Blatant rip-off clones

[J T]

Some games are such horrible ripoffs, that it's almost funny.

I decided to start this thread because I'm tired of seeing Limbo clones (A Walk In The Dark, Grimind, Monochroma, Element4l, etc.) and because I was on amazon and this Minecraft clone is so bad that I laughed.



It's a free Minecraft clone, except that it has malware (according to reviewers). That's about as bad as it gets.

Got any other embarrassingly bad ripoffs of note? I know there are a ton of bad Slender clones and if we go earlier in time there are terrible Super Mario Bros clones or even hordes of Pong clones.

[Sload Soap]

JT, have you ever seen any of Jim Sterling's youtube uploads? He basically wades through the constant stream of shoddy Steam releases and a lot of them are Slender clones or " random prefix" simulators.

Fighter's History by Data East was considered such a blatant rip off of Street Fighter 2 it caused Capcom America sued. They lost, but they did have a point. Here's an article that explains the case in greater detail. I can say from first hand experience the two games play very similarly as well. In fairness though, Fighter's History is a pretty solid title IMHO. I beat Fighter's History Dynamite the other day and it is a smooth fighter with some nice graphics. Some pictures that demonstrate the similarities in the spoiler below.

And if you're after half-baked Minecraft clones you'll love the Xbox Live Indie service! If it isn't a Minecraft clone it's a Flappy Bird clone or an Angry Birds clone.


(I get the feeling Dsh will make a "this thread is a clone" joke and redirect us any minute).

[emwearz]

I always found it funny when people get annoyed at Minecraft clones as it is a well known clone itself. There whole genre doesn't really appeal to me anyhow.

Also I always thought of Limbo as a knock off of NightSky (Though released later than Limbo, it was announced and "showed off" years before Limbo came out). Similar art style, physics based puzzles. Both great games none the less.

[dsheinem]

(I get the feeling Dsh will make a "this thread is a clone" joke and redirect us any minute).

I lol'd

[Gunstar Green]

I always found it funny when people get annoyed at Minecraft clones as it is a well known clone itself. There whole genre doesn't really appeal to me anyhow.

Also I always thought of Limbo as a knock off of NightSky (Though released later than Limbo, it was announced and "showed off" years before Limbo came out). Similar art style, physics based puzzles. Both great games none the less.

Well everything stands on the shoulders of something else. There's a difference I think between borrowing ideas to create something new and blatantly copying a game to confuse or lure in people based on its recognition.


Maybe there should be a line drawn between what we call clones, which isn't always derogatory, and a flat-out ripoffs though that line would be a subjective one. Some of these copycats are like the Hollywood Mockbusters of video games.

[BRIK]

The Simpons: Hit & Run was so alike Crazy Taxi that Sega sued.
Crazy Taxi is miles better, however.

[jay_red]

The Simpons: Hit & Run was so alike Crazy Taxi that Sega sued.
Crazy Taxi is miles better, however.

You are thinking of Simsons: Road Rage, Hit and Run is the GTA clone that was actually really really good.

[prfsnl_gmr]

Super Mario Bros clones

This one, The Great Giana Sisters, is my favorite:



The DS remake is a lot of fun, however, and I am looking forward to playing through it.

[BoneSnapDeez]

Yeah Giana Sisters is pretty fun. If you look at old computers you'll find tons of clones of console and arcade games.

Here are some Tandy ones. Gotta love how lazy they were with the game titles...

Lunch Time:


Caterpillar:


Gems:


Pumpman:


Monkey Kong:


Junior's Revenge:


Lancer:


Morocco GP:


Quix:


Sinistaar:

[J T]

(I get the feeling Dsh will make a "this thread is a clone" joke and redirect us any minute).

I lol'd

It's likely to be some other thread I forgot I started too.