History Main / DuelingGames

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->''"The year: [[TheNineties 1994.]]\\
"The event: [[TheWorldCup World Cup Soccer]] in [[UsefulNotes/TheUnitedStates USA.]]\\
Both [[Creator/WilliamsElectronics Williams]] and Creator/{{Gottlieb}} created their respectiv ''[[[RougeAnglesOfSatin sic]]]'' {{pinball}} tributes for the event. While Williams made [[SugarWiki/SoCoolItsAwesome a great game]] with [[LicensedPinballTables the official license]], Gottlieb made... er... [[DamnedByFaintPraise this thing with flippers.]]"''
-->-- IPDB user '''[[http://www.ipdb.org/rate/showuserrate.pl?uid=6595 Paturlas]]''' comparing ''Pinball/WorldCupSoccer'' and ''World Challenge Soccer''[[note]]See the full quote [[Quotes/DuelingGames here]].[[/note]]

This page is a list of games that are considered imitations of each other. Inspired by a game's success and/or popularity, [[FollowTheLeader others are made]]. Which is the original and which is the imitation is not always completely clear; sometimes, however, it is painfully so.

Of course, most of the examples shown below aren't copying other studios, but had just came out around the same time with the same theme. Keep that in mind when comparing two games or game series to each other. Most of the times it just leads to a FandomRivalry.

[[IThoughtItMeant This is not related to]] ''Franchise/YuGiOh''. Or ''TabletopGame/DuelMasters''. Or... well, you get what we mean.

For rivalries in other media, see DuelingMovies and DuelingShows.

----
[[foldercontrol]]

[[index]]
* DuelingGames/FirstPersonAndThirdPersonShooters
* DuelingGames/FightingGame
* DuelingGames/PlatformGame
* DuelingGames/RacingGame
* DuelingGames/RolePlayingGameEastern
* DuelingGames/SandboxSimulation
* DuelingGames/CrossGenre
[[/index]]

