Similar games - Show your gaming knowledge and experience

[DJ Speedstar]

Hello.

Its been some years since my last acitivity with 3d shooter community.
I am glad that scaryfuns project is still alive.

I would like do some kind of experiment which I hope will be fun.
This is going to be a test of knowledge and experience for gaming veterans and experts.

The idea of this fun is to post pairs of VERY (not just a bit) similar games in your opinion.
There are no genre or platform limits.

SIMILARITY RULES:
Most important thing in game similarity is gameplay (how do you play).
Second priority is theme, graphics and engine / technology.
Third priority is atmosphere / feelings and other elements that exist in the game.
Each game genre may have different priorities.
Do not match sequel (and other games of the same series) to original.
Do not match sequel with other games if original is almost the same (use original of the series to match).
Desribe short in tags, what is similar in your opinion (example: gameplay. theme, graphics, atmosphere, engine, technology, darkness, fear, character building, tactical combat, story, non linear, open world, puzzle, rich dialogues, rules).
Examples:
Doom <=> Doom 2 (BAD - it is just sequel and there is no sense to compare).
Doom <=> Quake (BAD - second game uses engine in much higher technology and offer real 3d objects)
Doom 2 <=> Blood (BAD - Doom 2 is from Doom series and almost the same as Doom 1, so similar games match them both)
Doom <=> Blood (GOOD)

Let the game begin...

[Supernova]

Unreal Tournament and Quake 3.

Why? Because.

Call of Duty (the 1st one) and Medal of Honor Allied Assault

Why? We all know Call of Duty was originally intended as 'MoH killer' moreover Infinity Ward was initially consisted of MoH:AA developers (esp. Zampella and West).

[DJ Speedstar]

Excellent similarities.
First pair was in my mind too.
Second one has been mentioned by my friend on phone today.

Anything more?

[Supernova]

Secret Weapons over Normandy & Blazing Angels 2

Oh man, where I should start - both game have extremely similar premise (a Brit/American lead a secret British squadron in a journey around the world to hunt down Nazi superweapon, with assistance of a female Brits agent), has similar series of events (your wingman downed during campaign against Japanese in Indochina and you have to save him in the next mission? Check), and even same giant aircraft as the final boss (Daimler-Benz Project E?), plus tons of experimental WW2 tech to play with (rocket-powered planes, jets, guided missiles, and so on)

The only difference plot-wise is that BA2 lacks of historical campaign missions (Battle of Midway, Flying Tigers, D-Day to boot) since all of them have been covered in the first game. And of course, no X-Wing nor TIE Fighter.

[basetta]

My gaming IQ isn't good. I can only stretch 1 maybe..


Monkey Island <--> Spy Fox
- simplified point-click interface
- 256 colors
- adventure humour
- Ron Gilbert design
- can't die, get stuck
- quality hand-drawn 2d art
- "organic" type thinking puzzles
- sailing, diving sub-plots

[DJ Speedstar]

Well done.

Never heard about this Spy Fox game before. I just checked out on mobygames.

Any more ideas for best similarities?

[InsaneFury]

Spit Wad Willy and Pea Shootin' Pete
Reason: same game engine/gameplay/developer, different publisher, (order of?) levels, branding.

[basetta]

Looked through some old titles to see if any nostalgia came up. Some spiritually similar titles.


1. Blue Force vs Police Quest 3
- 256 color, point-click interface
- Heavy reliance on correct police procedure
- Traffic patrol cases, make arrests, city travel
- Life-sized digitized animated actors
- Male lead goes through grief
- Story takes place over several days to week
- Home residence, bars setting
- Jim Walls design, story (former Sierra)
- Ken Allen composer (former Sierra)
- Solve personal family crime mystery
- Jan Hammer = pq3 Roland MT-32 composition, Ken Allen = maybe MT-32 also but not sure
- Detective partner
- Game atmosphere, artwork, direction feels terribly familiar
- I'm thinking chief bad guy looks similar to PQ bad guy (iirc)


