Not sure how “hot” this take is, but…
PvZ1 was better than its sequel (PvZ2) in a lot of ways.
Not just due to its micro transactions, but also the pacing of the levels in the sequel is ass, it has much worse balancing than its predecessor, and most of its gimmick levels are less fun than that of PvZ1 (not to mention that some gimmicks are way overused).
This is coming from someone whose played both for a very long time.