User blog:Tecku/Bonus Levels Review

So, I beat the 10 bonus levels for Ancient Egypt and Modern Day. Naturally, that means that I should create a blog post about them. However, I really don't have too much to say. I mean, I have some minor points to talk about, but this whole update just seemed kinda... meh.

In fact, the whole plant leveling system seems kinda meh. When I hear of a leveling system, I want to be excited about it. I want to play with each new unlock and upgrade that comes my way, having fun with the system. But really, the unlocks just aren't that impressive. Gaining individual levels is rarely impressive, and the game compensates for this by having a lot of levels for each plant, making it quite grindy if you want to make any notable upgrades. I just... this is a matter for another blog. Let's talk about the levels themselves.

First, I do like the base idea. It's a way of saying "Did you enjoy this level? Well, you can come back later and explore it more when you're ready. Now go have fun in the other levels!" Unfortunately, once you come back, the levels just seem to be repeats of things you've already done. I beat the levels the same way I beat the Beach/Marsh/Modern levels. Even the Pyramind Head Zombies are pretty much the same thing as the Pharaoh Zombies. Did you forget that you had those?

Speaking of which, the Modern Day levels are... well... Modern Day levels. Yeah, it just felt like the same thing, except you don't have lawnmowers. The Sunday Editions are beat the same way as the regular Newspaper Zombies. Also, if the Modern Day levels can already use Blockhead and Fossilheads, then the Brickheads are kinda pointless.

Now, don't get me wrong. As new levels go, these were okay. They were challenging without being impossible. Some had good ideas, like the Locked and Loaded levels with the Winter Melon and Snapdragon. But it's not something that makes me want to come back every day and earn pinatas so I can keep playing.

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sigh... guys, I'm kinda worried about PvZ2. Back when it released, it was like this perfect relaxation game. Plop down on the couch, pick a few plants, maybe the unusual ones for a unique time, and play a level. There were new plants to pick, new zombies, new mechanics, it was like the first one, but better. Relatively easy, but it was colorful, and more importantly, it was fun.

The they came out with the 1.7 update. No more simple levels that you could relax with. Okay, but they were still making big levels and huge updates. I remember how cool the Far Future was and how much fun I had. New plants, new zombies, and the new levels went well with the new rushing horde style.

Then the Dark Ages and BWB came along. The fun was just... gone. Getting through the levels wasn't fun anymore. It was a chore. But I still looked forward to more. I looked forward to the future of PvZ2, because I knew that there at least would be some fun new things to mess around with. And even though the levels stank, I freely stated how much I loved the concepts they employed with the tide and new plants.

Next up was Frostbite Caves and Lost City. I was elated again. Fun instead of teething frustration. New plants that interacted with new zombies in unique ways. I was way too hard on the Lost City Part 2 in my blog, because looking back, it's a lot better than I remember.

NMT, JM, and MD were really spammy levels, but they weren't terrible like BWB. And yet, I started to see some signs of wear and tear. We saw some very overpowered plants like Primal Potato Mine, Grapeshot, and Cold Snapdragon. Levels started to lose their edge. There were still levels with great concepts, but a lot of it became repetitive. Pick the most OP plants, and just spam them. Remember back when you picked Cabbage-pult because it was suited to the situation, and not because of it's stats? Those days were pretty much gone.

Now with the Power Plants update, things are just... grindy. I don't feel convinced that anything will be as big as the previous levels updates. I don't want to come back every day and work 100 hours to be told that my Wall-Nut recharges 1 second faster. I want to pick up a new plant and experiment with it. I don't want to pick up Spore Shroom and say "Well, maybe after 14 pinatas and 20,000 coins it might be decent." I want to have fun!

Popcap, I want to like the main PvZ series. I want to see new worlds, or see new games. I want to see the series that encourage me to experiment with my choices, to use oddball plants like Red Stinger. And if your steam's run out, that's fine. But don't be afraid to let PvZ2 die if it means we get something bigger and better.

I'm Seth Brokmeier a.k.a. Tecku, and this has been Tecku Talks.