There’s no doubt when it comes to Java games, Popcap is already way up there. Brian, Jason, and John only had one goal: to create awesome games for everyone. However, they didn’t know they’ll be raking in millions of profits from the many games that achieved world-renowned success for the past 10-plus years. We’re talking about Bookworm, Bejeweled, Zuma, Bejeweled Blitz, and Plants vs. Zombies.
Yup, the ever-famous Plants vs. Zombies was the brainchild of Popcap. That’s why it came as a surprise when we encountered Plants vs. Zombies 2: Zombie Bible right at Apple’s iTunes. Is this from Popcap too?
Before we get into the answer, let’s talk about the Plants vs Zombies first. The game is called a tower defense because you’re going to use a whole lot of arsenals to beat your enemies. In this case, these are the zombies. With a wide varieties of plants with their own self-defense mechanisms, you protect your home from being invaded by these monstrous creatures and letting them have a part of your brain.
Like any other tower defense game, as you move up, the game gets harder. But this is one of the reasons why Plants vs Zombies was such a huge hit. You have a lot of control, allowing you to really strategize your moves, and there are new “tools” for you to use such as swimming pools. You can also earn some “cash,” which will permit you to secure your defences more effectively. And there are 50 levels to beat!
Plants vs Zombies was developed for both Mac OSx and Windows, but later mobile devices such as iPads have adopted them. The re-released version also contained additional content.
Now how about Plants vs Zombies 2: The Zombie Bible?
Well, there are a couple of truths you should know about it.
First, this didn’t come from Popcap. We have already checked the website and its list of games, and so far, they haven’t released a completely levelled-up version of the game (and we doubt they’re going to call it the Zombie Bible—it doesn’t really make any sense).
Simply put, this is a rip-off, which, even though it’s illegal under the copyright law, has been the norm these days. Besides the Zombie Bible, you’ll also come across titles such as Pants vs Zambonis, Plants vs. Aliens, Chinese Plants vs Skeletons, and Territory War (it has almost the same mechanics as Plants vs Zombies, except that the characters are different).
Second, we can’t really specifically tell who the developer is. It’s like it’s found its way in cyberspace, and many users have already been downloading it, thinking this is already the new and better version. To top it off, its description goes back to the original Plants vs Zombies—this has been sort of passed as another exciting Popcap product.
Third—and perhaps the most controversial—is it was accepted or approved by Apple iTunes (we mentioned was because we couldn’t find game anymore in its list of apps). It created a lot of negative stir especially online a number had dubbed it as the “scam.” How could a reputable and stringent company such as Apple accept or approve a complete rip-off? Worse, it wasn’t a free app, and customers had to pay around $2 to have it. In the UK, the original Plants vs Zombies can be downloaded for around $3. See the difference?
We are not sure if Popcap had brought Apple’s attention to the rip-off, hence their removal from the app list. We just hope it doesn’t happen again, or else, it spells a huge insult to a lot of people: Popcap, creative iOS developers, and Apple.
What do you think about this controversy? Share to us your opinion.
About Aurora Freegard