[[folder:Action Game]]
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|| Initiator || Imitators/Competitors || Description || Misc. || Winner? ||
|| ''VideoGame/GodOfWar'' || ''VideoGame/DantesInferno'' ||Hack and Slash games with blades attached to chains, centering on mid range combat but also using close quarters and magic. Both games use a gothic art style and are based on [[DarkerAndEdgier violently]] [[RefugeInAudacity over-the-top]] interpretations of religious mythology -- [[Myth/ClassicalMythology ancient Greek religion]] for ''[=GoW=]'', and Dante's ''DivineComedy'' for ''Inferno''. [[PressXToNotDie Quick time events.]] [[HotterAndSexier Lots of bare breasts.]]||The creators of ''Dante's Inferno'' actually [[SincerestFormOfFlattery said they weren't trying to be original]].||They weren't kidding. ''DI'' is pretty much ''God of War II'' except with a crusader instead of a demigod, and more tits. Fan reception of the former seems to be strong.
|| ''VideoGame/SamuraiWarriors'' || ''VideoGame/SengokuBasara'' ||''VideoGame/DynastyWarriors'' [[AC:[[RecycledINSPACE in the Japanese Warring States Era]]!]] ||{{Creator/Koei}}'s ''Warriors'' came first, with {{Creator/Capcom}}'s ''VideoGame/SengokuBasara'' coming shortly thereafter. The ''Warriors'' games' stories are somewhat more historically grounded than its competitor. ||Series-wide, ''Samurai Warriors'' has the edge due to its association with ''VideoGame/DynastyWarriors'', and is the more well-known of the two outside Japan. In direct head-to-head matchups, it's a draw. ''[=SW1=]'' scored better than the original ''[=SB=]'' (re-titled and rebranded ''Devil Kings'') in North America, but ''[=SB: Samurai Heroes=]'' (which didn't have any silly changes made to it) beat out ''[=SW3=]''.||
|| ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes'' || ''VideoGame/MadWorld'' ||Both are action games with a fairly agile protagonist who dispatches hoards of intercity thugs using wrestling, GoodOldFisticuffs, and battery-powered weapons that glide through people like a hot knife through butter. Both also have a colorful collection of bosses oozing with obscene personality, and seem to incorporate cel-shading into their graphics engine. Lastly, both are named after music.||Each game pushed the Wii into the big kids' playground of [[DarkerAndEdgier adult gaming]], not just in LudicrousGibs, but every single kind of censor-bursting they thought they could get away with.||Both games seem to be neck-and-neck tied in (im)mature jokes, fast-paced gameplay, and strategic boss fights. However, Metacritic scores the games 83% and 81%, giving the match just barely to ''No More Heroes''. With Creator/{{Suda51}} of Killer7 fame behind it, ''Heroes'' is more well-known and wins by a small margin.
|| ''VideoGame/{{Onechanbara}}'' || ''VideoGame/LollipopChainsaw'' ||A BeatEmUp / HackAndSlash where {{Stripperiffic}} chicks fight zombies. ||Keep in mind that ''LollipopChainsaw'' was probably never meant to copy ''{{Onechanbara}}''. Both games just happen to be built around a similar concept. Ironically, in ''Onechanbara Z Kagura'', one of the main characters happen to wield a chainsaw. But since chainsaws are common in zombie games nowadays, this should just be written off as a coincidence.||''LollipopChainsaw'' is the winner, as it sold better than 200,000 copies, and has the [[VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes Suda51/Grasshopper Manufacture]] weirdness factor going for it. The ''Onechanbara'' games on Xbox 360 and Wii both flopped in North America, ensuring that ''Onechanbara Z Kagura'', [[NoExportForYou didn't get a Western release.]]||
|| ''VideoGame/DiabloIII'' || ''VideoGame/TorchlightII'' ||Top-down HackAndSlash games released in 2012||The ''VideoGame/{{Torchlight}}'' games are {{Spiritual Successor}}s to classic ''Diablo'', and made by the original ''Diablo'' devs.||Both games received high critical praise on release, and are by no means a slouch in sales either. Going by sales alone though, ''Diablo III'' sold 6.5 million copies, at $60 per copy, in its first week, more than it was expected to sell in its first ''year''; in comparison, Runic Games were pleased to break 1 million copies on the $20 ''Torchlight 1'' since 2009. ''Diablo III'' does have its share of problems, as it was plagued by post-launch issues (server troubles that have since been addressed and complaints about its "always-connected" DRM scheme) and high player backlash from aforementioned issues, lack of modability and the in-game auction house.||
|| ''VideoGame/IAmAlive'' || ''VideoGame/TheLastOfUs'' ||A grizzled survivor climbs and scavenges his way through ruins of a modern city after a disaster, fighting off other scavengers.||''I Am Alive'' came out first and has lingered in DevelopmentHell longer but ''Last of Us'' was probably initiated before Creator/NaughtyDog had even heard about ''I Am Alive.''||Following its release,''The Last of Us'' has been receiving virtually universal praise from critics and gamers alike, with many declaring it the best game of its console generation. ''I Am Alive'' was a budget title with "[[SoOkayItsAverage okay, but not]] ''[[SoOkayItsAverage great]]''" reviews, so it's safe to say ''The Last of Us'' is the winner.
|| ''VideoGame/DMCDevilMayCry'' || ''VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance'' ||HackAndSlash games released in early 2013. ||Both games are based off a preestablished franchise and made by another studio than the original series. While ''VideoGame/DMCDevilMayCry'' is a ContinuityReboot, ''VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance'' is a SpinOff. The rivalry seems to have started due to these rather shallow similarities and the fact that they come out around a month apart. It's worth noting that Creator/HidekiKamiya, creator of the original ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'' currently works at Creator/PlatinumGames, the studio that developed ''Revengeance'', which might have added more fuel to the fire, although he had nothing to do with the development of ''Revengeance'' (since he was busy working on ''VideoGame/TheWonderful101''). ||''Revengeance'' by a country mile. Fans were split on ''[=DmC=]'', but [[CriticalDissonance critics]] loved it. Critics loved ''Revengeance'', but fans loved it even more. So in this case ''[=DmC=]'' had a slight critical edge, but ''Revengeance'' found way more acceptance from the fans and consumer base. And most tellingly of all, ''[=DmC=]'' sold poorly and below Capcom's expectations, while ''Revengeance'' sold well enough that Kojima was already talking about having Platinum Games develop a sequel within a week of the game's release. Another factor in ''Revengeance's'' favor was that Platinum had taken over what was essentially [[DevelopmentHell a half-abandoned project]] and managed to turn it into a solid game. Comparisons to ''VideoGame/DukeNukemForever'' and ''VideoGame/AliensColonialMarines'' abounded in ''Revengeance's'' initial run that basically said, "THIS is how a game should be SavedFromDevelopmentHell."
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Action Adventure]]
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|| Initiator || Imitators/Competitors || Description || Misc. || Winner? ||
|| ''Franchise/TombRaider'' || ''VideoGame/{{Uncharted}}'' ||The protagonist climbs, jumps and shoots his/her way through exotic places in search for ancient treasures and confronting evil conspiracies.||''Tomb Raider'' is more puzzle/platform-oriented while ''Uncharted'' is (much) more focused on combat.||Draw. ''Tomb Raider'' still retains its cult status (much of it thanks to [[MsFanservice Lara Croft's]] popularity) but newer games got poor to average reviews, until it gained a well-received reboot in 2013. Meanwhile, every ''Uncharted'' game is critically-acclaimed. Also, ''Uncharted'' has grown stronger with every new installment, but its first-party status prevents it from spreading its fanbase to those who don't have a PlayStation.||
|| ''VideoGame/LordOfArcana'' || ''VideoGame/GodEaterBurst'' ||Multiplayer ActionAdventure games on {{PSP}}||Both games take cues from the ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'' series, but ''God(s) Eater'''s inspiration seems to show much more clearly.||''God(s) Eater'' had a better critical and commercial reception. ||
|| ''VideoGame/MarvelUltimateAlliance'' || ''Justice League Heroes'' ||Superhero games with RPG mechanics where the heroes band together in groups of four to battle a group of well-known supervillains operating under a world-threatening overarching plot.||The main difference is straight from the title: ''MUA'' is a MarvelComics game, while ''JLH'' is a DCComics game. Also, ''MUA'' does not focus in a single Marvel superteam, having members from Comicbook/TheAvengers (both classic and New), the Comicbook/{{X-Men}} and the Comicbook/FantasticFour.||''Marvel Ultimate Alliance'' offered, in addition to the rather innovative gameplay, plenty of extras in-game (like encyclopedic Marvel trivia) and interaction with [=NPC=]s; while ''Justice League Heroes'' is no slouch either, it is straight-up action-packed, has a shorter length and less characters, which led to it being overshadowed by ''MUA''.
|| ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'' || ''VideoGame/{{Okami}}'' ||Both are ActionAdventure games with a protagonist who has been transformed into a wolf (or, in ''Okami'''s case, ''is'' a wolf) and must return life/light to a world corrupted by evil. ''Okami'' was [[SincerestFormOfFlattery specifically stated]] to be ''Zelda'' influenced, but was released months before the other game.||''Twilight Princess'' was started on first but went through DevelopmentHell, so ''Okami'' beat it into stores. Also, the majority of ''Okami'' heavily focused on a paintbrush mechanic.||Both have been rated in the [[SoCoolItsAwesome high 90s]], but ''Twilight Princess'' sold nearly 7 million units, making it either the second or third best-selling game in the series. ''Okami'', unfortunately, didn't even sell a full million units, even when combining both Playstation 2 and Wii sales, and caused CloverStudios to go out of business (though Capcom saw its CultClassic reputation as enough to warrant ports for the Wii And Playstation3, as well as [[VideoGame/{{Okamiden}} a DS sequel]], nevertheless).||
|| ''VideoGame/TheLastGuardian'' || ''VideoGame/{{Scalebound}}'' ||Both are ActionAdventure games developed in Japan by Creator/TeamIco and Creator/PlatinumGames exclusively for Sony's UsefulNotes/{{PlayStation 4}} and Microsoft's UsefulNotes/XboxOne respectively. Both games have a human protagonist accompanied by a CoolPet (a griffin and a dragon respectively). Both games are set to be released in 2016. || ''The Last Guardian'' was announced in 2009, originally for the UsefulNotes/{{PlayStation 3}}, before getting stuck in DevelopmentHell. ''Scalebound'' was announced in 2014, but there was no information about it for a year afterwards. The main difference between them is that ''Scalebound'' is much more action oriented than ''The Last Guardian''. || Yet to be decided, but ''The Last Guardian'' has an edge due to the many years of anticipation leading to its release, whereas ''Scalebound'' hasn't really had the same impact.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Adventure Game]]
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|| Initiator || Imitators/Competitors || Description || Misc. || Winner? ||
|| ''VideoGame/TheSeventhGuest'' || ''VideoGame/{{Myst}}'' ||SceneryPorn {{Point and Click Game}}s made as {{Killer App}}s for the CD-ROM format.||Both games were very graphically impressive for their time and played a big part making the CD-ROM format take off. Neither game had much, if any, character interaction or text and instead focused on visuals, atmosphere and abstract puzzles. Interestingly, both were originally released on the {{Macintosh}}, a format known for its lack of original games.||''Myst''. It became one of the best-selling games of all time, and had five sequels and a remake. ''The 7th Guest'' sold well but had only two sequels, ''The 11th Hour'' and ''Uncle Henry's Playhouse'', the first of which was poorly received and the second so obscure it sold less than 200 copies worldwide. Both games have later suffered HypeBacklash and gotten a SeinfeldIsUnfunny status, although ''Myst'' is generally regarded as having aged better between the two.||
|| ''[[VideoGame/PoliceQuest Police Quest: Open Season]]'' || ''Blue Force'' ||Law enforcement-themed {{Adventure Game}}s with an emphasis on proper police procedual.||When Jim Walls, the designer of the original three ''Police Quest'' games, left Creator/{{Sierra}}, they decided to continue the series without him, hiring former LAPD chief Daryl Gates as a consultant for the fourth game. Walls however joined Tsunami Media, a company of former Sierra employees, and created a SpiritualSuccessor named ''Blue Force'' which was released the same year.||''Police Quest'' wins on a technicality since the series survived through its MorePopularSpinoff ''SWAT''. ''Blue Force'' is almost completely forgotten.||
|| ''VideoGame/LeisureSuitLarry'' || ''VideoGame/LesManley'' || PC adventure games from the early 90s starring a CasanovaWannabe who's out to get laid. || ''Les Manley'' is obscure in America, being a clear British ripoff of ''Leisure Suit Larry'', except it's for the Amiga instead of DOS. With that said, ''Les Manley'' was apparently released (in limited quantities) for DOS, too, || ''Leisure Suit Larry'' by far. If ''Les Manley'' is remembered at all, it's only to mention that it's a second-rate clone of ''Larry''. ||
|| ''VideoGame/{{D}}'' || ''VideoGame/{{Phantasmagoria}}'' || Controversial FMV horror adventure games released in 1995 starring a young woman exploring a haunted mansion to discover the truth of why one of her loved ones have suddenly become violent and murderous. || ''Phantasmagoria'' used live actors and green screen while ''D'' used pre-rendered 3D-models and enviroments. ''Phantasmagoria'' used a traditional point-and-click interface while ''D'' used a first-person perspective similar to ''VideoGame/{{Myst}}''. Both also had a fairly unprecedented amout of violence and gore for a video game at the time. || ''Phantasmagoria'' is more well-known but is also frequently cited as an example of everything wrong with FMV games. ''D'' is much more obscure outside its native Japan, but has a bit of a cult following and its reputation increased somewhat [[DeadArtistsAreBetter after the death of its creator]] Kenji Eno. ||
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Beat 'em Up]]
||border=1
|| Initiator || Imitators/Competitors || Description || Misc. || Winner? ||
