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1* The ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' fandom is so bad about this that [[FandomRivalry/{{Pokemon}} they have their own page]].
2* MediaNotes/ConsoleWars in general. Even worse is MediaNotes/PCVsConsole.
3** Creator/{{Sega}} fired the first shot, but the anti-Sega views were mostly taken up by Creator/{{Nintendo}}'s fandom rather than the actual company. Didn't help much that Nintendo fans were all accused of being five-year-olds.
4** According to [[Website/{{Wikipedia}} The Other Wiki]], Sega also fired a cold welcome at NEC when they launched their Platform/TurboGrafx16 in the US by mocking their console's design decisions through a series of ads that only aired in markets where NEC was trailing the system. NEC fired back in kind through the ComicBook/JohnnyTurbo comics. Sadly, on the Fandom end, no one cared about the [=TG16=][[note]]In the U.S. that is, the [=TG16=] (or as it's known elsewhere, the PC Engine) was the #1 console in Japan for much of it's lifespan[[/note]].
5*** Even mentioning the rivalry between Platform/SegaGenesis and [[Platform/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem SNES]] ''today'' can lead to fierce debate. Nowadays some Nintendo fans like to bring up the failures of Sega's subsequent systems, returning the {{Take That}}s Sega hurled at Nintendo in TheNineties.
6*** Case in point: Sega decided to release 3DS themes based on their consoles like the Sega Genesis and Sega Game Gear in the US and Europe. Even after Nintendo and Sega have been partnered for years and Sega hasn't released a console for over a decade, there was still backlash with people bringing up how "Microsoft and Sony would never do this!" THQ, with permission from Microsoft, released a ''VideoGame/VivaPinata'' game on the DS and the president of Sony Computer Entertainment International owned two Wii Us.
7*** This was not even the most notorious very first console war. That honor would probably go to the [[http://forum.digitpress.com/forum/showthread.php?33226-Colecovision-Vs-Intellivision-which-would-you-reccomend Intellivision vs. Colecovision]] fan war. Even nowadays, plenty of people mention the one while also bringing up the other, even if it's irrelevant. Not helping the fact is also that the consoles themselves are polar opposites, with plenty of arguments reflecting that, such as the fact that the Intellivision has the best sports games while those on the Colecovision were horrible and that the Colecovision has the best arcade ports while the Intellivision had almost always blatant {{Porting Disaster}}s.
8*** In the modern era the vitriol between Nintendo fans and fans of the other consoles, in general, can get pretty heated. This partially originates from how the two groups have developed over time, with Nintendo being defined, as always, by their first party output with a focus on gameplay and iconic characters, while the other consoles (and PC) are more and more defined by the offerings of third party developers and first party games that push graphical fidelity and realism. What really gets the argument heated is the question of how much of that is the result of the user base, and how much is that of the developers of said third party games that spills into its own form of rivalry in the form of "first party Nintendo vs. third party everything" argument. Oddly enough, [[Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog Sonic]] normally is exempt from this particular spat, given that the series is usually good at appearing on Nintendo systems, and because Sega was once a competing console maker with a history of high-quality, industry-defining first party games [[WorthyOpponent that many of the less partisan fans tend to respect]], but one really does not want to get near a Nintendo fan after a game is announced for every platform ''but'' theirs, nor a third party enthusiast who starts chiding them for "port begging" and telling them to get stronger hardware.
9*** The Platform/NintendoSwitch vs. [[Platform/{{Steam}} Steam Deck]] debate is very heated within certain circles of the internet due to being similar systems, even though the latter was not actually designed to compete with the former. [[note]]The Deck was actually designed as a successor to the failed Steam Machines, as well as to advance the gaming capabilities of Platform/{{Linux}} Operating Systems.[[/note]] This mainly resulted from the Deck first being revealed around when many were expecting an upgraded Switch to be revealed. Various PR statements from Valve have been interpreted by both sides as {{Competing Product Potshot}}s at the Switch's expense, even with them doing such things as making a CompilationRerelease of the ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}'' series exclusively for the system. This is exacerbated by the emulation community considering the Steam Deck as a better way to play Nintendo Switch games. Switch players meanwhile point out that the Switch is far easier to buy in stores than a Steam Deck and view the entire thing as part of the ever-ongoing conflict between Nintendo and PC game views.
10*** PC versus Nintendo is a specific flavor of the fandom rivalry of PC versus console, with the conflict focusing on the differing preferences of these specific groups. While PC players emphasize mods, frame rates, graphical settings, and the frequency of game discounts, Nintendo fans put more emphasis on art style, portability, ease of use, affordability, and availability, iconic characters, Nintendo's typical high standards of game release. Two particular areas of conflict between the two are in emulation [[note]]which is typically a divide between PC players who see no reason not to emulate Nintendo's games for higher frame rates and Nintendo fans who see this as piracy and hypocrisy as gaming PC parts often cost more than the Nintendo systems. A middle ground exists where Nintendo players are fine with PC players who purchased a Switch and the games before emulating them, but any hint of piracy, such as immediate date on date ports of games like ''Metroid Dread'', or before official release like ''Tears of the Kingdom'' will make them call for the blood of PC players as pirates[[/note]] and exclusivity [[note]] Nintendo games are famously exclusive to Nintendo platforms in the vast majority of cases, a concept that, due to Steam's dominance, is seen as anathema to the spirit of PC gaming and notably fueled the backlash against the Epic Game Store.[[/note]] .
11** Console and PC gamers, [[AmericansHateTingle at least in the West]], [[EnemyMine can agree on two things]]:
12*** They ''hate'' {{Mobile Phone Game}}s and the people who play them, citing mobile games as UsefulNotes/{{Shovelware}} designed for "casuals" with {{microtransactions}} that they consider greedy cash-grabs. [[SimpleYetAwesome Mobile phone gamers]] on other hand ''hate'' both PC gamers and console gamers for wasting money on [[AwesomeButImpractical bulky, useless parts and accessories that can't even go mobile]], and for being rich bastards who spend $50-70 on a game without knowing first if they'll like it; particularly in Japan, mobile gaming is highly prized for being commuter-friendly (many people take trains rather than drive), and without requiring the user to invest in or carry a separate device. This in particular gets very heated whenever console or PC gamers feel like mobile elements are popping up in console or PC games.
13*** They don't take UsefulNotes/{{Arcade Game}}s other than the classics seriously -- even less than mobile games -- dismissing them as overpriced novelties that one has to go out of their way to find and play and have no depth to them unless they're {{Fighting Game}}s, and even then, "Why pay for every credit when I can pay for a game once and then enjoy it all I want?" [[note]]Not helping this is that Raw Thrills, the most prominent Western company in the modern arcade industry, deliberately designs their games to be novelties, whereas other major names in the amusement industry such as Creator/{{Konami}}, Creator/{{Sega}}, and Creator/{{Taito}} have shown that they are capable of producing arcade games with a degree of depth to them, yet many of their games [[NoExportForYou don't leave Asia]], which only skews Western opinion of arcade games even more.[[/note]] Games in other genres of arcade games like {{Driving Game}}s, {{Light Gun Game}}s, and {{Rhythm Game}}s have [[CultClassic cult followings]] at best. In some countries, arcade game fans are dismissive of console and PC gaming for the same reasons that mobile gamers are, especially in countries where consoles are considered imports [[note]]Most infamously, anywhere that isn't the Americas, Europe, Oceania, Japan, Taiwan or Korea [[NoExportForYou doesn't exist to Nintendo]], less so to Microsoft (to Microsoft, South-East Asia consists of exactly one country: Singapore, and a large chunk of Eastern Europe and Africa doesn't exist either). whereas Sony at least try to market to areas outside of those to some extent. This is why, for example, you won't get Miis in ''VideoGame/StreetPassMiiPlaza'' hailing from, say, Indonesia or Israel, as they don't appear on country selectors for Nintendo websites and products.[[/note]] and therefore it's prohibitively expensive to import consoles let alone games to go with them; the idea being "Why save up for months just to invest in console and PC gaming when I can make much smaller investments at a time for my daily dose of arcade games"? [[note]]This mentality has something of a niche in southeast Asia and Japan, where there are several countries that are official territories for arcade game publishers but not for many console game publishers or -- again -- Nintendo.[[/note]]
14** Meanwhile in the sides of China and Southeast Asia, [[FireForgedFriends most PC gamers, along with the already niche playerbases of Xbox and Nintendo, tend to side with mobile gamers]] due to free-to-play and low-cost UsefulNotes/DigitalDistribution games being widely accessible, internet cafes available for renting, and less restrictive online requirements (generally free online play for PC and mobile phone games) compared to consoles, which require mandatory online subscriptions with higher premiums in relative to the average person's income. Console gamers ([=PlayStation=] loyalists in particular) are often mocked in these regions as elitists who tie themselves to specific subscription ecosystems, or stuck-up bullies with annoying HolierThanThou attitudes[[note]]considering many in this group would express statements such as "not supporting mobile means preserving and saving the video game industry from those evil companies that wanted to ruin the fun in video games and replace them profit-based soulless games" like (mostly Western, polarizing) political propaganda or make points against piracy[[/note]], among other reasons. Microtransactions aside, PC gamers who berate the mobile gamers and vice versa, on the other hand, are more of a VocalMinority in these regions, with most who despise mobile gamers as PC gamers didn't start the rivalry. (Most Asian PC gamers generally are less harsh towards mobile gaming compared to Western PC gamers.)
15%% Could someone more familiar with this entry touch it up a bit to make the last few sentences a little more comprehensible?
16* Matchmaking systems vs. server browsers: Those who prefer matchmaking do so believing it's easier to find multiplayer games using it and don't have to deal with the pain of browsing server after server for a community that will accept them, while those who prefer server browsers do so under the belief that they can accompany more playstyles, especially ones involving custom maps or {{Game Mod}}s.
17* Edutainment games of Creator/TheLearningCompany, VideoGame/JumpStart, and Creator/HumongousEntertainment form a MeleeATrois between their fans. This is less "if you play this other game you're scum" and more "our game is best."
18* ''Franchise/MegaMan'' has stretched itself so far that there's bound to be some of this. Among the main rivalries:
19** [[VideoGame/MegaManClassic Classic]] timeline fans vs. the ''VideoGame/MegaManBattleNetwork'' timeline. Though the latter is actually fairly faithful to the former in terms of themes, people who like the old school, NintendoHard games see the ''Network'' timeline as an attempt to woo over fans of games like ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' and ''Franchise/YuGiOh''
20** 8-bit ''Mega Man'' platformers vs. more-than-8-bit ''Mega Man'' platformers. Some people feel the series declined after the NES era, with ''VideoGame/MegaMan8'' in particular receiving criticism for its increased focus on new gameplay elements the core games never had. With ''VideoGame/MegaMan9'' and ''[[VideoGame/MegaMan10 10]]'' not only becoming 8-bit again, but also axing some of the moves Mega Man gained since ''VideoGame/MegaMan2'', a steady alternate backlash arose from people who thought the series needed to be more progressive. ''VideoGame/MegaMan11'' being TwoAndAHalfD and ''not'' reverting to ''[=MM2=]''-based gameplay was praised by most of the fandom, but only served to disappoint those who cherished the {{Retraux}} feel of ''9'' and ''10''.
21** Speaking of ''VideoGame/MegaMan2'', there's an in-series rivalry between ''Mega Man 2'' and ''VideoGame/MegaMan3'' fans. There's been a massive BrokenBase over which game is superior, and it's not uncommon for flame wars to break out. ''VideoGame/MegaManV'', while seen as another strong contender among the Classic series entries, tends to fly under the radar in most debates due to being far less known than its NES counterparts (being part of the ''Rockman World'' series for the Platform/GameBoy and all).
22*** For [[NintendoHard all of the]] complaints about ''VideoGame/MegaManUnlimited'', the resurrection of the slide while not resurrecting the Charge Shot weren't among them. Contrast the BrokenBase over ''9'' and ''10'' having the slide (and Charge Shot) be delegated to Proto Man and the complaints about ''VideoGame/StreetFighterXMegaMan'' being too dependent on the Charge Shot.
23** Speaking of ''Franchise/StreetFighter'', the rivalry between both series fandoms has become an increasingly bitter Capcom franchise SiblingRivalry as of TheNewTens, mostly due to the fact that ''Street Fighter'' is still getting love and [[VideoGame/StreetFighterV new]] [[VideoGame/StreetFighter6 releases]], while ''Mega Man'' has more or less become viewed as TheUnfavorite child of Creator/{{Capcom}}, with all iterations having been thrown on the shelf for a lengthy amount of time until the release of ''VideoGame/MegaMan11'' in 2018.
24* ''The'' video game example is ''[[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Mario]]'' vs. ''[[Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog Sonic]]''. It was practically ''intended'' by Sega in the 16-bit era, since ''Sonic'' was created for the purpose of competing with ''Mario''. It dissipated a bit once Sega quit consoles, but still exists because the rivalry has become so deeply ingrained in video game history and [[LongRunner both]] [[CashCowFranchise franchises]] are still very recognizable and popular headliners for their respective companies. ''VideoGame/MarioAndSonicAtTheOlympicGames'' and Sonic's appearance in later ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' games [[AscendedMeme have taken advantage of this]] while burying the hatchet for the most part; the rivalry chiefly exists between older fans now (who also still argue over the aforementioned SNES vs. Sega Genesis MediaNotes/ConsoleWars). It's probably the closest thing to a video game equivalent of Coke vs. Pepsi. ''WebAnimation/DeathBattle'' celebrated [[MilestoneCelebration its 100th episode]] with the two characters.
25** The rivalry took a new turn in [[TheNewTwenties the 2020s]], with the release of the live-action ''[[Film/SonicTheHedgehog2020 Sonic]]'' [[Film/SonicTheHedgehog22022 films]]. These two films broke the VideoGameMoviesSuck curse and were very successful, so when ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperMarioBrosMovie'' was revealed in October 2022 (months after the release of ''Sonic 2'' in April), it didn't take long for the comparisons and arguments to flare up again. Compared to the ''Sonic'' movies, the ''Mario'' movie is aiming for [[AllCGICartoon a more faithful approach]] compared to Paramount's [[PragmaticAdaptation pragmatic approach]] with ''Sonic'', with many fans arguing over which direction is better to take for a video game movie. [[TakeThat Tweets]] like [[https://twitter.com/SonicMovie/status/1578531123113517056 this]] didn't help matters. The runaway financial success of the ''Mario'' movie [[note]]Within a single week, ''The Super Mario Bros. Movie'' surpassed the lifetime earnings of both ''Sonic'' movies to become the highest-grossing video game movie of all time[[/note]] guaranteed this rivalry is here to stay and will rise to new heights through the rest of the decade, leaving many to speculate how ''Sonic 3'' (set to release in 2024) turns out with this new success, with many wishing for a crossover.
26** Any ''VideoGame/MarioKart'' game vs. ''[[VideoGame/SegaSuperstars Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing]]'' vs. ''VideoGame/CrashTeamRacing'' vs. ''VideoGame/DiddyKongRacing'' vs. ''VideoGame/ModNationRacers'' for domination of the kart racer genre.
