Whenever a new type of video game comes out that employs a new mechanic or something truly innovative, it’s only a matter of time before other companies follow suit. Games that copy highly successful ones are called clones, and there are more of them than most people realize. Think of how many games were made to copy Flappy Bird after its release — there are hundreds, if not thousands. It’s the same with big-budget AAA games, so when something absolutely kills it, other publishers are going to attempt to emulate what came before. Every so often, a clone comes out that’s not only similar to the original but outdoes it in terms of quality, like these three examples.
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1) Crash Team Racing
While Nintendo’s Mario Kart wasn’t the first kart racer, it was certainly the most successful right out of the gate. The game was a smashing success, launching a plethora of clones, most of which weren’t up to the level of quality as Nintendo’s polished Super Nintendo offering. Then came 1999’s Crash Team Racing, which took the concept from Mario Kart and added nitro to make it faster, more dynamic, and more engaging. Was it original? No, but that hardly mattered, as it’s one of the best kart racers from the 1990s that people still love today. While it was outdone by future Mario Kart titles, to many players, it’s an improvement over the 1992 original.
2) Fortnite
Fortnite may be the #1 battle royale game around, but it’s not the first to feature the concept. Neither was PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, but that game was easily the top dog in the genre when it was released in 2017. At that time, Fortnite wasn’t anything like it is now, as it was primarily about building forts with friends while defending them from AI enemies. When PUBG exploded in popularity, Epic Games took notice, developing its own battle royale game mode for Fortnite. The execution was flawless, and while PUBG is still around, its player numbers are insignificant when compared to those of Epic Games’ cash cow.
3) Call of Duty
When Call of Duty was first released in 2003, it wasn’t the only first-person shooter to tackle World War II combat, but it quickly became the dominant franchise. The game eventually moved away from WWII, embracing Black Ops and Modern Warfare as its primary focus, but for years, it was all about WWII. The game was developed by some of the folks who coded Medal of Honor: Allied Assault. If you don’t remember the World War II-themed Medal of Honor franchise, that’s because CoD left it in the dust years ago. CoD took the concept, refined it, and turned it into a brand-new franchise, which is now one of the biggest in the world, with more than 500 million copies sold over the years.
What’s your favorite clone that’s better than the original? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
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