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Gameloft's shameless ripoffs - how do they get away with this? [Impressions Thread]

F

Father_Brain

Banned
Cromulent_Word said:
Just FYI, for a while Ubi owned a big chunk of Gameloft (which, coincidentally, was founded by Mr. Ubi's brother). Now they have a partnership. The fact that they make all of Ubi's mobile stuff isn't just a coincidence.
Click to expand...

IIRC, Gameloft got its start as a mobile developer primarily by developing the cell phone versions of UbiSoft's console IPs, mixed with licensed titles. It's really only in the last couple years that they've started developing "original" knockoffs of other publishers' IPs.
 
D

DrXym

Member
My biggest issue with Gameloft games on android is they want ridiculous permissions. e.g. Hero of Sparta (their God of War ripoff) merely wants access to:

Your messages - edit, read or receive MMS/SMS
Full internet access
Storage - modify /delete SD contents
Phone calls - read state and identity
Services that cost you money - send SMS messages
System tools - change network connectivity, change wifi state, prevent phone from sleeping

The most egregious are those send/receive SMS. I don't care what reason they "claim" they need access to SMS, it is bullshit. The game could be spyware for all I know, or otherwise culling information that is none of its damned business.

By contrast Angry Birds needs:

Network communication - full internet access
System tools - prevent phone from sleeping.

That's the way it should be for games. Anything more should raise alarm bells.

In summary fuck Gameloft and their ripoff games. It's too bad Android doesn't offer users absolute veto over some permissions, i.e. an app *thinks* it has permissions but any calls rely on user permission or even fail silently.
 
S

Shanlei91

Sonic handles my blue balls
Regardless of how shameless the clones are most of Gameloft's games are among the best on the iphone. Dungeon Hunter, for example, was amazing when it came out.

But most importantly - they revived Oregon Trail and for that they earn my respect.
 
N

Night_Trekker

Member
I can't be too hard on these guys. Streets of Rage is an unapologetic Final Fight clone, and I love SoR. I love it far more than FF. I can't hate a developer for simply cloning a popular game.

But man... there's cloning and then there's cloning. Those Nova screens are jaw-dropping :lol

EDIT: ^ That's below the belt :(
 
K

Kuran

Banned
Night_Trekker said:
I can't be too hard on these guys. Streets of Rage is an unapologetic Final Fight clone, and I love SoR. I love it far more than FF. I can't hate a developer for simply cloning a popular game.

But man... there's cloning and then there's cloning. Those Nova screens are jaw-dropping :lol

EDIT: ^ That's below the belt :(
Click to expand...

Are you really telling me that these Gameloft games have the same distance between their obvious inspiration, as SoR has to Final Fight? Really?



Really?
 
S

Sickboy007

Member
I can't wait for the inevitable cell phones video game crash.
Maybe we need Gameloft to work on a E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial clone.
 
Dacvak

Dacvak

No one shall be brought before our LORD David Bowie without the true and secret knowledge of the Photoshop. For in that time, so shall He appear.
We all kind of look past Gameloft because it only really exists on phone platforms right now.

But just wait until you start seeing these titles hit 3DS, PSP2, and eventually consoles. It'll happen, and it'll feel really, really weird.
 
H

Hero of Legend

Member
Dacvak said:
We all kind of look past Gameloft because it only really exists on phone platforms right now.

But just wait until you start seeing these titles hit 3DS, PSP2, and eventually consoles. It'll happen, and it'll feel really, really weird.
Click to expand...

On another note, whatever happened to them self-publishing at retail? They did with this:

954856_114860_front.jpg


Unless they'll self-publish Asphalt 3DS outside Japan (do they even have a Japanese office?), it seems like they gave that up.
 
Dr. Zoidberg

Dr. Zoidberg

Member
Dark Octave said:
I had a Palm Pre and it seemed like a flood of their titles were on it, but I've since switched to a Droid and it's pretty dry of Gameloft games.

Any good ones for Droid worth trying out?
Click to expand...

There are 10 Gameloft games for Android at this point but they aren't on the Google market. You have to download them directly from Gameloft's site. My favorite demos are Nova, Dungeon Hunter, and Let's Golf. All the games have "HD" at the end. They look good and run great on the Droid X. I haven't bought any because I'm protesting the fact that they aren't on the Google market and I don't want to run into problems when/if I switch phones. If they were available through regular channels I would have bought all 3 by now easily.

Sickboy007 said:
I can't wait for the inevitable cell phones video game crash.
Maybe we need Gameloft to work on a E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial clone.
Click to expand...

Yes, but some of these iPhone games are already selling for .99 so they've already got a leg up on Atari. I recall buying Atari 2600 games for a buck each at a local drugstore. Had a huge table bin full of 'em. I'd buy some every week.
 
N

Nert

Member
bdouble said:
Is it just worse because the original game isn't on the platform? I don't see you pulling this statement when Saints Row releases. Sure it might not happen as much on consoles but it does happen. Dante's Inferno GoW. Forza and GT. There isn't anything wrong.
Click to expand...

I don't have anything "against" what Gameloft is doing, but come on; even the difference between Dante's Inferno and GoW is massive compared to the "NOVA" screenshots posted in this thread and Halo's general aesthetics.
 
C

Castor Krieg

Banned
Sean said:
Surely the developers of these original titles must be pissed that Gameloft is making tons of profits by cloning their IP?
Click to expand...

OMFG, so adding to already retarded situation of patenting common English words (EDGE motherfuckers!), now you want to patent genres? Maybe Tolkien should be sued for ripping-off old English folk tales, and Scandinavian hero songs?

Not to mention - shouldn't Westwood be swimming in money, since everyone copied their RTS formula?

