So,over in the forum about the 'soft' release of Plants Vs Zombies 2,we've been having a bit of b**tch about the cynically priced 'freemium model ruining an otherwise fun game.(Well I have anyway.)
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/7.821446-Plants-vs-Zombies-2-Soft-Launches-in-Australia
Anyhoo,I don't always object to the fremium model/in-app purchase game model if the pricing is fair and much of the game can be accessed through winning goals in game.PVZ1 had a pretty good model where you paid a flat fee for the game and purchased game currency to achieve achievements a bit quicker.
Sometimes though,the pricing is just ridiculous,cynical and close to criminal.
The worst one I've seen is Littlest Pet Shop.My God,that game is border-line extortion.
This is a game for LITTLE GIRLS,yet some of the pet houses cost $50 and $100!!!! There's a bug that means the parental permission for purchase doesn't appear every time,even if you enable it,and reviews are littered with complaints by parents that their wee female offspring inadvertantly rang up purchases of up to $1000!!!
http://www.badappreviews.com/iosapps/4316/littlest-pet-shop
My 7 y.o niece played it,and while she's a good girl who asked my permission every time for a purchase,(I don't let her know my password just to be safe),so much of the game was locked off,and in game rewards SO stingy,she got upset and frustrated when I turned down her requests for the more expensive items or coin sets.That damn game made ME the bad guy for refusing to spend $100 on a damn virtual dog house.Over a few weekends
,when her mum was sick and I was entertaining her,it still managed to suck about $30 out of us.I finally forbid her to play the game,but it was such a meanspirited,money-grubbing game,she got over it fairly quickly.Practically NOTHING in the game is free,so it was a pretty joyless experience anyway.
So what fremium /in-app purchase games have you tried and thought,"What a rip off!" This will save many of us a LOT of pain and money in advance.Games on any format(e.g android or ios) can be named.
List your pocket emptiers here!!!
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/7.821446-Plants-vs-Zombies-2-Soft-Launches-in-Australia
Anyhoo,I don't always object to the fremium model/in-app purchase game model if the pricing is fair and much of the game can be accessed through winning goals in game.PVZ1 had a pretty good model where you paid a flat fee for the game and purchased game currency to achieve achievements a bit quicker.
Sometimes though,the pricing is just ridiculous,cynical and close to criminal.
The worst one I've seen is Littlest Pet Shop.My God,that game is border-line extortion.
This is a game for LITTLE GIRLS,yet some of the pet houses cost $50 and $100!!!! There's a bug that means the parental permission for purchase doesn't appear every time,even if you enable it,and reviews are littered with complaints by parents that their wee female offspring inadvertantly rang up purchases of up to $1000!!!
http://www.badappreviews.com/iosapps/4316/littlest-pet-shop
My 7 y.o niece played it,and while she's a good girl who asked my permission every time for a purchase,(I don't let her know my password just to be safe),so much of the game was locked off,and in game rewards SO stingy,she got upset and frustrated when I turned down her requests for the more expensive items or coin sets.That damn game made ME the bad guy for refusing to spend $100 on a damn virtual dog house.Over a few weekends
,when her mum was sick and I was entertaining her,it still managed to suck about $30 out of us.I finally forbid her to play the game,but it was such a meanspirited,money-grubbing game,she got over it fairly quickly.Practically NOTHING in the game is free,so it was a pretty joyless experience anyway.
So what fremium /in-app purchase games have you tried and thought,"What a rip off!" This will save many of us a LOT of pain and money in advance.Games on any format(e.g android or ios) can be named.
List your pocket emptiers here!!!