2. Shadow Madness (ps1) vs Final Fantasy 9 (ps1)
- Main character personality are similar: speech, humour, care-free, enjoy life
- Varying noticeable personal relationship between lead male, female
- Rivalry between lead females (who happen to be spellcasters; I think both games only have 2 female spellcasters)
- Battle system: heavy FF-inspired design, layout, flow, summon Elementals, win cinematics
- Medieval fantasy setting, airship travel
- Plot point where party splits into two teams
- JRPG-inspired = Shadow Madness, JRPG = FF9
- Ted Woolsey = writer, design (Former Square translator for Secret Mana, Mystic Quest, FF6, Chrono Trigger + Capcom Breath of Fire)
- I think both have a supporting knight character
- Town travel is more like FF7 with hand-drawn backdrops but 3d characters
- Atmosphere, direction feel similar
- Woolsey-isms, unmistakable Woolsey influence


I'd want to argue WinBack (n64) vs Metal Gear Solid (ps1,ps2) but I haven't played enough of WinBack to cement the claim. Same with Giana Sisters (c64) vs Super Mario Bros. (nes). Or Alone in the Dark (pc) vs Resident Evil (ps1).

[mr.editor]

Nice thread! As a matter of fact i've been pairing games (and movies) for many years now, although I have one more important criteria - released not far apart.
As I have a personal project in mind with my pairings, I'm not gonna reveal my list. But I'm gonna check this thread every now and then and may throw in some more well-known pairs.

E.g.:

Second Sight / Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy
both released 2004 summer less than 3months apart.
Third-person shooters concentrating on psionic abilities.
Both heroes start with memory loss.
Both developed for PS2, Xbox, Windows and GameCube (though PsiOps GC got cancelled)

I'm actually yet to complete Second Sight, and it has been many years since I played Psi-Ops. I'm sure when I revisit both games, I could find many more similar details.

[hfric]

for me thing tread was meaning less .... but when you think more about it , it should be what game ripped the other game off to be its next successor ... or find the original inspiration to a game that became popular

and this

Code: Select all

Do not match sequel with other games if original is almost the same 

is wrong ,
Dune 1 was a adventure game that laid its game design for every Cryo Game Every made that was a adventure , when Dune 2 was a RTS that became the building bricks to every RTS ever made
PHILOSOMA 1 a simple ship based shooter that later became PHILOSOMA 2 PHASE PARADOX a third person survival horror
should i also add Syndicate ... to show how this rule is point less , they are many games like this that changed it genre for part 2 or became a multi genre thing in they sequel ... they used the popular next best thing to sell as much copies as they could [Mass Effect 1 was a RPG , part 2 was a Cover TPS shooter ]

what game ripped off what ...
''Gears of War'' ripped ''Kill.Switch'' and made the PR spin it ,so Gears was the creator of cover mechanics [facepalm],
''God Of War'' ripped ''Rygar - The Legendary Adventure'' [yes 1:1 shame less copy] and made PR again spin it ...

[Scaryfun]

That's why it says "if original is almost the same". In the case you can match Dune with other adventures and Dune 2 with other RTS because original wasn't the same as the sequel.

[Supernova]

it should be what game ripped the other game off to be its next successor ... or find the original inspiration to a game that became popular

*coughanyC&C/Starcraftripoffscough*

[hfric]

ok so i will play this silly game

Kill.Switch vs CT Special Forces 4 : Fire for Effect

CT Special Forces a gameboy advance ripoff of Metal slug became a copy of Kill switch in part 4 ... thats now in 3d ...

[DJ Speedstar]

Excellent matches. It seems like everyone here know what means similar game.
There are many websites which offer similar games list or contains similar games articles on blog like pages, where most of them makes me laugh. I have no idea what they were thinking when marked some titles as similar.

As I have a personal project in mind with my pairings, I'm not gonna reveal my list. But I'm gonna check this thread every now and then and may throw in some more well-known pairs.

Can you show more details about it?
Is it going to be a blog or website?

[mr.editor]

There are many websites which offer similar games list or contains similar games articles on blog like pages,

Is there? I've never happened to any of those. If you still know some and have time, feel free to pm me some.

Can you show more details about it?
Is it going to be a blog or website?

I pretty much said it. Its similar to your criterias, some matching elements, + close release times.
I haven't decided anything yet. Could be a website, could be a blog, could be that I realize I have no time for such thing and nothing happens.

I'll throw in another somewhat similar pair: Mafia / GTA 3
released in summer 2002 with about 3months apart
third person shooters
with driving
in open world city
playing as criminal
both games became legends