Is AB2 worth it? (Warning: contains rant)

[RedYoshi45]

I never thought I’d have to ask this question about an Angry Birds game.
I’ve been a fan of Angry Birds games ever since the original and apart from Seasons and Friends, I never missed out on the old AB games and I got Bad Piggies too. All were amazing to play, up to Star Wars 2.
Later I was on a break from AB games for a while playing other games, but a few months ago I started playing Epic again, then the original and then I decided to download POP!. That was the first game that actually made me seriously question what has become of the Angry Birds franchise. Sure, I’ve seen Rovio going crazy with merchandise and all the new Angry Birds games but I never really minded.
Now, however, I see how many annoying ads appear in the more recently updated games (Original is, thankfully, still an exception… maybe because I paid for it 5 years ago, but I don’t know), and, coming back to POP!, Rovio seems to enjoy copying worn-out game mechanics (like how many fricking bubble shooter games do we have?, another example is the Match-3 game ABFight which exists under different names a million times, and the upcoming ABAction too) and cancelling good games like ABStella (which gave me the first giggles on an Angry Birds games in years). All that while trying to pull the money out of the people playing their games, or the parents that want to make their children happy, by introducing power-ups, in-game currencies and a health system that forces you to wait after a certain amount of losses or tries (and I HATE when a game tells me to come back in a few hours to continue – when I wanna play, I wanna play). If those in-game currencies were cheap to buy at least, I wouldn’t mind. But for a decent amount of Lucky Coins in ABEpic, Rovio wants an amount of money with which you could get actual, long-lasting content in other F2P games like Pokémon Rumble World/Picross (spend 25€ on in-game currency there and you get a source of unlimited in-game currency! This is not meant as an ad for these games btw, I’m just presenting facts). Also the amount of levels you get in AB games nowadays is ridiculous. POP! has over 600 levels, I only started playing a few weeks ago and while I was playing they introduced more than 100 new levels. I’ve just passed level 152, for goodness sake, don’t throw more levels at me that I know I won’t be able to beat, let alone 3-star, without an extremely lucky day or power-ups.

Finally, I come to the reason as to why this is in the AB2 sub-forums. I’ve been following discussions in this forum for a while now. The game itself seems and looks interesting and a sequel to a game I love is principally a good thing. However, I see a LOT of rants about certain extremely frustrating levels, a recent price increase for entering the Arena (seriously? The Arena in ABEpic is for FREE… well, until you fail 3 times, but I take that as a punishment for me being a noob), game physics that are completely different to the first AB games (what do you mean by that? Pigs are harder to kill? Wood, glass and stone blocks are harder to smash? Structures seem like they’re stickied not stacked?), game crashes when you don’t need them, and I read the game has a health system like POP! and an in-game currency that Rovio wants you to waste and then buy for real money. What I’m especially concerned about is that health system, though, versus the amount of levels the game has. In earlier games, when I was stuck on a level, or if I thought I did a mistake that prevented me from 3-starring, I’d press that retry button and try again. So if I understand the discussions here right, I’d get, say, 5 retries and then I’d have to pay or wait to continue?
With all that in consideration, I really question whether I, as a year-long AB player and fan with a passion, should bother with Angry Birds 2. What I’d love is some reviews from AB2 players, whether rookie or veteran, and some answers to my worries, questions and thoughts I explained here.

Thanks in advance.

Topic

[datguygamer]

My rant about AB 2 in two words: It sucks.
My rant about AB 2 in slightly more words: It sucks due to faulty game design on the developers’ part and it definitely doesn’t feel like a traditional Angry Birds game to me.

Verdict: Skip it. You won’t miss anything if you don’t play this (just like some other games Rovio has made recently).

[CaptSternn]

Not much of a regular here, just started posting comments recently even though I use this site for the walkthroughs to get three stars in the older games. AB2 isn’t like the older versions but I like it. Very seldom ever play the older versions any more. It can be frustrating when getting stuck on one level for a few days. I have finished all 520 levels at this point without spending money and play the arena on a regular basis, also without spending money, and win quite often.

