Chinese version of Plants vs Zombies 2 infuriates gamers
Staff Reporter 2013-08-06 16:24
A screenshot from Plants vs Zombies 2. (Internet photo)
The highly-anticipated Chinese version of the sequel to the popular video game Plants vs Zombies has infuriated Chinese gamers because of its increased difficulty and pricing differences to the English-language version.
Plants vs Zombies 2: It's About Time, the sequel to the 2009 hit, was released in China on July 31, several weeks behind its debut in Australia and New Zealand on July 9. The tower defense game featuring attacking plants and approaching zombies, developed by PopCap Games and published by Electronic Arts, immediately shot to the top of the Chinese Apple Store charts, though by Aug. 5 ratings for the game had slipped from a perfect five to just 2.5 out of five.
The fall in ratings, according to sources, is because of the changes made to the Chinese version that have significantly increased the difficulty level, which gamers believe is intended to force Chinese players into spending money to purchase special items.
Angry gamers said that while the English version of the game can provide a fun experience without the need to spend any money, the Chinese version is practically unplayable without making additional purchases. For instance, to unlock all six special plants only requires 108 yuan (US$17.60) in the original version of the game, but to unlock the eight special plants in the Chinese version costs 256 yuan (US$41.80).
The unpopular changes have resulted in a cascade of one-star ratings for Plants vs Zombies 2 on the Chinese Apple Store, making it the lowest-rated game in the top 30 free games section.
