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projectle

macrumors 6502a
Oct 11, 2005
525
57
Yes, except you *NEED* to play the same level 4 times to earn stars to allow you to move onto the next stage, unless you want to pay $5 every 10 levels to get additional plants, or fight slightly different zombies. Definitely nickeling-and-dimeing customers.
 

cclloyd

macrumors 68000
Oct 26, 2011
1,760
147
Alpha Centauri A
I downloaded the game, and from a few plays it is more or less the same as PVZ1. I haven't gone to the time travelling features yet but one neat (free) addition is the ability to temporarily supercharge your plants using seeds. The graphics are simpler but that's because each animated character now has more animation. Each character seems to have more 'bounce' and movement and fluid animation does make the game play better.

Unfortunately it looks like EA has really restricted the use of our favourite plants from PVZ1 to purchase-only upgrades. Favourites now cost $1.99 each (edit: $2.99? seriously! I bet this will drop to $1.99)

I think this is only going to make PVZ1 more popular.

Screenshots of Plants VS Zombies being EA'd
http://www.flickr.com/photos/83548270@N00/sets/72157634573159324/

And the screenshot that will make PVZ fans cry:
Image

Are you telling me that they took some of my favorite plants and made me have to buy them? I shall be pirating them. That is unacceptable. They should've only done that for new plants.

-------------------------

I read a story of someone hacking into the EAS. Maybe someone could hack into the AU and NZ EAS and tell people not to pay for anything under any circumstances. :p
 
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iZac

macrumors 68030
Apr 28, 2003
2,581
2,748
UK
Years back, I used to think seeing that yellow tab was ensuring a great game...

$(KGrHqJ,!lgE8h9-Zn0fBPNuesS)8Q~~60_1.JPG


Now seeing that EA logo just makes my heart sink.
 

WilliamG

macrumors G3
Mar 29, 2008
9,920
3,800
Seattle
I downloaded the game, and from a few plays it is more or less the same as PVZ1. I haven't gone to the time travelling features yet but one neat (free) addition is the ability to temporarily supercharge your plants using seeds. The graphics are simpler but that's because each animated character now has more animation. Each character seems to have more 'bounce' and movement and fluid animation does make the game play better.

Unfortunately it looks like EA has really restricted the use of our favourite plants from PVZ1 to purchase-only upgrades. Favourites now cost $1.99 each (edit: $2.99? seriously! I bet this will drop to $1.99)

I think this is only going to make PVZ1 more popular.

Screenshots of Plants VS Zombies being EA'd
http://www.flickr.com/photos/83548270@N00/sets/72157634573159324/

And the screenshot that will make PVZ fans cry:
Image

Thank you for this post. I won't even bother downloading PvZ2.
 

pancakedrawer

macrumors regular
Dec 13, 2010
190
6
Melbourne
Finally us Aussies get something first!

For anyone else wishing to download this today, just change your country to Australia and postcode to 3000. Payment should be selected as none.

Yet to try it out but the early reviews aren't promising. Not going to IAP though.
 

Shattentor

macrumors member
Mar 30, 2011
64
1
Germany
Really, really sad to see another originally great game bite the IAP-dust. It's staggering how this trend countinues unswayed considering the bad feedback all-around. But it seems the dumb consuming masses still vastly outnumber the critics.
 

fullauto

macrumors 6502a
Oct 19, 2012
918
322
Brisbane
It's still addictive but totally EA'd.. Levels are now within maps / worlds (think Mario), initially I thought 'cool' but in hindsight, it's a bit naff. There's scenes and explanations / animation between games that make it feel drawn out, most of these explain about how to spend money in the store (of course).

Get to level 4-5-6 (not sure) and watch crazy Dave and his new side kick (a robotic van) tell you about the store, signaling to a button top right.. That did me..

Compared to PVZ 1, game play is tougher early on, reason being they want you to pay 800-1200 coins for one go on a power-up (pinch, flick or electrocute) that lasts about 5 seconds.. Hence $50 for 200000 coins.. What a joke.

Synching game progress between ipad and iPhone takes about 45 seconds and happens every time you start a game on either device (if you're using it on more than one device). There's an option to turn on / off downloading cellular data in the settings.

Still in the first world, Egypt. Half way through with minimal desire to pick up the mini and keep playing, simply because EA have totally messed what could have been game of the year and won them some much needed, positive praise.

Greedy much EA? Booooooo.
 
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The Phazer

macrumors 68030
Oct 31, 2007
2,997
928
London, UK
I think it's got absolutely none of the conceptual charm of the original.

Even outside of it's nasty business model.

It's actually pretty bloody rubbish.
 

jamswirl

macrumors regular
Feb 25, 2011
115
0
So, given it a go. It's all there to be a great game...buuuut, if the iap added up to the cost of the original game or even slightly more, I'd pay for them. But no, each plant is a significant amount to buy. Lame!! Will see how far I can get without paying.

I'm not anti iap at all, and do buy stuff when it makes sense as part of paying for an app I like. But seems like EA has priced it way too high. Hopefully they will quarter the costs, or even re-jig it to be a one-off purchase for $10.
 

sekazi

macrumors 6502
Jan 12, 2012
469
84
I've seen other places complaining about the graphics, but have you updated the patch in the beginning and installed it? If not, you're not running the retina graphics. That made a very, very big difference for me.

Exactly. I expected this because most games do this now to lower the initial download size. The retina graphics look much better than the original PVZ.

So far the game is not too bad. I am really hoping to see some of the paid plants in game where you can win them instead. If not then this is going to be a nightmare to beat without paying something and I doubt I can buy anything being on a American account.