It isn’t an easy game. Yes, there is time involved, 5 tries at a level (each level has multiple rooms) and then out for a while. Get a new life every half hour but that maxes out at 5. It is possible to continues playing a few more tries by playing an advertisement to get an extra life and it is also possible to continue a level by watching an ad to get an extra bird. There are other rewards, daily and sometimes by watching yet another ad.

These gems people talk about can be bought, but they can be earned as well without spending money on them. Usually three a day just for opening the game and collecting them, then 2 more for playing the arena, 2 more for popping so many pigs, 6 more for collecting ten stars, 10 more for sending a gift (collected in some levels) to a friend through Facebook (something I can’t do because I don’t have FB), and more for winning in the arena. 100 for first place, 50 for second, 20 for third on down to 2 for 7th place. That is out of a group of 15 people randomly selected. But you don’t play those people directly, just compete for stars.

The arena is a week long competition, starting Saturday evening and ending the next Saturday. Maybe that is different at lower levels, not sure. There are eight levels of the arena, diamond being the highest. Placing in the top three of the 15 people in your group advances up a level. Placing in the bottom three moves the person down a level.

There are a few glitches and bugs. There was an update a couple of weeks ago that caused the game to no longer open. But that was fixed pretty quickly. Over all I like the game. Others maybe not so much, but they sure are here talking about it a lot.

[AndalayBay]

Since it’s free to play, you could give it a try. It’s interesting at first, but gets very monotonous. There are a lot of ads and there’s a lot of pressure to spend real money. My number one recommendation: do not spend any real money on this. If you have a Facebook gaming account, use that to make friends and exchange gifts. That will give you enough gems to get by. Don’t spend gems to extend playtime in levels, or even the arena. After level 400, the levels get so hard you’ll need gems to extend the play to complete them.

[burbman]

I am going to counter @andalaybay here…Just slightly. Pay one time for the minimum amount of gems. This reduces the number of ads you have to wait through to a manageable amount. Game does release a lot of new content, averaging 20 new levels every two weeks. I very rarely run out of lives, as long as I suffer through and finish levels even after missing an obvious shot. There are some hard levels, but the game provides enough gems to get through those if the player uses them wisely. Overall it is a fun way to waste some time.

I do miss one thing about the original – The ability to compete against myself. Random levels, and random bird lineups were somewhat manageable originally, but now the score generated by a bird is multiplied by that bird’s level, meaning that all scores to date become obsolete each time a bird in your flock levels up.

[RedYoshi45]

Thanks for the feedback so far! I’ll reply to whatever I still have questions to or wherever I wanna note something.

@datguygamer
With “other games Rovio has made recently” you mean Battle Bay, Nibblers and the like, right? They don’t look appealing to me. The only reason I play Rovio games is Angry Birds.

@captsternn
Ouch. 520 levels and the arena, 5 tries for a level, and you finished them all? Wonder how long it took you? I couldn’t imagine you wouldn’t get mad at a frustrating level especially if the game gave you only 5 tries at once.
(Btw, talking about the health system: Is it 5 levels you can play at a time, or 5 retries if you fail? I’ve seen both on mobile games.)

So many ads. But I kinda got used to that – POP!, Epic and Stella are full of them and I play these regularly at the moment.

What’s the difference in higher leagues? Do higher leagues give more gems? Or are they simply harder?

@andalaybay
Well, I do not have Facebook. Else it’d make my life in ABEpic a lot easier, too.

Levels become impossible starting at 400? Dang, sounds like POP! a bit. I like difficulty but it shouldn’t be cheatingly difficult.

@burbman
Well that’s interesting. I guess I’d do that just for the sake of less ads if I played the game.

Scores are multiplied by the level of your birds…
That gets me to something else.
What happens when a bird levels up? How would it get stronger, can it break more blocks or something? Or do you only do that for the sake of better scores?
Is the 3-star threshold adjusted for later levels? Could you 3-star, say, Level 398 with Level 1 birds?