|| ''VideoGame/FinalFight'' || ''VideoGame/StreetsOfRage'', ''VideoGame/RushingBeat'' (aka ''Rival Turf!'', ''Brawl Brothers'' and ''The Peace Keepers'') ||Trilogies of urban {{Beat Em Up}}s released on rival platforms (''SOR'' came out on the SegaGenesis, while the SuperNES got ''Rushing Beat''; ''Final Fight'' came out before either in arcades, but its first console port and two sequels were on the SNES).||The SNES ''Final Fight'' and the Genesis ''Streets of Rage'' were both released during the 1991 Holidays season, although the Japanese version of the former actually came out earlier (being a Super Famicom launch title). While ''Final Fight'' featured more colorful graphics with larger character sprites, ''Streets of Rage'' gain favor with critics by offering a 2-Player co-op mode (a feature that Capcom later implemented in ''Final Fight 2''). Jaleco later released ''Rival Turf!'' in 1992 as a 2-player alternative to the original ''Final Fight'' and eventually went on to spawn two sequels as well. || ''Final Fight'' and ''Streets of Rage'' sold better and are remembered much more fondly than the ''Rushing Beat'' series, which more or less faded away with Jaleco's fortunes. ||
|| ''[[http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/arabianmagic/arabianmagic.htm Arabian Magic]]'' || ''[[http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/arabianfight/arabianfight.htm Arabian Fight]]'' ||Four-player {{Beat Em Up}}s set in ArabianNightsDays and released to arcades in 1992.||Creator/{{Taito}}'s ''Arabian Magic'' and Creator/{{Sega}}'s ''Arabian Fight'' were both produced on 32-bit arcade hardware (albeit 2-D evolutions of earlier 16-bit systems). ''Arabian Fight'' used the somewhat unusual effect of having character sprites zoom as they walk. || Neither game seems to have been popular at the time, and no console ports were produced. Retro critics have found little in ''Arabian Fight''[='s=] favor; unlike ''Arabian Magic'', it has never appeared on a CompilationRerelease. ||
|| ''[[Franchise/DieHard Die Hard Arcade]]'' || ''Fighting Force'' ||3D attempts at resurrecting the BeatEmUp genre.||''Fighting Force'' was originally envisioned as a ''StreetsOfRage'' sequel, which would have made this an in-house dueling. Both games had sequels, but ''Fighting Force'' underwent a GenreShift in its next installment.||''Fighting Force'' sold better but ''Die Hard Arcade'' is slightly more respected among gamers. Both failed to launch the 3D Brawler genre.||
|| ''VideoGame/BeatDown: Fists of Vengeance'' || ''VideoGame/UrbanReign'' ||Dark and gritty {{Beat Em Up}}s.||''Urban Reign'' features cameos from popular ''VideoGame/{{Tekken}}'' characters Paul Phoenix and Marshall Law.||Neither game got much love from the critics, but ''Urban Reign'' received somewhat more favorable (if still mixed) reviews, so it wins.||
|| ''VideoGame/DungeonsAndDragonsShadowOverMystara'' || ''VideoGame/GuardianHeroes'' ||Fantasy-themed Beat 'em Ups with significant RPGElements.||Made by esteemed developers (Creator/{{Capcom}} and Creator/{{Treasure}}, respectively), these games are significantly more complex than what is typical of the genre. Each game features several playable characters with distinct strenghts and weaknesses that gain levels and abilities as the game progresses. There is also usable equipment, several different special attacks and magic spells, and other features such as branching paths and MultipleEndings. ''Shadow over Mystara'' was an arcade-only[[note]]Though it was ported to Sega Saturn along with its predecessor a few years later [[NoExportForYou in Japan only]].[[/note]] sequel to ''Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom'' and is based on the popular TabletopRPG ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''[[note]]Specifically, the ''TabletopGame/{{Mystara}}'' setting.[[/note]], whereas ''Guardian Heroes'' is a wholly original title for the Sega Saturn. ''Guardian Heroes'' is also more plot-driven with a surprisingly detailed story, while the plot of ''Shadow over Mystara'' is [[ExcusePlot very basic]].||''Shadow over Mystara'' was well-received, but the lack of a home port outside of Japan hurt it. ''Guardian Heroes'' was critically acclaimed, but didn't sell particularly well. Both are now fondly remembered {{Cult Classic}}s, with ''Shadow over Mystara'' (along with its predecessor) edging out slightly, likely due to its famous source material.||
|| ''VideoGame/GoldenAxe'' || ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheRound'' ||Sword-themed Beat 'em Up with ridable mounts released for the arcade in the early '90 era. ||Both game let you choose between three warriors with various strengths and weaknesses. While ''Golden Axe'' is set in a SwordAndSorcery world, ''Knights of The Round'' is closer to [[Myth/KingArthur Arthurian legends]] with many liberties taken with the myths. ''Golden Axe'' allows you to damage all enemies on-screen with magic while ''Knights of The Round'' give you a [[CastFromHitPoints special attack]]. ||''Knights of The Round'' is the superior game with better graphics, the ability to play with three players instead of two. Its gameplay mechanics were more sophisticated with blocking, RPGElements, a more varied enemy roster and bosses. However, ''Golden Axe'' was the more memorable game with more sequels, spin-offs and PortOverdosed. The mounts in ''Golden Axe'' came with their own unique abilities, the music was more engaging and the characters were more remembered today. ||
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Flight Sim/Flight Shooter]]
||border=1
|| Initiator || Imitators/Competitors || Description || Misc. || Winner? ||
|| ''[[VideoGame/StarFox1 Star Fox]]'' ||''Cybermorph'', ''VideoGame/StarTrekStarfleetAcademy'' (SNES/32X versions) ||Sci-fi themed shooting games with primitive polygonal graphics. ||All three games came out within six months of each other. The difference is that ''VideoGame/StarFox'' is a rail shooter while the other two are freeform. ||''Star Fox'' was easily the best-reviewed and as the first released, had the biggest "wow factor." ''Starfleet Academy'' wasn't a major hit, but did well enough to lead to a much more successful PC version three years later. ''Cybermorph'', while not totally bad, was critically panned and only had one sequel (''Battlemorph'') on the Jaguar CD just before Atari pulled the plug on the [[UsefulNotes/AtariJaguar Jaguar]].||
|| ''VideoGame/WingCommander'' || The ''VideoGame/XWing''/''VideoGame/TIEFighter'' series and the ''VideoGame/FreeSpace'' series ||Sci-fi themed "simulations" of space fighter craft featuring both {{Old School Dogfight}}ing and complex interfaces and missions.||''VideoGame/WingCommander'' was the TropeCodifier for the Space Simulator genre; ''VideoGame/XWing'' came later, but innovated with true 3D graphics and fiendishly complex missions -- as well as the official ''Franchise/StarWars'' brand that inspired ''Wing Commander''. ''VideoGame/FreeSpace'' came later, but combined the strengths of both its competitors. ||''VideoGame/WingCommander'' spawned 4 sequels, the last of which JumpedTheShark; the ''Franchise/{{Star Wars|Expanded Universe}}'' juggernaut marches on, but moved on to more arcade-ish shooters. ''VideoGame/FreeSpace2'' is sometimes blamed for [[GenreKiller killing the genre]], despite rave reviews; nevertheless, the game is still considered a classic and is being actively upgraded and played today.||
|| ''VideoGame/AceCombat'' || ''VideoGame/AirForceDelta'' and ''VideoGame/{{Sidewinder}}'' ||Pseudo-realistic 3D jet fighters simulations.||''Ace Combat'' was released early in the {{Playstation}}'s life to rave reviews and had several sequels. ''Airforce Delta'' was released for the SegaDreamcast launch. The first ''Sidewinder'' was released one year after the first console ''Ace Combat'' and attempted to distinguish itself with somewhat more realistic elements.||''Ace Combat'' is still producing sequels while ''Airforce Delta'' had one sequel early into the life of the Xbox and one more on PlayStation2 before being dropped. ''Sidewinder'' had some success in its native Japan, but failed to catch on in the west and eventually faded into obscurity.||
|| ''VideoGame/IL2Sturmovik: Birds of Prey'' || ''Heroes Over Europe'' || WWII-themed flight games released within one week of each other. || ''Birds of Prey'' attempts to bridge console and PC sensibilities by offering multiple settings of varying realism, whereas ''Heroes over Europe'' is purely an arcade affair. ||''Birds of Prey'' is the clear winner. It had good critical acclaim, a RecursiveAdaptation (''Wings of Prey'') and a cult fanbase, whereas ''Heroes Over Europe'' tanked at retail and had a tepid critical reception.
|| ''VideoGame/AceCombat'' || ''VideoGame/{{HAWX}}'' || Modern combat flight sim franchises. ''Ace Combat'' was formerly console-only[[note]]''VideoGame/AceCombatAssaultHorizon'' got a PC release via UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} in 2013[[/note]] while ''HAWX'' has both console and PC versions. || Both ''HAWX'' and ''HAWX 2'' were released in the 4 year gap between ''Videogame/AceCombat6FiresOfLiberation'' and ''Ace Combat: Assault Horizon''. Gameplay-wise, ''Ace Combat'' tends of focus on more traditional (though slightly arcadey) flight sim mechanics, with ''Assault Horizon'' mixing it up with the Close Range Assault mode. ''HAWX'' tries to differentiate itself with the Assistance OFF mode, which zooms your camera out into a distant 3rd person view, allowing you to perform more advanced maneuvers. ||Overall, ''Ace Combat'' has still been going strong since 1992 with numerous iterations and spinoffs while ''HAWX'' only has two games to its name, both released a year apart. Also, almost all AC games have received positive reviews and fan support, while reactions to both ''HAWX'' games is mixed at best. Sales wise, the Xbox 360-exclusive ''Ace Combat 6'' sold nearly as many copies as the 360 and PS3 versions of ''HAWX'' combined while ''Assault Horizon'' sold slightly more than ''HAWX 2''. ''Ace Combat'' still seems to be the modern air combat flight sim franchise to beat.||
|| ''VideoGame/AirCombat'' || ''VideoGame/{{Warhawk}}'' || Arcade-style flight combat games released in fall 1995 for the PlayStation. || ''Air Combat'' is set in the present; ''Warhawk'' is set in the future. ''Air Combat'' is a port of a 1992 arcade game while ''Warhawk'' is a Playstation exclusive. ||''Air Combat'' spawned the successful ''Ace Combat'' series with 16 sequels and spinoffs. ''Warhawk'' didn't recieve a new game until 2007 for the PS3, which was critically well-received but commercially unsuccessful. ||
|| ''VideoGame/EliteDangerous'' || ''VideoGame/StarCitizen'' || Open-world space-simulator sandbox games || Both games remain in development as of summer 2014. ''VideoGame/{{Elite}}'' continues its predecessors' tradition of an expansive procedurally-generated universe, while ''VideoGame/StarCitizen'' concentrates on deep immersion in a smaller playable universe, much like its spiritual predecessor ''Privateer''. Note that this is explicitly a FriendlyRivalry; Chris Roberts and David Braben are both alpha backers of the other's game, and are both on record as wanting the other to succeed. || To be determined ||
|| ''VideoGame/AcesHigh'' || ''VideGame/WarThunder'' ||Massively Multiplayer online air-combat simulators||Although not the ''first'' game of its type, ''Aces High'' continued in the same format as Kesmai's venerable ''Air Warrior'' series, and many former ''Air Warrior'' players migrated to this simulator when Kesmai's support ceased, enabling it to outlast both ''Warbirds'' and ''Fighter Ace''. ''Aces High'' is unusual for an MMO sim in that there's no "low realism" mode, with a very steep learning curve since all players are subject to the full physics model. Additionally, ''Aces High'' operates on a monthly subscription, with almost all aircraft available to fly without requiring they be unlocked first. ''[=WarThunder=]'', which arrived on the scene much more recently, takes a different track with it's "FreeToPlay" model, focus on a simplified arcade flight model, and upgrade trees to gain access to its various aircraft (which can also be unlocked with real-money purchases). ||Too soon to tell. ''[=WarThunder=]'' does enjoy more mainstream success due to its more accessible arcade gameplay over providing more in-depth simulation and [=F2P=] business model, however the neglect of the high-realism gameplay modes, suspect accuracy in its flight modeling, and even the [=F2P=] model that is one of its main draws, have all received stiff criticism. However ''Aces High'' is the clear winner in longevity, having been online for 14 years and continuing to see steady updates and improvements, and in turn maintains a devoted community (many of whom began with ''Air Warrior'' over ''twenty-five years earlier''!) despite its steeper learning curve and monthly subscription that shows no sign of weakening (buoyed by weekly events and scenarios, which draw hundreds of players at a time), and the two titles have a bitter FandomRivalry that doesn't look to be ending any time soon.||
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Light Gun Game]]
||border=1
|| Initiator || Imitators/Competitors || Description || Misc. || Winner? ||
|| ''VideoGame/HouseOfTheDead'' || ''VideoGame/CarnEvil'' ||Horror-themed {{Light Gun Game}}s that hit arcades in the late 1990s.||''House of the Dead'' played its horror theme somewhat straight ([[{{Narm}} emphasis on "somewhat"]]), while ''[=CarnEvil=]'' dropped all pretenses and went with BloodyHilarious BlackComedy.||While ''[=CarnEvil=]'' was a pretty big hit (one of Midway's last major arcade hits, in fact) it had no sequel and has never been ported to a home system. ''House of the Dead'' proved to be a massive hit in arcades and has become one of Sega's biggest franchises with three arcade sequels, all ported to at least one home system, eight spinoff games, and two ([[VideoGameMoviesSuck awful]]!) [[Film/TheHouseOfTheDead film adaptations]].||
|| ''VideoGame/SilentScope'' || ''Golgo 13'' ||Light Gun games where the player takes the role of a sniper (or assassin).||Both featured rifles fixed to the cabinet. While the scope in ''Silent Scope'' was a smaller monitor, the scope in ''Golgo 13'' was a real scope. The screen itself would zoom in when it detected the player was peering through it.||''Silent Scope'' was a modest hit, was ported to several consoles and had two sequels. ''Golgo 13'', while it also had two sequels, was not ported to any console and was only released in Japan.||
|| ''VideoGame/LethalEnforcers'' (Konami) || ''VideoGame/VirtuaCop'' (Sega) and ''VideoGame/TimeCrisis'' (Namco) || Original light gun games that have some "saving the day from terrorist/criminals" plot. ||''Virtua Cop'' and ''Time Crisis'' use systems to allow the player to hide out of the way of incoming fire, while ''Lethal Enforcers'' does not. ||''Lethal Enforcers'' fell off the map, despite a few sequels (and one aimed at ''Time Crisis'' -- ''VideoGame/{{Police 911}}''), ''Virtua Cop'' probably enjoys the nostalgic value and comes in a close second to Time Crisis, since the last game was released in early the 2000s and it did receive three sequels (one short of Time Crisis' four) and a remake. ''Time Crisis'' is the winner here, getting four sequels, and you're most likely to find it out of the three (in any incarnation) in a given arcade (or in bigger arcades, you'll find that the Time Crisis machines outnumber Virtua Cop machines two to one).||