I have gotten to the first cross path where you use the key.
 

trainwrecka

macrumors 6502a
Apr 24, 2007
515
709
Earth
Years back, I used to think seeing that yellow tab was ensuring a great game...

$(KGrHqJ,!lgE8h9-Zn0fBPNuesS)8Q~~60_1.JPG


Now seeing that EA logo just makes my heart sink.

I agree with most of the statements against IAPs. I'm sure EA has done their due diligence with this game. I'd like to think throwing the this game in the App Store for $29.99 would make a lot of people buy it, but probably not.

The PVZ1 developers got most of their development money back while the game was priced higher on Macs and PCs almost a year before launching on iPS at 2.99. Then it was a port of an old game.

Sure, I would pay $29.99, but I think they get a lot more with the freemium model.

I downloaded Robot Unicorn 2 and the crazy load times and almost mandatory purchases prevents me from playing it regularly. This game looks like it will be more of the same.
 

furi0usbee

macrumors 68000
Jul 11, 2008
1,790
1,381
I was so looking forward to this game. Sadly, I will have to avoid this app totally. I will not play freemium games. The gameplay is skewed in order to make money, add choke points, add gimmicks, all with the purpose of you using as many coins as possible. It doesn't add to the fun at all. If this were a top notch game, I'd pay $9.99 no problem, and if it were a REALLY top notch game, I'd have no problem paying $19.99 for it. Hell, I (or in many cases my parents) used to pay $60 for games all the time, even more for my N64 games. If this is the future of iOS games, I'll go back to the console. I'd rather buy a used console game for $20 than end up spending $60 on a FREEmium game.

In app purchases on software upgrades is perfectly fine. But if you are going to start crippling software and charging to add features that should already be in the game, that just sucks. I hope the race to freemium isn't the same as the race to the bottom for pricing. That would really suck for me, as I love my iPad and love great games.

So, I'm sure I could have had *some* fun with this game for free, but I'm not breaking principle and I will never again play a freemium game. Thanks EA for ruining my summer!
 

roadbloc

macrumors G3
Aug 24, 2009
8,784
215
UK
Another game ruined by them two dreaded letters. Way to go you money grabbing morons.
 

BornAgainMac

macrumors 604
Feb 4, 2004
7,275
5,212
Florida Resident
Years back, I used to think seeing that yellow tab was ensuring a great game...

$(KGrHqJ,!lgE8h9-Zn0fBPNuesS)8Q~~60_1.JPG


Now seeing that EA logo just makes my heart sink.

I actually still play that game along with Desert Strike and Urban Strike. Way better than Plants vs Zombies InApp purchasing with Dave and his bacon.
 

sekazi

macrumors 6502
Jan 12, 2012
469
84
Well I officially hate PVZ2. I made it to the end of the first map and all the sudden 3 stars appears on all the previous levels.

In order to even play the next map you have to collect 35 stars and by playing normally you only have 4 stars.

At this point I also only was able to collect 3 keys to unlock one of the alternate paths. In order to get the 35 stars I need I will need to unlock other alternate paths. Unlocking no alternate paths gives you 28 stars. Unlocking the one 3 key path will only give me 3 more stars for 31 stars.

If I do not manage to enough keys to unlock other paths they want me to pay $1.99 per path to unlock. If I want to skip all of this and just go to the next map they want me to pay $4.99.

This is beyond the worse of the worst when it comes to IAP.

Sad part is I have 8,660 coins which are essentially useless as all you can buy is power ups and they have the nerve to put the coins in the same box on the map as if the store can use them.

This game if you unlock everything will cost $63.74 if the other maps have 5 locked paths.
 

JayMysterio

macrumors 65816
Apr 24, 2010
1,494
32,929
Rock Ridge, California
I think the game does look a little better, slightly sharper, more animations. When I got my mini, I started playing PVZ 1 again, so I can easily compare now that I've started 2. I think it looks great.

The drawback of course is the pay model, which is @$$. Like I said I was playing PVZ 1 again, so I've been acquiring all my new plants again as I progress. While I don't know yet, if you still acquire ALL plants while you progress as in 1, I did get the cabbage catapults for 2. So not sure if you're paying to get some plants earlier then they want you to, or if they are charging for what they thought are the favorite plants of players as a crappy money grab.

The coins are a bit a confusing as they give them to you along with gems, but there are no rakes, bacon, or whatever to buy. Yet you can buy plants, and slots with real cash. Giving it a definite pay to win feel as you progress.

Also thought it was interesting that if you go to buy something, the game does stress that anything you buy goes to ALL accounts associated with your game. So despite EA saying don't buy anything yet, and launching the game in AUS, maybe they are hoping there's a few suckers who got the the game early. Seeing if the things they have at current prices are acceptable, of if they need to rethink a thing or two.

I'm thinking they need to rethink a thing or two, or three, or four...
 

jchen2508

macrumors newbie
Jul 20, 2013
3
0
PVZ 2 Sucks

:(:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::(

PvZ 1 was on my top 10 favorite games list and PvZ2 is on my top 10 LEAST favorite games list. My favorite plants WERE squash, torchwood and jalapeno but now you have to pay $2.99 for them.

PvZ 2 : Your Money vs. Plants and Zombies and a crazy guy named dave

ea (evil apps inc.) is so stupid!

i'd prefer peta (you know, they make those disturbing parodies of popular games that add blood everywhere, underage drinking, dead bodies and other things that make the parodies scar you for life)

Nobody ever buy ANY iaps from ANY ea game ok?

if i could destroy any company by making it go bankrupt, i would most definitely choose the most f***in' company of them all: EA

:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:
 
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