[CaptSternn]

RedYoshi, I have been playing AB2 since it came out … I think. Might have been out a few days or so after but really early. It has been out for a while now. The arena was different at first and I only found it by accident. I had cleared all the levels at one point and just started pressing buttons to see what would happen.

Each level has two or more rooms, what Rovio calls them. Levels inside levels is what I call them. There are “cards” that you get when you start a level, randomly assigned. Each card is a different bird. There are three visible and you can choose to swap out one for another if you think it will give an advantage. These rooms are all different and if you fail to get through all of them and retry, they come back with different structures. You won’t find any good walkthroughs because it isn’t consistent like the previous versions.

The five tries? A player gets five lives. If the player fails to clear all rooms of a level, a life is lost. The player can immediately try again, starting at the beginning of the level. That can be done five times in a row without watching any ads. Beat all the rooms in a level and move on without losing any lives.

Scores are multiplied based on the level of the bird. It doesn’t do more damage, it just gets more points for the damage done. Birds are awarded feathers randomly and as daily gifts and that is how they level up. Feathers are also awarded after completing certain levels. (Maybe they can be bought with gems, not sure of that.)

Ok, this is getting really long and hard to explain. It is very different from previous versions. I suggest you play the game and see how you like it. Don’t spend the money for gems. At least not until you understand the game and how it works.

As I said earlier, I like AB2 and almost never play earlier versions of the game. I have never played Epic or Pop or Stella so I don’t know about those. Oh, one other thing, the beginning levels are tough. Like training camp. Limited choices on birds. The player earns new birds as they go.

[burbman]

@smwforever45 – I will try to answer what I can here.

My suggestion on minimal purchases removing ads also rings true for Epic.

Score multiplier – Same damage yields more points. Most rooms in AB2 have approx. 100,000 base level points. If I play the level with my level 6 birds, I can score approx. 600,000, no more damage done, just six times the points.

Three star scores appear to be based on level one bird scores. Essentially it is impossible to finish a level with less than three stars once most of the birds are upgraded beyond level one.

Birds naturally level up as you progress through the game. I do not think it would even be possible to reach level 398 with level one birds. If you did make it there without upgrading, yes I think you could conceivably three star the level with those birds.

Not all levels are super hard, even in the newest update. I think the difficulty ratchets up through about a 1-5 cycle, with each really difficult level followed by an easy level.

[RedYoshi45]

Thanks for the bunch of infos, guys! The things I read elsewhere in these forums sounded so negative I had big doubts about AB2… Might give it a try anyway. Rovio has always baited me, they probably will again.

@captsternn
“I only found it by accident”
So it wasn’t even clear to you the game had an arena mode? In ABEpic it’s more straight-forward… Not much of a deal though. I’d find it somehow.

The levelception was clear to me before, I did inform myself about the game a bit beforehand. Thanks for the info on the cards though – that sure makes the game more interesting, but then again also easier IMO… in older Angry Birds games you got a bird and had to figure out exactly how to use it. In AB2 you can choose one of three birds and one’s got to be the one to use.
You say structures are re-generated with each try… wouldn’t that defeat the purpose of having 500+ levels in the game? And wouldn’t it also defeat the purpose of Mighty Red etc. uploading walkthrough videos to YouTube? (I also don’t get why ABN provides walkthrough videos for POP!, on a side note – bubble colours are random and many many levels are luck-based)

Good to hear that it’s five lives that you only lose when you actually fail a level. I feared the game would force me to wait to play no matter how good I played but it seems like they did the same they already did in POP!.

I know, playing a game is the best way to find out how it is. I was just gonna get some first-hand information before using up bandwidth to download the game.

The thing with the limited birds is something I know from the older AB games too so don’t worry.

@burbman
Purchasing Lucky Coins in Epic reduces ads? Really? I never knew. :o However I see next to no purpose in the smallest purchase since I can do pretty much nothing with it.

LOL! So like 3-starring levels is a challenge in older games, in AB2 the challenge is to NOT 3-star a level? I had to giggle at that thought. XD

[CaptSternn]

RedYoshi, extra birds are earned during the game. Levels are different during retries.

