10 More Shameless Video Game Rip-Offs (That Were Actually Great)

Don't worry. Saints Row made it onto the list this time.

Comparisons between Grand Theft Auto III and Volition's sandbox title were guaranteed, since Saints Row copied... pretty much everything from Rockstar's biggest IP. Even though the first two instalments received decent reviews, it looked like Saints Row might struggle as a franchise, since it didn't do much to distinguish itself from GTA.

Thankfully, that all changed with Saints Row 3. Hoping to carve out a distinctive identity for itself, the sequel's developers threw in OTT violence, cartoonish gameplay, slapstick humour, and wink-to-the-camera gags. Rather than taking place in a realistic setting, the later instalments had the protagonist becoming president of the United States, journeying into hell, and fighting an alien empire.

It may have started as a shameless rip-off, but Saints Row truly began to thrive when it moved out of GTA's shadow.

Sure, Grand Theft Auto is still the top-dog in the sandbox genre, but does it have a demonic dance number, shark guns, or wrestling legend Rowdy Roddy Piper, reenacting his iconic fight scene from They Live?

I rest my case.