartoonish animation. You control a garden of adorable, slightly anthropomorphized plants, which makes the game feel kid-friendly -- as long as you don't mind your kids fighting zombies (not to be an armchair parent, but you should be educating them about the impending zombie apocalypse sooner rather than later). Whether you're hardcore or casual, you'll find PvZ hard to resist. It requires speedy button-pushing, quick thinking, and as much tactical know-how as any other tower defense game, but it's also cute and user-friendly enough to feel welcoming to the masses. Basically, PvZ is an entry level drug for non-gamers, and low-pressure recreation for those of us who are already addicted to the hard stuff.

The Marvel vs. Capcom series may seem much more like the hard stuff in comparison to PvZ, since it's a fighting game that requires practice and patience to win, but MvC has definitely got some elements of goofiness. Just like PvZ, MvC features battles between two opponents that you'd never expect to see together on the same screen; the game's purpose is to mash up Marvel comic book characters with Capcom's famous fighters for no reason other than coolness. It's both weird and awesome to see Gambit and Chun-Li up against each other in a fight. The newest Marvel vs. Capcom promises to include Wesker, Chris Redfield, Dante, Trish, and -- the icing on the cake -- Deadpool. As soon as you let Deadpool in your game, you pretty much open the door to utter wackiness and allow it to stay open forever. This game may be hardcore, but it's not afraid to laugh at itself.

Which game is closest to your heart?