27* ''Mario Kart'' itself has a Fandom Rivalry between ''VideoGame/MarioKartDS'' and other ''Mario Kart'' titles.
28** ''Mario Kart'' vs. ''VideoGame/FZero'' as of late, with fans of the latter accusing Nintendo of using various elements of ''VideoGame/MarioKart8'' such as anti-gravity and [=200cc=] mode as an excuse to not make any more ''F-Zero'' games.
29* Within ''Sonic'', you have "classic" (pre-Platform/SegaDreamcast) fans vs. "modern" (post-Dreamcast) fans.
30** With ''VideoGame/SonicGenerations'', Sega TookAThirdOption and combined the difference -- featuring the aspects of the two eras, from gameplay to aesthetics, colliding in a CrisisCrossover time travel plot.
31* Thanks to ''Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed'', many Sonic fans seem to have grown quite a hatred towards Music/{{Vocaloid}} fans, particularly those of Music/HatsuneMiku. The reason for this is because a survey was put up in the SEGA Forums over who people want as their next downloadable character. While the Sonic fans and other players of the game backed the likes of [[VideoGame/BillyHatcherAndTheGiantEgg Billy Hatcher]], VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}, VideoGame/ToejamAndEarl, and [[VideoGame/{{Shenmue}} Ryo Hazuki]], Miku received enough nominations to be put on the ballot, which caught the attention of the Vocaloid fandom. They voted en masse, and Miku ultimately placed 2nd, behind Ryo. The SEGA fans felt cheated that a character they largely have no interest in and were previously neutral to could now invade their game. (Regardless of the argument, she is the protagonist of the SEGA-produced ''VideoGame/HatsuneMikuProjectDiva'' series.) The anime haters jumped in, and debates about whether or not she's a SEGA character escalated into a FlameWar within a week. It got to the point where some people announced they would become {{Griefer}}s in an effort to drive Miku usage down. It should be mentioned that the Miku fans, who by and large do not play the game (until she gets in), were largely unaware of the hate going on on the other side.
32** On another note, fans of ''Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed'' has a pretty intense dislike for fans of the ''Mario Kart'' series due to its diametrically opposed approach to how items should function in a kart racer: Whereas ''Mario Kart'' has been item-centric since ''VideoGame/MarioKart64'' with a stripped-down racing engine compared to other major racing franchises, ''Transformed'' is more of an arcade racer lightly peppered with items that are deliberately weak. This has split racing fans between those who like the more action-packed, chaotic progression of Mario Kart races that require on-the-spot thinking versus the calmer, more flowing races in ''Transformed'' that require planning ahead. (Most other kart racers have powerful items akin to Mario Kart, hence why such a rivalry never reached this intensity until now.) The ''Transformed'' fans accuse ''Mario Kart'' fans of being skill-less hacks who need luck to win a race, whereas the ''Mario Kart'' fans accuse ''Transformed'' fans of being racing snobs who don't know how to deal with unexpected setbacks.
33* When around a lot of Sonic fans, talk about ''VideoGame/FreedomPlanet'' at your own risk. It may have been well-received in every other sector of gamers, and Sonic fans did show support for the game at first, but they eventually came to see the game's similarities to the Sonic games as an encroachment on their territory. The Sonic fanbase has a reputation of CantTakeCriticism on SEGA's behalf, and the fans who genuinely fit this stereotype get very annoyed at how people keep describing ''Freedom Planet'' as a Sonic game ''done right''. Want to really prod the hornets nest? Suggest that the success of ''Freedom Planet'' [[FollowTheLeader paved the way]] for games like ''VideoGame/SonicMania''. That ''Freedom Planet'''s players and fans often describe it this way does suggest some intent to provoke, and to [[TakeThat take more potshots at the Sonic franchise]].
34* Within the ''[[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Mario]]'' series itself, there are several examples.
35** Koopalings fans and Bowser Jr. fans often positively hate each other. Many fans of the Koopalings often call Bowser Jr. a dull, boring ReplacementScrappy that stole the Koopalings' role as Bowser's offspring, while Bowser Jr. fans call the Koopalings shallow, overrated one note villains who have no characterization outside their appearance but still have an extremely grating fan following. [=TheTopTens=] plays it even worse with nearly everyone hating the Koopalings.
36** After the eighth-gen ''VideoGame/PaperMario'' creative team [[WordOfGod stated]] that the existence of the ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigi'' games was partly responsible for the removal of RPGElements from the ''Paper Mario'' series, some rivalry developed between fans of the first three ''Paper Mario'' games and fans of the ''Mario & Luigi'' games. [[SubvertedTrope This near-immediately subsided]] when both sides realized the logical fallacy in the ''Paper Mario'' creative team's thought process.
37** Another rivalry in the Mario fandom is [[VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld Lunar Magic]] vs. ''VideoGame/SuperMarioMaker''.
38** Yet another rivalry in the Mario fandom exists between the fans who like the more [[WideOpenSandbox sandbox]]-style games vs. those who like the linear games.
39* ''VideoGame/SystemShock'' vs. ''VideoGame/BioShock''. Even if you like both or prefer ''VideoGame/SystemShock2'' over ''[=BioShock=]'', this is ''not okay''.
40** On the other hand, if you dare suggest ''VideoGame/{{BioShock|1}}'' is actually a good game, ''some'' ''VideoGame/SystemShock'' fans will eat you alive, call you a Console Kiddy, and kick you out of their forum.
41* In the {{speedrun}}ning community:
42** Whether runs should be single-segment or segmented. This was a significant rivalry in the 2000s, but most runners did both by the early 2010s, so the "rivalry" ended up turning into an EnemyMine against splicers.
43** Once segmented runs fell out of favor, real-time (RTA) vs. tool-assisted (TAS) came to the forefront; this time mostly from the viewers arguing over which are more entertaining.
44* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'':
45** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'' and ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'' are [[LighterAndSofter extreme]] [[DarkerAndEdgier opposites]] in terms of style, so debates were bound to arise.
46** There's some division between ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast Link to the Past]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Ocarina of Time]]'' fans as to which one is the best in the franchise, and if the other is good at all.
47** 2017's ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild Breath of the Wild]]'', with [[WideOpenSandbox its many changes to the standard formula]] (done in part to {{revisit|ingTheRoots}} the style of [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaI the original game]]), garnered much praise and quickly became widely regarded as the best in the series to date by longtime fans and critics alike. This sparked debate and comparisons to ''Ocarina of Time'' as to which of them is truly deserving of the distinction.
48*** ''Breath of the Wild'' has also been compared to Creator/{{Sony}}'s ''VideoGame/HorizonZeroDawn''. Multiple articles and videos have been posted about the debate; [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-DBbIqH_PI even WatchMojo.com]] weighed in on it.
49*** Something that can be extrapolated to the discussion of whether the series works better in 2D or 3D.
50** Then there's the fans of ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Ocarina of Time]]'' vs. ''Majora's Mask'' vs. ''Twilight Princess'' as to which is the better 3D Zelda game.
51** All of the Zelda games have fans (even ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaCDiGames those games]]'' have [[MemeticMutation some ironic ones]]). If you claim to like all 18 ''Zelda''s, you're deluding yourself and have blood on your hands.
52** On the outside level, there's ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword'' vs. ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'', which got pretty intense, very unfortunately named and timed.
53* ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'' and modern ''VideoGame/NinjaGaiden'' fans just cant seem to see eye-to-eye on anything. From boss and enemy design, to weapon and special ability functionality, to whether or not it matters to have a protagonist and cast with a hint of personality. There's also some [=PlayStation=] vs. Xbox blood in there.
54** This has died out as time went on, with both series going multiplatform and more divisive entries such as ''VideoGame/YaibaNinjaGaidenZ'' and ''VideoGame/DMCDevilMayCry'' putting their respective series on ice for a while bringing fans together. Nowadays, they exist more as FriendlyFandoms alongside other StylishAction games like ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes'', ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}'', ''VideoGame/{{Metal Gear Rising|Revengeance}}'', and ''VideoGame/AstralChain''. And fans of all series will come together to dunk on the ''VideoGame/GodOfWar'' series, especially after [[VideoGame/GodOfWarPS4 the PS4 game]].
55* The general "[[StylishAction Character Action Game]]" fandom vs. ''VideoGame/GodOfWarPS4''. Many of them can't stand how much the game is praised when they feel countless games from years before have done action gameplay better for less acclaim. [[note]] One noteworthy example is how ''VideoGame/GodHand'' was lambasted for its "bad camera" in 2008 for being clunky, when it's largely identical to ''[=GoW4=]''[='s=], which was instead praised for its intimacy (when many would argue ''God Hand'' did it better).[[/note]] Even more frustrating for them is how the game is exalted less for its in-depth gameplay machanics and more for its cinematic storytelling akin to ''VideoGame/TheLastOfUs'' rather than a typical character action game. The main argument against that aspect of the game being how intrusive and pace-breaking it is (with there being no option to skip the narrative sequences).
56** The original ''VideoGame/GodOfWar'' games are also often derided by said fandom as "junk-food" action games at best; focusing more on cinematic flair, shock value, and scripted set pieces over actual gameplay depth. It doesn't help that those games all sold better than those viewed as the true greats of the genre, such as ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'' and ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}''. However, some detractors of ''[=GoW=]'' admitted to finding new appreciation for them after playing the [=PS4=] game and ''[[VideoGame/GodOfWarRagnarok Ragnarök]]''.
57** Many classic ''God of War'' fans also find ire with the aforementioned SoftReboot, criticizing it for straying too far from its own genre and why they enjoyed the originals. Many will also accuse fans of it, particularly [[NewbieBoom those who came into the fandom because of that game]], of never having played the originals
58** ''[=GoW=]'' fans will argue that darlings of the fandom such as ''VideoGame/NoMoreHeroes'' and ''VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance'' are even more shallow from a gameplay perspective than any ''[=GoW=]'' game and yet are praised for their storytelling and style. Fans of both series will also defend them as generally being underappreciated in terms of combat depth. Fans of the Norse games in particular will deride the fandom as being closed-minded and unable to comprehend a combat system that isn't a fast paced {{animesque}} spectacle and bring up how a game doesn't need an obscenely large movelist to have great combat.
59* ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' is at the center of many of these.
60** ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' vs. ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXI'' -- at least among those for whom the latter is even on the radar. They embody instant gratification vs. hard work, casual play vs. dedicated hobby -- or, less charitably, {{Scrub}}s vs. StopHavingFunGuys. Additionally, they display solo vs. group emphasis.
61** Since then, the explosion of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'' after its reworking has caused them to be compared frequently--though, oddly enough, most of the rivalry seems to come from ''former'' ''Warcraft'' fans who view the game as having entered an AudienceAlienatingEra and act somewhat evangelical about the game's modern failings. In general, the difference tends to be that ''Warcraft'' tends to prioritize [=PvP=] and complex raid challenges and encourages players to PlayEveryDay, while ''XIV'' tends to prioritize storytelling and encourages players to go at their own pace.
62** ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' vs. ''VideoGame/WarhammerOnline'' is a second MMO rivalry. See also: ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' vs. ''VideoGame/GuildWars'', the latter of which was developed by a group that splintered off from Creator/{{Blizzard|Entertainment}}.
63** ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' vs ''VideoGame/EverQuest'' is a very old rivalry that if anything has gotten worse over the years.
64*** Within ''[=WoW=]'', you have warriors-versus-paladins and more famously, warlocks-versus-mages (although most people in those debates see it as a friendly running gag to bash each other, especially since a lot of these guys probably have alts of the opposing classes.).
65*** Within ''[=WoW=]'', you also have Horde vs Alliance. A major source of contention that causes a broken base. That's right, just like the factions in game, the fandoms are at war with each other. While most players do have characters on both sides (like the class debates) they all have one clear favorite, and there are many flame wars over which is better (from meta-game perspective all the way down to who has the better war machine in lore), which Blizzard favors in terms of buffs or for story focus, etc. Fans of lore also see a similar rivalry between people who prefer "war" between the two factions and a "peace" between the two factions.
66*** Compare to the rivalry between ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}}'' and ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}} Fantasy''.
67** ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes'' is another UnknownRival.
68*** More recently, ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes'' vs. ''VideoGame/ChampionsOnline''.
69** ''[=EverQuest=]'' fans hold a grudge against ''[=WoW=]'' that looks like this.
70** ''VideoGame/EveOnline'' players tend to stay away from the fracas for some reason, oddly enough for an MMORPG that has been demonstrated to be SeriousBusiness -- probably due to a different gameplay emphasis.
71*** ''VideoGame/StarTrekOnline'' might be the first to start some friction, even though it seems like the two games will have absolutely nothing in common besides starship combat in space online, that never stopped anyone.
72** ''[=WoW=]'' versus ''VideoGame/{{Rift}}'': Either ''Rift'' is a half-assed ''[=WoW=]'' knockoff that is on the verge of disappearing into obscurity... or it did ''[=WoW=]'' one better, and the only reason ''[=WoW=]'' still has fans is because [[ItsPopularNowItSucks some people have no taste]]. There's very little middle ground.
73** ''VideoGame/GuildWars2'' versus ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'' was this before either game was released. Main points of contention seem to be the healer-tank-DPS trinity vs. a weak and flexible support-damage-control trinity, pay-to-play vs buy-to-play, sci-fi vs fantasy, and Arenanet/[=NCSoft=] vs [=BioWare=]/EA. [[EnemyMine Fans of both games tend to agree they want to bring down WoW]], but beyond that...
74*** If you can find a discussion on ''SW:TOR''[='s=] main forums that involves ''Guild Wars'', you ''will'' find someone lying about ''Guild Wars 2'' just to make it look bad. There was one thread where a guy ''claimed he was playing the [=GW2=] beta'' to reinforce his argument that he knew ''TOR'' was superior. The ''[=GW2=]'' beta ''wasn't even out yet''. Some ''[=GW2=]'' fans love this and go troll the ''TOR'' forums, only making the problem worse.
75** In case you haven't noticed the trend by now, over 90% of the Fandom Rivalries in the MMORPG genre can be summed up as "''[=WoW=]'' vs. whatever game is currently in second place in popularity."
76** To a degree you also have ''[=WoW=]'' vs. the first three ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}}'' games, due to the seeming abandonment of the original strategy format. Even proposed films have focused more on ''[=WoW=]'' than the original games.
77* ''VideoGame/EliteBeatAgents'' versus ''VideoGame/OsuTatakaeOuendan'', with ''OTO'' fans saying that ''EBA'' is a watered down version of ''Ouendan'' and ''EBA'' fans calling ''OTO'' fans "weeaboos" (never mind the fact that ''EBA'' had a manga artstyle too).
78** ''VideoGame/{{osu}}'' vs. Asian rhythm games in general. The former's fans argue that the free nature of the game makes it quite accesible, while the latter's fans dislike the former for its UnstableEquilibrium of a scoring system, excessive number of anime theme songs, and absolute lack of original content. General rhythm game fans also dislike the ''osu!'' community due to many of its players refusing to try other rhythm games.
79** Many rhythm gamers also seem to have a strong animosity towards the ''VideoGame/{{maimai}}'' playerbase due to refusing to try other rhythm games, as well as players getting particularly violent towards each other.