[[/folder]]

[[folder:MMO]]
||border=1
|| Initiator || Imitators/Competitors || Description || Misc. || Winner? ||
|| ''VideoGame/{{Everquest}} 2'' || ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' ||High fantasy [=MMORPGs=]||The first ''Everquest'' was the first successful 3D MMO, but its unforgiving game mechanics were beginning to show their age. Menaced by game juggernaut Creator/{{Blizzard|Entertainment}}'s first MMO, the sequel was rushed to market and suffered for it.||''World of Warcraft'' is the largest game in the industry with over 12 million active subscriptions at its peak. ''Everquest 2'' rarely even rates a mention.||
|| ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes''/''VideoGame/CityOfVillains'' || ''VideoGame/ChampionsOnline'' ||{{Superhero}} [=MMORPGs=]||Both games were developed by the same studio, Cryptic. Publisher NC Soft bought the [=CoX=] property and hired most of the people working on it away from Cryptic two years before ''Champions'' launched.||For a fair while ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes'' was winning, but the attitude between the games was fairly friendly and, unfortunately, ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes'' eventually closed down. The reaction of ''Champions'' players was far from dueling, and very friendly. The vast majority of ''Champions'' players were sad about ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes'' closing down, and many ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes'' players moved to ''Champions''. Sadly, a year or so later ''Champions'' closed as well.||
|| ''Active Worlds'' || ''SecondLife'' ||Virtual words inspired by TheMetaverse from ''SnowCrash''||''Active Worlds'' uses a subscription model. ''Second Life'' is built around a virtual economy.||''Active Worlds'' actually predates ''Second Life'' by three years and was originally based around a consumer/producer model, whereas ''Second Life'' was social from the beginning. ''Second Life'' enjoys much success for its social features and higher amount and quality of user-created content, whereas ''Active Worlds'' is still lingering in obscurity.||
|| ''VideoGame/SecondLife'' || ''Website/PlaystationHome'', IMVU, Small Worlds, Google Lively, many others || MMO/social entertainment virtual worlds where people hang out, interact, play games, and customize [[VirtualPaperDoll their avatars]] and [[AHomeOwnerIsYou living quarters]]. || ''Second Life'' (and many of its competitors) is all about user-generated content; everything in the game (outside the tutorial items) was made by ordinary players. ''Home'', on the other hand, is more structured, with all content made by the developers, keeping it rather family-friendly (and advertiser-friendly) by comparison. In addition, ''Home'' is only on UsefulNotes/PlayStation3, while ''Second Life'' and most of its other competitors are for computers. || Of all the many social entertainment games out there (and there are many), ''Second Life'' has garnered the most media attention, the most parodies, the largest user base, and overall, the most success, though it's also notorious for [[TheRuleOfFirstAdopters the sheer amount of sex]] that permeates it, including just about every kink known to man (and some that aren't). ''Home'' took a while to start delivering on its promises; early on, it was seen as a symbol of many of the [=PlayStation=] 3's problems, but [[GrowingTheBeard its fortunes quietly improved]] with those of Sony's console. By the time it was announced that it would be shutting down in 2015 (with the [=PlayStation=] 3 on its way out), [[http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2014-09-30-playstation-home-sonys-most-successful-failure one observer]] called it "Sony's most successful failure" in how it continued to build a dedicated fanbase despite being mocked and all but forgotten initially. The other games have seen varying degrees of success, though most of them still live in ''Second Life''[='=]s shadow. ||
|| ''PetSociety'' || ''PetVille'' ||Multiplayer {{Facebook}} games based around raising {{Funny Animal}}s.||''PetVille'' is a sister game to ''FarmVille''. ''Pet Society'' came out first but is rather similar to ''FarmVille''.||''PetSociety'' has more players, a bigger fanbase, and lacks the {{Hatedom}} that PetVille has.
|| ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'' || ''GuildWars2'' ||Next-generation story-focused [=MMORPG=]s that are (optionally in [=TOR=]'s case) free-to-play.||Not actually a case of initiator and imitator, these games were the hope of 2012 ushering in a new generation of [=MMORPG=]s with a much greater emphasis on story and defying established conventions of the genre.||''GuildWars2'' is a commercial and critical success that has been actively supported by fans and its producer. Although ''The Old Republic'' was initially a smash hit, sales, subscriptions, and critical praise fell off sharply after a few months in light of the game's tepid support, numerous delays of promised content, uncommunicative developers, and severe restrictions on free-to-play players.
|| ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' || ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'' || A Hotbar Based MMO that runs on monthly subscription and puts out constant content updates. || [=WoW=] is one of the oldest and remains ''the'' most popular MMORPG on the market right now eight years after its initial release. XIV was released in a disgustingly unfinished state reeking of lazy, poor design choices by a creator who ignored things fans requested by the thousands because it went against "his vision", and was generally considered to be the absolute lowest an MMO can reach. After admitting their failure, Square shut the game down entirely, [[YouHaveFailedMe fired the design team]], and rebuilt it from the ground up as ''A Realm Reborn''. || If we're counting the first variant of ''FinalFantasyXIV'', the game may as well not exist considering that it was the laughing stock of [=MMOs=] while ''WorldOfWarcraft'' is still a juggernaut of the genre as a whole. After XIV was retooled into ''A Realm Reborn'', the game redeemed itself by being a highly polished product that earned both critical and financial success from fans and reviewers alike. It says a lot that the game not only had 12M players during its last beta (more than World Of Warcraft at its absolute peak), but also single-handedly took Square from being financially in the red to a successful company again. Right now the two stand as equals in money and player size, and in the MMO market (especially comparing to [=WoW=]) that's perhaps the biggest victory any MMO can claim.
|| ''VideoGame/WarThunder'' || ''VideoGame/WorldofTanks'' || VehicularCombat MMOs with focus on UsefulNotes/WorldWarII and early UsefulNotes/ColdWar tanks.|| World of Tanks was the first on the scene, with more focus on competitive gameplay, while War Thunder was more of a FollowTheLeader but initially focused more on aircraft. With the latest updates however, tanks are also becoming a big focus. When compared to each other, World of Tanks has a more arcade-like feel while War Thunder focuses heavily on realism, though both games have lots of ShownTheirWork between them. || Currently, WoT has a larger fanbase (to the point that google searches make mention of it pretty often), though War Thunder is slowly catching up. Due to the fact that the latter is still in open beta, only time will tell which game gets better.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Puzzle Game]]
||border=1
|| Initiator || Imitators/Competitors || Description || Misc. || Winner? ||
|| ''VideoGame/{{Meteos}}'' || ''VideoGame/{{Lumines}}'' ||Stylish FallingBlocks games, developed by Q Entertainment and released in 2005 for portable systems.||''Meteos'' was a launch title or close to it for the NintendoDS, while ''Lumines'' was the same for the PlaystationPortable.||''Lumines'' has had more sequels on PSP, PS2, XboxLiveArcade, PC, PlayStationNetwork, and PlayStationVita. ''Meteos'' only got a {{Disney}}-themed DolledUpInstallment for DS and an Xbox Live Arcade sequel.||
|| ''VideoGame/AngryBirds'' || ''Pirates vs. Ninjas vs. Zombies vs. Pandas'' ||Physics-based strategy games that revolve around firing characters to destroy structures in a quest for revenge.||''Birds'' is more linear and cartoony, while ''[=PvNvZvP=]'' is a different, more serious art style, has more characters, and allows the order of the firing devices and character line to be changed.||Which one has been purchased over ''500'' million times, is more recognized, and has [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMltvlqEM54 its own parody]]? Point goes to ''Angry Birds'', although ''[=PvNvZvP=]'' isn't a bad game in itself.
|| ''Crush the Castle'' || ''VideoGame/AngryBirds'' || Physics-based games that involve you firing things into objects to make them crash and kill the opponent || ''Crush the Castle'' is a free browser title and is more violent than ''Angry Birds'' || ''Crush the Castle'' only had two installments, three if you count the "Player Pack". ''Angry Birds'' has over eight games and is a CashCowFranchise.
|| ''Franchise/ProfessorLayton'' (''[[VideoGame/ProfessorLaytonAndTheLastSpecter and the Last Specter]]'') || ''VideoGame/DoctorLautrecAndTheForgottenKnights'' ||A Victorian-era puzzle game where you're a European archaeologist with a [[NiceHat top hat]] and a younger sidekick, for a Nintendo handheld. With ''Layton and the Last Specter'' specifically, specify the sidekick as a young lady and add "released Fall 2011".||''Doctor Lautrec'' is said to be inspired by ''Layton'', though ''Lautrec'' adds stealth gameplay and {{Mons}} combat to ''Layton'''s pure puzzles. Further, Layton is a QuintessentialBritishGentleman while Lautrec is a FrenchJerk.||''Franchise/ProfessorLayton'' wins. Fans of Layton haven't taken much of a liking to Lautrec, and Layton is one of the most popular series on the NintendoDS[=/=]Nintendo3DS.
|| ''Professor Layton'' (''[[VideoGame/ProfessorLaytonAndTheMiracleMask and the Miracle Mask]]'') || ''VideoGame/RhythmThiefAndTheEmperorsTreasure'' || More Victorian-era puzzling with snappily-dressed protagonists, this time on the {{Nintendo 3DS}}. || ''Rhythm Thief'', like ''Lautrec'', is also inspired by ''Layton'', while adding musical-themed mini-games and puzzles to the mix. ||''Rhythm Thief'' sold poorly despite positive reviews, so ''Layton'' wins again.||
|| ''VideoGame/{{Tetris}}'' (Nintendo era) || ''VideoGame/{{Columns}}'' ||Simple to play but highly addictive games based on FallingBlocks.||Though neither originally developed by a major video game company, and both had appeared on numerous computers previously, Nintendo and Sega acquired the rights to release console versions of these games, and they were among the launch titles for the GameBoy and GameGear, respectively. (Sega also produced several ''Tetris'' {{Arcade Game}}s.)||''Tetris'', without a doubt, though Nintendo no longer has an exclusive license (though it has released games since then; it has released its own game, ''Tetris DS'', in addition to distributing HudsonSoft's ''Tetris Axis'' in North America and rereleasing the GameBoy game on the Nintendo3DS VirtualConsole).||
|| ''VideoGame/BoulderDash'' || ''VideoGame/{{Repton}}'' || The founders of the rocks-and-diamonds genre, with ''Boulder Dash'' having comparatively more focus on dexterity, ''Repton'' more on logical puzzle-solving. || ''Repton'' creator Tim Tyler was inspired by a description of ''Boulder Dash'', but had never actually played the game. || ''Boulder Dash'' is more widely known and has far more imitators -- nearly all subsequent games follow BD in details such as rocks falling at the same speed the player moves, diamonds also falling, etc. However, ''Repton'' is still alive, with a fanbase creating new levels, to this day. ||
|| ''VideoGame/AngryBirds'' || ''VideoGame/FlappyBird'' || Popular mobile games starring birds. || ''Angry Birds'' is a game where birds are launched from slingshots to save their food from pigs. ''Flappy Bird'' is about a yellow bird trying to dodge as many pipes as possible. || ''Angry Birds'' has been around for four years and has become a massive global franchise. However, its rise to popularity was nowhere near as meteoric as ''Flappy Bird,'' which blew up overnight and was much more popular than ''Angry Birds'' was at its peak. However, ''Angry Birds'' will almost certainly maintain much greater longevity as ''Flappy Bird'' fades away.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Real Time Strategy]]
||border=1
||Initiator || Imitators/Competitors || Description || Misc. || Winner? ||
|| ''VideoGame/AgeOfEmpires'' || ''EmpireEarth'', ''VideoGame/RiseOfNations'' ||Three RealTimeStrategy games with a ''VideoGame/{{Civilization}}'' motif to it (Meaning you are building a city rather than a base. While ''VideoGame/AgeOfEmpires'' focuses on one Era per game (The Ancient Era, The Medieval Era and The Age of Colonialism), ''Empire Earth'' and ''Rise of Nations'' asked you to develop your faction through multiple eras.||It was not uncommon to see all three games sharing shelf-space in office supply stores during the 90s and early 00s. ''Age of Empires'' also had an Ancient-era spin-off, ''VideoGame/AgeOfMythology'', and would be the engine used for the ''VideoGame/StarWarsGalacticBattlegrounds'' series.||While they all fought desperately, eventually the changing attitudes of the game-buying public would kill these three series. ''Empire Earth 3'' dropped the ball with silly units (farting camels, for example) and incredibly simplified gameplay, as well as looking graphically inferior to its competitors. ''Rise of Nations'' would manage a single expansion pack and the well-received, poorly-sold spin-off ''VideoGame/RiseOfLegends''. ''Nation''[='=]s developer, Big Huge Games, would ultimately be contracted to work on the final expansion pack of the traditional ''Age of Empires'' games. ''Age of Empires'', despite critical acclaim and decent sales, found itself the victim of the shift to consoles and the final entries did not sell enough to keep Ensemble Studios afloat. A new free-to-play entry in the series was released in 2010, but stopped accepting new users in 2013 with the death of the Games for Windows Live Marketplace, and completely shuttered in 2014. However, ''[=AoE=]'' was revived around that time with the release of an ''[[UpdatedRerelease HD Edition]]'' of the second game on Steam, which included a new expansion that was originally fan-made and support for Steam achievements and the Steam Workshop.
|| ''VideoGame/{{Pikmin}}'' || ''VideoGame/{{Overlord}}'' ||Adventure/RTS hybrids where your character leads a small army of followers.||In ''Pikmin'' you're a tiny spaceman leading tiny flower aliens in exploring a garden. ''Overlord'' is a fantasy parody that has fun with EvilTropes; you're an EvilOverlord going out with your [[LaughablyEvil enthusiastically destructive]] {{Mook}}s to pillage, plunder, and conquer.||''Pikmin'' is considered by most to be the better game, and gets more recognition as part of Creator/{{Nintendo}}'s family of franchises. That said, ''Overlord'' did fairly well for itself and eventually got a multi-platform sequel and two spin-off games onto Nintendo consoles, funnily enough.
|| ''DefenseOfTheAncients'' || ''VideoGame/{{Demigod}}'', ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends'', ''VideoGame/HeroesOfNewerth''; ''VideoGame/HeroesOfTheStorm'', ''VideoGame/{{DotA 2}}'', ''VideoGame/{{Smite}}'' ||MultiplayerOnlineBattleArena games. ''[=DotA=]'' is a hit GameMod for ''VideoGame/WarcraftIII'' which [[GenrePopularizer popularized the genre]]; the other six, listed in order of release, are the various commercial/professional attempts to cash in on it. ''Heroes Of The Storm,'' by Creator/BlizzardEntertainment, and ''Dota 2'', by Creator/ValveSoftware, are (as of this 2014 writing) both in beta-testing.||''[=DotA=]'', ''[=LoL=]'', ''Smite'' and ''[=HoTS=]'' are free to play; ''Demigod'' must be purchased. ''Newerth'' switched to FreeToPlay only recently. ''[=LoL=]'', ''[=HoN=]'' and ''Dota 2'' all (claim to) have at least one member of the original ''[=DotA=]'' staff working on the game. Smite offers a third person view gameplay akin to MMORPG unlike the others, which all display the action from an isometric perspective. ''[=HoTS=]'' offers a DreamMatch between various Blizzard characters and has its own unique mechanics, such as the removal of items, last-hitting and shared experience.||For now, ''League of Legends'', which has surpassed ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' as the most-played online game in the world. ''Demigod'' was hamstrung from the start by an anemic roster of heroes, and ''Newerth'', which tried to capitalize on the (admittedly huge) crop of StopHavingFunGuys from ''[=DotA=]'', essentially settled for being a CultClassic. ''Dota 2'' has settled into a comfortable second place close behind [=LoL=], however it has been in the media more thanks in part to the $10 million prize pot in the International 4 (Dota 2's premiere tournament) as well as said tournament receiving mainstream media coverage on [=ESPN=] 2. Surprisingly, ''Smite'' trails behind Dota 2 and [=LoL=] closely thanks to its unique 3rd person view gameplay and a good amount of publication, it also possesses its own world championship tournament. [=HoTS=] also competes with the big ones, thanks to Blizzard and their serious amount of publication along with some twists presented from the main formula.||
