Imitation Is Not The Sincerest Form Of Flattery
When a particular video game reaches superstar status, it’s almost unavoidable that it will go on to influence future entries in the genre, for better or worst. Sometimes these take the form of intricately-made homages that benefit from how obvious its inspiration is, just take a look at critically acclaimed games like Stardew Valley and Dark Souls.
Unfortunately, for every one of these gems, there also come a whole slew of impersonators that essentially try to copy and paste their way to fame, adding nothing more than the occasional splash of paint to try and disguise the fact it’s nothing more than a rip-off. In that regard, these three are especially guilty!
#3: “PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale” (2012)
Despite the fact that everything about this just screamed Super Smash Bros, the most insulting thing about it was just how poorly it utilised its character roster. They had Uncharted, God of War, Ratchet and Clank, Dead Space, BioShock, inFAMOUS and Killzone all under one roof, and yet they still managed to make something so dull and uninspiring. Honestly, by the end of it we were left wishing that they had managed to steal more of Super Smash Bros’ thunder, at least then it my have been a tad more enjoyable.
#2: “Mirror” (2018)
What made HuniePop such a unique experience was that it somehow managed to take a raunchy dating sim, add a tile-matching element, and make the whole thing beyond addictive. It was as lewd as could be, but it had such great characters and an overwhelming sense of charm to it that the colossal amount of cleavage somehow made it all the more endearing. Then along came Kagami Works, who decided to take the exact same format and push things a step too far. While the character designs are certainly unique, the only original thing about it was its reliance on putting the female cast in uncomfortable situations that not even HuniePop dared to include.
#1: “BoxMaker” (2017)
The creators of this game are so lazy that they aren’t even bothering to disguise the fact they are ripping of Super Mario Maker down to the very last box, probably hoping to use the infamy as a way to garner more attention. What else is there to say other than it’s a watered down version of a modern Nintendo classic, one that lacks any kind of originality just as much as it’s lacking the Mushroom Kingdom’s favorite plumber.
Be sure to check out the video below to see our picks for the Top 10 Most Disappointing Games of the 2010s
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