80** [[AmericansHateTingle In the U.S.]], ''maimai'' is disliked for a different reason: "I want Sega's [[VideoGame/{{Chunithm}} other major rhythm game]] instead."
81* ''VideoGame/GuitarHero'' fans think ''VideoGame/RockBand'' tries to do too much and doesn't do anything well. ''VideoGame/RockBand'' fans think ''VideoGame/GuitarHero'' has bad chart design, [[CashCowFranchise gets milked to hell and back]] and, with ''World Tour'', [[FollowTheLeader is ripping them off]]. The minority who play and enjoy both just stay out of the way.
82** Due to both series' {{Mission Pack Sequel}}s, Music/{{Metallica}} vs. Music/TheBeatles is an easy way to start an argument between fans of not those two bands, but rather of said video game series. This despite the fact that both bands are completely different.
83** ''VideoGame/GuitarHero'' and ''VideoGame/RockBand'' vs. ''VideoGame/{{Bemani}}'' (particularly ''Guitar Freaks'' and ''drummania'', the inspirations for ''GH'' and ''RB''). The tension seems to have calmed down in recent years, although the introduction of ''Guitar Freaks XG'' (a successor to the 3-fret ''Guitar Freaks'' that adds two more fret buttons) re-ignited things a little bit.
84* There's a bit of rivalry between ''VideoGame/LoveLiveSchoolIdolFestival'' players and players of other {{Rhythm Game}}s. The former defend the game because of its comparatively large amount of lore that many rhythm games don't have, while the latter see ''LLSIF'' as a PayToWin game that, by nature of being a mobile [[AllegedlyFreeGame free-to-play]] game, can't be played in situations where Internet access is not available (such as on a plane that doesn't have in-flight wifi, or on a fully-depleted cellular data plan) and severely limits how many songs the player can play before needing to let the game rest.
85** Within the mobile rhythm games themselves, ''VideoGame/LoveLiveSchoolIdolFestival'' has rivalry with ''VideoGame/TheIdolmasterCinderellaGirls: Starlight Stage'' and to a much lesser extent, ''VideoGame/ShowByRock'' and ''VideoGame/TokyoSeventhSisters''. It certainly doesn't help that all these games have radically different gameplay mechanics and note judgements which make transitioning between them a difficult task for new players.
86* On the whole, people who play more NintendoHard scrolling-note {{Rhythm Game}}s like ''VideoGame/{{beatmania}} IIDX'', ''VideoGame/SoundVoltex'', and ''VideoGame/DanceDanceRevolution'' tend to be dismissive of other, [[ItsEasySoItSucks easier]] and/or differently presented rhythm games such as ''VideoGame/{{maimai}}'' and ''VideoGame/CrossBeats''.
87* ''DDR'' fans in particular have a bone to pick with ''VideoGame/CrossBeats'', due to being the pet project of Naoki Maeda, who served as the sound producer and ''the'' face of ''DDR'' during its early ears; ''DDR'' fans long for him to come back to Konami and work on ''DDR'' once more. ''[=CxB=]'' players don't seem to mind ''DDR'' much.
88* ''Franchise/StreetFighter'' vs. ''Franchise/MortalKombat'', a rivalry over two completely different games stylistically, but had the arcade-goers' attention fiercely divided in the early 90s.
89** And ''Street Fighter'' vs. ''Franchise/TheKingOfFighters'', which officially materialized into ''[[VideoGame/CapcomVsSNKMillenniumFight2000 Capcom vs. SNK]]''.
90*** ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom2'' against ''VideoGame/TatsunokoVsCapcom''. Upon the announcements that both games would receive {{Updated Rerelease}}s in the West in 2010, the stage was set for hostilities. Best example of this case? ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3'' adopting the ''Tatsunoko vs. Capcom'' button layout was the cue for cries of "Ruined Forever!"
91* ''Franchise/{{Tekken}}'' vs. ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive'' is interesting in that it's a fandom rivalry that involves both games ''and'' the systems they play on. One of the actual game designers, ''DOA'' creator Tomonobu Itagaki, actually promotes the rivalry (Itagaki has been ''very'' outspoken in criticizing ''Tekken''). For over a decade, ''DOA'' was console-exclusive on Platform/{{Xbox}}[=/=]Platform/Xbox360, while ''Tekken'', although multiplatform, is still considered by fans a [=PlayStation=] franchise (this changed when ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive5'' came out on both 360 and the [=PS3=]).
92* ''VideoGame/GenshinImpact'' vs. ''[[VideoGame/TowerofFantasy Tower of Fantasy]]''. Both are Chinese mobile {{gacha games}} with an {{Animesque}} artstyle with high production value set in a fantasy setting. However, the fandoms are locked-horns due to several past incidents and accusations of ''Tower of Fantasy'' stealing assets from [[Creator/{{miHoYo}} miHoYo]] and other games, leading to ''Genshin'' fans accusing ''Tower of Fantasy'' of plagiarism. Not helping matters is how ''Tower of Fantasy'' is constantly equated and hyped up as the "''Genshin'' Killer." ''Tower of Fantasy'' fans, on the other hand, accuse ''Genshin Impact'' for its mediocre storytelling, grindy nature, and toxic fanbase which caused burnout whilst promoting ''Tower of Fantasy''[='s=] impressive character customization and more fluid combat mechanics. ''Genshin'' fans likewise argue that whatever is said about the game's narrative storytelling quality, its visual storytelling, music, art direction and major cultural impact on Chinese soft power are leagues beyond that of ''Tower of Fantasy'' or any other gacha game. Given that the ''Genshin'' fanbase is one of the largest ''in the world'', the rivalry is severly stacked against ''Tower of Fantasy''.
93* ''VideoGame/Left4Dead'' vs. ''VideoGame/DeadRising'' used to be one of the most heated rivalries during their golden age of 2009-2012. Both were prominent zombie games with completely different playstyle and genre. ''Left 4 Dead'' was a co-op survival horror FPS with impressive gore mechanics and a more serious tone, whereas ''Dead Rising'' is a more light-hearted single-player third-person survival game with a unique gimmick of using almost ''everything'' as a weapon. Fans of ''[=L4D=]'' chastised ''Dead Rising'' for its frustrating save feature and time mechanic which limits the overall fun and experience, whereas fans of ''Dead Rising'' pointed out that ''[=L4D=]'' barely has any plot, let alone an ''interesting one'', and that [[VideoGame/Left4Dead2 its sequel]] is a literal copy-paste of the original. Both also tried to promote their respective games' replay value over the other, with ''[=L4D=]'' fans citing the modding community and fun multiplayer experience whilst ''Dead Rising'' fans highlighted the game's sheer diversity of weapons and semi-open nature as an avenue for creativity. Nowadays, both fandoms have softened up and came together over lamenting at [[FranchiseZombie the state of their franchises]], with ''Dead Rising'' fans upset over [[{{Sequelitis}} the steady decline of quality in the games]], whereas ''[=L4D=]'' fans are in despair over [[OrphanedSeries a lack of a sequel since]] [[VideoGame/Left4Dead2 2009]] while still being forced to play on an increasingly dated engine.
94* ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' vs. traditional fighting games. Due to its game mechanics, it's heavily debated whether ''Smash'' is more technical or less technical than other fighters; it may be considered less technical because the control scheme is comparably simple, and it may be considered more technical because of some manual advanced technical maneuvers [[note]]For example, lag-canceling aerial attacks is manual in ''Smash''. Traditional fighters may not have any landing lag at all.[[/note]]. On the other hand, ''Smash'' greatly decreases the focus on {{combos}}, and in ''Brawl'' they are nigh nonexistent, taking away a bit of depth. However, compared to other examples on this page "eh, apples and oranges" is a much more acceptable viewpoint.
95** And then things got FromBadToWorse with the mere ''existence'' of ''[[VideoGame/PlayStationAllStarsBattleRoyale PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale]]''.
96*** Before that, ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom''. Both being crossovers with the latter being a more traditional fighter.
97** Given the content of the two games (characters from Platform/PlayStation games come together to knock each other into next week), this rivalry could be seen as a proxy of the MediaNotes/ConsoleWars.
98** Later on in the series' lifetime, however, more people became accepting of ''Smash''[='s=] status as a fighting game. The real rivalry lies in the divide between the ''Smash'' community and the general MediaNotes/FightingGameCommunity--there's very little overlap between ''Smash Bros.'' and traditional fighting game players at a competitive level, leading to conflicts at events that host both ''Smash'' and other fighting games. In fact, ''Smash Bros.'' tournaments were so infamous for always running past schedule that many fighting game fans rejoiced when it was announced that it would be the last game of Finals Sunday at EVO 2019. This is particularly nasty with fans of ''[[VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosMelee Melee]]'', because it has the most entrenched community; ''Melee'' fans view general FGC fans as fickle for switching to newer games and see ''Melee'''s continued success as proof of its superiority and technical depth, while general FGC fans view ''Melee'' fans as sticking with ''Melee'' because they don't know how to play anything else and refuse to learn about other games.
99* NEVER refer to ''Franchise/AssassinsCreed'' as the SpiritualSuccessor to ''VideoGame/PrinceOfPersia'' in the presence of an actual ''[=PoP=]'' fan.
100* ''Franchise/SilentHill'' fans vs. ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'' fans. Fans will argue weather the brooding, serious tone of the former is superior to the campy B-movie of the latter; the ''Zelda''-esque open world of ''Silent Hill'' versus the {{Metroidvania}} dungeon environments of classic ''Resident Evil'', etc. Also, ''Silent Hill'' fans will often pride the series on sticking to survival horror, [[VideoGame/SilentHillOrigins despite]] [[VideoGame/SilentHillHomecoming declining]] [[VideoGame/SilentHillDownpour quality]], as opposed to its competition's insistance of diving into balls-to-the-wall [[ActionizedSequel action]]. Then there's the fact that ''Resident Evil'' is a massive, saturated franchise that is going strong into the present day, whereas ''Silent Hill'' has faded into the "Forgotten by Creator/{{Konami}} mines", with its [[VideoGame/SilentHills latest]] and [[Creator/HideoKojima hotly anticipated]] game being infamously and suddenly shitcanned. Then it was announced in late 2022 that ''VideoGame/SilentHill2'' would be receiving a remake... an announcement that came months after the ([[ContentLeak official]]) unveiling of ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4Remake''. Cue the old rivalry flaring back up.
101* Given its relative popularity, the shooter genre is bound to have fandoms fighting each other.
102** ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'' fans vs. ''VideoGame/{{Metroid Prime|Trilogy}}'' fans used to be this, thanks to some of their major installments coming out within weeks of each other. It doesn't help that the resemblance is superficial at best and that both series actually do appeal to different tastes, thanks to the former being a more straightforward FirstPersonShooter and the latter placing far more emphasis on exploration and puzzle solving over combat. Despite this, fans later will often accuse the former of being a brainless kill fest and the former calls the latter a snore-fest. The fact that ''Halo'' was an instant commercial darling while ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'' continued to be little more than a niche franchise likewise didn't help. However, tensions have subsided for a while now, with both series going through [[AudienceAlienatingEra hard times]] during the TheNewTens. Come 2021, the latter was thrown a bone in the form of ''VideoGame/MetroidDread'' whereas the former had ''VideoGame/HaloInfinite'' which, while being lauded as a moderate return to form, received criticism of its multiplayer content.
103** There's also a substantial rivalry between the ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'' and ''VideoGame/HalfLife'' fandoms, possibly mirroring the Console vs. PC conflict.
104*** This one is also related to the fact that both were incredibly influential {{First Person Shooter}}s, and nobody can seem to decide which one was more important (''Half-Life'', because it's earlier? ''Halo'', because it's more widely known?)
105*** As an extension of this, there is also a rivalry between fans of "classic" [=FPSs=] (e.g. ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'', ''VideoGame/{{Quake}}'', ''VideoGame/HalfLife'', ''VideoGame/{{Unreal}}'') and fans of "modern" shooters (e.g. ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'', ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty'', ''VideoGame/{{Battlefield}}'', ''VideoGame/{{Killzone}}''), with the former accusing the latter's games of being overly [[ItsEasySoItSucks dumbed down and simplistic]], and the latter accusing the former's games of being overly unrealistic and childish. They're also split on where ''VideoGame/CounterStrike'' belongs, either it counts as a "classic" because it lacks RegeneratingHealth, iron sights, and retains various ''Quake'' engine physics quirks as a side effect of how close Goldsrc is to Id Tech 2, or it's a "modern" shooter because it has {{Limited Loadout}}s and a modern setting.
106** There's another rivalry which is ''much'' more vicious between fans of ''Halo'' and fans of ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'', specifically on the topic of [=SPARTANs=] vs. Space Marines.
107** ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'' fans vs. ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty'' fans vs. ''VideoGame/GearsOfWar'' fans for domination of 360 shooters, stirred by A. ''Halo'' and ''Gears'' being Xbox exclusives and B. ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty'' outright dethroning ''Halo'' as the #1 popular console FPS series upon the release of ''VideoGame/ModernWarfare''.
108** Good god, ''VideoGame/{{Battlefield}}'' versus ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty'', a rivalry deliberately started by Creator/ElectronicArts themselves. Not completely unrelated to this is...
109*** Don't believe us about the ''Battlefield'' vs. ''COD'' war? Go on ANY [=YouTube=] video about either game. Scroll down to the comments. If you are not frustrated, you deserve a medal.
110*** The ''Battlefield'' vs. ''Call of Duty'' fan feud is a relatively recent rivalry. Originally, these franchises didn't start out as as direct rivals, with ''COD'' focused more on small-scale combat and ''Battlefield'' series focused much larger team-based matches. However, the backlash towards the ''VideoGame/ModernWarfare'' sub-series lead to some ''COD'' fans to defect to ''Battlefield'', starting this fandom war. The rivalry reached its zenith when ''VideoGame/Battlefield3'' and ''[[VideoGame/ModernWarfare Modern Warfare 3]]'' were released within a month of each other in 2011 and their developer companies started taking potshots at each other. Although the rivalry died down after 2012, it resurfaced in 2016 when ''VideoGame/Battlefield1'' received near universal acclaim for its unique WWI setting while ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyInfiniteWarfare'' was given a more mixed response for its futuristic setting. Not helping matters is that the 2017 ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyWWII'' was accused of ripping off ''VideoGame/Battlefield1'' for its historical throwback.
111*** And then came ''COD'' vs. ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'' vs. ''Halo'' vs. ''Battlefield''. You know, since games of different genres should be compared to each other to reach a logical goal.
112** To a certain extent, there's even a ''VideoGame/{{Halo}}'' vs. ''VideoGame/{{Marathon}}'' rivalry, as some people think Bungie merely recycled the latter's ideas into the former with more modern production values and more commercial success. The Mac vs. Windows rivalry (as described elsewhere) might also have something to do with it, since the ''Marathon'' trilogy was originally released for the Mac before fans created the Aleph One cross-platform port, whereas Halo was originally made for Microsoft's Xbox (though it was later ported to the Mac as well as the PC). However, in this case, it's more acceptable and common to like both than usual.