|| ''VideoGame/TotalAnnihilation'' || ''VideoGame/{{Starcraft}}'' ||Futuristic RTS released in a close timeframe in 1997. ||The two are very much polar oppposites despite being in the same genre. ''Starcraft'' has [[CompetitiveBalance three different factions with markedly different playstyles]], simple resource management, heavy emphasis on unit micromanagement, and an involved plot with many characters. ''Total Annihilation'' has only two factions with minor differences, a complicated flow based resource system, a similarly complicated tier system for unit creation, an emphasis on large-scale action and long term strategy with almost no micromanagement, and a sparse backstory with no named characters.||''VideoGame/{{Starcraft}}'' is '''the''' most popular RTS of all time, and [[TropeCodifier influenced the overall direction of the genre]]. '''But''', ''Total Annihilation'' still sold well and spawned an [[VideoGame/{{Spring}} independent remake]], a [[VideoGame/SupremeCommander spiritual sequel]], and another [[VideoGame/PlanetaryAnnihilation spiritual sequel]]. While ''Starcraft'' is the king of the hill, there are still plenty of ''Total Annihilation'' fans on the Internet ''still'' producing {{Game Mod}}s [[LongRunners to this day]] for it, and any hardcore RTS player will most definitely have heard of (and likely played) the game.
|| ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquer'' series || ''VideoGame/{{Starcraft}}'' series ||Two of the most prominent Real Time Strategy franchises since the 1990s, the C&C series took a [[TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture more realistic, Earth-based approach]] in terms of background setting, while ''Starcraft'' focused on a distant inter-stellar future. Both games also pioneered the concept of FactionCalculus.||C&C's first title, ''Tiberian Dawn'', marked the beginning of proper RTS games in recent era after the release of ''DuneII'', and became a LongRunner since, spawning three sub-series and 17 titles. When comparing with ''Starcraft'' C&C's gameplay is more casual, though ''Tiberium Wars'' and ''Kane's Wrath'' were on the game list in WCG 07-08.||Both series are critically acclaimed while the C&C series probably won slightly on financial front (since it has more titles and came out earlier), but after two of the latest installments for C&C (''Red Alert 3'' and ''Tiberian Twilight'') proved to be ''very'' divisive among its fans, Blizzard ended up with the lead with the release of ''Wings of Liberty'' and ''Heart of the Swarm''. With ''C&C Generals 2'' getting cancelled in late 2013, the future of the C&C franchise is currently very much in doubt. Meanwhile, ''Legacy of the Void'' is still in development, so for now, the winner is ''Starcraft.''
|| ''Star Wars Force Commander'' || ''VideoGame/StarTrekArmada'' || RealTimeStrategy games, based on the massively popular ''Franchise/StarWars'' and ''Star Trek'' franchises. || Both games were released in early-mid 2000. ''Armada'' had a top-down viewpoint, while ''Force Commander'' had a full 3D camera system. || ''Armada'' sold better, and its mod-friendly nature soon gave rise to a huge fan community and a sequel. ''Force Commander'' wasn't a total disaster, but its sloppy gameplay mechanics and CameraScrew soon turned gamers off of it. LucasArts would have more luck with its {{Spiritual Successor}}s, ''Galactic Battlegrounds'' and ''VideoGame/EmpireAtWar'' (which incidentally adopted a very ''Armada''-like interface and perspective for its space combat portions).||
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Role-Playing Game (Western)]]
||border=1
|| Initiator || Imitators/Competitors || Description || Misc. || Winner? ||
|| ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' || ''VideoGame/TheWitcher2AssassinsOfKings'' || Sequels to {{Western RPG}}s set in a DarkFantasy setting with lots of BlackAndGreyMorality. || ''The Witcher'' is focused on one pre-set main character, while ''Dragon Age'' utilizes a customizable protagonist and party-based gameplay. || Both games were well-received with good critical reviews, but did have some hurdles. ''Dragon Age II'' had a vocal TheyChangedItNowItSucks minority, while ''Witcher 2'' faced much criticism for its ObviousBeta status until many of the more glaring bugs and flaws were patched out. ||
|| ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'' || ''VideoGame/TheWitcher3WildHunt'' || The third installments in {{Western RPG}} series set in a DarkFantasy setting with lots of BlackAndGreyMorality. The worlds in both games are [[OpeningTheSandbox much, much larger]] this time around. || Same as above. || Both games have received high critical and commercial acclaim, though ''Inquisition'' inches out ahead in terms of awards. ||
||''Franchise/{{Ultima}}''||''VideoGame/{{Wizardry}}''||{{Trope Codifier}}s of {{Western RPG}}s, inspired by ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''|| ''Ultima'' focused on a single slightly customizable hero(ine) while ''Wizardry'' featured an entire party of characters created from scratch.[[note]]In fact, ''Ultima III'' introduced party members in response to ''Wizardry''.[[/note]] Both initially stuck closely to the spirit of ''Dungeons & Dragons'', but ''Ultima'' eventually shifted away from it to focus more on story and [[KarmaMeter morality]]. ''Wizardry'' however embraced the spirit fully and remained a [[NintendoHard hardcore]] dungeon crawler. ||In America and Europe: ''Ultima''. Both series fizzled out and died around the turn of the millennium, but ''Ultima'' had been more successful commercially and remains alive thanks to ''UltimaOnline'', which still has an active playerbase. In Japan: ''Wizardry'', where the series saw [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff unexpected success]] and remains alive and popular with [[NoExportForYou Japan-exclusive]] titles still being made more than 10 years after the last official game. ||
||''VideoGame/{{Wizardry}}''||''VideoGame/MightAndMagic''||The two original grid-based dungeon crawler Western [=RPGs=], who were the {{Trope Codifier}}s of the genre.||While both series were NintendoHard, ''Wizardry'' was infamous for its difficulty, with the 4th game in the series in particular considered one of the most difficult {{Role Playing Game}}s ever made. Both series ultimately featured a mix of fantasy and sci-fi elements; these were present from the beginning in ''Might and Magic'', whereas sci-fi elements were only introduced in the last few games of the ''Wizardry'' series.||During the Golden Age, the two series were about equal with each other in terms of popularity. While ''Wizardry'' as a series is now defunct in the Western market where it originated, it was a massive hit in Japan and is still alive there. The main ''VideoGame/MightAndMagic'' series is likewise defunct, but the franchise lives on through the ''VideoGame/HeroesOfMightAndMagic'' series of strategy [=RPGs=]. Notably, the ''Wizardry'' series was able to end things on a fairly high note with a GrandFinale in ''Wizardy 8'', whereas the last couple of games in the ''Might & Magic'' series were generally considered [[FranchiseZombie Franchise Zombies]], with the dismal failure of ''Might & Magic 9'' leading to the collapse of the publisher and developer, and the series being cancelled abruptly.||
||''Franchise/{{Ultima}}''||''VideoGame/TheMagicCandle''||Top-down Western [=RPGs=] in which a diverse party of adventurers sets out to accomplish an epic quest; exploration and puzzle-solving ultimately turn out to be more important to resolving the main plot than simply facing the BigBad in a straight-up fight.||The ''MagicCandle'' series had a few features not seen in ''Ultima'', such as the ability to split the party into a number of smaller adventuring units that could act seperately. ''The Magic Candle'' is also much more influenced by ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'', whereas ''Ultima'' takes a lot of its influence from ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''||The ''Ultima'' series by far had a much wider following and is still relatively well-known today, although the ''Magic Candle'' series had quite a cult following back in the day, nowadays it's really only known amongst the older, more hardcore Western RPG enthusiasts (that and possibly the abandonware scene).||
|| ''VideoGame/MightAndMagic VI: The Mandate of Heaven'' || ''VideoGame/BaldursGate'' || {{Reconstruction}}s of the then-dying WesternRPG genre, based on established RPG properties. || ''Might and Magic VI'' brought back the Might and Magic series from a five year hiatus, while ''Baldur's Gate'' attempted a faithful computer adaptation of the ''TabletopGame/AdvancedDungeonsAndDragons'' TabletopRPG rules set in the popular ''ForgottenRealms'' universe. Their winning concept was sticking closely to the spirit of the traditional RPG formula, but trimming down and removing the overly complicated and boring parts to make it more accessible and user-friendly (such as RealTimeWithPause combat). ''Might and Magic'' sticked with old-school party-based dungeon crawling while ''Baldur's Gate'' spiced it up a little with more story and role-playing elements. || ''Baldur's Gate'' is the clear winner, being one of the most beloved games of all time and often credited as almost single-handedly saving the genre. But ''Might and Magic VI'' was a winner in its own right, and along with ''VideoGame/HeroesOfMightAndMagic'' managed to revitalize the ''Might and Magic'' brand for a while. The ''Might and Magic'' sequels [[CapcomSequelStagnation stagnated]] though, while ''Baldur's Gate'' had an EvenBetterSequel (and, as of January 2013, an UpdatedRerelease). ||
|| ''VideoGame/DungeonCrawl'' || ''VideoGame/TalesOfMajEyal'', ''VideoGame/DungeonsOfDredmor'' ||Roguelikes typically played with tileset graphics as opposed to the traditional [=ASCII=] graphics, with a focus on polishing the genre for a modern audience.||''Crawl'' is generally considered the heir to ''Nethack'', featuring a single dungeon, a hunger system as a time limit, and a focus on resource management. [=ToME=] has an overworld with many dungeons, no time limit of this type, almost no consumable resources to manage, and generally takes longer to play, a full game taking 12-18 hours as opposed to 4-8. ||Although ''Dungeon Crawl'' is generally the most respected by veterans of the genre, who call the other two games easy, overly grindy, and poorly balanced, ''VideoGame/TalesOfMajEyal'' is the winner, as it has won Ascii Dreams: Roguelike of the Year on three consecutive years, the only game to ever do so. Its fans typically dislike ''Crawl'''s nature as a LuckBasedMission and its counterintuitive strategy. ''VideoGame/DungeonsOfDredmor'' was a commercial success, but was considered watered-down and silly by many as it attempted to pander to more casual fans of the genre. Still, it can be considered a success in its own way.||
|| ''VideoGame/PillarsOfEternity'' || ''VideoGame/TormentTidesOfNumenera'' || Isometric [=CRPGs=] crowdfunded mainly on Website/{{Kickstarter}}, intended as {{Genre Throwback}}s to the Creator/InterplayEntertainment/Creator/BlackIsleStudios era of ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''-based games, particularly ''VideoGame/BaldursGate'' and ''VideoGame/PlanescapeTorment''. || The two games share some of the same devs, including Creator/ChrisAvellone, who previously worked at Black Isle, and both studios encouraged their fans to donate to each other's Kickstarters. ''Torment'' is based on Creator/MonteCook's ''TabletopGame/{{Numenera}}'' setting and ruleset, while ''Pillars'' uses a homegrown but clearly D&D-inspired setting and system. || ''Torment'' earned slightly more from its crowdfunding efforts ($4.5 million to ''Pillars''[='=] $4.3 million), but ''Pillars'' released first in March 2015 to rave reviews and already has an ExpansionPack planned, while ''Torment''[='s=] release date is still TBA (beta is set for 2015).
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Rhythm Game]]
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|| Initiator || Imitators/Competitors || Description || Misc. || Winner? ||
||''VideoGame/DanceDanceRevolution''||''PumpItUp''||Rhythm games that debuted extremely close to each other (November 1998 and August 1999, respectively) in which the player steps on panels as instructed by on-screen arrows.||''Dance Dance Revolution'' is four panels and developed by Konami under their BEMANI line, ''Pump It Up'' is five panels and developed by Andamiro. Both games have their own unique styles and songlists, complete with in-house artists, and both sport more difficult modes of play for more advanced players, but each with their own spin.||This duel is one of the longest and hardest fought in rhythm gaming history, with both series being something of [[WorthyOpponent Worthy Opponents]] to each other. With the most recent arcade ''DDR'' switching to a [[DownloadableContent patch-based]] form of updating (gaining new content every few months but otherwise staying the same game), and ''PIU'' still releasing new full games, it would seem ''Pump'' is set to gain the win by [[VictoryByEndurance simply lasting longer.]] Oddly enough, Konami actually made a short-lived ''Pump'' clone as a ''VideoGame/PopNMusic'' spin-off.||
||''GuitarHero'' pre-''World Tour''||''RockBand''||Rhythm games wherein you play songs by hitting notes on a plastic guitar.||''GuitarHero'' came first; when the license was passed to another development studio, the original team created ''RockBand'' as a SpiritualSuccessor, upping the ante by adding drums and vocals. Each franchise has a different timing window, overdrive system, and hammer-on/pull-off system. ''RockBand''[='=]s extra songs were released as DownloadableContent while ''GuitarHero'''s were released as less-frequent DLC, along with {{Mission Pack Sequel}}s.||See below.||
||''RockBand''||''GuitarHero'' post-''World Tour''||Rhythm games wherein you play songs by hitting notes on a plastic guitar or drum pads, or sing along and try to match the pitch.||You read that right. Following the success of ''RockBand'', ''Guitar Hero'' added drums and vocals to its fourth main installment, which it continued to use in subsequent {{Mission Pack Sequel}}s.||Ultimately, there were no winners. ''Guitar Hero'' was officially cancelled on February 9, 2011. ''Rock Band'' also saw its sales take a heavy plunge and Harmonix was sold off for '''fifty dollars'''. It's unknown which series did better financially - while ''Guitar Hero'' generally sold more copies, ''Rock Band'' also sold respectably well and its staggering amount of DLC did well enough that new songs were added on a weekly basis for about five years. Of the two series, ''Rock Band'' was generally far better received both by critics and fans. As of 2015, this may change... see below.
||''VideoGame/RockBand 4''||''VideoGame/GuitarHero Live''||[[{{Revival}} Resurrected]] music games wherein you play songs by using plastic instruments, both due for a late 2015 release.||''Rock Band 4'' has the classic five button gameplay, allows transfer of most previous DLC and disc songs, and is intended to be a "platform" for all future updates through patches and further downloadable content rather than creating entirely new sequels. ''Live'' returns to guitar-only gameplay with a new, six button (three rows of three) controller. Due to changes in the gameplay system, previous songs, both on-disc and DLC, cannot be transferred to ''Live''. The ''Guitar Hero'' TV system seems intended to provide a better downloadable content experience to compete with ''Rock Band'''s.||As neither game has yet to come out, it's too early to call. The hardcore community is, as of now, leaning towards ''Rock Band'', though: Early impressions of ''Live'' were soured from the new, [[FullMotionVideo live-action]] first-person perspective and a setlist that is seen as lackluster.
||''{{Bemani}}''||''RockBand'', ''GuitarHero''||Rhythm games that require special instrument controllers||''RockBand'' and ''GuitarHero'' are Western imitators of the Japanese-borne originators ''{{Beatmania}}'', ''DrumMania'', and ''Guitar Freaks''.||In Japan and a couple spots in East Asia, Bemani is the clear winner. Everywhere else, Bemani is relatively unknown outside of ''[[VideoGame/DanceDanceRevolution DDR]]''. Konami [[NoExportForYou decided too soon that nobody outside of Asia likes rhythm games]], [[ViewersAreMorons and especially not]] Bemani's NintendoHard difficulty on harder settings; {{Activision}} through RedOctane and [[ElectronicArts EA]] through Harmonix simply filled the niche and ran away with pockets bulging with cash, now fighting each other instead of Konami for supremacy. Late in the game, Konami finally realized that there was demand in the West for rhythm games, and unsuccessfully tried to cash in with ''Rock Revolution''.
||''VideoGame/PowerGigRiseOfTheSixString''||''RockBand 3''||Rhythm games that also teach you how to play real music. ||''Rock Band 3'' has keyboards, and cymbals for drums. ''Power Gig'' doesn't have keyboards or bass, and has air drums. ||No contest. ''Rock Band 3'' received rave reviews, while ''Power Gig'' has been compared (''unfavorably'') to the aforementioned ''Rock Revolution''. ||
||''VideoGame/DanceDanceRevolution''||''VideoGame/InTheGroove''||Rhythm games in which the player steps on panels as instructed by on-screen arrows.||''VideoGame/DanceDanceRevolution'' came out in 1998, ''VideoGame/InTheGroove'' was released in 2004. ''Konami'', the developer of DDR, gained the rights to ITG as the result of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_the_Groove_%28video_game%29#Lawsuit a lawsuit]] and killed the series. ||Dance Dance Revolution wins. It is immensely more popular among the general public and is the first dance game almost anyone thinks of. However, despite having died several years ago, ''In The Groove'' still is the game of choice of the top-notch players and enjoys a thriving community. ||
||''DanceCentral''||''DanceMasters'' (a.k.a. ''Dance Evolution'') ||Rhythm games that require you to dance.||''DanceCentral'' involves actual dancing while ''DanceMasters'' requires you to just hit targets or strike poses in the style of dancing. It is [[RuleOfFun fun]] to actually perform the dances involved in Masters, though. ||Split among international lines. Harmonix's ''Dance Central'' is more popular in America and Europe, while Konami's ''Dance Masters''/''Dance Evolution'' is more popular in Japan. Like Bemani, both games were a relief to many newcomers who were daunted by the songs many DDR hardcores play.||
