Blatant rip-off clones

[Tanooki]

Hwang Shinwei for the famicom format made some like Brush Roller (Crush Roller/Make Trax) and Magic Crystal 1 (and 2) (Columns.)

[emz998]

The whole story surrounding the many versions of Tetris is really the most interesting thing on this subject.

[BRIK]

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.

You are correct, what an embarrassing mistake.

[lisalover1]

Bone makes a good point; back on 80's proprietary computers, clones weren't the exception - they were the rule. Because of the "wild west" nature of computer software publishing at the time, most developers literally just copied popular games bit-for-bit to run on their platform as a quick way to boost a computer's software library and get some easy money. In fact, if a computer DIDN'T have a healthy lineup of clone titles, then that was probably a bad sign for the system's vitality!

[Sload Soap]

Yeah, the C64 and Speccy were awash with clones and rip-offs, probably too many to list. The latest frontier for that sort of thing is the Android/iPhone market.

I own a few Xbox Live Indie games that are fairly blatant in their influences.

Ocean Drive Challenge an Outrun clone:


FortressCraft an early Minecraft clone:


Shipwreck a nice looking Zelda clone:


Avatar Panic! a Super Pang/Buster Bros clone:


The thing is, these are all games I've enjoyed playing. FortressCraft was the most controversial but, at least on release, actually did a few things better than Minecraft in terms of online and giving objectives.

I'd say these games were more pastiche than plagiarism. There's an obvious affection for the product they are imitating and, especially in ODC and Avatar Panic's case, a real longing for types of game that have fallen out of fashion.

[TSTR]

There can never be enough OutRun clones as far as I'm concerned.

[Sload Soap]

There can never be enough OutRun clones as far as I'm concerned.

Agreed. It's odd that the style isn't copied more. Maybe because Out Run is so unique it's very obvious when it is copied?

[TSTR]

There can never be enough OutRun clones as far as I'm concerned.

Agreed. It's odd that the style isn't copied more. Maybe because Out Run is so unique it's very obvious when it is copied?

I think it's because racing/driving games have become car porn instead of focusing on gameplay.

[lisalover1]

There can never be enough OutRun clones as far as I'm concerned.

Agreed. It's odd that the style isn't copied more. Maybe because Out Run is so unique it's very obvious when it is copied?

I think it's because racing/driving games have become car porn instead of focusing on gameplay.

Outrun is a unique title because mechanically, it's not really a racing game, but it's also not a driving game like GT. It occupies that weird middle ground. Sure, you're technically "racing" other cars, but they act more as obstacles for the overall timer than anything. The joy of playing the game comes from making it to the game's various locales, in my opinion.

[Sload Soap]

There can never be enough OutRun clones as far as I'm concerned.

Agreed. It's odd that the style isn't copied more. Maybe because Out Run is so unique it's very obvious when it is copied?

I think it's because racing/driving games have become car porn instead of focusing on gameplay.

Yeah, there is that. As much as I like Forza, and I do, Out Run is about something deeper and more substantial than cars and going fast.