History FollowTheLeader / Videogames

* The [=PS2=] era had a lot of light hearted games have suddenly DarkerAndEdgier sequels. It would seem that it started with ''VideoGame/JakII'', the much darker and edgier sequel to ''VideoGame/JakAndDaxter'', which turned Jak from a happy mute hero into a voiced gun toting anti-hero. It's success apparently set off a chain reaction with everything from [[VideoGame/PrinceOfPersiaTheSandsOfTime Prince of Persia]] to ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'' to ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClank'' (though the last one was already edgier than the other examples here to begin with, but ''VideoGame/RatchetDeadlocked'' definitely fits the trend.)

* Shortly after ''VideoGame/Fallout3's'' success, several RPG/FPS hybrids with a wasteland setting were announced, such as ''VideoGame/{{FUEL}}'' (a Open Sandbox racing game set in post apocalyptica,) ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands}}'' (where the developers have gone so far to say they loved ''VideoGame/Fallout3'', and decided to make the game, 'but with co-op'. It gets a little more confusing than that.), and ''VideoGame/{{Rage}}''.

* For a few years in the mid-'80s, a lot of British and Japanese software houses saw ''Star Force'' as a VerticalScrollingShooter worth imitating, the products being games such as ''Astro Warrior'' on the UsefulNotes/SegaMasterSystem, ''Light Force'' on the UsefulNotes/ZXSpectrum, ''Mission Genocide'' on the UsefulNotes/AmstradCPC and ''Plutos'' on the UsefulNotes/AtariST.

** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros3'' has many clones/imitations that copy its world map selection and/or diagonal level design, including ''Mc Kids'', the first ''Tiny Toon Adventures'', ''Armadillo'', etc. Several of these NES titles would be [[DolledUpInstallment converted back into Mario games]] by bootleggers. Famously, ''VideoGame/CommanderKeen'' combined this with StartMyOwn, since id Software created it after Nintendo declined the idea of porting ''Super Mario Bros. 3'' to the PC.

* The popular mobile physics game ''VideoGame/AngryBirds'' is rather similar to many other physics-based projectile games, most notably Armor Games' ''[[http://armorgames.com/play/3614/crush-the-castle Crush The Castle]]'', inevitably leading to some fans of the latter to become detractors of the former.[[note]]To be fair, Crush the Castle came out 9 months before Angry Birds did. So some of those detractors might be justified.[[/note]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Fortnite}}'' has a habit of copying mechanics and ideas from other Battle Royale games just to stay ahead.
** The ''Battle Royale'' mode was made to cash off the success of ''[=PlayerUnknown's BattleGrounds=]''. The number of differences between the two allowed ''Fortnite'' to escape such scrutiny even with Bluehole Studios' attempt to sue Epic Games for copying them.
** When ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyBlackOps4'', released in October 2018, it brought in [[VideoGame/CallOfDutyZombies zombies]] as [=NPCs=] of the Blackout Battle Royale mode. About two weeks later, ''Fortnite'' introduced [[NotUsingTheZWord cube monsters]] into their Battle Royale mode as well. Though this is heavily debatable, since ''Fortnite'' already had zombie-like 'Husks' in its universe long before the Battle Royale mode was ever a thing.
** When competitor ''Apex Legends'' released in February 2019, it brought with it two mechanics that proved too popular for Epic Games to resist slapping into ''Fortnite'' at the first opportunity. First came the "ping" system, which allows players to mark locations, loot, enemies, and a slew of other important items and actions for teammates with the press of a single button. The second was the Reboot Cards and Respawn Vans, which were inspired wholesale by the player respawn mechanic from ''Apex''. In Chapter 2, ''Fortnite'' also added the unlockable loot vaults that first appeared in ''Apex Legends'' Season 3.

* ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}'' being the SpiritualSuccessor ''Devil May Cry'', had other games in the genre copying her dodge mechanic, [[BulletTime Witch Time]]. I.E, executing a perfect dodge causes time to stand still or slow down, and attack an opponent for better speed and damage. Other games that use this mechanic are ''VideoGame/TransformersDevastation'', ''VideoGame/NierAutomata'' (both developed by Platinum), ''VideoGame/HonkaiImpact3rd'' (known as the "Time Fracture" mechanic), ''VideoGame/GodOfWarPS4'' (The Ksavir amulet), and ironically, ''VideoGame/DmCDevilMayCry'' with its Demon Evade.

* The massive success of Capcom's ''VideoGame/StreetFighterII'' resulted in a massive glut of fighting games; big-name arcade manufacturers rushed to produce such knockoffs as Creator/{{Irem}}'s ''Superior Soldiers'', Konami's ''Martial Champion'', Namco's ''Knuckle Heads'' and Sega's ''Burning Rival''. This continued well into the [=PlayStation=] years and switch to 3-D gaming. Indeed, Creator/{{SNK}} made itself a major player in the arcade market by imitating and refining the formula.

* ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys'', which likely took some cues from ''Amnesia The Dark Descent'', has its own following of copycats and parodies where every game always seems to take place in some sort of establishment where you have to avoid robotic animals and are only limited to using whatever you have on hand instead of just getting up and running away. Almost every game trying to ride off the success of ''Five Nights at Freddy's'' just [[SerialNumbersFiledOff rubs out "Freddy" and use their own name]].

* After the ''VideoGame/{{Tamagotchi}}'' fad (itself strongly reminiscent of the Pet Rock) and the virtual pet craze it inspired swept the world, hoards of GottaCatchThemAll video games, {{Collectible Card Game}}s and {{Mon}}s Of [[MonsterOfTheWeek The Week]] anime were spawned in its wake, and have been a popular market segment to this day.

** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros1'' greatly spurred the development of {{Platform Game}}s for the UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem and later consoles, though surprisingly few took it as their primary model. Some computer games imitated ''Super Mario Bros.'' more brazenly, most notoriously ''VideoGame/TheGreatGianaSisters'', which was withdrawn under pressure of Creator/{{Nintendo}} almost immediately after it was published (maybe the makers should not have written "the brothers are history" on the cover of the C64 version...) Ironically enough, it got a remake on the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS of all platforms and several sequels on Nintendo consoles afterwards.

** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros2'' inspired the creation of platform games with an emphasis on picking up and throwing objects (whether to attack enemies or to overcome an obstacle), such as the derided ''Bible Adventures'' and the better-received ''VideoGame/ChipNDaleRescueRangers'', ''VideoGame/TheJetsonsCogswellsCaper'' and ''VideoGame/{{Uurnog}}''.

* ''VideoGame/ProfessorLayton'' seems to be inspiring a subgenre of "cinematic game with quaint anime cutscenes and gameplay divided up into small, brainteaser-based chunks." One follower, ''Zack And Ombras Amusement Park Of Illusions,'' took a more mini-game based approach. And one DS title, ''VideoGame/DoctorLautrecAndTheForgottenKnights'' features similar puzzles and anime cutscenes, but with a more traditional GentlemanAdventurer (with a BadassMustache, though the top hat is still Layton-esque) and more ThickLineAnimation.

** In turn, PUBG Mobile borrowed a few mechanics from its imitators, most notably the ping system and teammate respawn system from ''Apex Legends''.

** Creator/{{Namco}}'s ''VideoGame/TimeCrisis'', despite being the standard 3D gun game, had unique gameplay features such as the foot pedal that used to duck down to avoid from getting hit by one of the game's enemies, various clones include ''VideoGame/GunfighterTheLegendOfJesseJames'', ''VideoGame/{{Endgame}}'', and of course, ICE/Play Mechanix's ''Johnny Nero Action Hero''.

* The runaway success of ''VideoGame/KanColle'' spawned more browser/smartphone games about UsefulNotes/WorldWarII [[MoeAnthropomorphism shipgirls]] - ''VideoGame/WarshipGirls'', ''VideoGame/VictoryBelles'', ''VideoGame/AzurLane'' - along with more games featuring personified historical objects, such as ''VideoGame/ToukenRanbu'' (swords) and ''VideoGame/OshiroProject'' (castles).

** ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros3'' has many clones/imitations that copy its world map selection and/or diagonal level design, including ''Mc Kids'', the first ''Tiny Toon Adventures'', ''Armadillo'', etc. Famously, ''VideoGame/CommanderKeen'' combined this with StartMyOwn, since id Software created it after Nintendo declined the idea of porting ''Super Mario Bros. 3'' to the PC.

** Creator/{{Namco}}'s ''VideoGame/TimeCrisis'', despite being the basic 3D gun game, had unique game play such as the pedal that used to duck down to avoid from getting hit by one of the game's enemies, various clones include ''VideoGame/GunfighterTheLegendOfJesseJames'', ''VideoGame/{{Endgame}}'', and of course, ICE/Play Mechanix's ''Johnny Nero Action Hero''.

** Creator/{{Namco}}'s ''VideoGame/TimeCrisis'', despite being the basic 3D gun game, had unique game play such as the pedal that used to duck down to avoid from getting hit by on of the game's enemies, various clones include ''VideoGame/GunfighterTheLegendOfJesseJames'', ''VideoGame/{{Endgame}}'', and of course, ICE/Play Mechanix's ''Johnny Nero Action Hero''.

