There is something to be said for the fact that it's a different game. They took some of the mechanics and IP of the original game, and made a new game, so he s

There is something to be said for the fact that it's a different game. They took some of the mechanics and IP of the original game, and made a new game, so he shouldn't have expected it to match the original experience. That said, from what he did review, it seems pretty clear that this new game is up there with the worst of the freemium/IAP model. I think your advocacy veers a little towards being willfully obtuse. I would say there has never been a single game that has been made more fun or interesting by the "wait a few hours or pay money to continue" mechanic. Resource and time management is certainly a valid mechanic but that assumes that the player can continue doing other things (as in actual "gameplay") while the time-intensive operation is happening. Even failing that, if we assume there is some game that is fun to not-play while you sit there waiting, the fact that you can pay money to advance invalidates it as a gameplay mechanic. At that point it can be nothing but a business decision. On the coffee shop example, you are paying for the intrinsic value of the coffee, so no, other offerings should not affect you. But with the "bag-o-coins" type of IAP, you are not paying for the image of your character holding the coins (i.e. a cosmetic item, which is considered somewhat less evil), you are paying for a means to an end, to continue playing the game. It would be more like this: the coffee shop advertises free wi-fi, which is one of the main reasons you went there. But by default your bandwidth is crippled to the point of near uselessness, and you have to buy the ridiculous mocha to unlock a decent speed. Now are you annoyed about it?