Best rip-offs

[Momijitsuki]

Space Invaders is a pretty good rip-off of Undefined Fantastic Object

[ChurchOfSolipsism]

Doesn't Asteroids look a lot like Space War! (it even uses the Panic Button, doesn't it?)?

[null1024]

DDP-DOJ level *insert number here* is a complete rip-off of Dodonpachi level *insert same number here*

Fixed.

[TrevHead (TVR)]

(going slightly off the topic of shmups here) but I too dont understand why so many ppl have a problem with clone / rip off games aslong as the clone is made well, fun and isnt a 100% rip off then im all for them to be made. I introduced the mega man clone doujin game Rosenkreuzstilette to a friend, some1 who in all other ways is a sound minded gamer, but as soon as he played it he just quickly dismissed it as a rip off from megaman and a total piece of garbage cos if it. If he would of given the game half a chance he would of seen that its a damn fine game and alot of fun.

Shmups been a genre that due to its basic design has some tight constraints to it so that clones and rip off are the norm, and its something that imo has done the genre good in the way that every good clone improves upon the original game. Most of us dont have any problem playing a clone shmup i just wish some ppl would have an more open mind towards other games. Cos we could do with a few more (well made) clones in other genres

[EinhanderZwei]

Doesn't Asteroids look a lot like Space War! (it even uses the Panic Button, doesn't it?)?

Um, the only thing common between them is controls (yeah, including panic button). Space War! didn't have scores table and... asteroids

[ChurchOfSolipsism]

Doesn't Asteroids look a lot like Space War! (it even uses the Panic Button, doesn't it?)?

Um, the only thing common between them is controls (yeah, including panic button). Space War! didn't have scores table and... asteroids

I wasn't completely serious there, but I'd say the basic principle is the same, only the second player is replaced by floating objects I, too, do not think of games that use similar mechanics to other games as rip-offs...

[Shatterhand]

Not on the shmup side, but Football Glory was a total rip-off of Sensible Soccer. In that particular case, Sensible Software managed to sue Croteam and they had to take the game out of the shelves. But pirated copies of it are abound

Same thing with The Great Giana Sisters and Super Mario Bros.

[RoninBuddha]

Zanac and Aleste were made by the same company

not an excuse

[EinhanderZwei]

Zanac and Aleste were made by the same company

not an excuse

Then what about 16-bit Star Soldiers and Thunder Forces?

[RoninBuddha]

Zanac and Aleste were made by the same company

not an excuse

Then what about 16-bit Star Soldiers and Thunder Forces?

i was kidding..

but on the other hand, you see a bit of 'evolution' when it comes to Thunder Forces... cant say much for SS though

[gs68]

Raiden III and IV's scoring is Thunder Force V's turned 90 degrees and applied to every enemy rather than just enemies with more than 1 HP. Only, multipliers are not as ridiculous and you don't have a super weapon that makes the boss asplode in less than 15 seconds.

[Rob]

Or just an expansion of the Raiden Fighters quick shot bonuses.

[ave]

Image Fight -> Radiant Silvergun

Do you really think RSG was inspired by Image Fight? I mean it could be possible, I am not informed about probable allusions, after all they did include patterns from R-Type appearing during a boss fight. But Image Fight plays so different from RSG and even the weapons can't really be compared. Why is it supposed to be a rip off of IF?

[BIL]

Hiroshi Iuchi mentioned Image Fight as an influence on RSG in this interview. Offhand, both games' sometimes hori-like use of terrain, walls etc comes to mind.

[Meyers07]

Demonstar by Mountain King Studios is a blatant rip-off of Raiden, only without the strawberry toothpaste (the lock on purple laser).

[Animaitor]

Geometry Wars ---> Grid Wars 2

I love Grid Wars 2 to death and I still play it once in a while. Waaaaay better than GW and deep as any recent CAVE game. The rip off in this case made the original game look like shit and by changing the game play completely, Marco Incitti created a classic. Give it a try if you haven't already:

http://worldofstuart.excellentcontent.c ... Wars54.zip
http://gridwars.marune.de/

Great review:

http://worldofstuart.excellentcontent.com/grid/wars.htm