Quick Look: Plants vs. Zombies 2: It's About Time

Stop defending awful business practices. You're the reason this exists.

Free 2 Bend Over And Take It

Mario 64 blocked off the upper levels of the castle, nor would a new player know that until they reached it. You could not progress until you had the boss key, you couldn't get the boss key without a certain amount of stars, etc. It all comes down to what one considers a "grind".

I think the trade off of time and repeated games is very fair considering you don't have to pay a dime to progress. The transactions prey on your patience. I just find it interesting people are suddenly outraged when the mechanic of "collect x to progress" is circumvented with real money.

BEST DEAL

Although I can understand that some people wouldn't like having to do challenges to get stars, how is that really any different from having completely different levels?

It's slightly lazy in that they reuse the order that enemies spawn in, but the new elements added to each challenge make the level play completely differently. Personally I've found the challenges to be really fun! So far I've unlocked world 2 and gotten enough keys for every gate in world 1 without feeling like I was grinding.

@hatking: If you're hinting at DOTA 2, know that all the items are cosmetic. Besides things like the compendium (which is basically a premium ticket for The International), none of these items serve a purpose, other than being a dumb/neat incentive for people who really like the game and want some vanity gear.

I just want to requote this, because it's extremely true. Everything you can buy is unlockable through normal play. You can very easily get through the game without paying a cent. They have to be given credit for that.

Granted I'd much rather they just charge a flat rate for a game, but when you can completely finish a game without even paying, there's something to be said for that.

How much is it to see the end of this QL?

Ugh, this sure is free to play.

Free to Pay.

@nictel: 5.99 for each half of the Quick Look, and 19.99 for the whole QL. Which is the best deal.

Kind of disheartening to see people being so upset over the "freemium" model. I've been playing the game since it was released in Australia and haven't spent any money yet.

I feel as though we're approaching the judgment of F2P games from the wrong angle. There's a completely valid way of playing through this without paying with anything other than your time.

God damn, well said. Agree with everything you said. Im now on the pirate levels and so far it has costed me nothing. This actually seems to be a fine example of a fair f2p game. Of course it sucks that you dont get all the plants for free, but there seems to be a lot of content even without them ! At least Brad could have checked the earlier levels to see that they chance for every star, so it really does not feel like grinding. If you like the basic PvZ gameplay hook, its no chore to play the earlier levels with new goals.

Well done EA and Popcap.

You can unlock everything with in-game coins and there's no multiplayer to fuck up, so I don't see a problem with it. It looks fun.

For those complaining about F2P in PvZ... GO ACTUALLY PLAY IT. I personally hate F2P games, and PvZ actually does it right. You don't need to pay a dime if you don't want, and the game provides enough different challenges so that "grinding" doesn't actually feel like grinding. Sure, I would prefer to just pay $10 for a full game, but PvZ has some of the best F2P I've seen in an iOS game.

wow that's really shitty monitization schemes right there. I'm all for micro transactions that are skins and new content packs and even upgraded units (so long as you can earn them in game withou play 1000 hours). But locking content out because you need to go back and earn more stars is just shitty game design.

The funny thing is Dota 2's transaction system is worse than this game's. In Dota 2 the keys cost $2.50 and you don't even get to choose the item you want, while also having a high chance of getting something you already have. At least you know what your getting when you pay a micro transaction in this game.

@shrillgore: in DOTA 2 all is purchases are hats

I am so fucking tired of people bitching about this game being F2P. It's free! You don't have to pay for shit! It's still fun. Give it a try and quit crying about something you haven't even played.

Don't mind the micro-transactions in games like this but some of those prices seem a little excessively high on the end of some of those market pages. With games like this anything over $20 is a bit much beyond reason to go for.

except those things dont do literally anything

I played the first three levels and figured out/knew about the star system. A good number of reviewers and articles all consistently say this is a free to play game that isn't exploitative and is completely fair. Basically the question for any player is, play through more content or skip that and pay the fee. If these were arranged linearly I wonder how the reaction would have been. I'm not saying the design could have been better but for anyone who knows what F2P even is, then it's not difficult to figure out what's going on.

The only hang-up for me is that on my iPad 3 it seems like the game animations are sluggish. Like the framerate isn't all there or something which is why I would love to get a PC version anyway even if the design is good for a F2P game. Don't get me wrong, would I like a satisfying one time purchase version on PC? Absolutely. However it is completely disingenuous to paint this with the same broad strokes as shittier F2P games that make no effort to smooth out their design and prey on loss aversion for money. The only F2P bummer in PvZ2 is the $99 option, especially considering how coins are ultimately pointless to buy at all.

As far as I'm concerned the game puts everything that is non-essential or without much use behind the paywall to make it as conducive as possible to get through the game without paying but still make it a F2P game. The irony of course is that the game is free so if you really have that much issue you can try it out for yourself and see if the game isn't to your liking. Hey, if you genuinely gave it a shot, played through a lot of levels, and then got to the end and felt betrayed, that's on them. Otherwise it's what seems like a good follow-up to PvZ getting put on blast because it's F2P at all.

I definately agree with the anti-microtransaction-ness of this QL, but I will say that getting the stars isn't as bad as it seems. Each star adds variables to the level you are replaying. Like, blocking out certain tiles you can plant on or limiting the amount of sun you can use. So, it doesn't come off (to me, anyway) as "grinding" because it keeps the gameplay interesting.