||''JustDance''||''DanceCentral''||Rhythm games that require you to dance. Notably, they both require you to do full-body motion.||''Just Dance'' is, as the name implies, all about dancing, while ''Dance Central'' has some ExcusePlot and characterized [[VirtualPaperDoll avatars]]. However, ''Just Dance'' has several features not present in Dance Central, the most important one being having different dance routines for multiple players for the same song (in ''Dance Central'', this can only be achieved by having the two players choose different difficulty levels). Also, the difficulty for the dance routines in ''Just Dance'' are on average easier.||They are both very popular games, that's for sure, but while ''Just Dance'' has been able to churn out a title every year, there has yet to be news on ''Dance Central'' 4 as of December 2013, so ''Just Dance'' may be heading for a win.||
||''{{VideoGame/Beatmania}}'' || ''{{VideoGame/DJMAX}}'' ||Rhythm games where you press buttons to a note chart. DJMAX Technika offered touch based controls similar to ''VideoGame/OsuTatakaeOuendan'' and ''VideoGame/EliteBeatAgents''.|| ||In terms of popularity and continuity, beatmania wins. DJMAX is still popular but because of no new songs, Technika 3's server closing, and no new games since Technika Q, DJMAX is falling down slowly.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Simulation]]
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|| Initiator || Imitators/Competitors || Description || Misc. || Winner? ||
||''Videogame/MechWarrior'' || ''Videogame/StarSiege'' || RealRobot HumongousMecha simulators || Creator/{{Dynamix}}, the creators of Starsiege, developed the very first ''Mechwarrior'' game before working on their own mech game. || ''Mechwarrior''; while the ''Starsiege'' games were commercially successful, they couldn't match the might of ''Mechwarrior'', which was backed by an existing [[Tabletopgame/BattleTech tabletop game]], a cartoon, and a [[Franchise/BattleTechExpandedUniverse expanded universe]]. ''Mechwarrior'' received 8 sequels (and is still running), numerous expansion packs and [[Videogame/MechCommander two]] [[Videogame/MechAssault spinoffs]], whereas Starsiege had four games and [[Videogame/{{Cyberstorm}} two]] [[Videogame/{{Tribes}} spinoffs]]. Starsiege did get the last laugh, as its fast-paced ''Tribes'' spinoff became [[MorePopularSpinoff enormously popular]] and outlived Dynamix.
||''Videogame/{{Gungriffon}}'' || ''Videogame/ArmoredCore'' || Console mech games with a RealRobot flavour. || ''Armored Core'' is played from a third-person perspective and is heavily focused around [[CharacterCustomization building your own mech]]. ''Gungriffon'' is played from a cockpit view and casts the player as a participant in combined arms scenarios. || The original installments for both series sold well in their native Japan and were critically aclaimed, but ''Gungriffon'' suffered from being released on the struggling UsefulNotes/SegaSaturn. The series ended after the poorly received ''Allied Strike'', while ''Armored Core'' is still going strong.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Shoot 'em Up]]
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|| Initiator || Imitators/Competitors || Description || Misc. || Winner? ||
||''VideoGame/{{Gradius}}'' series ||''VideoGame/{{R-Type}}'' series ||Both of them are shoot'em ups with lots of powerups.|| || Both have strong [[CultClassic cult followings]] to this day, and both Gradius and R-Type had even branched out into TurnBasedStrategy RPG territory with ''Cosmic Wars'' and ''Gradius Arc'' for Gradius and ''R-Type Command/Tactics'' for R-Type.
|| ''Zombie Apocalypse'', ''VideoGame/NationRed'' || ''Burn Zombie Burn'', ''VideoGame/DeadNation'' || Downloadable [[TopDownView top-down]] shooters about surviving [[ZombieApocalypse the inevitable]]. || ''VideoGame/DeadNation'' has a linear story mode and is the DarkerAndEdgier one of the group, while the rest (especially ''Burn Zombie Burn'') are more over-the-top. || If going by number of installments alone, then ''Zombie Apocalypse'' (one sequel) and ''Burn Zombie Burn'' (a Spiritual Successor in the ActionRPG ''All Zombies Must Die!''). As for critical reception, ''Dead Nation'' wins with a slight edge over ''Burn Zombie Burn''.
|| ''VideoGame/{{One}}'' || ''VideoGame/{{Apocalypse}}'' ||3D overhead shooters exclusive to the original Playstation, exhibited side by side at E3 1997.|| ''One'' has more emphasis on platforming and cinematic setpieces. ''Apocalypse'' is more actioney and features Creator/BruceWillis's likeness as its main selling point; unfinished in its original version, the game was redeveloped by Neversoft after its resemblance to ''One'' was noted.|| Both games were modest critical and financial successes. If you're stretching things, one could say ''Apocalypse'' had more impact, as Neversoft reused its engine for the massively successful ''VideoGame/TonyHawkProSkater'' series.
|| ''VideoGame/GeometryWars'' || ''Neon Wars'' || Top down fast-paced arcade-ish shoot'em ups || || ''Geometry Wars'' is much more well-known than Neon Wars. In addition, there are many installments of ''Geometry Wars'' although both games are critically well-received. ||
|| ''{{VideoGame/Dodonpachi}}'' || ''{{VideoGame/Touhou Project}}'' || {{Bullet Hell}}s featuring lots and lots of bullets and an ExcusePlot as per most Shoot 'em ups. Difference is Dodonpachi uses the traditional ships and Touhou is about little girls shooting each other. || It should be noted that when ZUN first unveiled the series, he made a direct TakeThat to Dodonpachi, stating his series could have more bullets thanks to the HitboxDissonance. ...It's clear the idea caught on, because later installments of the Dodonpachi series and MOST Bullet Hells used this. || While Dodonpatchi was big in its time, Touhou Project is THE definitive danmaku series, to the point where nearly every danmaku game nowadays borrows elements from Touhou. Touhou has seen immense popularity since 2002, and continues with an enormous fanbase that produces games, fanime, manga... The list goes on, but the winner is clear.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Sports Game]]
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|| Initiator || Imitators/Competitors || Description || Misc. || Winner? ||
||''VideoGame/WiiSports''||''Kinect Sports'', ''Sports Champions''||[[MiniGameGame Sports game compilations]] showing off a system's new motion controls.||Let's face it, the real fight's between the control systems: ''Wii Sports'' demonstrated the UsefulNotes/{{Wii}} remote, ''Kinect Sports'' is made for the {{Xbox 360}}'s controllerless camera system, and ''Sports Champions'' utilizes the [[UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 PlayStation Move]].||''Wii Sports'' had a four-year head start, being bundled with the UsefulNotes/{{Wii}} at launch and becoming synonymous with it. The other two systems [[FollowTheLeader played catch-up]], with their motion controls as optional add-ons to existing systems - the Kinect got most of the hype (in both cases, the sports games were lost in the shuffle as only one of several showcase titles).||
|| ''TonyHawkProSkater'' || ''Aggressive Inline'', ''Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX'', ''VideoGame/JetSetRadio'', ''Evolution Skateboarding'' || Early extreme sports games || Activision and Neversoft put out ''THPS'', while the latter four were done by Acclaim, Z-Axis, SEGA and Konami respectively. ''AI'', ''Dave Mirra'' and ''Evolution'' generally copied the look and feel of the ''THPS'' games while ''Jet Set Radio'' tried to separate itself from the others through its use of CelShading and emphasis on Graffiti tagging. || ''AI'' and ''Dave Mirra BMX'' were decent games, but ''AI'' never received any follow-up while ''BMX XXX'' [[FranchiseKiller failed]] and led to Creator/{{Acclaim}}'s [[CreatorKiller death]]. Evolution Skateboarding is best known for it's ''Castlevania'' and ''Metal Gear Solid'' levels, otherwise being forgotten as a poor ''Tony Hawk'' ripoff. ''Tony Hawk'' and ''Jet Set Radio'' are the most fondly remembered of them all, however ''Tony Hawk'' outlasted all four and made far more money, remaining a household name in "extreme sports" games until... ||
|| ''TonyHawkProSkater'' (starting from ''Proving Ground'') || ''VideoGame/{{Skate}}'' || WideOpenSandbox Skateboarding simulators. || ''Tony Hawk'' relied mostly on name recognition (with the Hawkman and several other pro skaters making appearances), while the ''skate'' series promised a different approach to trick control (utilizing both analog sticks on the PS3 and {{Xbox 360}} controllers instead of the face buttons and D-Pad). || ''skate'' won this battle handily. Even before ''RIDE'' and ''Shred'' ultimately [[FranchiseKiller scuttled what was left]] of the ''Hawk'' franchise's popularity, ''skate'' routinely outperformed and outsold its competition. ||
||''FIFASoccer''||''Pro Evolution Soccer''||Long running soccer game series||The samurai vs. knight of soccer games. Since their debut in the middle 90's, both series are a constant source of FandomRivalry.||So far the ''FIFA'' series is usually more acclaimed than PES (with help of the real FIFA organization that gave it their official seal of approval).
||''NHLHockey''||''NHL 2K''||Realistic hockey simulations|| ||EA Sports' NHL Hockey wins, as 2K Sports haven't made a hockey game since NHL 2K11 (and that was a Wii-exclusive title, even).||
|| ''NBAJam Extreme'' || ''NBA Hangtime'' || Fast-paced two-on-two basketball games with over-the-top dunks, no fouls besides goaltending, and players catching fire after making three straight baskets. || Midway made the first two NBA Jam games for arcades and Acclaim ported them to consoles. A dispute over the name led to a split where Acclaim kept the NBA Jam name and made a sequel, while Midway made its own sequel under a different name. Also notable is that ''Extreme'' is in 3D, while ''Hangtime'' remains 2D. || Despite more advanced graphics, ''Extreme'' couldn't compete with ''Hangtime'''s added depth and far faster load times. Acclaim continued to make ''Jam'' as more of a simulation, while Midway adapted the formula further to make ''NBA Showtime'' and ''NBA Ballers''. ||
|| ''UFC 2009 Undisputed'' || ''EA Sports MMA'' || Video games based on MixedMartialArts, the former focusing on UFC (and Pride in a future installment), the latter on Strikeforce and several smaller promotions || When EA's game was announced, UFC President Dana White was furious, since he had failed to make a deal with EA before eventually partnering with THQ for ''Undisputed''. White later even declared that anyone who signs their likeness to EA will '''never''' work for UFC (which he later retracted). ||Both games were critically very well received though ''Undisputed'' was criticized for on-line mode glitches. ''Undisputed'' was a far more successful franchise, spawning two sequels. Eventually, UFC purchased Strikeforce and in June 2012 announced that the video game license had been transferred to EA Sports to create what became ''EA Sports UFC.'' If anyone is to be called a winner, it would be UFC the company.||
|| ''VideoGame/CoolBoarders'' || ''[[VideoGame/TenEightySnowboarding 1080° Snowboarding]]'', ''VideoGame/{{SSX}}'', ''Amped: Freestyle Snowboarding'' || "Extreme" snowboarding games featuring varied courses, stunt jumps, challenge modes and unlockable characters || ''Cool Boarders'' was first to the market, while ''1080°'' arrived a year later around the same time as ''Boarders 2'', the franchise's highest-selling installment. || ''1080°'' took a bite out of ''Boarders''' dominance in the genre, and the release of ''SSX'' finished it off in 2000/2001. The whole snowboarding genre nearly went under afterwards due to oversaturation, even with [[MixedMedia boldly strange]] titles like Amped3. ''SSX'' is the only franchise to have survived and produced more installments since then. ||
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Stealth Game]]
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||''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'' || ''VidoeGame/SyphonFilter'' || Stealth-based action-adventure games released in October '98 and January '99 for the Playstation, in which you play a grizzled badass soldier on a covert mission to stop a terrorist plot. Along the way, you're continually harangued by your superiors at MissionControl over radio. || Both games have pretty over-the-top animations, with ''Syphon Filter's'' ridiculous taser mechanics being a standout, but ''Metal Gear Solid'' goes straight into fantasy anime tropes, including cyborg ninjas, telekinetic psychics, and HumongousMecha. || Both games were very well-received and sold well, but ''Metal Gear Solid'' moreso. ''MGS'' remains a relevant series today, and the original is regarded as a classic, while the relevance of ''Syphon Filter'' waned after the PS1 era. ||
||''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'' || ''VideoGame/SplinterCell'' || The first ''Splinter Cell'' game was released in 2002 and focuses more on stealth rather than blending action elements. As with ''Metal Gear Solid'' and ''Syphon Filter'', you play as a grizzled badass soldier to stop a terrorist plot. Although unlike the former games, mission controll in ''Splinter Cell'' tries to be helpful, with witty conversation going back and forth.|| ''Splinter Cell'' focuses a lot on being invisible in the shadows and finding alternate means to getting past enemies. While the protagonist is armed, ammunition is severely limited and enemies will be able to kill him within seconds. The second game also added a multiplayer component, which survives to the latest version of the game.|| Both games were very well-received and sold well, however ''Metal Gear Solid'' receives a bit more recognition. The two series do enjoy a friendly rivalry however. ||
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Survival Horror]]
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|| Initiator || Imitators/Competitors || Description || Misc. || Winner? ||
||''[[Videogame/AloneInTheDark1992 Alone in the Dark]]''||''VideoGame/ResidentEvil''||In both games the protagonists must fight their way through a mansion filled with puzzles and monsters to uncover its secrets and survive to tell the tale.||''Alone in the Dark'' was released way before and features a Lovecraftian style of horror. ''Resident Evil'' has better graphics, live-action cutscenes and looks more like an interactive zombie B-movie.||After spawning several multi-million-selling installments and a solid live-action movie series, ''Resident Evil'' is today one of the world's top videogame franchises. ''Alone in The Dark'' tried to follow the same path, but [[FranchiseKiller fell into oblivion]] instead after the release of two lousy Uwe Boll movies and the failure of the 2008 game.
||''Franchise/ResidentEvil''||''Franchise/SilentHill''||Same as above, except that Silent Hill's setting spans an entire cursed town||In contrast to ''Resident Evil'''s zombie-killing frenzy, ''Silent Hill'' features more puzzles, less monsters and a more mature and psychological storyline.||Since their debuts in the last millennium, both franchises are still alive and kicking, but let's say ''Resident Evil'' is, generally, more "popular" while ''Silent Hill'' is, generally, more respected as a horror series.
|| ''[[Videogame/AloneInTheDark2008 Alone in the Dark]]'' (2008 reboot) || ''VideoGame/AlanWake'' || An episodic game where a normal man investigates and fights against a villain that is responsible for said paranormal. || ''Alone in the Dark'' is the continuation of the classic series set in [[BigApplesauce New York's Central Park]], while ''Alan Wake'' is set in rural Washington state and is inspired by Creator/StephenKing and ''TwinPeaks''. || ''Alan Wake'' got a much better initial reception than ''Alone in the Dark'', which was first released in [[ObviousBeta a highly unpolished state]] that landed on many "worst of the year" lists. However, an UpdatedRerelease for PlayStation3, ''Alone in the Dark: Inferno'', corrected many of these problems and received better reviews. ||
|| ''VideoGame/{{DayZ}}''\\
\\
''Infestation: Survivor Stories'' (formerly ''The War Z'') || ''VideoGame/StateOfDecay''\\
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''VideoGame/ZombiU'' || Four ZombieApocalypse games built heavily around survival, with players experiencing {{final death}}s when killed and being given new characters instead of respawning. || ''[=DayZ=]'' began life as a PC-exclusive GameMod for ''VideoGame/{{ARMA}} II'' that takes place in that game's [[{{Ruritania}} Eastern European setting]], eventually being expanded into a stand-alone game in 2013. ''State of Decay'' and ''Infestation'' are set in [[FlyoverCountry rural America]], with ''Decay'' available on both XboxLiveArcade and PC, whereas ''Infestation'' is a PC exclusive. Finally, ''[=ZombiU=]'' takes place in UsefulNotes/{{London}} and is exclusive to the WiiU, making use of that console's touch screen controller. || ''[=DayZ=]'' wins on account of the hype that came out of its beta, to the point where sales of its "daddy" game, ''VideoGame/{{ARMA}} II'', skyrocketed, people purchasing it just to play ''[=DayZ=]''. Its success helped [[GenreLaunch spawn]] an entire new genre of survival games -- and all this was ''before'' its full release! Both ''State of Decay'' and ''[=ZombiU=]'' received positive reviews, though ''Decay'' takes silver on account of it being [[http://www.destructoid.com/state-of-decay-sells-550k-on-xbox-live-arcade-256497.phtml the sleeper hit of summer 2013]], selling over half a million units in two weeks despite being a downloadable title that relied almost entirely on word of mouth. ''[=ZombiU=]'', meanwhile, [[http://www.destructoid.com/ubisoft-zombiu-not-profitable-no-sequel-plans-257720.phtml lost money]] for Creator/{{Ubisoft}}.\\