* ''VideoGame/OperationWolf'' set the model for most {{Light Gun Game}}s of the late 1980s. ''VideoGame/LethalEnforcers'' revamped it for the 1990s with [[DigitizedSprites digitized graphics]], which were then taken up by Creator/DataEast's ''VideoGame/LockedNLoaded'', ''VideoGame/UnderFire'', Creator/Atari and Mesa Logic's ''VideoGame/Area51'', and (ironically) ''Operation Wolf 3''.

* ''VideoGame/OperationWolf'' set the model for most {{Light Gun Game}}s of the late 1980s. ''VideoGame/LethalEnforcers'' revamped it for the 1990s with [[DigitizedSprites digitized graphics]], which were then taken up by Creator/DataEast's ''VideoGame/LockedNLoaded'', ''VideoGame/UnderFire'', Creator/{{Atari|Games}} and Mesa Logic's ''VideoGame/Area51'', and (ironically) ''Operation Wolf 3''.
** Creator/{{Namco}}'s ''VideoGame/TimeCrisis'', despite being the basic 3D gun game, had unique game play such as the pedal that used to duck down to avoid from getting hit by on of the game's enemies, various clones include ''VideoGame/GunfighterTheLegendOfJesseJames, ''VideoGame/{{Endgame}}'', and of course, ICE/Play Mechanix's ''Johnny Nero Action Hero''.

** Creator/{{Namco}}'s ''VideoGame/TimeCrisis'', despite being the basic 3D gun game, had unique game play such as the pedal that used to duck down to avoid from getting hit by on of the game's enemies, various clones include ''VideoGame/GunfighterTheLegendOfJessieJames'', ''VideoGame/Endgame'', and of corse ''Johnny Nero Action Hero''

* ''VideoGame/OperationWolf'' set the model for most {{Light Gun Game}}s of the late 1980s. ''VideoGame/LethalEnforcers'' revamped it for the 1990s with [[DigitizedSprites digitized graphics]], which were then taken up by Creator/DataEast's ''VideoGame/LockedNLoaded'', ''VideoGame/UnderFire'', and (ironically) ''Operation Wolf 3''.

* ''VideoGame/{{Cabal}}'', a third-person arcade shooter spawned many "Cabal clones", such as ''VideoGame/BloodBros'' and ''VideoGame/WildGuns''. ''VideoGame/SinAndPunishment'' also used a similar format to Cabal.

* The ''Xak'' ActionRPG series began in the footsteps of the ''VideoGame/{{Ys}}'' series, and followed its format to the point of remaking the first two games as a single story on the UsefulNotes/PCEngine CD, much like ''Ys Book I & II''. Other ''Ys''-like games included ''VideoGame/{{Lagoon}}'', Technosoft's ''Shin Kugyokuden'' and Creator/DataEast's ''Makai Hakkenden Shada'' (whose title suggests ''VideoGame/TengaiMakyou Ziria'', which was in fact an ActionRPG at one stage of its TroubledProduction and whose highly anticipated release came three months later).

* ''God of War'' itself followed ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'' as a spectacle fighter, and both being successors of the BeatEmUp genre. In addition, the success of ''Devil May Cry'' led to the rise of stylish-action games (before ''God of War'') in the early 2000s. Mainly the type games with an [[GameplayGrading end-of-level rank]] such as ''VideoGame/{{Bujingai}}'', ''VideoGame/ChaosLegion'', ''VideoGame/ViewtifulJoe'', ''VideoGame/Shinobi2002'', and the ''VideoGame/NinjaGaiden'' reboot.

* ''VideoGame/NinjaGaiden'' (NES) inspired ''Wrath of the Black Manta'' (which also has elements of ''VideoGame/{{Shinobi}}''), ''VideoGame/ViceProjectDoom'', ''VideoGame/{{Shatterhand}}'', ''Shadow of the Ninja'' (which ironically was [[DolledUpInstallment dolled up]] as ''Ninja Gaiden Shadow'' on the UsefulNotes/GameBoy), the NES ''VideoGame/{{Batman|Sunsoft}}'' game et al.

* While DLC and post-launch content had been around before, ''VideoGame/{{Destiny}}'' began marked the point where premium games began to be developed with years of post-launch support in mind, which is called the "live service" or "games as a service" model. The most obvious clones have been Creator/HelloGames' ''VideoGame/NoMansSky'', Creator/{{Rare}}'s ''VideoGame/SeaOfThieves'', Creator/{{Bethesda}}'s ''VideoGame/Fallout76'', Creator/BioWare's ''VideoGame/{{Anthem}}'', and Creator/SquareEnix's ''VideoGame/MarvelsAvengers'', with the most successful being Creator/{{Blizzard}}'s ''VideoGame/{{Overwatch}}''. These games usually features lots of grinding, an emphasis on multiplayer, and lots of in-game cosmetics and items to purchase. This also began spreading to games that weren't trying to copy ''Destiny'', such as with Creator/{{Ubisoft}}, who moved all of their games to a live service model,