Fail thread is fail.
 
L

Lijik

Member
Rlan said:
You don't know your gaming history very well, do you?

Port of the 1999 PSOne game by Ubisoft
Click to expand...
Was it not obvious after the advent calender line the post was a joke? :lol
 
V

Varian

Member
Lijik said:
Was it not obvious after the advent calender line the post was a joke? :lol
Click to expand...

Plus I conspicuously included the NUMBER IN THE SERIES. Thank you for paying attention to my nuanced Rlan-baiting.
 
V

Varian

Member
Awesome! I'm 'Driving' with a touchscreen D-pad (ripoff of iDrive) while listening to a ripoff of Hall & Oates. Thanks Gameloft!
 
dream

dream

Member
Gameloft just announced a scifi RTS. Guess how many races are in it. And which word starting with S and ending with R is in the title.
 
.la1n

.la1n

Member
Castor Krieg said:
OMFG, so adding to already retarded situation of patenting common English words (EDGE motherfuckers!), now you want to patent genres? Maybe Tolkien should be sued for ripping-off old English folk tales, and Scandinavian hero songs?

Not to mention - shouldn't Westwood be swimming in money, since everyone copied their RTS formula?

Fail thread is fail.
Click to expand...


only intelligent post in entire thread
 
S

Sean

Banned
StarCraft StarFront: Collision trailer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQxNUzRrjDs

Gameloft has announced a "new" RTS for iOS. Entitled StarFront: Collision, the game bares a striking resemblance to StarCraft. For one, it features three races: A human mining group known as the Consortium, a bug-like alien race called the Myriad and a race of sentient robots referred to as the Wardens. And these three factions, you see, they're all embroiled in a battle to obtain a precious mineral known as (wait for it) Xenodium. (Joystiq)
Click to expand...

d2397
e3c99
 
S

Snow

Member
Sean said:
StarCraft StarFront: Collision trailer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQxNUzRrjDs



d2397
e3c99
Click to expand...
While Starcraft itself is pretty derivative of Alien and Heinlein via WH40k, that's a pretty obvious 'tribute' to starcraft.

I'm actually kind a curious how they're going to pull off the rts controls; I tried some crappy C&C clone on my iPhone a while ago and it was pretty damn awkward. Kinda curious if they actually figured out something usable interface wise.
 
T

Tiktaalik

Member
Sean said:
StarCraft StarFront: Collision trailer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQxNUzRrjDs



d2397
e3c99
Click to expand...

:lol

Now I'm sure that Gameloft is seriously copying these AAA games purely to ride on their success, but somehow I feel like at least with this one they're also taking the extra step of subtly parodying the original content. The trailer just seemed so absolutely ridiculous.

Also Blizzard ripped off Games workshop pretty hard for Starcraft so I say it's fair game. :)
 
P

Pilgor

Member
I like their games. I have NOVA, Modern Combat 2, the GT game, both Hero of Sparta games and a few others.

Most I bought for just 99 cents. How can you say these aren't great value at just 99 cents?
 
L

Loxley

Member
I'd whine if they were making shitty knock-offs, but Gameloft's games are some of the best in their respective categories for the platform. So until the actual developers of the actual licenses get off their asses and make their own official version of Call of Duty, Halo, Soul Caliber, etc for the iPhone/iTouch, then I welcome Gameloft's generic store-brand alternatives :D
 
D

Dick Laurent

Member
Tiktaalik said:
Also Blizzard ripped off Games workshop pretty hard for Starcraft so I say it's fair game. :)
Click to expand...
hehe yep. no one can say anything on this one considering what a huge 40k ripoff starcraft is.

actually this one is really cool. haha.
 
P

plagiarize

Banned
dream said:
I get what you're saying but Gameloft obliterates the line between derivative and clone. I mean, take NOVA for example. It's fine if Gameloft wants to make a scifi FPS but...

You hold a gun like this:
nova_iphone_screen_01.png
Click to expand...
the sum of the evidence is sure damning, any one of those things alone and i'd just be pointing out how generic the weapon/vehicle/character design in Halo is.

however, that looks like an M41A pulse rifle to me, and you can take the inference that Halo came up with that gun design and shove it up your ass.
 
Z

Zen

Banned
Tiktaalik said:
Also Blizzard ripped off Games workshop pretty hard for Starcraft so I say it's fair game. :)
Click to expand...

Blizzard was just returning the favor for Gamesworkshop fucking them over and leaving them for dead, basically, during the development of the Warhammer RTS that became WarCraft. :)

And it's all cyclical now, since they both take inspiration from each other.
 
B

BattleMonkey

Member
Zen said:
Blizzard was just returning the favor for Gamesworkshop fucking them over and leaving them for dead, basically, during the development of the Warhammer RTS that became WarCraft. :)

And it's all cyclical now, since they both take inspiration from each other.
Click to expand...

GW has taken nothing from Blizzard. Their universes haven't changed in years. Blizzard though at least has worked on adding onto their universes to make them stand apart.
 
Z

Zen

Banned
BattleMonkey said:
GW has taken nothing from Blizzard. Their universes haven't changed in years. Blizzard though at least has worked on adding onto their universes to make them stand apart.
Click to expand...

I think it's pretty clear that there are designs from Gamesworkshop that have gradually become much more inspired by Blizzards own designs (that were heavily inspired by games workshops own designs) When you do a 'before and after' comparison it really is telling. Not that Blizzard hasn't mined the heck out of Gamesworkshops source material for inspiration.

Remeber when the Ravener came out? Right after StarCraft.

http://kofler.dot.at/40k/units/Tyranid_Ravener.gif
 
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