Copycat Games: Is stealing gameplay ideas from others evolution?

OXCGN:

"Almost anywhere you look nowadays, new games on the horizon contain some familiar features.

E3 this year demonstrated a lot of common elements , with few additions. Here are some strong examples of games ‘borrowing’ from others."

[gaminoz]

There are a LOT of games that are very similar these days. Especially looking at shooters:

Black Ops 2 is like Ghost Recon Future Soldier mixed with Modern Warfare. Or even Medal of Honor: Warfighter is using the same words from Ghost Recon Modern Warfighter.

I think that devs need to copy what gamers seem to like to make the $, and it does make sense to build on something that works and add your own twist to it, like say Dishonored.

A game can still 'feel' original even if it is getting inspiration from elsewhere.

[LarVanian]

When I watched the Black Ops 2 trailer, all I could see was Call of Duty with a Deus Ex paint job.

[gaminoz]

Spot on. It still looked like Modern Warfare with some extras to go with the explosions. I sure hope they hand hold less: "Follow!" "Get going" "Dont't stop and look at those indestructible light bulbs! Keep going so you miss the faults!"

[DeusExer]

I really hope they don't add in random civilian deaths this time around, ala MW3.

Sure, the airport massacre in MW2 carried some weight to it, but the little girl getting blown up in MW3 just seemed trivial to me.

I do however like the idea of branching storylines, which gives the campaign some more replayability. As the last few years it's been treated like a 4 hour tutorial for the multiplayer component.

[gaminoz]

I agree. Single player should be more than a scripted event after another with occasional shooting.

[Soldierone]

First thing I thought of was all the Battlefield fanboys asking for a Battlefield 2142 game again, and Activision/Treyarch attempting to beat DICE to the punch so the COD fanboys can scream "COPYCATS!"

lol

[Blacktric]

And not one Xbox 360 exclusive mentioned in the article. Ladies and gentleman; OXCGN! Probably the most biased piece of sh*t fanboy infested site ever!

[gaminoz]

Ummm....maybe because there aren't many Xbox exclusive titles? Didn't he say something about Gears of War?

Yup: "I believe it (Last of Us) stands out from all the brown, dull environments of the past few years (I’m looking at you, Gears of War)."

Looks like you are the 'most biased sh* fanboy ever!' :p

[BadCircuit]

Pft.

So sending a PS3 only owner to an MS show is the sign of a 360 biased site?

The review wasn't even flattering to MS? What are you on?

http://oxcgn.com/2012/06/05...

[DeusExer]

I don't know about you buddy, but nowhere in the article was I attempting to sink the boots into a particular console.

If I was having a crack at a console, would I complement one of their exclusive titles? Didn't think so.

Just to comfort you, when I mentioned rechargeable health, I was also talking about Halo 4. Happy?

The majority of games I talked about were multi-platform anyway. Just chill out and don't get all up in arms because you misinterpreted the content of the article.

[jetlian]

blacktric your right. he even so far as to say tomb raider copied uncharteds platforming lol

Biggest change in games this gen was 3rd person, cover systems, and online play. What series did he not mention =) horde mode is seen everywhere what game doing =)

[DigitalAnalog]

Oh, and I suppose that basically negates whatever troll article(s) it has sent before? Imagine criminals having their records wiped clean simply because they at one time did good charity works and the like.

Geez..

[Blacktric]

"Looks like you are the 'most biased sh* fanboy ever!' :p"

Checking your profile pretty much reveals how much of a bottomfeeder of OXCGN you are, with your repeated submissions from that crap of a site, and somehow I am the most biased sh*t fanboy ever? Good one. Also try do less "personal" attacks next time when you are replying to someone who doesn't like your buttbuddy's horrible and biased website that kept repeatedly producing horrible and biased articles over the course of its existence.

[Nimblest-Assassin]

Well the reason TLOU looks like Enslaved can be explained.... some of the people behind enslaved's design are working on TLOU

[DigitalRaptor]

Thanks for mentioning that. I forgot, but you reminded me.

Here's the link: http://www.eurogamer.net/ar...

[t0mmyb0y]

Original titles will always surface.

[ReservoirDog316]

Haha, exactly. Everyone copies everything. There are rarely any truly original ideas in anything. Very very very rarely. But it matters on how you take those ideas and make them interesting that matters.

I mean, are you gonna slap The Godfather for "copying" The Roaring Twenties or Little Cesaer or other gangster movies from the 30s and 40s? Come on.

[BadCircuit]

There are a few games like The Journey that are pretty original, but these tend to be niche or smaller titles.

A big AAA title requires a lot of money, and there is no point in re-inventing the wheel, when you know you just need to advance some areas.

This is indeed evolution. One games copies somethng from here and there and then mixes it: if it works it survives, if it doesn't it is tossed by the next dev.

Survival of the fittest.

It's sad when the whole recipe is repeated over and over and over though!

[TopDudeMan]

Absolutely, I'd rather have a game that borrowed all the awesome features from other games (and brought something new to the table) than a game that tried to be completely original and sucked.

[Skateboard]

Amen brother. Well said bubble for you.

