10 Video Game Rip-Offs That STILL Messed Up What They Copied

These titles really missed the mark.

tony hawks pro skater the simpsons skateboarding
Activision/Fox

A truly innovative idea in gaming is hard to come by.

Much like other art forms, while trends tend to come and go, rarely does a new release have such an impact that it substantially shifts the current gaming meta.

In an industry populated with new and interesting concepts, when a game comes out that really breaks the mould, there are always going to be more unoriginal developers who see dollar signs, and attempt to pump-out a lesser, but similar, release in order to capitalise on a trend.

This is particularly the case when a game happens to capture the imagination of casual players, with rip-off titles hoping that parents wouldn't be able to tell the difference when they go to the shop to buy a present for their nearest and dearest.

After all, while they do say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, the majority of these titles do little to praise the source materials they so clearly took a little too much inspiration from.

The history of video games is full of ideas being shared and borrowed, but these titles were painfully poor compared to the original works they so closely copied.

10. PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale - Super Smash Bros.

tony hawks pro skater the simpsons skateboarding
Sony

In a vacuum, the concept of the PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale is a brilliant one. Bringing together an all-star cast of some of the most recognisable characters to feature in Sony's library, PSASBR was set to be a revolutionary gaming concept realised.

Unfortunately, as the game was released in 2012 and not 1998, rather than being groundbreaking the PSASBR fell on well-trodden turf.

As those of you who have even the most limited knowledge of gaming are probably already aware, Sony's title bore a rather obvious resemblance to Nintendo's Super Smash Bros series, that had already spawned three titles upon this release.

It is worth noting that the game isn't just bad because of the striking similarities to Nintendo's crossover brawler, either. All-Stars BR suffered from a shallow roster, particularly when compared to its competition, coupled with a Super Moves mechanic that made most battles tiresome rather than exciting.

Though not an awful game, PSASBR is much better suited to a PlayStation brand loyalist than anyone looking for a good fighting game to play.

Contributor
Contributor

Adrian Bishop hasn't written a bio just yet, but if they had... it would appear here.