I know Angry Birds 2 has been out for over four years, but I downloaded it a few years ago, deleted it, redownloaded it last week, and deleted it again. I'm still upset with how Angry Birds 2 literally replaced all the old games to direct attention towards the new game which isn't even good. Angry Birds Seasons, GO!, Epic, Space, Stella, Star Wars I/II, Fight, all gone for this.

1. The whole game's design goes against the point of Angry Birds

In the original Angry Birds, each level is a uniquely designed puzzle with a set sequence of birds. The point of the game is to find the best way to use each bird to clear the level, and if you fail, that's okay! You can just replay the level over and over until you find a method that works.

But in Angry Birds 2, at least in the main game, the birds you get are mostly random, and certain aspects of the level change as you replay. And if you fail the level, the game punishes you for failing, and limits the amount of times you can replay a level.

This goes against the entire point of Angry Birds, as it feels like less of a puzzle, and more of a "god, please let this level go well" thing. And since the birds you get are mostly random, most of the levels are nearly identical so the player can beat the level with any sequence of birds.

2. It's just not a good game

The original Angry Birds is good because it's simple, but hard to master, and THAT'S why it was so popular.

But in the new game, there are TONS of different game objectives. A main game, a daily challenge, the king pig panic, hat challenges, the arena, the mighty eagle boot camp, the tower of fortune, and probably other crap I'm forgetting about.

And all the birds have been buffed to the moon, so you don't need to be smart with how you use them anymore, you just decimate buildings and hope other pigs get caught in the explosion. In the original Angry Birds, each bird had a specialized purpose, but in this one, it's just "bird destroy thing" to compensate for the new game's design of "all birds should be able to beat this level"

And the competitive modes are a pay-to-win joke. To get high scores, you don't have to be good at the game, you just need to have expensive hats to multiply the score. So it has nothing to do with how good you are, you just need to have a bunch of expensive shit to win, which brings me to my final complaint:

3. Predatory micro-transactions

This is my biggest complaint with Angry Birds 2. Wherever you look, the game is constantly trying to get you to spend more money. While I do appreciate that the game doesn't have any ads that linger on the screen as you play, the marketing tactics used by this game are plain disrespectful to the player's time and money.

Failed a level? You get a picture of the red bird crying and the game tries to persuade you MULTIPLE times to buy gems to get more cards. And the game shoves all the stuff you'll be losing in your face! "You'll lose your streak, rare treasure chests and hearts if you quit now! Are you sure? Are you absolutely sure you want to quit? Please? Pretty please? 😢"

AND it also shames the player if they don't spend any money. When you refuse to spend money to keep a streak going, the game shows you a whole animation sequence with sound effects of your streak literally breaking down.

Don't get me started about the baby bird, which is blatant emotional manipulation. When you first hatch your egg, you get to name your cute friend and feed it apples every day, which you must earn/buy every day. And if you don't feed it often enough, the baby bird is literally holding a bindle and getting ready to run away with a sad expression on its face, and unless you buy more apples, it'll leave you forever. This is insanely manipulative for a game marketed towards kids. It's like a Tamagotchi where you need to spend money to keep it alive.

The worst part is that Rovio doesn't even respect its customers. Everywhere you go, the game is trying to get you to spend money!

Entered the main menu? Look at our special deals, $24.99 for a hat and some feathers! Failed a level? Spend money or watch an ad to keep going, pretty please? Lost a streak? Please spend money to keep it alive! Lost a tower of fortune floor? Spend money to keep going or everything you did will be for nothing! Don't have enough apples to feed your baby bird? Buy more apples or it will think you don't love it anymore!

Conclusion

This game is a pathetic excuse for a sequel

Lately, I've encountered several bugs in Angry Birds 2 that seem to push for gem payments rather than fair play, along with what appears to be a rigged arena system. It's gotten to a point where it's affecting my enjoyment of the game, and I wanted to see if anyone else is experiencing the same issues. Here's what's been happening:

1. Tower of Fortune (TOF) Glitches: On higher levels of the TOF, the game crashes without any rewards or gem refunds. There have been times when I've spent up to 1600 gems (20+50+100+200+400+800+1600), and upon choosing to watch an ad to continue, the game just crashes. My gems are deducted but I receive nothing in return. If gem deductions are immediate, why aren't the rewards?

2. Daily Challenge Physics Oddities: The physics engine seems off lately. For example, Terence gets blocked by a single wooden plank upon first contact, which shouldn't happen. Also, I've observed wooden planks passing through balloons without popping them, and towers improbably balancing on a single vertical column. It's as if the physics rules have changed overnight.

3. Premature Level Endings: In various challenges like the Daily Challenge, King Pig Panic, and the Golden Pig challenge, levels are ending prematurely. Objects or the kingpin are still moving and taking damage, yet the game prompts me to pay gems to continue. Just today, in a Golden Pig level, a tower was about to collapse on its own after bird impact, yet I was prompted to pay gems. I paid 60 gems, and then the tower collapsed without me even using the next bird, as it should have initially.

4. Rigged Arena Matches: What's going on with the arena? I'm matching against players with slingshots levels 2-5 (mine is level 28) and birds 15-20 levels lower than mine. I'll be in the lead by a significant margin, they have only one card left, and somehow they overtake me with a single bird. How is this even possible? (Note: I'm attaching a screenshot of my flock for reference.)

TL;DR: Facing multiple bugs in Angry Birds 2 designed to force gem payments, including TOF crashes, physics anomalies, premature level endings, and seemingly rigged arena matches where opponents with much lower-level gear inexplicably beat me. It's ruining the fun and fairness of the game. Curious if others have similar experiences and seeking advice.

These issues make it feel like the game is more focused on extracting gems from players rather than providing a fair and enjoyable gameplay experience. I'm seriously considering quitting if these problems persist.

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