113*** Speaking of which, ''VideoGame/{{Marathon}}'' vs. ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'' for old-school FPS supremacy. The former was considered technologically superior and had an infinitely deeper storyline, but since it was originally released for the Mac, which has never been known for its huge gaming community, the latter was much more widely played. And there were always Doom players who just liked killing stuff without having to follow a story.
114* While there's always been arguments over which ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' game is the best, fights between ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIV'' fans and ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV'' fans are particularly intense. Fans of ''V'' say that ''IV''[='s=] driving mechanics are too floaty and are hard to get use to, and hate the "friends call you up to do stuff" mechanic. Fans of ''IV'' say that the story and cast of ''IV'' are way more interesting than ''V''[=s=], as are the main missions which are more crime-oriented than ''V''[='s=], and that ''IV'' has a lot of minor details they miss in ''V'' such as the ability to pick up trash and throw it at people. There is also a MediaNotes/PCVsConsole element to the fighting, ''IV''[='s=] PC port was a disaster, souring a large contingent of fans on the game, and ''V''[='s=] PC version was a lot better handled.
115* The ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' franchise has a BrokenBase. Fans of the older isometric games made by Black Isle Studios say that Bethesda has [[TheyChangedItSoItSucks dumbed down the franchise]], often citing lack of traditional CRPG elements, lore-breaking retcons, and the fact that ''VideoGame/FalloutVanBuren'' (the original ''VideoGame/Fallout3'') was cancelled when the rights were being transferred over to Bethesda. Bethesda fans, meanwhile, argue that the isometric games haven't aged well, that ''Fallout 3'' brought the franchise back to relevance as a soft reboot and that the old game's fans are simply banking on nostalgia.
116** They tend to agree, however, in that they both enjoy ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas''. Older fans praise its writing and RPG elements, while newer fans praise the combat, setting, and gameplay. They also agree that ''VideoGame/Fallout76'' was a train wreck on launch, as well as a blatant cash grab on Bethesda's part.
117* ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' fans vs. ''VideoGame/SaintsRow'' fans. ''GTA'' fans say ''Saints Row'' is [[DenserAndWackier too silly]] and a ripoff of their franchise, whereas fans of the Saints say that ''Grand Theft Auto'' takes itself far too seriously, [[DarkerAndEdgier especially after the fourth game.]]
118* ''VideoGame/SaintsRow'' within itself. You have the fans of ''[[VideoGame/SaintsRow1 1]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/SaintsRow2 2]]'' who love the mix of silly and serious; but think ''VideoGame/SaintsRow3'' went [[DenserAndWackier too over the top]] and got too [[HotterAndSexier horny]] and crass even by series standards. Then there are those who either love or hate ''VideoGame/SaintsRow4'' for almost switching genres and becoming a full-on superhero game resembling ''VideoGame/{{Crackdown}}'' or ''VideoGame/{{Prototype}}'' more than prior entries. A small subset have also vouched for spin-off ''VideoGame/AgentsOfMayhem'' for attempting to blend ''4'' and older entries. Generally there are arguments of which game has a better city, enemies, jokes, and side activities. Though they will usually all come together to dunk on the [[VideoGame/SaintsRow2022 2022 reboot]]. Dunking on it's sanitized humor, overreliance on current-year pop-culture references and zeitgeists; as well as being generally unoriginal, bland and [[ObviousBeta broken at launch]].
119* ''VideoGame/TeamFortressClassic'' players vs. ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' players. The former camp tends to fall into TheyChangedItNowItSucks, seeing the amount of features as being unnecessary or ruining the gameplay and looking down on the latter game as being too "noobish". It doesn't help that ''[=TF2=]'' [[SequelDisplacement is much more well-known than the original nowadays]]. You know how this proceeds.
120** ''Team Fortress Classic/2'' vs. ''Counter-Strike (Source)''. Both from Valve, both started as mods (though ''Team Fortress'' goes back even further as a mod for ''Quake''), both with diametrically opposed styles of gameplay. Bound to be conflict? You bet.
121*** Also nice to know that before ''Counter-Strike'', ''Team Fortress Classic'' was the most popular online shooter. Now it's usually back and forth between Counter Strike and ''Team Fortress 2/Classic''.
122** There's also ''Team Fortress 2'' vs. any first-person shooter in general, whether be it ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty'', ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'', ''VideoGame/{{Battlefield}}'', you name it. Most of the heated debates stem over the differing gameplay aspects between the two sides: solo gameplay vs team-based gameplay, weapons variety vs class system, realistic graphics vs stylized graphics, and so on. This becomes grating to ''[=TF2=]'' fans especially when someone who has played either of the latter games plays ''[=TF2=]'' for the first time and complains why they can't use grenades or gun down opponents single-handely with ease, leading to some off-handed flame wars that can escalate in a matter of seconds. To this day, some hardcore fans of the latter games consider ''[=TF2=]'' the black sheep of the entire first-person shooter genre while ''[=TF2=]'' fans consider the latter games to be stale carbon copies of one another. Either way, they're at each others' throats.
123** ''Team Fortress 2'' gained yet another rival in Creator/BlizzardEntertainment's ''VideoGame/{{Overwatch}}'', with many ''Team Fortress 2'' fans calling it a rip-off due to the game sharing some obvious aspects of ''[=TF2=]'' such as the stylized graphics, class system, and objective team-based gameplay. Even some of the classes are direct [[{{Expy}} expies]] of the latter's classes, fueling the debate even more. Some even fear that ''Overwatch'' may overtake ''Team Fortress 2'' as the dominant stylized first-person shooter because of the fact the game was made by the company behind ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft''. However, after ''Overwatch'' was released, this also at times overlapped with FriendlyFandoms ''because'' of these similarities as well as the unique features that made it different from ''[=TF2=]''. As such, there has been a huge amount of crossover fan art and fan fiction popping up staring the two sides on both good and bad terms.
124* ''VideoGame/{{Overwatch}}'' fans started many rivalries with fans of other HeroShooter games regardless of similarities in graphics and gameplay.
125** When ''VideoGame/{{Paladins}}'' first came out, ''Overwatch'' fans got up in arms and started calling the game nothing more than a cheap ripoff that was made as soon as ''Overwatch'' was revealed, [[https://www.forbes.com/sites/.../2016/.../is-it-fair-to-call-paladins-an-overwatch-clone/ Despite being a reimagining of one of the developer's other games.]] ''Paladins'' fans called ''Overwatch'' nothing more then a garish money sink with its extremely high particle effects that makes playing a confusing mess, more fans caring more about the characters then the actual game itself, and having a money-gouging freemium economy without being actually free (unlike ''Paladins''). Similar to ''Team Fortress 2'' vs ''Overwatch'', this has mostly calmed down and also has a ton of crossover fanart. The rivalry re-ignited with ''Overwatch 2'' due to the sequel taking cues from ''Paladins'', such as reducing teams to 5v5 and adopting a free-to-play model, leading to worries that it would steal away ''Paladins''' remaining userbase.
126** Gearbox Software's ''VideoGame/{{Battleborn}}'' was given a similar treatment when it launched from both camps since it too is a cartoony, team-based hero shooter. Although many commentators have tried to differentiate the two by pointing out that ''Battleborn'' is more of a [=MOBA=] compared to ''Overwatch'', comparisons still lingered especially given the close release dates. Not helping ''Battleborn'' is how the marketing took potshots at ''Overwatch'' to deliberately invoke a rivalry. However, ''Battleborn'' quickly became forgotten as [[Main/ExecutiveMeddling the devs released it at the same time as the first]] ''Overwatch'' Beta, sending it out to die.
127** Given how ''VideoGame/{{LawBreakers}}'' was influenced by ''Overwatch'', its fandom had to fight accusations of being a clone at every turn despite the game's darker tone and greater focus on fast-paced arena shooter action. Like ''Battleborn'', ''Lawbreakers'' was largely overshadowed by ''Overwatch'' and quickly died off.
128** ''VideoGame/ApexLegends'' vs. ''Overwatch'' has become the latest rivalry in recent years. Although ''Apex Legends'' is a BattleRoyaleGame intended to compete with the likes of ''VideoGame/{{Fortnite}}'' and ''[[VideoGame/PlayerUnknownsBattlegrounds PUBG]]'', some drew comparisons to ''Overwatch'' since it also has a cast of colorful heroes with their own unique abilities. Unlike ''Battleborn'' and ''Lawbreakers'', ''Apex Legends'' has actual staying power, making it seem like a constant competitor to ''Overwatch''. Not helping matters is how several ''Overwatch'' players switched over to playing ''Apex Legends'', creating a perception that the games are competing for the same audience.
129** ''VideoGame/{{Valorant}}'' also emerged being identified as a competitor to ''Overwatch'' from as early as its closed beta. While Valorant more of a TacticalShooter closer to ''[[VideoGame/CounterStrike CS:GO]]'' than ''Overwatch'', it too shares a similarly cartoonish aesthetic, [[HeroShooter heroes with abilities]], and a major focus on the [[UsefulNotes/ProfessionalGaming esports scene]]. ''Valorant'''s professional league has particularly inflamed the rivalry with several competitive ''Overwatch'' players shifting to ''Valorant''. The rivalry onnly got more heated up when ''Overwatch 2'' was released, with ''OW'' players witnessing and calling out how distressingly campy ''Valorant'' players play the game.
130* ''VideoGame/InFamous'' fans vs. ''VideoGame/{{Prototype}}'' fans. Some will praise Infamous for it's polished gameplay and fleshed out open world; others will praise Prototype for far more ambitious mechanics and sandbox. Some prefer the player guided morality of ''Infamous''; others like the nihilistic M-rated ultraviolence of ''Prototype.''
131** How to make the Fans rage? Ask who would win in any forum that knows both franchises
132* ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' vs. ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'', although this one is probably a little stronger in Japan, since love for the ''Dragon Quest'' series elsewhere lies mostly with a cult following.
133** A stronger example for Americans would probably be, within the ''Final Fantasy'' series, pre-''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' games vs. ''FFVII'' and anything beyond. ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'' and ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' in particular have fandoms with a hate-on for one another. The other strongest rivalries are ''FFVII'' vs. ''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyX FFX]]'', ''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX FFIX]]'' vs. underappreciation, ''[[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII FFVIII]]'' vs. underappreciation (or, more cynically, [[ToughActToFollow not being]] ''FFVII''), and ''FFVII'' vs. [[SequelDisplacement every other game in the series]]. The fact that ''VII'' [[WolverinePublicity tends to be at the forefront whenever there's any kind of crossover]] does not help.
134** Fans of the 2D versions (SNES, PSX, GBA, PSP) of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV'' vs. fans of the 3D remake (DS, Steam).
135** The ''FFVII'' fandom seems to have formed one with ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII'' due to Square claiming Lightning to be a DistaffCounterpart of Cloud. This intensified with ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII2'', over a single line of lyric that was removed from the U.S. and Europe releases of the game. [[note]]''...Wash away the strife...'' from the Japanese version of "Unseen Intruder", which some fans [[InsaneTrollLogic somehow interpreted as Square saying that they want to erase Cloud from existence]].[[/note]]
136** There also seems to be one for ''FFV'' versus any of the more story-driven ones.
137** This got really interesting after the companies that made the two series (Squaresoft for ''Final Fantasy'', Enix for ''Dragon Quest'') merged into a new company, Creator/SquareEnix. You might think that this would make the rivalry less intense as both series are now made by the same company. There are some fans from each side who claim that entries of their series made since the merger have been lesser in quality due to being "tainted" by having employees who were originally from the other company working on them.
138** There's also ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' vs. ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda''. The most heated debate is usually between fans of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' for the Sony [=PlayStation=] and ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Ocarina of Time]]'' for the Nintendo 64, crossing over into MediaNotes/ConsoleWars, with both heatedly declaring that their specific game was the biggest RPG of all time. Even though ''Zelda'' is an ActionAdventure series, not an RPG. It gets worse with the "Cloud vs. Link" debates.
139*** Cloud's [[GuestFighter inclusion]] in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' somehow managed to combine the "'''Final Fantasy'' vs. ''Legend of Zelda''" debates with his WolverinePublicity issue among the larger ''FF'' fandom: Though Cloud ''is'' the protagonist and face of what is the most well-known and commercially successful ''Final Fantasy'' installment, his game marked the mainline series' transition from Nintendo consoles to the Platform/PlayStation... in a series largely meant to be a celebration of all things Nintendo. While many did understand the logic behind the decision to pick Cloud, others made their displeasure known and would've liked a rep from the NES/SNES era. Then Sephiroth was announced as DLC for ''[[VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate Ultimate]]'' and the debate reignited.
140** A smaller scale rivalry is ''Final Fantasy'' vs. the ''VideoGame/{{Tales|Series}}'' series, or, to be more accurate, ''Final Fantasy VII'' vs. ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia''. Both games are considered by and large to be the greatest games in their respective series, and thus are at the heart and passion of next to all of the flame wars of these two franchises.
141*** There's also a minor conflict between ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'' and ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'', mostly because of their [[ItSucksToBeTheChosenOne suspiciously]] [[SummonMagic similar]] [[DisappearedDad premises]][[labelnote:To elaborate(spoilers for both games)]]The main plot twist in both games is that the ChosenOne is participating in a ritual that will ostensibly save the world, which was at a higher level of technology before an ancient war, but will actually further the villains' plans, and the chosen one's ImpliedLoveInterest soon becomes the strongest supporter for changing the status quo. Both games have HeroAntagonist characters who are trying to stop the ritual, one of whom becomes a party member. In both games, the player character's missing father ends up helping the party, but must be defeated in battle first. Both games have summoned allies who tie into the plot in their own ways. Both games also touch upon the effects of racism, but racism is the cause of the villain's turn to evil in Tales of Symphonia, but a result of the social order imposed by the villains in Final Fantasy X.[[/labelnote]]. It's worth noting that while ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'' did come out first, both games are different enough that those who ''have'' played both tend to say they're both worth playing. Oh, and since it's [=GameCube=] vs. [=PS2=], chalk up another one to console wars.
142* Within the ''VideoGame/TalesSeries'', you also get small squabbles between fans of different installments. Those who say the best game is ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'' get unwarranted hate for being fans of [[ItsPopularNowItSucks the most popular series installment]]. Fans of ''VideoGame/TalesOfVesperia'' are often blamed for [[NoExportForYou whining about the PS3 port that never made it to the West]] -- this especially grates on fans of games like ''VideoGame/TalesOfRebirth'' or ''VideoGame/TalesOfInnocence'' that never got translated at all. (And then ''Vesperia'' ended up getting a HD remaster on the [[Platform/PlayStation4 PS4]] and [[Platform/XboxOne XB1]] that included the features from said [=PS3=] port...) If you don't think ''Symphonia'' or ''Vesperia'' is the best game in the series, you'll also probably have to defend yourself, ''especially'' if you prefer the DarkerAndEdgier title ''VideoGame/TalesOfTheAbyss''. Some ''Tales'' fans think it has the best story and CharacterDevelopment by far, while those who like the lighter titles find it [[TooBleakStoppedCaring a slog]]. Some ''Symphonia'' fans also hate ''VideoGame/TalesOfDestiny'' fans and vice versa. Usually, however, the series averts this, as there are plenty of canon crossovers and the titles are similar enough that most fans enjoy all of them a little -- there's certainly a lot less hate between most ''Tales'' fans than there is between ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' fans.
143* ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'' vs. ''VideoGame/EpicMickey''. The ''Kingdom Hearts'' haters has flocked to ''Epic Mickey'''s side for being a massive, epic Disney game without Creator/SquareEnix or Creator/TetsuyaNomura's involvement.
144* You probably wouldn't guess it; but the general StealthBasedGame fandom versus ''VideoGame/MetalGear''. Many feel MG is just an action game with a stealth theme that relies more on gimmicks and set pieces rather than consistent stealth mechanics, and features constant, lengthy, frequent story sections that pull interactivity away from the player. However the tables are completely turned in regards to ''[[VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVThePhantomPain The Phantom Pain]]''; with the Stealth fandom loving how it goes hard on in-depth stealth systems and dialing back the story elements, to the ire of many legacy MG fans.
145* ''VideoGame/MetalGear'' fans think ''VideoGame/SplinterCell'' fans are boring, wish fulfillment-craving thirteen-year-old boys who like to look ultra-serious all the time, have no sense of humour, and aren't smart enough to understand a complex, involved and challenging story. ''Splinter Cell'' fans think ''Metal Gear'' fans are moronic, hyperactive children who wouldn't know true stealth if it crept up behind them and snapped their necks, and aren't mature enough to care about the story of a game that isn't from Japan and doesn't have a vampire in it. ''VideoGame/{{Thief}}'' fans tend to dislike both camps for being too stupid to understand a story which isn't spoon-fed. It's kind of hilarious watching them all go at it.
146** The Metal Gear Wiki has a neutral article on ''Splinter Cell''. The Trivia section for the game (which no longer exists) once mentioned that the fans of one series often dislike the other, concluding with "It's a good idea to ignore both of them."
147** The best part is that Konami and Ubisoft see it in a more friendly light, both even cooperating to allow each other to create cameos in their games. Cameos that don't involve any shots at each other, even.
148* The "classic" ''Franchise/SpyroTheDragon'' fans vs. ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfSpyro'' fans. Classic fans will rub off making the ''Legend'' fans look like idiots who'll buy anything while the other side says the Classic fans are immature losers who are afraid of trying something new. It can get rather ridiculous watching the fights go on, especially when people start assuming things about how video games get developed and get sold. As of 2011 though, both sides are willing to make an EnemyMine against ''VideoGame/{{Skylanders}}'' just for its Spyro character design ''alone'' (Bobby Kotick's reputation among gamers doesn't help). Spyro fans are both on friendly terms with ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot'' and rivals at the same time. It's less vicious than the [[VideoGame/JakAndDaxter Jak]] vs. VideoGame/{{Ratchet|AndClank}} debate that succeeded it.
149* ''[[VideoGame/{{Forza}} Forza Motorsport]]'' vs. ''VideoGame/GranTurismo'' for realistic racing sim domination, mainly due to both series being [[MediaNotes/ConsoleWars console exclusives]]. ''Forza'' fans criticized ''Gran Turismo'' games for the lack of in-depth visual customization, repetitive car listing, lack of damage models, and lack of open-world focused spinoff, while ''GT'' fans shun ''Forza'' games for skewed physics and RC-esque engine noise. Made even worse by the fact that both games, today, have official ''Series/{{Top Gear|UK}}'' branding.
150** As both reached their respective seventh installment that were criticized hard for implementing microtransactions, the rivalry just got even worse, especially with how the ''Forza'' side tried (and succeeded) in retracting microtransactions while the ''Gran Turismo'' side seemed to only double down.
151* You do occasionally run into ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry'' versus ''VisualNovel/HigurashiWhenTheyCry''. Yes, despite being two parts of [[Franchise/WhenTheyCry the same metaseries]], there's still debate over which is better.
152* ''VideoGame/HeroesOfNewerth'' and ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends'' are both inspired by the original ''VideoGame/DefenseOfTheAncients'' mod -- the former is a straight copy, the latter has a few superficial differences. Yet if you listen to their respective fans on the forums, ''[=LoL=]'' is ridiculously easy to master and only for kids, is too different, the items are boring and the graphics suck; and ''[=HoN=]'' has a terrible user interface, unintuitive gameplay, is not different enough, the items are boring and the graphics suck. Arguments like 'the automap is on the wrong side of the screen' and 'the item icons are ugly' are not uncommon. Very little effort is spent explaining the reasons why their favourite game is good as opposed to why the other game is trash. With the growth of the {{MOBA}} genre, this rivalry started to shift to the new contenders as well, such as ''VideoGame/Dota2'', ''VideoGame/{{Smite}}'', and ''VideoGame/HeroesOfTheStorm''. Indeed, while ''[=LoL=]'' and ''[=HoN=]'' might previously have been the heavy hitters in this rivalry, it might be more accurately summarized now as "fans of any MOBA vs. fans of every other MOBA free-for-all."
153** The arguments against each MOBA are as follows. ''Dota 2'' is a over-complicated, archaic dinosaur with more burden of knowledge than a PHD, ''League of Legends'' is focus-grouped, mass-marketed drivel for the sheep, ''Smite'' is a braindead action game posing as a real MOBA whose creators couldn't come up with their own characters, ''Heroes of Newerth'' is a bad ''Dota'' ripoff, ''Heroes of the Storm'' relies on Blizzard IP credo and casual carebear mechanics, and everyone else is just a joke that's going to be dead in a year or less. Needless to say, MOBA players ''already'' have a reputation for being [[InternetJerk toxic jackasses]], and FandomRivalry only makes things worse.
154** Oil gets put on a fire with the rise of ''Mobile'' MOBA. ''VideoGame/HonorOfKings'' and ''VideoGame/ArenaOfValor'' are one thing, but the most heated conflict would be between ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends: Wild Rift'' and ''VideoGame/MobileLegendsBangBang''. ''MLBB'' had a rocky start of getting hit with multiple lawsuits by Riot Games for being too much of a copycat, but has since tried to deviate more and found success in Southeast Asia. ''Wild Rift'' was a little late to the party, but it has the backing of the massive dedicated fandom of ''League'' from the PC side, and Moonton sometimes didn't help things when they tried to emulate ''League'' further skins-wise, therefore the suing occasionally continued. ''League'' fans ironically liked to accuse ''MLBB'' fans to be a "dumbed down MOBA" the same way they were accused by ''Dota'' fans, in addition to many "anti-Mobile" accusations (but still hoping that ''Wild Rift'' would crush ''MLBB'' for the sake of their brand), while ''MLBB'' thinks that they're already too ahead in the race, and that if ''Wild Rift'' is failing, then they only had Riot to blame for [[ItWillNeverCatchOn not going along with Tencent's idea of a "League for Mobile" format]] that [[StartMyOwn they had to make their own first and spent years of success to convince Riot]].
155* ''VideoGame/SamuraiWarriors'' vs. ''VideoGame/SengokuBasara'', due to both being HackAndSlash games based on the [[FeudalJapan Sengoku Era]]. It doesn't help that fans of their respective series view certain portrayals of some characters in one series as a TakeThat to their portrayal in the other.
156* A very old one that still persists among the retro community: ''VideoGame/{{Repton}}'' versus ''VideoGame/BoulderDash''. Made worse by the fact that they have completely different styles yet appear very similar on the surface, to the extent that non-fans often mistake them for clones.
157* The ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'' war between the Unlimited Blade Works and Heaven's Feel scenarios still hasn't boiled down. Whether it's a battle between the heroines: Rin is a strong, hardworking, independent woman vs. Rin is a cookie-cutter {{Tsundere}}; Sakura is a sympathetic, kind-hearted [[TheWoobie Woobie]] vs. Sakura is a boring [[NiceGuy Nice Girl]] FirstGirlWins. Shirou's ideals: It's impossible to save everyone, but it's beautiful to try anyways vs. ultra-dense LawfulStupid [[ImageBoards moralfag]]; It's better to realistically look at the world vs. moral relativism is for senseless 80s [[AntiHero Anti-Heroes]]. The quality of the narrative: An epic and hopeless supernatural brawl vs. standard {{Shonen}} plotline; A look at the darker aspects of the Grail War vs. two weeks of people dying and badly written sex scenes. What's worse is that any argument among [[Franchise/{{Nasuverse}} Type Lunatics]] tends to curve right back to where it began, resulting in an endless loop of "debate."
158* ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'':
159** Though it's more of a BrokenBase, Creator/{{Atlus}} fans can't seem to agree on whether the classic ''Shin Megami Tensei'' games or the newer games (such as ''VideoGame/Persona3'', ''VideoGame/Persona4'' and ''VideoGame/Persona5'') are better. Or whether ''Persona 3'' or ''Persona 4'' ([[VideoGameLongRunners etc. etc.]]) in general were better.
160** There is also the matter of general ''SMT'' fans shying away from the ''Franchise/{{Persona}}'' fandom (particularly anything starting from ''P3'' [[NewbieBoom for various]] [[SequelDisplacement reasons]]) due to their ignorance of other sub-series in the franchise or, [[FandomEnragingMisconception worse]], the erroneous belief that the mainline ''SMT'' games spun off from ''[[MorePopularSpinoff Persona]]'' (when it's quite obviously the other way around; the first ''VideoGame/{{Persona|1}}'' is set in the same continuity as ''[[VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIf if...]]'', for starters). On the opposite side, there are people complaining that ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIV'' is not ''VideoGame/Persona5''. Even some critics unfavorably compared ''IV'' to the ''Persona'' games and/or were guilty of the misconception that ''SMT'' was the spin-off (with one review managing to do both ''and'' employ the memetically derided "the ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'' of X" description). Needless to say, these were sentiments that ''SMT'' fans [[https://i.imgur.com/a7yuDhR.jpg were quick to]] [[https://www.reddit.com/r/Megaten/comments/11rv6bh/i_think_smt_iv_was_persona_without_heart/ poke fun at.]]
161*** A vocal segment of the main ''SMT'' series fandom considers the ''Persona'' series to not be [[NoTrueScotsman "real"]] ''Shin Megami Tensei'', and often dismisses the ''Persona'' fans as untalented newbies who wouldn't stand a chance in a mainline ''SMT'' game. Other spin-offs (''VideoGame/LastBible'', ''VideoGame/DevilSummoner'' [[VideoGame/SoulHackers and]] [[VideoGame/RaidouKuzunohaVsTheSoullessArmy its]] [[VideoGame/RaidouKuzunohaVsKingAbaddon related]] [[VideoGame/SoulHackers2 titles]], ''VideoGame/MajinTensei'', ''VideoGame/GitenMegamiTensei'', ''VideoGame/DigitalDevilSaga'', ''VideoGame/DevilSurvivor'', etc.) [[DoubleStandard rarely get the same treatment]], regardless of how (dis)similar they are to the mainline entries, be it gameplay mechanics, overall difficulty, or what have you. The only subseries that seems to get any comparable amount of heat from this crowd is ''VideoGame/DevilChildren'', with similar accusations of "dumbing down" the franchise as well as drawing ire for being a LighterAndSofter series [[AudienceShift aimed at a younger demographic]].
162*** Likewise, the aforementioned ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIV'' and [[VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIVApocalypse its direct follow-up]] are sometimes dismissed on the grounds of what purists would consider to be "selling out", drawing upon -- superficially, some would say -- aesthetics and themes more commonly associated with the modern ''Persona'' series[[labelnote:*]]"modern" as in ''VideoGame/Persona3'' and onward[[/labelnote]] in [[PanderingToTheBase an attempt]] to bring in new fans. All this, while still being self-referential and reliant on [[CallBack Call-Backs]] to previous ''SMT'' titles, leading to accusations of UncertainAudience. That ''IV'' is generally viewed as [[SequelDifficultyDrop the easiest of the main installments]] (EarlyGameHell notwithstanding) [[ItsEasySoItSucks adds more fuel to the fire]] for this camp.
163*** This all seems to have reached a nadir after the WebVideo/NintendoDirect on July 20th, 2020, where the announcement of an HD remaster of ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIIINocturne'' along with the release date for ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiV'' came under ''heavy'' fire from fans who wanted a [[Platform/NintendoSwitch Switch]] port of ''P5''. The rest of the collective ''SMT'' fanbase -- including other ''Persona'' fans confused/embarrassed by the outrage -- were to quick to call out these individuals for their entitlement. The kicker? ''[[UpdatedRerelease Persona 5 Royal]]'' would, along with ''Persona 3 Portable'' and ''Persona 4 Golden'', get ported to the Switch, Xbox consoles, ''and'' PC in October of 2022 (with ''[=P3P=]'' and ''[=P4G=]'' also being made available on the [=PS4=] and [=PS5=]), making the outroar completely unnecessary.
164*** Interestingly, the release of both ''IV: Apocalypse'' and ''V'' [[ContestedSequel ended up]] {{vindicat|edByHistory}}ing ''IV'' to some extent; while ''Apocalypse'' and ''V'' are generally agreed to be marked improvements over ''IV'' in terms of gameplay, they're also noted to suffer in the story department, with ''Apocalypse'' being seen as [[ClicheStorm too tropey]] ''and'' too much of a shakeup from the usual series conventions whereas ''V'' is deemed to have [[RandomEventsPlot a very minimalistic narrative]] (that some even decried as an [[TheyCopiedItSoItSucks inferior]] [[RecycledScript rehash]] of ''Nocturne'') and [[FlatCharacter an even more underdeveloped cast]]. ''IV'' -- which [[OnlyTheCreatorDoesItRight at least]] was based upon the drafts of ''SMT'' co-creator and longtime contributor Kazuma Kaneko -- underwent many reappraisals as a result, and nowadays is more favorably regarded as a flawed but respectable attempt at modernizing the series and the last installment of its golden age. [[ToughActToFollow A lot of the earlier rivalry the fourth game faced was as a result of what had come before it rather than what it was]], starting its own intra-franchise rivalry in the process.
165** Within ''Persona'' itself, ''VideoGame/Persona3'' itself has several.
166*** One intense example aside from the usual "''3'' vs. ''4'' vs. ''5''" or "pre-''3'' vs. post-''3''" debate is ''Persona 3 FES'' vs. ''Persona 3 Portable''. Both are [[UpdatedRerelease Updated Re-releases]], and both feature their own bonus extended content compared to vanilla (new PlayableEpilogue ''The Answer''[[labelnote:*]]''Episode Aigis'' in Japan[[/labelnote]] for the former and [[SchrodingersPlayerCharacter the female route]] for the latter). [[TakeAThirdOption While many fans enjoy both for what they are]] (and in fact wish that there was a version of the game that combined the best aspects of ''FES'' and ''Portable''), [[VocalMinority more militant supporters of one version]] have a bad habit of taking potshots at the other. One camp considers ''FES'' superior thanks to full 3D environments, animated movie clips, and challenging gameplay mechanics truly in line with other ''SMT'' entries, and bashes ''Portable'' for the "lazy" VisualNovel presentation, [[ItsEasySoItSucks lessened difficulty]], and being "''[[RomanceGame otome]]'' bait." Another camp defends ''Portable'' for being more accessible (at least when playing on actual hardware), having fairer game mechanics for players new to ''Persona'', and its more well-received female route, and bashes ''FES'' for its fans' elitist attitude, FakeDifficulty, and (despite the 3D environments) its very slow and clunky navigation. Not helping matters was ''Portable'', and not ''FES'', being the version of ''3'' that was remastered for [[MediaNotes/TheEighthGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames eighth-]] and [[MediaNotes/TheNinthGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames ninth-generation consoles]] (despite ''FES'' having been previously made available for download on the [=PS3=]), further heating up this rivalry... though both sides formed a truce of sorts and dunked upon the remaster upon learning how much of a PortingDisaster it was.
