GTA Clones

[Bob_McMillan]

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Just an interesting video I found, particularly the bit about IGN. It's reassuring to know that they have been fucking up things since before I could handle a controller.

 

[Hairless Mammoth]

Until a good name is found for a genre and sticks, the similar games are usually called clones. GTA and Doom weren't the first in their respective genres (Wolfenstein even codified the foundation that Doom would expand on.), but were the most popular.

Anyway, I thought the term "GTA clone" finally faded away, like Doom clone. Now, don't we call them open world, or wide open sandbox, games? Tack "crime themed" to the front of one of those terms for games really similar to Grand Theft Auto's theme.

I am getting a kick out of how he complains about people comparing Jak 2 to GTA, when Jak's mission hub, and many of the missions themselves, are blatantly lifted from GTA's design philosophy. (Naughty Dog always seems to make their games based off of what is hot on the market.) Though, he has a point with Spiderman 2. IGN, y u no use brain thing?

 

[Alfador_VII]

OK, I agree with his basic point, that GTA Clone is a flawed name for this type of game. However I'm not going to start sending his video to anyone, or calling them a "fucking idiot" until we have an accepted term for this type of game.

crime-themed open world game is accurate, but rather unwieldy.

 

[BeerTent]

Every time I look at a video in a thread, something that comes up after the video is more interesting than the video. Like a video on a Saints Row character and ungodly lazy writing.

I agree though, the "Clone philosophy" needs to go. I always felt that Mafia looked, played and told a story WAY better than ugly-ass GTA3. And as the video points out, that came out way before GTA3.

 

[Barbas]

State Of Emergency was a pretty cruddy one, as I recall. It was fun for a few missions, but then the constant chaos started to get on my freaking nerves. I don't know why, I just remember it really annoyed the sugarplums out of me.

I'd like for anyone who accuses a game of being an "x y z clone" to explain why they think so, particularly when they're writing a review or editorial. Good and thoughtful writing is never too much to ask for.

 

[Benpasko]

OK, I agree with his basic point, that GTA Clone is a flawed name for this type of game. However I'm not going to start sending his video to anyone, or calling them a "fucking idiot" until we have an accepted term for this type of game.

crime-themed open world game is accurate, but rather unwieldy.

I usually just use 'Crime Sandbox'. Short, elegant, to the point.

 

[Barbas]

State Of Emergency was a pretty cruddy one, as I recall. It was fun for a few missions, but then the constant chaos started to get on my freaking nerves. I don't know why, I just remember it really annoyed the sugarplums out of me.

I'd like for anyone who accuses a game of being an "x y z clone" to explain why they think so, particularly when they're writing a review or editorial. Good and thoughtful writing is never too much to ask for.

I don't see how State Of Emergency was a GTA clone based on the fact that it was a 3D Sandbox game. You had indivdual levels that were only open but were not in any way large. Also theres the fact that Rockstar also made it..

They did? Surprised I didn't remember that. It completely passed out of my mind who was behind it, it was just so...well, it wasn't really anything special. I'm guessing they did it before GTA 3.

 

[sXeth]

Sandbox Crime (or other way round) and Carjacking Game seem to be the two mainstays. For all your GTA/Saints Row/Mafia/Driver/Watch_Dogs needs.

Applying "GTA clone" to the whole sandbox genre is just silly.

 

[NiPah]

The word gets the point across well enough, it seems anyone whose complaining about it is just being over pedantic.
It's just a useful phrase to get a slightly ambiguous point across, it's usefulness lies in the fact that people instantly recognize what you're trying to say.

Sure open world sandbox crime simulation game works with people devoted enough to the hobby to be browsing an internet website centered around games, but to your average off the street Joe they won't know what the hell you're on about.

Same thing with Minecraft, calling something a voxel based sandbox game may be more technically correct, but who the hell knows what a voxel is outside of well... us?

 

[PlayerDos]

I just say "it's like GTA" because I'm not a retard.

 

[Creator002]

I just say "it's like GTA" because I'm not a retard.

Unless you don't care about your account, you should probably edit your post to not incorporate that last word.

To be honest, I haven't heard "GTA Clone" for a while. Since GTA is the most popular game of its type, people just associate similar games with it. It's easier to do that than say "wide open sandbox with a crime theme."

 

[Evonisia]

Yeah it's pretty darn stupid, but I like the knowledge that Mafia 1 was in production before GTA III.

Otherwise, I'm going to assume that people only say GTA Clone because Grand Theft Auto III was an immensely successful game (I think it's one of, if not the highest selling game on the PlayStation 2) and thus it gathered both a large fan base that will defend to the death, and also a familiarity among the gaming community.

I think it's been dying down though after Grand Theft Auto went to shit with IV.

 

[RealRT]

Until a good name is found for a genre and sticks, the similar games are usually called clones. GTA and Doom weren't the first in their respective genres (Wolfenstein even codified the foundation that Doom would expand on.), but were the most popular.

That. For a genre to be called something else time needs to pass and a sizeable amount of games must be produced in that genre so the core characteristics could be defined and genre named.

 

[crypticracer]

Describing a genre using a game title requires the title to be well known. FPSs were Doom clones and not Wolfenstein clones because even non-gamers knew what Doom was. People know what you mean when you say GTA even if they have never played it. It's not a qualifier of quality, it used to describe what the game is like in as few words as possible. You could say it's Mafia like, but then you would have to explain what Mafia is like at which point you might as well just explain your game.

Is there a good name for Roguelikes yet? That name has far outlived Rogue's relevance (though Nethack had a big part to play.)

 

[Danbo Jambo]

Describing a genre using a game title requires the title to be well known. FPSs were Doom clones and not Wolfenstein clones because even non-gamers knew what Doom was. People know what you mean when you say GTA even if they have never played it. It's not a qualifier of quality, it used to describe what the game is like in as few words as possible. You could say it's Mafia like, but then you would have to explain what Mafia is like at which point you might as well just explain your game.

Is there a good name for Roguelikes yet? That name has far outlived Rogue's relevance (though Nethack had a big part to play.)

Spot on.

It's no bad thing. Makers of "GTA clones" will likely get more purcheses because more casual gamers have something they relate it to which perks their interest.

In fact, why on earth do folk even care?

 

[Alma Mare]

The whole point is retarded.

The designation works, everyone understands immediately what people are trying to describe when they use it. That alone is a good enough reason to use it.

Also, why do people assume the genre started with GTA III? Did the "III" in the title slip everyone's mind?

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

I like the phrase. To me Saints Row started out as a GTA clone, then evolved past that. On the other hand, Mercenaries and Watch_Dogs are GTA clones through and through. Same way Bayonetta is a DMC clone, Dead Space is an RE4 clone and Dante's Inferno (and that game with the apocalyptic horsemen) are God of War clones.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

I just say "it's like GTA" because I'm not a retard.

But nothing really is like GTA. That's why I've always loved the term "GTA clone". As hard as some developers try to create a good open world game similar to GTA, there is always something missing that only Rockstar is able to provide. Other sandbox crime games are clones because they copy trends and GTA sets them. That's the main difference, I think. Rockstar isn't afraid to innovate. Every one of their games is unique in some way to everything else on the market. And quite a few GTA games were revolutionary. GTA V is such an obvious example. And their worlds actually feel alive because of all the small details that they put in. Details are very important in sandbox games and Rockstar is the king of those. Sleeping Dogs almost managed it, but the world still feels more like an artificial sandbox than a real place.

Obviously there are also a few sandbox crime games that don't try to mimic GTA. Mafia is a good example of that. Mafia devs like to do their own thing as well. Good eye for details too.