[Snookies12]

Taking previous ideas and expanding upon them to form something new. That is evolution, and that's what SOME developers are doing. Just because something started out as someone else's idea, doesn't mean it's "stealing" if it's improved upon and turned into something else (which could be better or worse)

[SilentNegotiator]

Someone else invented the wheel, but no one gets pissy at the creator of the bicycle for "stealing" that guy's idea. Old ideas have to be turned into new ideas and be built upon. That's life.

Or else we can go live in a cave and argue about who owns the patent to fire and loincloths and clubs and rocks....

[SeekDev]

Indeed. I think it's ok to take game ideas because it's necessary for gaming to progress. However, if taken, it should always be refined, innovated further, or changed for the better so that it isn't a blatant rip and helps to push gaming forward.

Lol, cavemen

[Proeliator]

I think that it's simply a sign that we're at the end of a generation. Some of the bigger ideas - such as Watch Dogs, or just the Unreal Engine 4 - aren't possible on current-gen consoles.

(WD has not been listed for any platform yet, and the look of it spurs debate that it's a next-gen title - only my thoughts on the matter! :) )

[BadCircuit]

Star Wars 1313 is also rumoured to be 'next gen'

Do you really think that the next gen will not copy this gen though?

I think everything can be accused of some plagiarism. Look at the guy suing Ubisoft for stealing the Assassin's Creed idea...

[BootHammer]

Taking what works and is proven to be popular with gamers is fine IMO as long as the devs are still creative in other ways throughout the game's creation.

[AO1JMM]

All games have elements from other games

/thread

[TopDudeMan]

As long as it's the good stuff that's being copied and they manage to filter out the crap.
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, after all.

[Soldierone]

If a game is copy and paste from another, then its a rip off. Gameloft is a good example here.

If a game takes those ideas, expands on it and tries to throw a twist at you, then its evolution of the idea. A lot of times this happens you will notice the guys with the original idea get thanks at the end of the games credits.

[gaminoz]

Well put.

[Voxelman]

Imagine how shit games would be if any idea could only be used in 1 series. We would only have one franchise in any genre, the only game with side scrolling would be Bomber from 1977, imagine how many great games wouldn't exist.

[smashcrashbash]

Exactly. How would have gaming evolved if someone didn't take ideas from someone else? Battle Arena Toshinden was the first 3D fighting game. Just imagine in those days people used to b***h and moan how they do now about 'copying' and 'clones'. Then no one would have played Soul Edge the game that followed that took ideas straight from Battle Arena.

If an idea was good back then people used it without the constant cry of 'copycat'. Games evolved when people took ideas and improved upon them. If I made a platformer where the hero could fly and someone else made a platformer where their character could fly everyone would play both and didn't care who did it first, last or fifty years ago.Each game could exist in the genre without anyone using that as a reason to ostracize one or the other. The only reason to do that was if you took my idea and did it badly.

[jetlian]

soul edge was tekken with weapons it was never made to be a toshinden game.

[PopRocks359]

Ideas can be improved upon. If you present an old idea in a new way, then absolutely it's evolution. But if you're carbon copying, then no.

Guitar Hero to Rock Band = Evolution

Smash Bros. to Playstation All-Stars =/= Evolution

[mttrackmaster38]

How is Ps All Stars a rip=off but not Rock Band? I really want to know because I never understood how it and Guitar Hero were different.

[PopRocks359]

Harmonix created both Guitar Hero and Rock Band. Unless you want to accuse them of ripping themselves off.

Rock Band is like Guitar Hero, yes. But they added drums and vocals and promoted full band gaming and later upgraded each one with Pro mode and Harmonies for vocals. This is evolution.

Guitar Hero then began taking those upgrades from Rock Band. This, on the other hand, is not evolution.

[urwifeminder]

BSP is the most original game this gen for me.

[thebudgetgamer]

Video games have been around a long time and I think we are at a point were doing something tottaly new is almost impossible.

[CanadianTurtle]

Some of the best games I've ever played have actually a lot in common from other series. The Resistance games are an example, they take a lot of gameplay elements from other game series and combine it into one fun package.

[smashcrashbash]

@ jetlian Soul Edge. Tekken. Who gives a damn? You missed my point like most people on N4G do as usual. Tekken and Soul Edge where made based on Battle Arena Toshiden's designs.Does it really matter? Battle Arena Toshinden had weapons too you know?

[jetlian]

first off I got you point and virtua fighter was first 3d fighter. And TK/VF were based on martial arts more so than SF which toshinden is based on.

At the end of the all games doing it in someway

[Scholla]

Good read

[baodeus]

yeah it is kinda rare to get decent article sometimes.

[ginsunuva]

Mw3 stole the boringness mechanic from Mw2

[gcolley]

if it improves on the concept.

[ddelella]

Evolution...no. Improvement...yes. Just because another developer comes up with a great idea perhaps there are ways to make it better and bring it to a new point of view. As long as it is not just a direct copy and actually improves the feature. It is a shame the PC and MP3 world doesn't see it like video games or there would be far less patent suits by companies trying to improve upon a good design.

[Scholla]

Don't forget Ascend: New Gods very reminiscent of Shadow of the Colossus

[TheSuperior]

sadly a lot of games are the same type of thing mow a days