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Plants V Zombies was one of my favourite games of all time. I played it on and off for around a full year, after it was released. I bought it for several devices and just loved the whole experience. Great pricing and such an additive little game.
Regular readers will know I don't own an iPad, but I managed to get hold of one last week for a steal (no, not literally I am a law abiding citizen) and decided to download Plants V Zombies 2. When I saw they weren't charging for it this time, my spider senses started to tingle. Say what?
Firing it up for the first time I was greeted with the EA logo and immediately I broke out in a cold sweat.
“It's In The Game!' is their famous slogan, and when it comes to in game charges with Plants V Zombies 2, we can't argue.
Image: Pocketgamer
I played the first handful of levels and found that I wasn't being introduced to the plants in the same way as the first game. Heading into the ‘STORE' button in game I found that they were charging for every plant, and then for coins, and even bundle deals. Their ‘best' bundle deal for 450,000 coins was a bargain – only £69.99. I kid you not. A casual game – free, but with in game charges totalling well over £100. Sure, you don't need to buy them, but to get the most from the game you do.
I know other publications have covered this before and I am late to the game today, but this was my first look at the game this week and I really am absolutely disgusted with how EA have destroyed such a charming title.
It isn't just a nice ‘little earner' for EA, its as close to a complete rip off as I have seen. You even have to pay for some of the levels now as well, or they stay locked.
Why not charge a one off fee of £5 or £10? I think most people would be happy paying that up front. But £70 for a massive coin bundle alone? I don't mind a few charges with some titles, but if this is how ‘casual gaming' is going to be in the future, I might just start buying Playstation 3/ Playstation 4 games again. If they work out less expensive than casual games for a smartphone or tablet, it makes sense.
Technologytell posted the costs of in game purchases a while ago in America, I have them listed below. The latest UK edition of the game has higher costs and a few more options now, yep – to extort more money from the public.
Is the game good? Sure, it looks great, but I was so infuriated with the fees I just deleted it from the iPad. This is exactly why we don't want independent killer titles like Plants V Zombies getting bought out by big faceless, money grabbing corporations.
Plants $2.99 each
- Squash
- Imitater
- Snow Pea
- Jalapeno
- Torchwood
- Power Lily
Coin Packs
- 5,000 coins – $2.99
- 10,000 coins – $4.99
- 20,000 coins – $9.99
- 40,000 coins – $19.99
- 100,000 coins – $29.99
- 150,000 coins – $39.99
- 200,000 coins – $49.99
Upgrades $1.99 each
- Shovel Bonus – +25% Sun refund when shoveling
- Plant Food Bonus – +1 Plant food slot
- Sun Bonus – +25 Starting sun
- Bonus Seed Slot – +1 Seed slots
Bundles
- Starter Bundle – Squash plant, 5,000 coins and Shovel Bonus – $4.99
- Torch Bundle – Torchwood plant, 40,000 coins and extra seed slot – $7.99
- Power Bundle – Jalapeno plant, 40,000 coins and start with additional sun – $9.99
Pocketgamer posted a video a while ago and its well worth a look – see above.
Kitguru says: My feelings? Well in the immortal words of Bender from Futurama, they can bite my shiny metal ass. This really is greed, personified.
Should change the tag line to:
“Plants Vs Zombies 2 – Now costs the same price to enjoy as buying a PS3 & 2 games!”
What this whiny brat, Carl, doesn’t mention is that you are not forced to spend money in the game. According to another source, there is only one plant in the game that is not unlockable. All other things can be unlocked by doing this crazy thing called playing the game. Lol… you sillies.
http://kotaku.com/plants-vs-zombies-2-is-free-to-play-thats-better-with-1147085832
“A casual game – free, but with in game charges totalling well over £100. Sure, you don’t need to buy them, but to get the most from the game you do.”
If you feel like only buying cheats (which the coin bundles only give you access to) gives you the most from the game, then it’s true. I’m playing the game without spending anything and I don’t even use the special powers. I’ve beaten all story missions and a lot of side missions and I still enjoy it. Also I don’t feel like I have to spend any real money on the game.
“You even have to pay for some of the levels now as well, or they stay locked.”
That’s not even true. Every level can be unlocked by normal play. Next time do some research.
And with their bundle, they cashed in some extra. I’m not buying EA games again, especially if they need origin.
I love seeing the EA fans scurry out of the dark shadows when posts like this go up.
V2 of this game is a travesty. Everything you do is a f*(king charge popup. Even if some of them don’t NEED to be bought, you can be sure as shit that kids playing the game will hit some of them when they get stuck, forcing charges on their parents. EA know exactly what they are doing. The original game was sweet, pure and a monster title, this is just a cash register disguised as a casual game. EA are everything that is wrong about gaming in 2013. If you are happy with the way they run things, you either are an idiot or work for them or have shares in the organisation.