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The big loser was ''Infestation: Survivor Stories'', a blatant [[TheMockbuster mockbuster]] of ''[=DayZ=]'' that is best known for the outcry that resulted when it was released with [[ObviousBeta severe bugs]] and [[NeverTrustATrailer without a number of promised features]] -- but hey, [[BribingYourWayToVictory the microtransaction store]] was working perfectly! The InternetBackdraft was loud enough that UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} not only pulled the game from sale, but '''offered refunds to those who weren't satisfied.''' As a final insult, ''Infestation'' wasn't the game's original title -- the developers[[note]]Whose boss is also known for VideoGame/BigRigsOverTheRoadRacing[[/note]] had to change it from ''The War Z'' due to a trademark dispute concerning [[Film/WorldWarZ the film adaptation]] of ''Literature/WorldWarZ''. ||
|| ''VideoGame/EternalDarkness'' || ''VideoGame/{{Resident Evil|1}}'' remake || UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube-exclusive[[note]]The ''Resident Evil'' remake would later get an UpdatedRerelease in 2015 for PC, UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 and [[UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 4]], and UsefulNotes/{{Xbox 360}} and [[UsefulNotes/XboxOne One]][[/note]] survival horror games released in spring 2002, set in a vacant mansion filled with grotesque monsters and idiosyncratic puzzles. At the time, they were the only M-rated [=GameCube=] games on the market. || ''Eternal Darkness'' is a psychological horror game strongly inspired by the works of Creator/HPLovecraft, while ''Resident Evil'' (aka the [=REmake=]) relies more on BodyHorror, science fiction elements, and jump scares. || Pretty much a tie. Both were well-received by critics and players alike. ||
|| ''Franchise/FridayThe13th: The Video Game'' || ''Summer Camp''\\
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''Last Year'' || AsymmetricMultiplayer horror games to be released in 2015 where players take on the role of either the killer out of a SlasherMovie, or the teenagers trying to survive his rampage. || ''Friday the 13th'' is a licensed adaptation of [[Franchise/FridayThe13th the film series]]. ''Summer Camp'', meanwhile, boasts the involvement of several people who had worked on the ''Friday'' series, including special effects artist Creator/TomSavini, composer Harry Manfredini, and actor Creator/KaneHodder. Finally, ''Last Year'' was successfully funded through Website/{{Kickstarter}}, but is currently on hold due to an IP dispute with Creator/NewLineCinema over similarities to the ''Friday'' films. || To be determined. ||
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tower Defense]]
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|| Initiator || Imitators/Competitors || Description || Misc. || Winner? ||
||''VideoGame/DungeonDefenders''||''VideoGame/OrcsMustDie''||TowerDefense games with a mixture of third-person action and RPGElements.||''VideoGame/OrcsMustDie'' is faster-paced and single-player, while ''DungeonDefenders'' is slower-paced but can be played with up to four players at a time.||Both games received very good reviews, but even though ''Orcs'' came out one month earlier, ''Defenders'' won out on account of its larger scope (multiplayer and multiplatform) and regular content updates.||
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Turn-Based Strategy]]
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||Initiator || Imitators/Competitors || Description || Misc. || Winner? ||
||''VideoGame/FinalFantasyTactics''||''VideoGame/TacticsOgre'' (PS1 UpdatedRerelease)||TurnBasedStrategy games for an EasternRPG series.||Both games were designed by Creator/YasumiMatsuno and were released in the same year (1997 in Japan and 1998 in North America; release order remained the same). It should be noted that ''Tactics Ogre'' is originally a 1995 SuperFamicom game and that ''Final Fantasy Tactics'' is its SpiritualSuccessor.||GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff strikes. In Japan, ''Tactics Ogre'' was a well-remembered and beloved game that had already received an updated release on the SegaSaturn the previous year. It sold very well and was the clear winner. ''Final Fantasy Tactics'' was seen as a FollowTheLeader game and sold poorly. In North America, ''Tactics Ogre'' was being released for the first time. But with ''FFT'' being released first, ''TO'' was seen as the knock-off. The [[CashcowFranchise cash-cow name recognition]] of the ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' brand (fresh off the success of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'') meant that ''FFT'' won by a landslide to the point where most people there didn't know or remember there even was a dueling game. It also sold well enough to get a reprint before the Japanese market got one.
|| ''VideoGame/XCOMEnemyUnknown'' || ''VideoGame/{{Xenonauts}}'' || Squad-centric TurnBasedTactics games focused on repelling alien invasion due for release in 2012 || Until Firaxis revealed ''Enemy Unknown'', which is a full-blown official "reimagining", ''Xenonauts'' was considered the only credible FanRemake of the original. ''Xenonauts'' is more faithful to the original's mechanics, while ''Enemy Unknown'' has made some changes to the formula. On the record, [[http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/02/14/chat-xenonauts-dev-on-firaxis-and-outdoing-x-com/ both]] [[http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/05/05/firaxis-on-xcom-vs-xenonauts-optional-kill-cam/#more-107061 sides]] are fairly sporting about the competition. ||''Enemy Unknown'' was released on October 9, 2012 and received widespread critical acclaim (along with a similarly lauded expansion pack, ''Enemy Within''), although the legion of TheyChangedItNowItSucks naysayers was inevitable. ''Xenonauts'' came out two years later to favorable reviews, though not to the degree of ''XCOM''. ''XCOM'' also boasts a large and healthy mod community, which has helped significantly extend its shelf life to the point where Firaxis decided to start development on a sequel. ||
|| ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' || ''VideoGame/ShiningForce'' || Fantasy-themed strategy [=RPGs=] where you command a squad of up to a dozen heroes at a time. || Nintendo's ''Fire Emblem'' series focuses more on its story and character development, while Sega's ''Shining Force'' puts more emphasis on its combat system. The ''Franchise/ShiningSeries'' later branched out into ActionRPG territory, while ''Fire Emblem'' has stuck to its SRPG roots throughout all of its incarnations. || A strange reversal: in the '90s, ''Fire Emblem'' was virtually unknown outside of Japan, while ''Shining Force'' and its sequel quickly established themselves as must-have [[SegaGenesis Genesis/Mega Drive]] titles. Come the TurnOfTheMillennium, ''Shining Force'' games have remained exclusive to Japanese gamers[[note]]coinciding with the franchise's general shift to {{Action RPG}}s[[/note]] while ''Fire Emblem'' began to gain popularity internationally thanks to, [[EarlyBirdCameo of all things]], ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros Melee''. ||
|| ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' || ''VideoGame/TearRingSaga'' || Fantasy-themed strategy [=RPGs=] where you command a squad of up to a dozen heroes at a time. || ''Tear Ring Saga'' is essentially a SpiritualSuccessor to ''Fire Emblem'' on the PlayStation. It was developed by ''Fire Emblem'' creator Shouzou Kaga, and incorporates the vast majority of its game mechanics, to the extent that Nintendo attempted to sue for copyright infringement. In fact, it was originally meant to be called ''Emblem Saga'', but the lawsuit prevented this. || ''Fire Emblem'' has far more name recognition and success, especially since its gain in international popularity and securing of an American release since Marth and Roy's cameos in ''Super Smash Bros. Melee''. ''Tear Ring Saga'' [[NoExportForYou wasn't released outside of Japan]], and is generally viewed as little more than a ''Fire Emblem'' clone (though its sequel ''Berwick Saga'' did a lot to differentiate it from ''Fire Emblem'').
||''[[VideoGame/ElementalWarOfMagic Elemental War Of Magic/Fallen Enchantress: Legendary Heroes]]'' || ''VideoGame/{{Eador}}: Masters of the Broken World'', ''VideoGame/AgeOfWonders III'', ''[[{{VideoGame/Majesty}} Warlock 2: The Exiled]]'' || Turn-based strategy games set in fantasy worlds with hex-based battlefields released in late 2013/early 2014. Also, three of the four games are sequels to other turn-based fantasy games, two of whom were direct competitors (''Elemental'' and ''Warlock'').|| ''Age of Wonders'' has the pedigree and history, with this being the first entry in the series since 2003. ''Warlock'' is based off of the ''Majesty'' universe, but is considered the spiritual successor to ''Wonders'' old rival ''VideoGame/MasterOfMagic'' and was released to take advantage of ''Wonders'' fans' waiting. ''Elemental'' is marred by the abysmal failure of its first game, while ''Eador'' brings something different to the table with its "shards" of territory.||The Metacritic scores between all four games have a spread of ''seven'' points between them. ''Age of Wonders III'' and ''Fallen Enchantress'' both lead the way with 80 each, with ''Eador'' and ''Warlock 2'' behind with 74 and 73, respectively.||
||''VideoGame/StarWarsRebellion'' || ''Star Trek: Birth of the Federation'' || Strategy and empire-building games based on the ''Star Wars'' and ''Star Trek'' franchises.|| Both games were released around a year apart. ''Rebellion'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Supremecy'') was a hybrid of turn-based and real-time elements, whereas ''Birth of the Federation'' was a more straight-up turn based game.|| ''Rebellion'' sold a lot more copies, but ''Birth of the Federation'' was better-reviewed and seems to have more of a fan modding community than ''Rebellion''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Miscellaneous]]
||border=1
|| Initiator || Imitators/Competitors || Description || Misc. || Winner? ||
|| ''MarioPaint'' || ''Art Alive'' ||Console painting programs||Even though Sega released Art Alive first in 1991, ''Mario Paint'''s SNES Mouse made painting easier and had more things to do with its custom stamp maker and music composer, and the flyswatter game made ''Mario Paint'' more recognizable.||Neither sold well in their heyday, although ''Mario Paint'' has gotten a new life fan-interest-wise through Website/YouTube (and before [=YouTube=]'s existence, it also had the fly-swatting minigame).||
||''WiiFit''||''EA Sports Active''||Fitness games for the Wii.||The Wii Fit uses the pack-in Balance Board for its exercises, while EA Sports Active uses its own motion sensor and resistance band, allowing for more varied exercises. ||Obviously, ''WiiFit'' has Nintendo's brandname behind it, so in terms of sales, [[CurbStompBattle there's no contest]]. However, many regard ''EA Sports Active'' as the better program.
|| ''All-Star Cheer Squad'' || ''WeCheer'' || UsefulNotes/{{Wii}}-based [[TheCheerleader cheerleading]] games. || THQ's ''ASCS'' shoots for realism, while Bandai Namco's ''We Cheer'' games take a more cartoony approach. || Both games had [[SurprisinglyImprovedSequel improved second installments]], but the slight critical edge goes to ''ASCS''. ||
||''VideoGame/ReaderRabbit'' / ''VideoGame/TheClueFinders''||''VideoGame/JumpStart''||EdutainmentGame series, in which games up to second grade only involve {{Funny Animal}}s while games from third to sixth grade are about mystery-solving humans.||While the ''VideoGame/ReaderRabbit'' and ''VideoGame/TheClueFinders'' names are used for the Baby-2nd Grade and 3rd-6th Grade series respectively, ''VideoGame/JumpStart'' games from 3rd-6th Grade still keep the same title as the Baby-2nd Grade series.||None; both series sold very well.||
||''[[VideoGame/FortuneStreet Itadaki Street]]'' (aka ''Fortune Street'', ''Boom Street'')||''VideoGame/MarioParty''||PartyGame series featuring video game mascots (including SuperMario for both).||''Mario Party'' is a MinigameGame, while ''Fortune Street'' is an investment game similar to ''TabletopGame/{{Monopoly}}''. Where ''Mario Party'' features exclusively ''SuperMario'' characters, ''Itadaki Street'' has an assortment of characters from ''Mario'' (in Nintendo installments), ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' (in Playstation installments), and ''Videogame/DragonQuest'' (in all installments).||''Itadaki Street'' actually came first, debuting on the UsefulNotes/{{Famicom}}, but didn't add the game mascots or get international release until after ''Mario Party'' established itself. ''Mario Party'' is a well-established franchise that has sold big in the West, while ''Itadaki Street'' only got its first release as an additional mode in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep'', then as a standalone release outside of Japan with the UsefulNotes/{{Wii}} installment.||
||''VideoGame/TheIdolmaster''||''VideoGame/DreamCClub''||XBOX360 games, [[NoExportForYou in Japan]], which had DatingSim and RhythmGame elements.||Although ''Dream C Club'' is a game which focuses on hostesses, it still has singing idol elements for no other reason than to attract ''The iDOLM@STER'' crowd.||''Dream C Club'' remains a fairly modest series compared to the giant that is ''The iDOLM@STER'' in Japan. As a result, each new ''Dream C'' game got more and more {{Fanservice}}y while ''[=iM@S=]'' remains fairly innocent in comparison.||
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Pinball]]
||border=1
||Initiator || Imitators/Competitors || Description || Misc. || Winner? ||
||''Pinball/TheatreOfMagic'' ||''Pinball/PinballMagic'' ||Two pinball games centered around {{Stage Magician}}s, both released in 1995. ''Theatre'' was the second title designed by Creator/JohnPopadiuk, while ''Pinball Magic'' was the first pinball from Creator/{{Capcom}}'s new pinball division. ||''Theatre of Magic'' is centered on a magic performance, while ''Pinball Magic'' has the player being tested by a society of magicians and mystics.|| ''Theatre of Magic'' became the best-selling [[PhysicalPinballTable pinball machine]] of 1995, but ''Pinball Magic'' has a devoted following who prefer its more challenging ruleset. ||
||''Pinball/WorldCupSoccer'' by [[Creator/WilliamsElectronics Bally]] ||''World Challenge Soccer'' by Creator/{{Gottlieb}} ||Two tables released in February 1994 about soccer.|| ''World Cup'' had a license for... [[CaptainObvious well,]] {{the World Cup}}, while ''World Challenge'' had no such claim.|| ''World Cup'' by far. Has anyone even ''heard'' of ''World Challenge''? ||
|| ''Pinball/WhiteWater'' || ''Wipe Out'' || Vacation resort-themed games released in 1993. || ''White Water'' was made by [[Creator/WilliamsElectronics Williams]] and featured a white water rafting theme and voiceovers peppered with cowboy slang. ''Wipe Out'' was made by Creator/{{Gottlieb}} and centered around alpine slalom skiing featuring SurferDude voiceovers. Both games made heavy use of ramps. || ''White Water'' is an incredibly well-regarded game among pinball enthusiasts due to its challenging shots and fast gameplay. ''Wipe Out'' was not a bad game though, and is often regarded as one of the better Gottlieb pinballs from their later years. ||
|| ''[[Pinball/TeedOff Tee'd Off]]'' || ''Pinball/NoGoodGofers'' || Two pinballs involving golfers and wisecracking gophers. || ''[[Pinball/TeedOff Tee'd Off]]'' was released by Creator/{{Gottlieb}} in 1993, while ''Pinball/NoGoodGofers'' came out four years later by Creator/WilliamsElectronics. Despite the suspiciously similar themes, however, both were most likely inspired by ''Film/{{Caddyshack}}'' || Mixed results for both; ''[[Pinball/TeedOff Tee'd Off]]'' is considered a decent game, but is often overlooked due to Gottlieb's smaller distribution. Pinball fans largely prefer ''Pinball/NoGoodGofers,'' but some [[ToughActToFollow still find it a letdown]] after Creator/PatLawlor's ''Pinball/TheAddamsFamily'' and ''Pinball/TheTwilightZone''. ||
|| ''Gold Wings'' || ''[[Pinball/F14Tomcat F-14 Tomcat]]'' || Two pinballs based unofficially on ''Film/TopGun'', with ace pilots against evil Communist fighters. || ''Gold Wings'' was released by Creator/{{Gottlieb}} in 1986, while ''[[Pinball/F14Tomcat F-14 Tomcat]]'' came out a year later from Creator/WilliamsElectronics. || ''F-14 Tomcat'' by a nautical mile. Designed by renown pinball creator Creator/SteveRitchie ensured lots of fast action, addictive gameplay, and RatedMForManly appeal. ''Gold Wings'', in contrast, is best know for being a shameless {{Mockbuster}} of ''Top Gun.'' ||
|| ''Pinball/BlackKnight'' || ''Pinball/FlashGordon'' || Both Williams and Bally decided in 1980 that split-level playfields, with the upper third higher than the lower two-thirds, would be the next best thing in pinball. || Creator/SteveRitchie, at Williams, had accidentally leaked that his upcoming table would be split-level. Not wanting to fall behind, Bally set to making its own split-level game and tasked then-rookie Claude Fernandez (freshly-hired from Williams) with it. || ''Black Knight'' wound up outselling ''Flash Gordon'' two-to-one. This is not necessarily a bad thing though, as ''Flash Gordon'' still sold five-digit amounts, an astonishing quantity for an arcade machine. Split-level playfields did not revolutionize the business though. In regards to legacy, it's more lopsided: ''Black Knight'' would become a classic and fan-favorite whereas ''Flash Gordon'' soon fell to obscurity, though ''Flash Gordon'' did [[JustForPun rocket]] Fernandez into the big leagues. ||
|| ''Alien Poker'' || ''Pinball/AsteroidAnnieAndTheAliens'' || Pinball games about playing poker with space aliens. || Aside from the theme, the two games have very little in common -- ''Alien Poker'' is loaded with complex rules and state-of-the-art voices, while ''Asteroid Annie'' was a budget no-frills table released to use up leftover components. || Technically, ''Alien Poker'' wins by a landslide, but that was because Creator/{{Gottlieb}} only had enough controller boards for 211 ''Annie'' tables. Both games are actually well-regarded among players, with ''Alien Poker'' seen as having more complex gameplay, while ''Annie'' is lauded for its gorgeous Gordon Morison art. ||
[[/folder]]