Eh, I feel like the problem here is the EA angle. It seems like you can finish the whole game without paying a cent. That's perfectly fine. I don't really care if they include options aimed at milking whales, it's up to them to use some self-restraint. Of course I can see Brad not knowing what that is with his massive hat collection in Dota 2. ;)

I was reaching for my iPad to download this when I heard it was free..... and then they got to the world map.

Never mind.

The tone of this QL when they discover the F2P elements feels like it's not entirely fair to the game. You really don't have to pay anything to play through and get a bunch of keys, which seems like the benchmark for a decent F2P model. Challenge levels don't feel grindy, they've been fun content so far.

I find the worst elements of this stuff as distasteful as the next, but PvZ 2 just doesn't strike me as one of the bad ones.

I would easily pay like $20 for a the PC version with all the pay-only content unlocked but no way am I spending a dime on plants that are already in the game.

great you have to play each level at least 4 times because you can't get the three stars in one shot - this game is affecting my desire to keep playing by doing that. the same thing went for pvz adventures

Do you think this Quick Look is not quick enough? Do you not have enough time to watch the antics of Vinny and Brad?

For just $4.99, I will watch this Quick Look on your behalf.

Special Bundle: I will watch two Quick Looks on your behalf for $9.99! Best deal!

You're a life-saver. Can you watch the Quick Look of Splinter Cell Blacklist for me when that's available? I kinda wanne go in blind to that game. Watching the Quick Look would negate that. Thanks.

STARS!

Brad is the Rain Man of stars.

Laugh and Beats is fucking awesome.

Sure, that will be $5.99. Thanks for your purchase.

New AAA releases have an extra $1 surcharge.

Would "Save and Quit" have given him his stars, or not lost his progress?

This game is totally fine. I've almost beaten it in a few hours and haven't spent a cent. It's still PvZ and its still fun. Don't assume because its free to play that it's horrible and unbeatable.

This is disgusting.

I'm about halfway through the video and pretty much agree with everything Brad and Vinny are saying. While the free to play stuff is a real let down, I do enjoy playing the game. I don't know if they ever go back to a level that has 3 stars to obtain in the video, but those levels actually work differently then they did the first time through. They kind of work like little challenge levels (Complete this level using only 1250 sun, don't plant more than 10 plants, etc). So that varies it up a little. But I do hate having all this ridiculously priced stuff thrown in my face all the time.

It's time online publications ala GiantBomb start demanding $4.99 for one additional paragraph of text or two additional minutes of video, let's see how people react to that.

Simply put the plants that are being sold there for $2.99 or $4.99 is just pure bullshit. You buy 5 plants and you already paid ~$25 for a game that would barely excuse a price tag of $15.

Maybe I'm 'too old' to get free to play, but I generally dislike the entire atmosphere surrounding those games. I love video games and gladly pay for them. But I feel the creator, perhaps on some level, should appreciate that I like his game and pay to play it. That's what I love about some of the indie devs. They actually seem excited that people are playing their game. Not just that they get money out of it.

With free to play, all I see is a constant stream of possible charges in my face. We're not talking small charges either. It's not pay 5 cents to progress to the next world. It's pay 5 bucks... bucks. Fuck. This entire game is worth 5 bucks. Maybe.

And yes, I know stuff like the 99 dollar (...) transactions are optional. But just the fact that it's there, that they are hoping I'll pay it, that they put it in my face trying to persuade me it's the 'best deal' is disgusting. I'm actually offended by this stuff. Then again, free to play has never, ever seemed like a good deal to me.

All these in-app purchases are disappointing. Just give me a full version, and I'll buy it.

Loved Plants vs Zombies 1.

No thank you to this.

EA ruins another great series. I want to just buy the full game and play it. I don't want to be nickled and dimed while I'm playing or have to replay levels I just beat just to get to the next world just so they can squeeze some more money out of people who also think replaying to progress is ridiculous and are willing to open their wallets. Having to pay extra to get plants that were already in the first game just makes me sadder.

What if the Quick Look turns out to be GREAT (like a Vinny/Jeff EA Sports Quick Look level of great), can I go back and watch it? Is there any kind of refund for that?

Seriously this is one half baked quick look, you didn't give the game enough time. The replays are challenges that make the level more challenging with different goal objectives. You do not have to buy a thing to enjoy or beat this game. People get so down on this because it is published by the big bad evil EA and it's on iOS a super profitable platform first, but it is still PvZ with humor and music that I still enjoy with some different in app purchases that I can completely ignore and still get good experience from my time with the game. And it's free... people are complaining about something that was offered for free. O but it's not what you wanted, it's not the game you envisioned. O well it's FREE, and keeps core concepts that made the original a blast that I sunk way too much time into but loved every second of it. This has not rubbed me raw at all, yea I can't use certain plants but o well the plants I do have murder zombies awesomely.

I rather just pay 10-20 bucks up front and have the full game unlocked.

I would have paid $3-$5 for a full game which allowed unlocking buffs and extras through playing challenges or doing really well in a level.

The insidious thing about F2P bullshit is that it takes rewards you used to earn via playing a game well and instead gives them to you for paying the publisher money. It sucks fun out of games. F2P is a fun leech sucking on the game industry. The gamification of paying publishers.

I think you were a bit unfair about the level replay for stars, the replays are modified levels with extra win conditions and higher challenge.

My general take on this is the first game, to me was trivially easy. This game (and I have played through the first world) is the right level of challenge without paying a penny.

I'm glad you asked! For this week only, you can purchase refunds for a mere $1.99!