It's ok to be a rip off (as long as you're good at it)
Everything is stolen and we don’t care
Recently Hideki Kamiya, exec at critical darling Platinum Games and director of Okami, made news when talking about Sony’s 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:PlayStation All-Star Battle Royale. To , “It’s just a rip-off.” And as someone who has given over roughly 200 hours to the multiple games in the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Super Smash Bros franchise, I feel safe in saying Battle Royale is clearly the result of someone within Sony wanting a Smash Bros of their very own. But Kamiya and others would be better served embracing an attitude I recently adopted. So many great games have “ripped off” other hits, why can’t we all give Battle Royaಞle a chance to prove how well it can learn from another game’s success?
Now, when I use the term "rip off," don't mistake it for games that share a genre. If that were the case, every 2D platformer rips off 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Super Mario Bros, every other puzzle game is a counterfeit of Tetris, and any 3D fighting game ripped off 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Virtua Fighter (which, in turn, stole its fighting style from 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Street Fighter). No, what I mean is games that have such clear, specific inspirations that you can be sure it wouldn't exist in its current form if it didn't lift gameplay techniques wholesale from the games that pioneered them. And in many cases 💙that's completely forgivable.
Just look at last week's release of 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Sleeping Dogs, a game that wears its influences on its sleeve. Beyond the sandbox trappings firmly established by Grand Theft Auto III, the hand-to-hand combat is straight from the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Batman: Arkham games and fans of Wheelman will recognize the source of hijacking cars. But listing influences ultimately doesn't matter, because Sleeping Dogs executes so well on what it rips off, something many of the , including 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:GamesRadar's, agree on.
You need only look back to 2010 for another perfect example of execution outpacing obvious inspirations. When the original 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Darksiders came 🔯out, more than a few knocked it for being a Legend of Zelda clone, something I’ll agree with despite loving the game. The dungeon structure was thꩵe same, they share sword-based combat, and exploration incorporates tools identical to boomerangs and hookshots. For extra uninspired credit, Darksiders also contains a weapon that shoots orange and blue portals. .
Once I got over my reflexively negative reaction to the seeming lack of any originality in Darksiders, I settled into the game and found myself continually impressed by it. The developers had learned well from Zelda. Over and over again Darksiders proved it didn’t merely copy and paste from Link’s adventures, it had studied them closely. Developer Vigil Games skillfully implemented those lessons to give tribute to the games of their youth. And then Vigil went on to iterate further on these inspirations, delivering the even better (and more original) game in 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Darksiders II.
The same pride in unoriginality was on display in 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Shadow Complex. Developer Chair was open about its , copping to lifting design strategies of 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Super Metroid. Like Darksiders, you can tell it comes from a place of love and admiration, out to fill a niche Nintendo created and few outside of 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Castlevania had tried to fill. Chair, like Vigil, then took the gameplay and added aesthetics and story content that the originators didn't approach, making for a game that people accepted with open arms. Shadow Complex continually shows up on 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:best XBLA games lists and many are clamoring for a sequel.
There are so many examples of games I hold dear that may not blaze a new trail, but were outstanding all the same. Would Rhythm Thief exist without Professor Layton? Saints Row without GTA?♌ Dante's Inferno without God of War? League of Legends without Dota? Or Torchlight without Diablo? All of those are worth your time no matter how you feel ab💙out what they took from their sources.
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The added irony of Kamiya’s statement is that he doesn't need to look far to see the power of a brilliant rip off. Platinum's 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Bayonetta is clearly inspired by Devil May Cry, though most would forgive that since many former DMC devs worked on the title. But few could argue that Okami would exist without Zelda's 3D titles. Just like Darksiders, Okami closely shadowed the Zelda template, but used it tell a story all its own. It's an unforgettable game thanks to all the waysꦚ it learned from and expanded on another franchise's strengths. Instead of calling out those games as deceptive, gamers lauded Okami as a work of art and Platinum has quickly become one of the most respected companies in iꦆts field.
Believe me, artless re-creations and flagrant stealing can, and definitely should, be called out and given the lack of respect they deserve. Look at the negativity that met , a game that mirrored Oblivion in all the wrong ways. Then there’s Facebook heavyweight Zynga, which has been rightly accused multiple times for blatant theft of titles like 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Tiny Tower and . However, give a game a chance to prove itself a sham. Just because Battle Royale’s ♍inspiration is clear from🤪 the outset doesn’t mean it’s fate has been decided. Gamers should first take a deep breath and remember all the great times they had with “rip offs.” It worked for me.
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Henry Gilbert is a former GamesRadar+ Editor, having spent seven🌟 years at the site helping to navigate our readers through the PS3 and Xbox 360 generation. Henry 💛is now following another passion of his besides video games, working as the producer and podcast cohost of the popular Talking Simpsons and What a Cartoon podcasts.