Bottom line, give it a try and don’t spend money. I reloaded the game a couple of weeks ago when it had problems and can say the first levels are hard. It doesn’t get easier even when you get more birds.

But it is fun, and isn’t that what it is all about? I am glued to it and enjoy the play. Just don’t get obsessed or take it seriously. Have fun with it.

Edit: There is no user manual. Click on things. Learning about it is fun.

[MVNLA2]

@smwforever45 — Try it, you might like it.
I started playing AB2 when it first came out (probably the first day). I’m now on level 513 (a boss level) out of 520.
It’s harder now to level-up your birds than it was at the beginning. I am at level 41 for stars, and my birds are 5 level 7 and 2 level 8. The maximum level for your birds is currently 8. The points required to get 3* depends on the level Rovio assumes that you are at when you reach that level (I think Rovio said this). For quite a while, if I pass a level I get 3*. I am also in Diamond league in the arena.
Tried the daily challenge level today (available to me for the first time); pretty difficult.

[TriPolar]

@smwforever45 I also started playing it the day it came out. What I like about the life system seems to be what most people hate. The reason I like it is that it helps prevent me from spending too much time playing games. Tho, I’m pretty sure Rovio’s idea is so you switch to one of their other games and keep the cycle going hoping you spend real money in every game.

The main thing I wanted to say, is that if the game wasn’t good or addictive at all… Nobody would be here to complain about the faults. It has it’s issues, it’s different but I’d say it’s worth at least a try. In my time here at the nest, I’ve seen people complain about anything that was new. Yes, the game play is different, harder for sure but for a sequal it should be a bit harder. I have not played in while but I do intend to get back to it. There’s just so many options within just the AB world alone…can’t play them all any more.

Give the a try, you’ll know if you like it or not early enough to continue.

Now, don’t laugh but did they really cancel Stella?? I was still waiting on episode 2… How did I miss that notice!?! WTF… Now I have to go research that!!! Why??
The toons were still being made and there was the hint of a 3rd season…

[RedYoshi45]

@tripolar
Yeah but I hate it when a game company tells me when to play. If I wanna spend 8 hours on Angry Birds I will spend 8 hours on it. That’s how I work. :P

Also, yes they did cancel Stella.
https://www.angrybirdsnest.com/forums/topic/stella-slingshot/
But only the slingshot game – POP! is still being updated. But nothing like Stella Slingshot…

[Rovio_Bankler]

@smwforever45 I’d be honored if you tried it out. Feel free to share your first impressions if your do, regardless if you like it or not.

[RedYoshi45]

Ouch… I didn’t expect that Rovio staff would read my post and write a response. XD
Hope you don’t take my rant too bad. It’s not like I hate Rovio, I just see a lot of room for improvement especially lately.

I shall try it. :) And even if it’s not that good – it’s quite unlikely I’ll delete it. I still play POP! after all, even though it’s not really to my liking.

[datguygamer]

@smwforever45
By other games I mean these:
1. Angry birds Transformers
2. Angry Birds Go!
3. Angry Birds Pop!
4. Every single one of Rovio Stars except Tiny Thief
5. Battle Bay
6. Nibblers
7. Shakira Rocks
8. Angry Birds Action
Every single one of these are mediocre at best and honestly the ONLY spin-off I found rather interesting and fun was Epic. Other than that all these games are just not that interesting to begin with and are rigged in one way or another. AB 2 falls in the middle of the line for me. I am playing it but I won’t hesitate to uninstall it once I feel like it (and this is coming from a guy who has still kept all their older games installed even though they are mostly discontinued or actually discontinued).

