Quote:
Originally Posted by Barkeep49
I agree that PvZ2 was so disappointing. To what do you attribute that?
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I hear ya.
I think there were a few issues.
1). I don't think EA has cared about their IPs for a very long time. They were founded as a company to push video gaming artists and to give them the business models and destruction needed to succeed. But they became too big, and too focused on money instead of their original mission. That's not an issue, any company has the right to do that, and I won;t belabor folks with some anti-EA rant, because I;m not really that anti-EA anyway, but it's clear that their #1 priority is to make money. If they can do so with pissing folks off and keeping customers returning, then they will. But they are willing to go with a financial model that may not fit the design and concept. (cough, SimCity cough)
I don;t believe that PvZ as a causal game and what it does is good for the financial model they moved it to. The result is a game that loses some of its fun
2). I felt the game lost some of its balance for both casual and dedicated gamers. The original was carefully designed over years to hit both. They tested it to newer casual gamers and with gamers like you and me. And they made changes based on tests to make the best possible game. I think the sequel is missing that balance
3). The sequel also loses some of its soul. There were a lot of fun things about the first game, from jokes and moments of fun (remember the first time you fought against the latest variant of a zombie like the pole vaulter or disco zombie?) There were some strong "moments" and heart the original game had. The sequels lacked it.
4). This project was created and designed by George Fan, who was fired and was not involved in the sequel. I think that created a formula for failure from the very get go. In fact, PvZ was created by Fan before he even joined PopCap. They convinced him that it would be easier to develop his game in house than it develop it himself and then distribute with someone, like them. So after leaving Blizzard behind and going solo for a bit, he came to PopCap games and brought PvZ with him. And you fire him? And multiple offices and developers?
It feels to me a bit like XCom Terror from the Deep. You had a game single handedly developed by Julian Gallop who published it with MicroProse, then they made a sequel in house that wasn;t exactly good, and it wasn;t Gallop's vision for a sequel or where the game and series should go. The sequel lost its heart and soul. That happened with Star Control III or lots of other games as well where popular developers were let go and the studio made a sequel in house and totally lost perspective.
EDIT:
Just did some research and wow. I didn't realize the review copies were easier than the normal ones, or that the game has likely gotten harder since.
http://business.financialpost.com/fp..._lsa=17be-2b7b