167*** Then came the announcement of ''VideoGame/Persona3Reload'', starting another rivalry before the game was even released -- this time focused on fans excited to see ''Persona 3'' get the full-on VideoGameRemake treatment and fans soured by, once again, the exclusion of bonus content found in previous versions. The former side is highly defensive and accuses the latter as whiny, ruining the fun for everyone looking forward to it. The latter snipes back against the former for being willing to pay $70 for something that is not even "definitive" (whereas ''FES'' actually cost ''less'' than the original[[labelnote:*]]When ''Persona 3 FES'' was released in the West roughly ten months after the original, it was at the discounted price of $29.99. (By comparison, new [=PS2=] titles were typically priced at $49.99.) Furthermore, while both the full retail release of ''FES'' in Japan and its international version bundled together the original game and new content on a single disc, Japanese consumers had the option of buying a standalone (and lower-priced) "Append" disc that allowed them to access any ''FES''-exclusive content if they already owned the original game.[[/labelnote]]) and for kicking down fans that genuinely liked the bonus content and were looking forward to them also getting the modern remake treatment, ''especially'' the fans of the female MC and all the exclusives found in ''Portable''. The female MC side eventually got it even worse when DummiedOut content for ''Reload'' pointed to the likely possibility ''The Answer'' would be coming as DLC -- which would be [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRIkpLo42GM officially confirmed]] barely a month after the game's release -- and WordOfGod confirmed there would not be any UpdatedRerelease for ''Reload''. More fuel was added to the fire by [[https://i.redd.it/02wmo97jwsmc1.jpeg a leak]] alleging Atlus would not be including ''any'' story content from ''Portable'' as DLC (an allegation that would likewise be confirmed soon after in a developer interview given by P-Studio's chief director Kazuhisa Wada), leading to some ''Portable''/[=FeMC=] fans becoming extremely bitter and swearing off ''Reload'' entirely while more mean-spirited individuals on the other side of the fence were all too happy to laugh at their misfortune of having their preferred story elements relegated to a less favorable version of ''Persona 3''.
168*** The above points are only exacerbated by debate surrounding ''The Answer'', as it remained [[BrokenBase a contentious topic of discussion]] long after the release of ''FES'' and long before the announcement of ''Reload'' (and even after years of plot and character analysis helped {{vindicate|dByHistory}} its standing among the fandom). Fans of ''The Answer'' hold its storytelling in high regard, seeing its narrative as having stronger theming after what happened in ''The Journey'' and believing this new PlayableEpilogue to be a fitting (if not {{bittersweet|Ending}}) end to the ''P3'' story. Less charitable views of ''The Answer'', however, denounce it as needless melodrama wherein most of S.E.E.S. is acting widely out of character for the sake of [[ConflictBall a contrived conflict]] that ultimately does nothing to [[spoiler:undo the protagonist's death at the end of ''The Journey'']], only allowing the cast to come to terms with it. This is to say nothing of the gameplay, which has a much greater focus on dungeon crawling compared to the main game and several {{Scrappy Mechanic}}s to go around (such as the lack of the Persona Compendium), meaning even defenders of the story were likely to bemoan the experiences leading up to the various narrative beats as an exercise in tedium. This opened up a multitude of arguments over whether the absence of ''The Answer'' in ''Portable'' was a strike against that version, if a future remake could fully do ''The Answer'' justice, if ''The Answer'' even deserved to be included in any remakes, and so on, with [[FlipFlopOfGod Atlus' apparent waffling on the matter]][[labelnote:*]]pre-release, ''Reload'' was claimed to only be a remake of vanilla ''P3'' and therefore would not include ''The Answer'', with many being skeptical that these claims would hold up due to ''Reload'' featuring other ''FES'' content like the optional Elizabeth hangout events/dates[[/labelnote]] only further fanning the flames.
169*** Speaking of the female MC, there's the whole MC fandom rivalry -- which arguably deserves a page to itself. ''Persona 3'' prioritizes the male MC in the main continuity, since the game was initially released with just him. In fact, ''Persona 3 Portable'' recommends playing his story first to see how the original story plays out, while most crossovers between ''P3'' and subsequent games tend to [[CuttingOffTheBranches omit the female MC entirely]] (with ''VideoGame/{{Persona Q2|NewCinemaLabyrinth}}'' establishing she is, in fact, an AlternateSelf of the male MC [[AlternateUniverse from her own world]]). Despite this, many players praised her exclusive content in ''Portable'', ranging from different music to different character perception on account of her gender to -- perhaps most importantly -- the ability to Social Link with the male party members, an opportunity the male MC does not have in his route. (In fact, much like how ''Persona 3'' was many players' {{gateway|Series}} into the greater ''SMT'' franchise, the female route of ''[=P3P=]'' was certain demographics' first foray into ''P3''.) Like above, while the SilentMajority of players likes ''both'' protagonists and, at worst, express dissatisfaction from time to time with how often the [=FeMC=] gets shafted in spin-offs, there are various (and quite {{vocal|Minority}}) factions involved that cause discussions surrounding this matter to turn ''very'' hostile in record time. [[labelnote:(Further context.)]]'''1)''' At its "tamest", female MC fans that dislike the male MC consider him boring, dislike his (comparatively) distant dynamics with the team, dislike most of the male protagonist-exclusive Social Links, and even poke fun at his forced harem as a consequence of the old Social Link system (which did not have an option to keep relationships platonic). Conversely, male MC fans that dislike the female MC strike back by calling out how she's non-canon to the mainline games' timeline, how she doesn't fit with the game's theme, how she held back the game's development (and even blame her for ''The Answer'' getting nixed), how overrated she is, how annoying her more ardent fans can be (something that only worsened with ''Reload''), and how her fans indirectly "support offenders" because one of her Social Links allows the player to romance Ken, a middle schooler (despite the English version downplaying the romantic aspects of their relationship). '''2)''' For better or worse, [=FeMC=] fans in general are known for their passion and dedication. For example, certain fans took great pains to mod her into ''VideoGame/Persona3DancingInMoonlight'' as well as modify all ''FES'' cutscenes to replace the male MC with the [=FeMC=] and even adapt alternative scenes, all made to be modded into all versions of ''Persona 3 Portable'' (which lacks the animated movies) -- an effort that impressed the rest of the fandom. Unfortunately, various members of this group had a tendency of being offended whenever the [=FeMC=] was left out from any official ''P3'' (or series-wide) promotion. Due to the smaller source material pool, there are also many in this group who are FanworkOnlyFans, leading to accusations that [=FeMC=] fans in general [[MisaimedFandom are just fans of the character and not the game]]. '''3)''' Then there are [=FeMC=] fans who believe that Atlus (and even longtime series director Katsura Hashino) hate her and will never again attempt a female protagonist in future mainline ''Persona'' games due to sexism/misogyny, simply because of how the character is treated, in turn leading to accusations of misandry being levied against them. This also overlaps with how Western progressives are lumped in with her fandom, with this group accusing Atlus of all manner of "political incorrectness" by excluding her from ''Reload''. This leaves other female MC fans, those who like her for her actual game content, without being backed by identity politics and who don't go to these extremes whenever the character is "excluded", in the uneviable position of explaining that they are not like this as a whole.[[/labelnote]] This reached a boiling point with the Expansion Pass announcement for ''Reload''; while some fans (particularly those with backgrounds in business and game development) tried to give a more rational justification as to why Atlus would not invest in remaking the female route from ''Portable''[[labelnote:*]]bringing up Atlus' troubled financial history pre-Sega acquisition, WordOfGod that the female route was only made as the extra gimmick for the original ''Portable'' release, the multiple projects Atlus were working on at the time (most notably ''VideoGame/MetaphorReFantazio'' and ''Persona 6'') while the studio was also expressing interest in more remakes, etc.; many of these would line up with [[https://www.reddit.com/r/PERSoNA/comments/1b9mp3f/wada_confirms_more_remakes_and_why_femc_wasnt/ Wada's official statement on the matter]][[/labelnote]], leading many others to take a more nuanced stance of expressing disappointment over the [=FeMC=] once again being AdaptedOut but understanding the reasons behind the decision (and appreciating that Atlus was at least transparent about it), the most fervent critics countered that since ''Reload'' managed to sell millions in its first month alone with a $70 price tag and was now promoting post-launch DLC (including the remade ''The Answer/Episode Aigis''), this much exposure should have at least incentivized Atlus to "complete" the game with [=FeMC=] content instead of just stopping there. The divide could best seen in the ''Persona'' [[Website/{{Reddit}} subreddit]], with the debate causing the subreddit to splinter and more resentful [=FeMC=] fans begrudgingly distancing themselves from the rest of the fandom as a result.
170*** Another example related to the ''P3'' female MC is her fans duking it out with fans of Maya, the MC of ''VideoGame/Persona2: Eternal Punishment''. The latter side hates how the former side almost always includes the ''P3'' [=FeMC=] in memes, fan art, or discussions about the ''Persona'' sub-series as a whole as if she was unique when Maya came first. The former camp defends that the ''P3'' [=FeMC=] fans have the right to voice their preference, given that both characters are ignored by Atlus outside marketing, non-mainline releases/updates, or minor references anyway. A third, relatively neutral camp points out that this is hardly a phenomenon exclusive to either lead, as most aspects of the series pre-''P3'' rarely get referenced in later games (with some memes actually resulting from how this chapter of the series' history is often excluded). Some in this group also make tongue-in-cheek comments about how neither girl was truly first, as they both were preceded by the protagonist of ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIf'' (who is canonically female according to the original ''VideoGame/Persona1'').
171*** ''Reload'' itself also ended up in a rivalry against fans of the original releases of ''P3'' in general, in an OldGuardVersusNewBlood way. One can be forgiven for thinking that the former side treats ''Reload'' as a SacredCow, because they are, to reiterate, ''highly defensive'' to the level not seen since the original release of ''Persona 5'', bashing the older fans for ruining the fun with their criticisms, especially regarding the English voice cast changes and the altered content to be "suitable for current times." Fans of the original releases also have the right to criticize ''Reload'' fans' behavior for being insufferable and taking pretty much every executive decision without question, including all manner of condescending PanderingToTheBase aspects like the use of ContentWarnings when the originals did not have such and taking out the "Pretty lady?" gag from the Operation Babe Hunt scene to please the LGBTFanbase. This is not without precedent, as they have hated how far more westernized Atlus and Creator/{{Sega}} have become in recent years, causing much of the genuine Japanese feel of the games to be lost. [[labelnote:Explanation for full context.]]This is not a different language issue either. As of late 2010s, more Japanese corporations have agreed to change their content starting with ''the original Japanese language release'' to appease global standards, "global" here being biased towards the United States' ideologies (usually California's), alienating consumers that want to experience content as culturally genuine as possible. This means that, no matter the region, the intent has always been there. As an example, [[https://i.redd.it/9v5w24an5chc1.png this screenshot]] from a Creator/{{Capcom}} presentation shows a bizarre ValuesDissonance where even the Japanese standards have become no different from the West, with emphasis on not offending the LGBTQ and on avoiding tropes like DamselInDistress while using ''VideoGame/TheLastOfUsPartII'' and ''[[VideoGame/TombRaider2013 Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition]]'', both non-Japanese works, as "proper" examples of female character presentation. The Japanese in particular have voiced their contempt at this practice, with Sega coming under fire from those on ''both'' sides of the Pacific in early 2024 after promoting an article explaining how localizers for ''VideoGame/LikeADragonInfiniteWealth'' were involved in their handling (and toning down) of the game's content.[[/labelnote]] ''Persona 3 Reload'' turned out to be an example of "the change has always been in the Japanese version", adding more fuel to the fire. This only worsened with the confirmation that ''The Answer'' would be DLC, meaning ''FES'' itself was immediately rendered obsolete in the eyes of many fans. This caused certain old school fans to criticize this business practice (on top of the divisive $70 price tag for the base game to begin with -- as noted above, ''FES'' was actually released at a budget price compared to the original in most territories) in addition to the aforementioned "modernization" and fandom newcomer behavior. Certain newer fans, in turn, would dismiss their opposition as being blinded by NostalgiaFilter or simply {{troll}}ing/making arguments in bad faith.
172** For that matter, there's also a bit of heat between fans of ''Shin Megami Tensei'' and the ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' series, the debates usually ranging to accusing one side of either being [[SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism too dark, or too soft]]. The both of them being [[CashCowFranchise well-selling]], long-lasting {{Mon}}s series, and having an undying ''love'' for spin-offs doesn't help any.
173%% Reminder that Examples Are Not Recent, especially where edits about P3 Reload are concerned.
174%% Additionally, the entire SMT section may need to be moved to its own page due to length, a la Pokémon.
175* ''Franchise/FireEmblem'':
176** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'' and ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'' fans [[OldGuardVersusNewBlood vs.]] fans of earlier ''Fire Emblem'' games, the pre-GBA titles in particular (with special note going to ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemShadowDragonAndTheBladeOfLight Shadow Dragon]]'', ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemMysteryOfTheEmblem Mystery of the Emblem]]'', and ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemGenealogyOfTheHolyWar Genealogy of the Holy War]]''). This is mostly due to changes in writing and gameplay. Newer fans tend to be stereotyped as obsessed with "waifus", while older fans tend to be stereotyped as elitists mad about the series being popular.
177** There's a rivalry between fans of ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'' and ''VideoGame/FireEmblemEngage'', considering that the two are almost polar opposites. ''Three Houses'' is [[DarkerAndEdgier one of the darkest entries in the series]], with heavy emphasis on the story and many options for character customization, while ''Engage'' is LighterAndSofter, has far less emphasis on the story, and has more standard ''Fire Emblem'' gameplay (albeit with the new Engage mechanic). People who liked ''Three Houses'', especially [[NewbieBoom those who got into the series with that game]], are often disappointed by ''Engage''[='s=] [[ClicheStorm more clichéd story]] and less interesting characters, while those who found ''Three Houses'' to be disappointing in terms of gameplay or [[TooBleakStoppedCaring found the story to be too dark]] saw ''Engage'' as a return to form.
178** There's also a rivalry between fans of ''Engage'' and ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'', specifically the ''Conquest'' route of the latter. Both games have a reputation for [[PlayTheGameSkipTheStory strong gameplay and comparatively weak stories]], but fans of ''Fates'' argue that for all its flaws, it has a better concept than ''Engage'', while ''Engage'' fans argue that it owned its cheesiness, unlike ''Fates''.
