Thoughts on PVZ2?

I've been asking this question across multiple parties for about a week or two now, but I'd figured i'd ask here to reach a wider group of players.

I'd prefer if you give a reason why, also.

 

Honestly it’s such a huge shame what EA did to PvZ. There’s so much that I like about PvZ 2 that makes it stand out from the original, from the new plants to the new level mechanics. All of that got completely ruined through micro transactions, grinding plant levels, to shoving ads in your face every other level. Don’t even get me started on game balance. That’s why imo PvZ 2 is worse than PvZ 1.

That’s why I’m thankful that PvZ 2 mods exist like Eclise that show what PvZ 2 could’ve been.

 

I surprisingly liked the game despite all the microtransactions
I really wanna hate the game for making me have to pay money for classic plants, but when compared to other mobile games it's actually really solid (plus requires no internet connection)
it may not compare to pvz1's legacy, but it has a crap ton of content to go through
it's incredible how much they managed to milk this game tho

 

First of all, it was PopCap, not EA who did it. EA is the publisher, not the developer.
Second of all, Eclise's developer isnt the best person to put it lightly...

Other than that, I can see why, i just need to clear up some misinformation

 

EA also owns PopCap and the original developers of PvZ 2 such as Matt Johnston were opposed to the ways PvZ 2 got monetized: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/p...oducer-explains-what-went-wrong/1100-6489993/

Second of all, what does that have to do at all with how good Eclise is as a game? It’s like saying the main Harry Potter series is bad because J.K. Rowling is a transphobe or Minecraft is a bad game because Notch is a racist. You can enjoy art regardless of the artist.

 

While it is true that EA owns PopCap, PopCap is still effectively the developer. Those microtransations were planned in PVZ2 regardless... Like that was all an PopCap thing.

 

I don’t have access to the Google Doc

 

Frankly google doc links with Wynncraft forums are broken so...
h,ttps://docs.google.com/document/d/1JW7PpmDOa1Nm9cOh1V4Kv3KXdmBFmyGJNVSxdWUaLYY/edit

I put a comma at the start so the link doesn't break, hopefully that works

 

Oh boy....

I loved PVZ 2 when it was at its prime back in 2013-2016. Being excited for new worlds and plants was so much fun, and looking back on it it did seem like the developers were putting actual care into it, despite the microtransactions. But even when playing a 2016 version of the game in 2022, I really feel that the microtransactions aren't even... that bad? Maybe a hot take, but at least (back in the day) you could still get through the game without paying a single dollar (yes, even Big Wave Beach) if you just happen to know what you're doing. For what is essentially a free game, it was pretty darn good!

Now... Yeah the game should have ended in 2016 after the last world was released. Ever since the leveling update was added, Ultimate Battle and DM music were removed, more and more premium plants kept coming out, it felt like the game was going into a bad route, and while I haven't played post-leveling, it does at least look like the current version of the game is not something I'd enjoy. (I did play through the first 10 levels of 2022 PVZ 2, but I already felt a headache incoming before I swiched to an older version.)

Comparing it to PVZ 1? I would say it's a bit better experience for me. Playing through PVZ 2 after replaying PVZ 1 feels really fresh and I actually enjoy the game being more challenging (I found PVZ 1 piss easy) even if some of the balancing is wack. But PVZ 1 is a legendary game for sure, and the paid plants of its sequel can go to hell.

TL;DR PVZ 2 was good back in 2013-2016 despite the paid plants, and then fell into a pit after that. But thankfully there are mods such as the recently released PVZ 2: Reflourished that manages to keep the game going with new worlds and events (and undo some of the shitty post-2016 choices alongside removing all microtransactions). Kind of warms my heart to see this game that was such a huge part of my childhood still have an active community.

Anyways... enough rambling. Back to my silence I go.

 

Another pretty much OG PVZ 2 player here... I first played it either in late 2013 or early 2014, after I got an iPad Mini, because it wasn't available on the Kindle Fire for some stupid reason. It was the first PVZ game I played to my knowledge, simply because it was free while the original was not.

I loved the game initially, between the art style and the challenging but fair levels. Then came Far Future, Dark Ages, and Big Wave Beach later on... and that's when I realized that I probably wasn't going to get far without spending any money. So, that's exactly what I did. I recall buying every premium plant, and the occasional power-up when a level was just a bit too frustrating for me.

I quit playing about a year later, not only because of the microtransactions, but also because there just wasn't a whole lot left for me to do at the time. I realize that there have been so many more plants and worlds released since then, but I also don't care for some of the general changes made to the game in that time. I know that there's now a plant upgrade system for instance, but from what I know about it, I just really don't think it would be worth it for how long it takes to level up even a single plant. However, I do plan to give the game a go again at some point, in the form of the ECLISE mod.