----

|| ''VideoGame/XCOMEnemyUnknown'' || ''VideoGame/{{Xenonauts}}'' || Squad-centric TurnBasedTactics games focused on repelling alien invasion due for release in 2012 || Until Firaxis revealed ''Enemy Unknown'', which is a full-blown official "reimagining", ''Xenonauts'' was considered the only credible FanRemake of the original. ''Xenonauts'' is more faithful to the original's mechanics, while ''Enemy Unknown'' has made some changes to the formula. On the record, [[http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/02/14/chat-xenonauts-dev-on-firaxis-and-outdoing-x-com/ both]] [[http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/05/05/firaxis-on-xcom-vs-xenonauts-optional-kill-cam/#more-107061 sides]] are fairly sporting about the competition. ||''Enemy Unknown'' was released on October 9, 2012 and received widespread critical acclaim (along with a similarly lauded expansion pack, ''Enemy Within''), although the legion of TheyChangedItNowItSucks naysayers was inevitable. ''Xenonauts'' came out two years later to favorable reviews, though not to the degree of ''XCOM''. ||

|| ''VideoGame/{{Onechanbara}}'' || ''VideoGame/LollipopChainsaw'' ||A BeatEmUp / HackAndSlash where {{Stripperiffic}} chicks fights zombies. ||Keep in mind that ''LollipopChainsaw'' was probably never meant to copy ''{{Onechanbara}}''. Both games just happen to be built around a similar concept. Ironically, in ''Onechanbara Z Kagura'', one of the main characters happen to wield a chainsaw. But since chainsaws are common in zombie games nowadays, this should just be written off as a coincidence.||''LollipopChainsaw'' is the winner, as it sold better than 200,000 copies, and has the [[VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes Suda51/Grasshopper Manufacture]] weirdness factor going for it. The ''Onechanbara'' games that were released in North America (on Xbox 360 and Wii) both flopped, ensuring that ''Onechanbara Z Kagura'', [[NoExportForYou didn't get a Western release.]]||

||''RockBand''||''GuitarHero'' post-''World Tour''||Rhythm games wherein you play songs by hitting notes on a plastic guitar or drum pads, or sing along and try to match the pitch.||You read that right. Following the success of ''RockBand'', ''Guitar Hero'' added drums and vocals to its fourth main installment, which it continued to use in subsequent {{Mission Pack Sequel}}s.||Ultimately, there were no winners. ''Guitar Hero'' was officially cancelled on February 9, 2011. ''Rock Band'' also saw its sales take a heavy plunge and Harmonix was sold off for '''fifty dollars'''. However, ''Rock Band'' was far better received. However, as of 2015, this might change... See below.

|| ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' || ''VideoGame/TheWitcher2AssassinsOfKings'' || Sequels to {{Western RPG}}s set in a DarkFantasy setting with lots of BlackAndGreyMorality. || ''The Witcher'' is focused on one pre-set main character, while ''Dragon Age'' utilizes a customizable protagonist and party-based gameplay. || ''VideoGame/TheWitcher2'' was critically and commercially acclaimed and is regarded as a great example of an EvenBetterSequel. ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' received good reviews but is more of a ContestedSequel [[CriticalDissonance among players]], and is generally considered inferior to the original by both. ||
|| ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'' || ''VideoGame/TheWitcher3WildHunt'' || The third installments in {{Western RPG}} series set in a DarkFantasy setting with lots of BlackAndGreyMorality. The worlds in both games are [[OpeningTheSandbox much, much larger]] this time around. || Same as above. || ''Inquisition'' was released to much fanfare and had good reviews, but ''Wild Hunt'' received even higher acclaim and is widely considered another EvenBetterSequel. ||

|| ''VideoGame/AirCombat'' || ''VideoGame/{{Warhawk}}'' || Arcade-style flight combat games released in fall 1995 for the PlayStation. || ''Air Combat'' is set in the present; ''Warhawk'' is set in the future. ||''Air Combat'', at least initially, because it got sequels. However, the ensuing ''Ace Combat'' series waned by 2007, the same year in which Sony released a well-received (but commercially unsuccessful) new ''Warhawk'' game for the PS3. ||

|| ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' || ''VideoGame/TheWitcher2AssassinsOfKings'' || Sequels to {{Western RPG}}s set in a DarkFantasy setting with lots of BlackAndGreyMorality. || ''The Witcher'' is focused on one pre-set main character, while ''Dragon Age'' utilizes a customizable protagonist and party-based gameplay. || ''VideoGame/TheWitcher2'' received some degree of acclaim, but received lukewarm response from players until the major {{Game Breaking Bug}}s were worked out. ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' received high praise, though with a [[VocalMinority vocal]] TheyChangedItNowItSucks minority. ||
|| ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'' || ''VideoGame/TheWitcher3WildHunt'' || The third installments in {{Western RPG}} series set in a DarkFantasy setting with lots of BlackAndGreyMorality. The worlds in both games are [[OpeningTheSandbox much, much larger]] this time around. || Same as above. || ''Inquisition'' has opened to very favorable reviews and numerous "Best RPG of 2014" wins. ''Witcher III'' has received fair reviews, but with much less fanfare than ''Inquisition''. ||

|| ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' || ''VideoGame/TheWitcher2AssassinsOfKings'' || Sequels to {{Western RPG}}s set in a DarkFantasy setting with lots of BlackAndGreyMorality. || ''The Witcher'' is focused on one pre-set main character, while ''Dragon Age'' utilizes a customizable protagonist and party-based gameplay. || . || ''Dragon Age II'' received high reviews and sales, though with a vocal TheyChangedItNowItSucks minority. ''Assassins of Kings'' received good reviews, but was panned by players until patches removed some of the more prominent {{Game Breaking Bug}}s.

|| ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' || ''VideoGame/TheWitcher2AssassinsOfKings'' || Sequels to {{Western RPG}}s set in a DarkFantasy setting with lots of BlackAndGreyMorality. || ''The Witcher'' is focused on one pre-set main character, while ''Dragon Age'' utilizes a customizable protagonist and party-based gameplay. || ''VideoGame/TheWitcher2'' was critically and commercially acclaimed and is regarded as a great example of an EvenBetterSequel. ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' received good reviews but is more of a ContestedSequel [[CriticalDissonance among players]], and is generally considered inferior to the original by both. ||
|| ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'' || ''VideoGame/TheWitcher3WildHunt'' || The third installments in {{Western RPG}} series set in a DarkFantasy setting with lots of BlackAndGreyMorality. The worlds in both games are [[OpeningTheSandbox much, much larger]] this time around. || Same as above. || ''Inquisition'' was released to much fanfare and had good reviews, but ''Wild Hunt'' received even higher acclaim and is widely considered another EvenBetterSequel. ||

|| ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' || ''VideoGame/TheWitcher2AssassinsOfKings'' || Sequels to {{Western RPG}}s set in a DarkFantasy setting with lots of BlackAndGreyMorality. || ''The Witcher'' is focused on one pre-set main character, while ''Dragon Age'' utilizes a customizable protagonist and party-based gameplay. || ''VideoGame/TheWitcher2'' received some degree of acclaim, but received lukewarm response from players until the major {{Game Breaking Bug}}s were worked out. ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' received high praise, though with a [[VocalMinority vocal]] TheyChangedItNowItSucks minority. ||
|| ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'' || ''VideoGame/TheWitcher3WildHunt'' || The third installments in {{Western RPG}} series set in a DarkFantasy setting with lots of BlackAndGreyMorality. The worlds in both games are [[OpeningTheSandbox much, much larger]] this time around. || Same as above. || ''Inquisition'' has opened to very favorable reviews and numerous "Best RPG of 2014" wins. ''Witcher III'' has received fair reviews, but with much less fanfare than ''Inquisition''. ||

||''Videogame/MechWarrior'' || ''Videogame/StarSiege'' || RealRobot HumongousMecha simulators || Creator/{{Dynamix}}, the creators of Starsiege, developed the very first ''Mechwarrior'' game before working on their own. || ''Mechwarrior''; while the ''Starsiege'' games were commercially successful, they couldn't match the might of ''Mechwarrior'', which was backed by an existing [[Tabletopgame/BattleTech tabletop game]], a cartoon, and a [[Franchise/BattleTechExpandedUniverse expanded universe]]. ''Mechwarrior'' received 8 sequels (and is still running), numerous expansion packs and [[Videogame/MechCommander two]] [[Videogame/MechAssault spinoffs]], whereas Starsiege had four games and [[Videogame/{{Cyberstorm}} two]] [[Videogame/{{Tribes}} spinoffs]]. Starsiege did get the last laugh, as its fast-paced ''Tribes'' spinoff became [[MorePopularSpinoff enormously popular]] and outlived Dynamix.

|| ''VideoGame/AirCombat'' || ''VideoGame/{{Warhawk}}'' || Arcade-style flight combat games released in fall 1995 for the PlayStation. || ''Air Combat'' is set in the present; ''Warhawk'' is set in the future. ||''AirCombat'', at least initially, because it got sequels. However, the ensuing ''Ace Combat'' series waned by 2007, the same year in which Sony released a well-received (but commercially unsuccessful) new ''Warhawk'' game for the PS3. ||