10 Rip Off Games Better Than The Original
Rip Off Games Better Than The Original
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Welcome to MojoPlays, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Rip Off Games Better Than The Original For this video, we’ll be looking at the games that clearly copied a popular title, yet became immensely more successful. Are there any rip off games you think we missed? Be sure to let us know in the comments.
“Streets of Rage” (1991)
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Based on “Final Fight” (1989)
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Lots of beat ‘em ups resemble each other, but the similarities here are too strong to ignore. Even the main characters look nearly identical. Capcom ported its arcade hit “Final Fight” exclusively to the SNES in ’91. As this was in the midst of the console wars, Sega created its own street beat ‘em up to compete. Lead designer Noriyoshi Ohba even used “Final Fight” as inspiration. But it wasn’t just better graphics and an incredible soundtrack that made “Streets of Rage” better. The “Final Fight” port removed one of the characters, one of the levels, and the option of co-op. Flash forward to 2020 and “Streets of Rage” just received a fourth entry while “Final Fight” hasn’t been heard from since 2006.
“SimCity” (1989)
Based on “Utopia” (1981)
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Will Wright’s “SimCity” is largely regarded as one of the most influential games of all time, having led to the popularity of resource management and life simulation games. However, that doesn’t mean it was the first one. That honor goes to Mattel’s “Utopia” on the Intellivision. The game pinned two players against one another, tasking them with maintaining an island’s various buildings and keeping their citizens happy. While it was hindered by the technology of the time, “SimCity” was not. Not only was it available on multiple platforms, but it enhanced everything great about “Utopia.” Citizens made their own decisions based on a variety of factors put in place by the player. Its innovative changes led to awards and an empire of spin-off titles.
“Ms. Pac-Man” (1982)
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Based on “Pac-Man” (1980) & “Crazy Otto” (Unreleased)
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Gather around for an interesting bit of gaming history. Namco’s original “Pac-Man” was a huge arcade hit in 1980, so much so that it inspired the development team at General Computer Corporation to make a better version. Their game, called “Crazy Otto,” was a clear rip-off. However, Midway, the North American publishers of Namco’s original, was so impressed that it bought the mod and reskinned it as “Ms. Pac-Man.” And it’s a good thing they did. The unintended sequel features slightly faster gameplay, more mazes, and the enemies move more randomly. This forced players to keep on their toes rather than memorize a pattern, which made for more interesting gameplay as well as more quarters.
“FarmVille” (2009)
Based on “Farm Town” (2009)
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It was basically impossible to escape the craze of “FarmVille” on Facebook when it debuted in 2009. Every player wanted all of their friends to join them in managing a rural lifestyle. The simple yet addictive premise required completing a loop of visiting farms of friends, harvesting crops, and feeding animals to earn and spend Farm Coins and Farm Cash. However, developer Zynga cashed in on the aesthetic and gameplay of “Farm Town,” which had been released earlier that year. For whatever reason, “FarmVille” was able to poach the users of SlashKey’s smaller “Farm Town” to a point where it was the most popular Facebook game for two years and received a sequel.
“League of Legends” (2009)
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Based on “Defense of the Ancients” (2003)
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“Defense of the Ancients” was a popular mod of 2002’s “Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos.” It was set on a map based on “Aeon of Strife” from “StarCraft,” itself a fan-made map. From these mods, the MOBA sub-genre was born. But the first major release was Riot Games’ “League of Legends.” The team recruited “DotA” designer Steve Feak to help with the spiritual successor. Players team up as champions with unique abilities and classes to destroy a large structure guarded by the opposing team; essentially “DotA” with a lot more resources. “League of Legends” is still incredibly popular today with a ton of media tie-ins and its own championship. But at least Valve purchased the rights to “DotA” to make a fully-fledged sequel.
“Angry Birds” (2009)
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Based on “Crush The Castle” (2009)
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“Angry Birds” is a game so simple, most probably wonder how they didn’t come up with it first. But for the team at Armor Games, they actually did. Armor released a flash game called “Crush the Castle” in 2009, which had players firing trebuchets at castles to crush the knights within. It is the blueprint for what would become Rovio’s “Angry Birds” later that year. The game’s comical nature, such as using different bird types as ammo with various properties, helped it stand out. The development team has ridden the first game’s success through crossovers with various franchises, like “Star Wars,” as well as movies and TV shows. “Crush the Castle” did get a sequel, but it's otherwise a footnote in the “Angry Birds” history.
“Candy Crush Saga” (2012)
Based on the “Bejeweled” Series (2001-16)
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Just like “FarmVille,” it was hard to avoid the sheer amount of people sucked into the world of “Candy Crush Saga.” But it is extremely far from original. “Bejeweled” popularized and perfected the match-three puzzle design first introduced by 1994’s “Shariki.” While it would inspire its own clones after the 2001 original, it would take more than a decade for another developer to steal PopCap’s crown. King’s free-to-play “Candy Crush Saga” is aggressive with its microtransactions. But it seems a sweet-tooth aesthetic was all it took to usurp the throne and “Candy Crush” itself has received a slew of sequels.
“Guitar Hero” (2005)
Based on “GuitarFreaks” (1999)
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Most of us have wondered what it would feel like to perform in front of a cheering crowd. And Harmonix did its best to capitalize on that with 2005’s “Guitar Hero.” But it certainly borrowed mechanics from a less popular title. Konami released “GuitarFreaks” in 1999 in arcades and on the PlayStation, but it was only ever available in Japan. Gameplay was exceptionally similar with players using a guitar peripheral to hit different colored buttons in time to the music. It eventually led to a lawsuit, which was settled out of court. There’s no denying that “Guitar Hero” is better. The mainstream appeal of its catalogue and availability outside of Japan on multiple platforms built one of the most popular franchises in the mid-00s.
“Pong” (1972)
Based on “Table Tennis” (1972)
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One of the most important video games ever created is a rip-off. In May of 1972, Atari co-founder Noah Bushnell was present at a demonstration for the Magnavox Odyssey, the first commercial home video game console. There, he played “Table Tennis,” a game that came packaged with the system. While the Odyssey’s game didn’t have sound, Bushnell was inspired to create what would become an arcade classic: “Pong.” Due to the Odyssey’s financial failure, “Pong” has gone down in history as a legendary release. Its commercial success helped set up the video game industry and led to Atari creating their own home console, which directly influenced the path of the medium. And it was all because of a copycat.
“Minecraft” (2011)
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Based on “Infiniminer” (2009)
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To say that “Minecraft” is bigger than developer Markus “Notch” Persson could have imagined is the understatement of the century. But it grew from the ashes of another game. “Infiniminer” was developed by Zach Barth and released in incremental updates in 2009. The block-based sandbox game focused on mining and digging tunnels through procedurally generated maps. But it was discontinued the same year following a source code leak. Persson was a fan of “Infiniminer” and was influenced by its art style and the block-building mechanics. By adding in RPG elements and focusing heavily on the player’s freedom to build whatever structures they want, “Minecraft” became a monster hit 2 years later. It is now more than just a game. It’s a staple of pop culture.
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