[RedYoshi45]

@datguygamer
1. It really doesn’t seem that appealing to me. Is it some sort of endless runner like Temple Run? Think I read something in that direction.
2. At first I actually thought of downloading it. But apparently:
a. Internet access is needed since lately
b. It seems to be highly glitched
c. Mario Kart is a lot better IMO anyway.
3. Agreed.
4. Never played any, just saw ads. But I’m not really into any of the Rovio Stars games.
5. The ad I regularly see seems quite laggy. If the actual game is like that too I’d probably throw it off again. Also, 5v5 PvP? Probably means constant internet access and no single player mode.
6. Agreed.
7. Never even heard of it. And I can’t imagine Shakira rocking. She does pop music. :P
8. I mean, Pinball itself is alright, but Space Cadet on Windows is enough for me really.

Think you forgot Angry Birds Fight!. Match-3 is such an overused game mechanic.

Also agree with you on Epic. I did find it highly frustrating though at some point, when I was stuck at an Islands in the Sky level and there was no way to advance because my birds were too weak and I didn’t know how to properly level yet. Now, however, it’s pretty fun.

Oh, I still have all my older games too. I even kept Angry Birds Free. But that’s mostly because I do not want to lose my progress.

[datguygamer]

@smwforever45
I honestly did forget about Angry Birds Fight! Match 3 games is not what I call good in any way. Not to mention, all Match 3 games have an energy system and call themselves puzzle games and the later levels are nearly impossible to 3 star due to how rigged they are in terms of moves (take an example of Angry Birds Pop!, Angry Birds Action!). Nowadays I only play a handful of Rovio titles and whichever games I play, they are good; that’s why I play them.

About ABT, it is a 3D modelled side-scrolling shooter game. It’s extremely repetitive.

[RedYoshi45]

@datguygamer
I can tell you a single Match 3 game I know that does not have a health system like that.
It’s Puzzle & Dragons on the Nintendo 3DS… However, it’s not free like the mobile Match 3 games but it’s fun enough.

Yeah I know the pain with Angry Birds POP!… actually it’s not just the later levels. There’s barely any level after 100 that I can 3-star.

Yeah same here. Downloaded Stella lately and I like it. Too bad it has been DISCONTINUED… why does Rovio cancel that game? People liked it and it introduced a lot of new birds. (However, I do feel like most levels are straight-forward, like the game tells you where to shoot the next bird… the Purple Star levels are a bit different though)

[cognitive]

The biggest problem I have with AB2 is the element of chance. Yea, it makes life interesting, but most of the time the luck fairy ain’t smiling.

I am seeing things in the physics of the game that make no physical sense whatsoever. Oftentimes it’s as if the game actually knows a particular bird is critical and does its best to defeat you. Case in point, the odd – but not infrequent – case where a bird makes direct contact with a pig and bounces off, leaving the pig alive. Or where Terrence bounces off a balloon or a piece of ice that should allow passage. Or cases where the trajectory dots are outright wrong.

[Angryplayer]

Exactly. It’s gets worse with each set of levels that come out. There’s always one or two they have to cheat to try and make you spend money. You really play any better the 25th time when you beat it? No of course not, you just finally hit the max allowable tries in coding that they let you move on.

[cognitive]

Friday night and the Arena wealthy are out en force. Played two rounds and in each round I had 7 birds and the other guy had 10. Birds plus duck, pepper, and blizzard or some other spell. In both rounds despite being underbirded I did pretty well, but that’s not how the game should work.

[datguygamer]

@smwforever45 Hey remember that time when I said I play AB 2 but wouldn’t hesitate to uninstall it? That was a good time wasn’t it?

I just uninstalled AB 2 and for some reason I feel like I own the world now. :P

[RedYoshi45]

@datguygamer Do whatever makes you happy. XD
I’ll try AB2 anyway… but reading everything here it will be a love-hate relationship.

[datguygamer]

@smwforever45 yeah, I just didn’t care for AB 2 anyways. It always more or less felt like the black sheep of the flinging family and it finally got slaughtered.

[RedYoshi45]

Well…
I started playing, made it through the first chapter. Seems ok so far. But that might just be the first few levels they make easy on purpose because, well, they wouldn’t want to scare new players away. I don’t know. I’ll keep playing for a bit every day, or as long as the hearts allow me to.