Modern Combat or Modern Warfare? Gameloft's 5 biggest 'homages'
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French app giant Gameloft is one of the biggest publishing houses on mobile at the moment. But the veteran developer has also got another, far less appealing reputation: as a cloning factory.
It doesn't take an eagle-eyed observer to figure out that some of Gameloft's best titles are more than a little reminiscent of iconic games on other devices.
The developer argues that its sticky-fingered practices are not unique to Gameloft. In an interview with IGN, CEO Michel Guillemot argued that, "The video game industry has always played around a limited number of themes. There is maybe one new idea a year."
He defends his firm's actions further by saying that iPhone gamers get to go hands-on with games that are a lot like Uncharted and Modern Warfare, in lieu of real App Store ports.
Whatever gets him through the night.
Whether it's right or wrong, we thought it was about time we made a comprehensive guide to Gameloft's most striking instances of homage.
Zombie Infection vs Resident Evil 5
From over-the-shoulder aiming to rapid dogs with a lust for human blood, stop-and-pop corpse blaster Zombie Infection is a clear clone of Capcom's sun-kissed survival horror game Resident Evil 5. Here's how:
Sun and guns: While most zombie games opt for a twilight setting, Capcom shuffled away from the pack for the sunny daylight of Resi 5's Africa. Much of Brazil-based Zombie Infection too takes place with our nearby star overhead, beaming his big hydrogen face off. Guys and dolls: Both games feature a pair of opposite-gendered zombie-punchers. Resi 5 has Chris "impossibly-big biceps" Redfield and Sheva "impossibly useless" Alomar team up. Zombie Infection pairs up ex-soldier Damien Sharpe and reporter Alex Rayne. Knee-capped: The key to conserving ammo in Resident Evil is to stop, unload a few bullets into an approaching zombie, and then run up and finish off the weakened walker with a melee attack. Zombie Infection's kicker is almost identical - even some of the melee moves are the same.
Four letter, mono-syllabic titles aside, Gameloft's show-stopping sci-fi shooter nicks more from Halo than a London rioter from HMV. If a random prole looked over your shoulder on the bus, they'd swear you were playing a prototype iOS port of Master Chief's adventures. Here's why:
Et tu? Halo's brutish Brutes - the ape-like, hammer-wielding badnicks of the planet Doisac - appear in N.O.V.A. They're dumb armoured space gorillas with a habit of charging at you, swinging their big hammers and tossing boxes. Hog wild: One of the most iconic elements of Halo is its warthog jeep. Those rough-and-tumble green 4x4s with a giant turret sticking out of the boot. N.O.V.A.'s got the exact same thing in a level where you man the machine gun on the back. Blue man group: As if it wasn't ball-bustlingly obvious enough, N.O.V.A. has got a Halo footprint the size of Mars in the form of Yelena. This is your AI companion, a virtual blue woman who bears so much likeness to Halo's Cortana that they might be digital sisters.
Treasure-hunting adventure epics are nothing new. Naughty Dog's Uncharted even takes its fair share of inspiration, with nods to Tomb Raider and Indiana Jones. But Gameloft's tomb-looting game only has one game in mind.
Mr. Everyman: Smart-mouthed Jason Call is the sort of guy who will take on an army of heavily-armed, heavily-armoured mercenaries with little more than a T-shirt, some khakis, and a witty retort. Just like a certain Mr Drake we all know. Except Nathan is funnier. Cover up: Much like Uncharted, Shadow Guardian offers a mix of scuffling up ancient ruins and going toe-to-toe with bad guys in a dynamic cover-based shooter. And just like Drake, hero Jason Call isn't afraid to get his hands dirty in fisty-cuff punch-ups. The half-tuck: As Grim Fandango-creator Tim Schafer mused on his blog, the paradoxically half tucked-in, half tucked-out T-shirt of Nathan Drake says as much about Drake as any line of exposition. Sadly, Jason turned up to the party in the exact same scruffy attire. Someone's going to have to go home and change.
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Grand Theft Auto's crime-sim formula has been nicked so many times, from Saints Row to Just Cause, that the term "GTA Clone" has entered gaming's vocabulary. But just because Jimmy was talking in class doesn't mean you can, too, Gangstar - so cut it out.
Cop out: Do a naughty and the police force will put out an APB on you and track you down. This is represented by a number of shields on your heads-up display: a lot like the star system on GTA. Keep up the carnage and the PD will send out stronger forces. Collect badges to reduce your wanted level. U.S.Eh?: Gameloft has chosen two thoroughly original locations to set its pair of crime sprees: the sun-drenched baches of Miami and the mean streets of Los Angeles. What's next, Gangstar? New York? Clone Town USA? With a surface area of some 500 million square km, the Earth isn't exactly running out of unique places to set video games. Grand Theft Everything: Steal cars, shoot bad guys, run away from coppers, and hot-foot it over a giant overworld to take missions from kingpins.
Call of Duty doesn't exactly have a trademark on shooting terrorists in the desert, but there are no points for guessing what Gameloft is riffing on here. That title is so close it reminds us of fake Chinese EyePhones and Reebak shoes. Here's why:
Release me: It's no coincidence that Modern Combat's third outing has appeared on the App Store within spitting distance of Modern Warfare 3's debut. Wherefare?: Much like COD4, the first Modern Combat takes place almost exclusively overseas. When Modern Warfare 2 took the fight global, Black Pegasus followed its lead with fighting in cities and environments around the planet. Some are direct lifts, like an oil rig stage, and a level in a favela. Rank and file: Go online and the similarities between games continue. Just like Call of Duty, you can rank up in Modern Combat to unlock rewards and improve your kit. You'll also earn special one-time unlocks like a 'satellite scan', which is essentially Call of Duty's UAV. But a bit higher up.
The font!
