To be fair, children are more prone to cute animals than ugly knights in shining armor.
There is only one original work within the known universe, that work of course being Tootsie starring Dustin Hoffman. Besides that one exception, everything is based off of something else, whether it be nature or simply a funny moment in someone else’s life. However, some people are lazy, enough to the point where they do not try to hide the fact that they took someone else’s idea and instead made it prettier and became more successful. Though, there are also some people who could also be seen as heroes for taking what was originally a flawed or uninteresting game and breathing new life into it for a large audience.
First on the chopping block is Angry Birds, known for its addictive gameplay and aggravating micro-transactions that are sure to leech a child out of house and home. As many know, the popular bird-related franchise is based off of a game known as Crush the Castle which also released in early 2009. Then, when examining deeper, it is actually revealed that Crush the Castle was based off of another game known as Castle Clout released late in October 2008. So, Angry Birds is a game based off a game based off of another game, but it looks pretty and has cute birds so it obviously deserves awards and a television show.
Not to be confused with the less successful Oregon State University.
Next, is the super popular rhythm game, Osu! known mainly for its large selection of anime songs and moderately low price of being free. Despite its popularity though, the game does not necessarily bring anything new to the table in terms of video game mechanics, it just has a radical selection of songs to choose from. The gameplay of course is extremely similar to that of the popular DS title Elite Beat Agents which is a spiritual sequel to game only released in Japan known as Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan with seemingly no direct relationship to Osu! besides having the same Japanese term in the title.
Pong sits on a throne of lies and deceit.
Last up is the extremely famous Pong; being referenced in countless movies, tv shows, and even other video games. Pong has a significant standing as being one of the first great video games to bless the universe with its simplicity, and more importantly, fun. The problem is that it is more or less the same as a different game entitled Table Tennis. So while Pong is living it up in the big city, getting to appear in titles such as the most recent entry in the “Super Smash Bros.” franchise as an assist trophy, Table Tennis is hanging out with the Magnavox Odyssey, both of them living in the Smithsonian unable to interact with human civilization ever again due to their glass prisons.
Do you think a game’s success if unfair if it is directly based off of another? Or should the team be recognized for improving the base game and executing the idea more effectively? Make sure to leave a comment below to let us know what you think!