179** Then there's ''Fire Emblem'' versus... any [[CultClassic niche]] Nintendo fandom, from ''VideoGame/KidIcarus'' to ''VideoGame/FZero''. Many fans of these types of series hate ''Fire Emblem'' for being an attention sink of sorts after the success of ''Awakening'' and often engage in the same manner of stereotyping. This also carries over to ''[[VideoGame/SuperSmashBros Smash Bros.]]'' due to the number of fighters ''Fire Emblem'' has [[note]]8 unique fighters as of ''[[VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate Ultimate]]'', giving the series [[SpotlightStealingCrossover the third highest number of reps]] behind ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' and ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}''[[/note]], although non-''Fire Emblem'' fans are far more likely to complain about new fighters from ''Fire Emblem'' games [[{{Dualvertisement}} less than a year old]] than ones from games that were out for at least a few years [[note]]as evidenced by the relatively neutral response [[VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening Lucina and Robin]] got when added to ''[[VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosForNintendo3DSAndWiiU Smash 4]]'', compared to the negative response [[VideoGame/FireEmblemFates Corrin]] got when added to the same game or the ''worse'' reaction to [[VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses Byleth's]] [[DownloadableContent inclusion]] in ''Ultimate''; the one exception to this is [[VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBindingBlade Roy]], who [[EarlyBirdCameo literally]] [[MarthDebutedInSmashBros made his debut]] in ''Smash Bros.''[[/note]]. It's worse with fans of ''VideoGame/ChibiRobo'', ''VideoGame/RhythmHeaven'', ''VideoGame/GoldenSun'', and ''VideoGame/PanelDePon'', which have no fighter representation at all and are lucky to appear as [[AssistCharacter Assist Trophies]].
180** Many other turn-based strategy fandoms hate ''Fire Emblem'' fans for similar reasons. However, special mention goes to ''[[VideoGame/NintendoWars Advance Wars]]'', which was also developed by Creator/IntelligentSystems. Things only worsened when IS admitted the ''Wars'' series was on hiatus because they couldn't figure out how to implement ''Fire Emblem''[='s=] relationship mechanics into a new installment and ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses Three Houses]]'' "borrowed" the concept of squads of unnamed soldiers (thus igniting fears of the ''Wars'' franchise being seen as "redundant" in comparison to ''FE''), though this has actually garnered sympathy from the (relatively low number of) ''FE'' fans who ''are'' aware of the predicament. Only with the surprise announcement of [[VideoGameRemake a remake]] of the first two ''Advance Wars'' at [[UsefulNotes/ElectronicEntertainmentExpo E3 2021]] [[ThrowTheDogABone did the divide begin to heal]].
181* Creator/ArtixEntertainment fans seem to have a bit of a hatred for ''VideoGame/RuneScape''. ''[=RuneScape=]'' fans [[UnknownRival might not even be aware of this rivalry]].
182** Perhaps one of the reasons is that it's not uncommon to move from ''[=RuneScape=]'' to Creator/ArtixEntertainment (being that both games are free-to-play [[RolePlayingGame RPGs]] with a bit of comedy involved, and the resemblances are even closer with ''VideoGame/AdventureQuestWorlds'' now in place), and thus the old animosity that the old ''RS'' fans have carry over to AE.
183* A surprisingly large number of ''VideoGame/{{Jak|AndDaxter}}'' fans and ''Franchise/RatchetAndClank'' fans absolutely despise each other, claiming one game ripped off of the other, despite [[Creator/NaughtyDog the]] [[Creator/InsomniacGames developers]] being good friends and business partners. The fact that the characters have starred in [[VideoGame/PlayStationMoveHeroes games]] [[VideoGame/PlayStationAllStarsBattleRoyale together]] shows how nonsensical this hatred really is. Thankfully, the [[FriendlyFandoms opposite sentiment]] is quite strong thanks to the aforementioned friendly relations between developers, particularly among players in the [=PS2=] era who transferred over from [[VideoGame/CrashBandicoot their]] [[Franchise/SpyroTheDragon predecessors]] (which had much more cordial interactions).
184* ''VideoGame/DarkSoulsI'' and ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'' are both high-fantasy [=RPGs=] that came out around the same time. The debate usually boils down to [=JRPGs=] vs. [=WRPGs=] (despite ''Dark Souls'' being styled much like a WRPG) and old school challenge vs. open world fun. It doesn't help that various video game media sites and magazines kept fanning the flames of the "rivalry" between the two games prior to release, and that there are very vocal and ''very'' annoying haters of the opposing game on both sides of the spectrum. ''Dark Souls'' fans bash ''Skyrim'' for being too "boring and cliché" while ''Skyrim'' fans bash ''Dark Souls'' fans for being "too difficult and confusing". Fans who like ''both'' games are labelled "traitors" and are effectively stuck between a rock and a hard place.
185** Likewise [=JRPG=]s vs [=CRPG=]s (Classic [=RPGs=]) are a hot topic; with the latter often accusing the former of being too simplified/linear and overly focused on repetitive grinding; and the former accusing the latter of encouraging exploitable builds over strategy and build-gating content for replay value, amongst many other arguments.
186* ''Franchise/{{Touhou|Project}}'' fandom gets some hate from the more general ShootEmUp fandom for [[EnjoyTheStorySkipTheGame focusing too much on lore and non-fan game fan works and not enough on the games]], and the games themselves being mechanically simplistic. When the ''Touhou'' fans actually notice, they generally respond that the other games have boring, ugly patterns and mediocre writing.
187** ''Touhou'' fans have a rivalry with other similar games over the matter of which is better (and the fact that most are trying to FollowTheLeader).
188** There's also a rivalry between them and ''VideoGame/KanColle'' over the matter of general popularity and the fact that various ''Touhou'' fan artists have instead switched to doing art of the latter series, irritating the former's fans. ''Touhou'' fans are fond of calling the girls in that barely characterized while ''Kantai'' fans are fond of saying ''Touhou'' is the same.
189** Within the general shmup fandom, fans of "old-school" shooters vs. fans of BulletHell shooters and modern shooters in general, particularly those by Creator/{{CAVE}}. The former hate newer shmups for featuring girly-girl ships and characters [[note]]The Element Dolls and Element Daughters[[/note]] instead of the more military- and sci-fi-themed visuals of older games and dismiss their high bullet counts as cutting corners. Meanwhile, danmaku fans scoff at more classical shooters for having drab visuals and being too boring to play because they don't have enough bullets on-screen.
190** Another kind of intra-fandom rivalry is between Japanese-style shooters and Western-style shooters (known pejoratively as "euroshmups") such as ''VideoGame/{{Tyrian}}'', ''VideoGame/RaptorCallOfTheShadows'' and ''VideoGame/JetsNGuns''. The former dismisses "euroshmups" as a mess that's either too easy or too hard, rely more on equipment and grinding instead of skills, have no such thing as hitboxes, and awkward controls, while the former feels that the latter are as linear and as deep as ''Videogame/CallOfDuty'' that arcade shooters are [[ItsHardSoItSucks too unforgiving]]. The overwhelming popularity of BulletHell shmups in recent years has made it worse, as fans of the traditional Western shmups disdain danmaku games for having a greater focus towards playing for score and producing artificial difficulty by simply having enemies spamming the screen with lots of projectiles rather than actual level design challenge in the vein of certain shmups like ''VideoGame/RType''. Both camps are very defensive of their opinions.
191** Within the fandom itself lies PC-98 versus Windows. Go on, ''[[FandomEnragingMisconception just try and tell a 98er that all the games before the sixth weren't canon]]''.
192** Also, Creator/{{CAVE}} vs. Creator/EightingRaizing. It should be noted this isn't much of a rivalry as CAVE outlasted the latter and some of the latter's staff joined CAVE afterwards, resulting in games like ''VideoGame/{{Ibara}}''.
193** CAVE vs. other shooter developers. Some hail CAVE as the gods of 2D shooters, especially as they were the last active commercial 2D shooter for years until the company's restructuring in 2013, while others feel that CAVE games aren't that great and overshadow every other excellent shoot-em-up, except maybe those by Creator/{{Treasure}}.
194* ''VideoGame/Left4Dead'' fans VS ''VideoGame/Left4Dead2'' fans. In the camp of ''[=L4D1=]'', people will claim that the game has a darker feel, better characters, less bugs, and doesn't have the silly amount of guns or melee weapons or new special infected that the sequel has. In the camp of ''[=L4D2=]'', people will tout that the sequel is better due to having more variety in guns and zombies, better designed levels, corner camping being less viable, and more game modes to play in. Any mention over which games is better or just mentioning the infamous ''Left 4 Dead 2'' boycott will bring both camps together armed with flaming pitchforks.
195* ''VideoGame/HalfLife'' fans vs. ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}'' fans. Valve set the latter in the ''Half-Life'' universe, and Aperture Science (the facility in ''Portal'') became rivals of Black Mesa (the facility in ''Half-Life''). In addition, ''VideoGame/HalfLife2: Episode Two'' featured a discovery of an Aperture research vessel, Borealis, with Eli Vance vowing to destroy it "whatever it takes", and in ''VideoGame/Portal2'' Cave Johnson implies Black Mesa stole Aperture Science's corporate secrets and made profit of them themselves. While some fan circles do seem to get in an argument whether Aperture Science or Black Mesa is "better", most of them became fans of both, destroying the trope.
196* ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'' and ''VideoGame/TheWitcher''. Both are very competently made western [=RPGs=], both have DarkerAndEdgier settings, and both [[DeconstructedTrope explore]] a variety of mature themes, such as loyalty, [[FantasticRacism racism]], sides in conflict, and [[GreyAndGrayMorality complex morals]]. ''The Witcher'' fans argue for the game's more interesting setting, well-written story and beautiful graphics, while ''Dragon Age'' fans argue for the game's fast-paced tactical combat, more approachable and likeable characters and more polished look and feel.
197* ''VideoGame/TetrisTheGrandMaster'' vs. ''VideoGame/{{Tetris}}'' in general. The former tends to have a difficult time playing the latter -- not necessarily because ItsEasySoItSucks, but because they run into issues such as [[DamnYouMuscleMemory different (and forced) control schemes and changes in gameplay mechanics that make switching from TGM very annoying]]. The latter tends to dismiss ''TGM'' as [[ItsHardSoItSucks too hard to play]] after having watched some infamous videos on [=YouTube=] -- doesn't help that the ''TGM ''series, outside of the mildly known ''TGM'' clone ''[[http://code.google.com/p/nullpomino NullpoMino]]'', is arcade-only and [[NoExportForYou never saw an overseas release]] (and most likely never will due to some ExecutiveMeddling on both the developer's part and The Tetris Company's part).
198** Games rewarding T-Spins on versus, most notably ''Tetris DS'', have been very polarizing for straying away from the original Tetris formula and de-emphasizing Tetrises. Nonetheless, there are players who enjoy playing games with T-Spins competitively.
199* In [[UsefulNotes/AssociationFootball soccer]] SportsGame, it's Creator/ElectronicArts' ''VideoGame/FIFASoccer'' series vs. Creator/{{Konami}}'s ''Winning Eleven/Pro Evolution Soccer''. The former is criticized for being too ''easy'' to score a goal while the latter is criticized for being too ''difficult'' to score a goal.
200** GOD HELP YOU IF YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THIS WITH BRAZILIANS! [[note]]Soccer is one of the most famous sports in Brazil and because of that, the rivalry is even bigger there.[[/note]] Once a guy [[https://twitter.com/edu_rodgs/status/1594732708034646016 decided to make a joke]] regarding one team not kicking on goal at UsefulNotes/TheWorldCup, heated debates started on the designated button for kicking (on [=PlayStation=], ''PES'' uses square, ''FIFA'' circle, with opposing one used for crossing).
201* ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'' and ''VideoGame/{{Terraria}}'' fans are something of a mixed bag between this and FriendlyFandoms. ''Minecraft'' fans have accused ''Terraria'' of being a ripoff of ''Minecraft'', but in 2D, while ''Terraria'' fans shot back at ''Minecraft'' for copying from ''Terraria'' after its release and being a shallower game. This rivalry has become rarer however as both Mojang and Re-Logic have given a ShoutOut or two to each other in their respective games. It also didn't help keep the rivalry going that, aside from a block based world, the two didn't really have that much in common, with ''Minecraft'' being a 3D building sim, and ''Terraria'' being a call-back to old platformers and {{Metroidvania}}s. Thus fans of both games now tend to direct their animosity towards more similar games instead. However, the rivalry still pops up occasionally.
202** ''VideoGame/{{Roblox}}''. People on ''Roblox'' forums get banned easily when they say that ''MC'' is better, or sometimes even when [[HeWhoMustNotBeNamed they just say the word]] ''Minecraft''. [[EnemyMine They briefly teamed up to take down SOPA, however.]]
203* ''VideoGame/DiabloIII'' vs. ''VideoGame/TorchlightII'', the [[ScheduleSlip long-awaited]] sequel to a classic franchise and the sequel to the SpiritualSuccessor to that same franchise created in the interim, both released in the same year. While many fans on either side will recognize the merits of the other, they're ''just'' different enough that it's hard for anyone to enjoy both.
204* ''Manga/InitialD Arcade Stage'' vs. ''VideoGame/WanganMidnight'' Both are arcade racers based on manga franchises that cover the topic of illegal street racing, so it's easy to see where that one's coming from.
205* ''VideoGame/RidgeRacer'' vs. ''VideoGame/ProjectGothamRacing'', for the supremacy of arcade, non-kart, racing games for console.
206** And, in TheNineties, ''Ridge Racer'' vs. ''VideoGame/DaytonaUSA''. The series's fans used to not get along at all, but the [[GuestFighter appearance]] of ''Daytona''[='s=] Hornet in the PS Vita release of ''Ridge Racer'' seems to have toned down the feud.
207* Speaking of racing games, there is a ''major'' fandom feud between arcade racing games (e.g. ''VideoGame/RidgeRacer'', ''VideoGame/NeedForSpeed'', ''VideoGame/{{Wipeout}}'', ''VideoGame/MarioKart'') and more serious, simulation-oriented racing games (e.g. ''VideoGame/GranTurismo'', ''VideoGame/{{Forza}}'', ''VideoGame/ProjectCARS'', ''Assetto Corsa''). The former decry the latter as a bunch of smug hyper-elitists who don't want the least amount of fun in their games and slam the steep entry curve most racing simulators have ([[CrackIsCheaper especially when you take into account the price of a full sim racing setup]]), while the latter considers the former as nothing more than nostalgia-blinded freaks who can't appreciate the depth most modern-day racing sims have to save their lives.
208* Within ''VideoGame/TheSims'' fandom, there is a notable rivalry between fans of ''VideoGame/TheSims2'' and ''VideoGame/TheSims3''. Fans of ''2'' think it is better due to being able to control all of the neighbourhood, it's less glitchy, and that it wasn't as much as a CashCowFranchise as ''3'' was, and also think that Sims from the sequel look creepy. Meanwhile, fans of ''3'' think the previous game is [[GameBreakingBug very prone to corruption]], prefer to stick with one family, and enjoy some new things ''3'' brought, such as [[AnInteriorDesignerIsYou Create-a-Style]], Life Stage length adjusters and more versatile outfits.
209** ''VideoGame/TheSims4'' only made it worse. Fans of ''[[EnemyMine both 2 and 3]]'' loathe ''4'' for lacking stuff like toddlers and pools at launch. There's also a worry about the emphasis on young adult characters.
210* Some people despise linearity in games, and only play {{Wide Open Sandbox}}es, while looking down on anyone playing anything even remotely linear as a child who needs their hand held the whole time so that he doesn't get lost. And the other side argues sandbox games give the player ''[[QuicksandBox too]]'' much freedom to the point of being [[GuideDangIt confusing]], while also making it more difficult to tell a coherent story. Overlaps with AmericansHateTingle and GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff, as Japan tends to prefer linearity while Westerners prefer openness.
211** It's rare but the opposition would accuse sandbox fans of the same thing since sandbox games can be played "without any real consequences" since dying doesn't actually mean much.
212* Fans of Take Two's ''NFL [=2K=]'' series have had it in for ''VideoGame/MaddenNFL'' ever since EA purchased the exclusive NFL license and drove the former franchise off the market.
213* ''VideoGame/{{Freespace}}'' fans vs ''VideoGame/WingCommander'' fans, although both fandoms treat it as more of a friendly rivalry anymore (that there is a major ''Wing Commander'' mod for ''Freespace'' is telling). ''Freespace'' fans and ''Battlecruiser 3000 AD'' fans had a more bitter enmity, mainly due to an incident where ''Battlecruiser's'' creator made a bid for buying ''Freespace's'' license, and the resulting FlameWar.
214** And you can toss fans of the ''VideoGame/XWing'' series in for good measure. The fan rivalry between ''VideoGame/WingCommander'' and ''X-wing'' especially got quite heated.
215*** And then you have ''VideoGame/XWing'' vs. ''VideoGame/TIEFighter'' vs. ''VideoGame/XWingVsTIEFighter'' vs. ''VideoGame/XWingAlliance''...
216* Within the BeatEmUp genre, ''VideoGame/FinalFight'' vs. ''VideoGame/StreetsOfRage''. Notable for being yet another extension of the Nintendo-Sega MediaNotes/ConsoleWars.
217* Within the ''Franchise/StarFox'' franchise, those who played ''VideoGame/StarFox1'' vs. those who started with ''VideoGame/StarFox64'' vs those who like ''VideoGame/StarFoxAdventures'' [[RuleOfThree vs.]] those who prefer ''VideoGame/StarFoxAssault'' [[OverlyLongGag vs.]] those who '''dared''' to call ''VideoGame/StarFoxCommand'' a good game, or even [[FanonDiscontinuity consider it canon]] [[note]]though this particular example has actually fallen victim to CanonDiscontinuity[[/note]] vs. those who dared to say that ''VideoGame/StarFoxZero'' isn't that bad. Depending on which side you are on you may or may not find that members of other [[BrokenBase base fragments]] actually team up on you.
218* Most users on Steam's ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' forums hate anything Mario or Sonic. Just ''the mere mentioning of them'' will cause users to go into a frenzy. Website/YouTube and Website/DeviantArt ''[=TF2=]'' fans don't mind Mario or Sonic, though.
219** Rather odd as the users of the Workshop showed heavy support for having the Mario-expy hat in the game, and eventually got it in.
220* ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot'' has rivalries between people who accept all of the games, people who like everything except the Radical Entertainment games, people who like everything except ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot4ItsAboutTime'', people who ''hate'' anything post-Naughty Dog, and people who like the Radical games but don't like the rest.
221* ''VideoGame/DungeonsAndDragonsOnline'' deserves a mention for its fanbase's inter-medium rivalry with that of pen-and-paper ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''. The reasons for the dispute are varied and the disdain is not universal (some people [[FriendlyFandoms enjoy both]]), but common criticisms include the game not emulating the experience of a D&D campaign well enough, being too derivative of ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft''/other [=MMOs=] in general, having too much pay-to-unlock content[[note]]most of which can be unlocked in-game on a per server basis free of charge, but that rarely factors in.[[/note]], and so on.
222* Zynga vs Kabam on Facebook. Especially with players of games like Kabam's ''Kingdoms of Camelot'' who look down on ''VideoGame/FarmVille'' and its siblings. "If you don't want to get attacked, go play ''[=FarmVille=]''."
223* The Platform/SegaSaturn and Platform/SegaDreamcast fall under both this trope and FriendlyFandoms. While many fans appreciate both systems, there are others who will not just favor one over the other, but also hold one of them responsible for either the death of Sega (usually the Saturn but sometimes the Dreamcast) or 2D as an important focal point (there are still a lot of sour grapes over Bernie Stolar killing the Saturn early). While the Dreamcast is an all-around respected console, highly regarded for its online connectivity, ease of development and jaw-dropping 3D, there are many who prefer the Saturn, which had many {{Arcade Perfect Port}}s of 2 games (including shmups and fighters), unique (and increasingly rare) games including some highly competent 3D games, and one of the best gamepads of all time.
224* ''Franchise/BlazBlue: [[VideoGame/BlazBlueCalamityTrigger Calamity Trigger]]'' originally had a short-lived rivalry with ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIV'', but interestingly, this has been overshadowed by another rivalry with ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear''. The reason this is strange is that both games are made by the same company, Creator/ArcSystemWorks, and are extremely similar; both have labyrinthine plots, both feature fast-paced combat, both have wacky characters, both have {{Animesque}} {{Magitek}} settings, and both have [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic amazing heavy rock/metal soundtracks]]. What's worse, [=ArcSys=] didn't get the creative rights to ''Guilty Gear'' back until TheNewTens and only has the productive capacity to work on one franchise at a time, making the two games in direct competition.
225** The main reason the two are in rivalry with each other is the differences in mechanics. Some feel ''Guilty Gear'' had a better fighting system due to its technicalities and depth and felt that ''[=BlazBlue=]'' dumbed it down too much, while others feel that ''Guilty Gear'' is [[ItsHardSoItSucks too difficult to get into]] and feel that ''[=BlazBlue=]'''s accessibility makes it a better game. There are other things such as the Guard Primer system, the way Barriers work, floatiness, and other mechanics that ''Guilty Gear'' fans didn't like in ''[=BlazBlue=]'', but that would require an essay to get into detail. Fortunately, it appears Arc System Works has realized this, as for the third entry in the ''BB'' series, ''[[VideoGame/BlazBlueChronophantasma Chronophantasma]]'', they attempted to blend the good aspects of both games together [[WinBackTheCrowd in an attempt to win over the alienated Guilty Gear fans and keep the current BlazBlue fanbase]].
226** A secondary reason is the fact that, due to not having the rights to ''Guilty Gear'', ASW leaned heavily into the [[CreatorDrivenSuccessor "spiritual successor"]] aspect of their new IP -- to the point of making several characters blatant {{exp|y}}ies of the ''GG'' cast. Couple that with ''[=BlazBlue=]'' having a story that is argued to be simultaneously more [[ClicheStorm clichéd]] and [[KudzuPlot obtuse]] than its predecessor's (the plot of the first two games involves breaking a [[StableTimeLoop time]] [[GroundhogDayLoop loop]] and the fallout from that event allowing a master manipulator to somehow outsmart a sentient supercomputer with three minds, for example) along with the mechanical differences, and you have a lot of ''Guilty Gear'' fans who view ''[=BlazBlue=]'' as a PoorMansSubstitute. While the hostility largely died down over the years with a steady rotation of releases between series, it's telling that the announcement of a new ''Guilty Gear'' in the form of ''[[VideoGame/GuiltyGearXrd Xrd -SIGN-]]'' almost completely overshadowed any marks ''Chronophantasma'' (the most recent ''BB'' installment at the time) made on the fighting game scene.
227* ''VideoGame/DawnOfWar'' and ''VideoGame/StarCraft''. Both science-fiction real time strategy games, with similar concepts among races and gameplay. Bringing up comparisons of the two games on the internet will [[FlameWar reduce the discussion to a smouldering hunk of slag in record time]]. [[WithUsOrAgainstUs Oh, and don't try to take a neutral stance either]]. The UrbanLegendOfZelda that ''VideoGame/StarCraft'' was intended to be a ''40k'' game that Blizzard couldn't get the license for doesn't help matters.
228** There's also ''[=StarCraft=]'' and ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquer''. This stems from ''VideoGame/StarCraftI'' being the single best-selling RealTimeStrategy game of all time while being as different as an RTS can be gameplay-wise from ''C&C'' and helping kickstart the concept of UsefulNotes/ProfessionalGaming, leading to most attempts to FollowTheLeader when it comes to RTS games being attempts to ape ''[=StarCraft=]''[='=]s success, which ''C&C'' fans believe eventually killed the genre.
229* The ''VideoGame/{{X}}-Universe'' fandom has one with ''VideoGame/EVEOnline'', mostly out of a general dislike for its player culture (i.e. one which abounds with ChronicBackstabbingDisorder and {{grief|er}}ing). Having the series occasionally be called a single-player ''EVE'' clone when ''VideoGame/XBeyondTheFrontier'' came out [[OlderThanTheyThink four years earlier]] does ''not'' help at all. It's to the point where one of the most popular mods for ''X3: Terran Conflict'', ''Xtended Terran Conflict'', made a point of leveling a TakeThat at ''EVE'' via its in-universe news agencies.
230* The ''VideoGame/NetHack'' and ''VideoGame/{{Angband}}'' fandoms gripe over the cryptic gameplay and inside jokes of the former, and over the slow pace and grindiness of the latter. There's also a myriad of variants of both roguelikes, and some of these variants have quite the vocal following...
231* The rivalry between ''VideoGame/DwarfFortress''' [[SimulationGame Fortress Mode]] and [[DungeonCrawler Adventurer Mode]] is milder than it used to be; most players with a preference still find something to like about the other mode. It will become apparent when discussing one mode and including information that could only be gained from the other mode.
232** Another lukewarm staredown is the ''Dwarf Fortress'' fandom vs. the ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'' one. Those on Dorf side say TheyCopiedItSoItSucks Those on the Mob side say ItsHardSoItSucks
233* All of the games within the ''Xeno'' "metaseries" have many haters from the other ''Xeno'' series.[[note]]The three series [[CommonKnowledge aren't within the same franchise]], but are nonetheless [[CreatorDrivenSuccessor Creator-Driven Successors]] to each other that use the ''Xeno'' prefix as a ProductionThrowback. Many consider the games to collectively form a ThematicSeries, however.[[/note]] ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}'' and ''VideoGame/{{Xenosaga}}'' fans constantly debate which one had the better story, characters, and presentation, with the ''Xenogears'' fans also showing disappointment in the latter series effectively being a ContinuityReboot rather than a true prequel. Both ''Gears'' and ''Saga'' fans join forces in dismissing the ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles'' games due to said games downplaying the eclectic mix of heavy [[UsefulNotes/{{Gnosticism}} Gnostic]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Judaism}} Judaic]], and [[UsefulNotes/CarlJung Jungian psychology]] influences that made the ''Xeno'' games unique in the first place, while ''Blade'' fans argue that their games strike a far better story and gameplay balance than their predecessors and that the reduced story complexity is preferable to the confusing {{Jigsaw Puzzle Plot}}s of ''Gears'' and ''Saga''. Meanwhile, both ''Saga'' and ''Blade'' fans give ''Gears'' flak for for its infamous second disc consisting purely of narration interspersed with the occasional boss fight. However, even fans of all three iterations of the ''Xeno'' name tend to unanimously hate ''Xenosaga Episode II'' for its battle system and the myriad of other changes.
234* ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'' vs. ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry''. The rivalry originally was between ''VideoGame/SuperMetroid'' and ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry1''. While both games are now considered classics, ''Metroid'' fans used to heavily criticize ''DKC'' for stealing the attention ''Super'' "rightfully" deserved; they released the same year, but ''DKC'' got the bigger marketing push thanks to its impressive graphics making it a great piece of ammo in the MediaNotes/ConsoleWars. It then reignited two decades later when the two fandoms found themselves fighting over Creator/RetroStudios: Retro not only helped revive the ''Metroid'' franchise after an eight-year hiatus with the critically acclaimed ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime'', but they also revived the ''DKC'' franchise after a fourteen-year hiatus with the critically acclaimed ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryReturns''. As such, both fandoms saw the studio as the ''only'' one that could do their respective franchises justice, especially ''Metroid'' fans after the disappointment that was ''VideoGame/MetroidOtherM''. So when the company decided to create ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountryTropicalFreeze'' instead of a ''Prime 4'' as their Platform/WiiU project, ''Metroid'' fans were livid that Retro was making "[[MemeticMutation another damn Donkey Kong Country]]" instead of once again saving the ''Metroid'' series, while ''DKC'' fans stereotyped ''Metroid'' fans as entitled crybabies and loved to point out that ''DKC'' is typically a much higher-selling series than ''Metroid''. For their part, Retro would be tasked with making ''Prime 4'' eventually, while the mainline titles would see a major critical and commercial resurgence with both ''VideoGame/MetroidSamusReturns'' and ''VideoGame/MetroidDread'', which were developed under the guidance of series co-creator and longtime contributor Creator/YoshioSakamoto. (Which, in turn, led to a new point of a debate among ''Metroid'' fans, the question of "Who did it better?" between Sakamoto -- who also helmed the aforementioned ''Other M'' -- and Retro Studios.)
235** Interestingly enough, they seem to get along just fine when it comes to ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' The two most popular requests for newcomers from each franchise, [[Franchise/{{Metroid}} Ridley]] and [[VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry King K. Rool]], are both considered to be highly valuable characters by each fanbase, with many of them poking fun at each other instead of being fierce competitors. [[BigBad It helps]] [[ReptilesAreAbhorrent that they]] [[ArchEnemy both share]] [[LargeAndInCharge plenty of]] [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot things in common]]. Both characters would even join the ''Smash'' roster in the same installment, ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate''.
236* ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'':
237** Mainline 2D ''Metroid'' versus the 3D ''VideoGame/MetroidPrimeTrilogy''. The former fanbase thinks the latter is too slow and linear compared to the faster and more open-ended design of games like ''VideoGame/SuperMetroid'' and ''VideoGame/MetroidDread'', whereas the latter thinks the worlds of ''Prime'' are far richer and more detailed thanks to the different perspective, allowing for more rewarding exploration and an atmospheric experience.
238** Within discussions surrounding the mainline series, some claim ''Super'' still is and should remain the eternal standard for the series, where others claim that any of the following entries have managed to surpass it in some way and offer the next evolution of the franchise. The more scripted, story-focused and action/horror-based ''VideoGame/MetroidFusion'' tends to get singled out in such discussions. To a lesser extent, there are others who think the third-person style of ''[[VideoGame/MetroidOtherM Other M]]'' deserves another chance, arguing that a better take on the approach could have been the perfect melding of both halves of the franchise.
239** Within discussions surrounding the ''Prime'' games, you have arguments between those who hold that the truly isolated mystery of ''Prime 1'' is better than the more linear and populated sequels; those who enjoy the more guided yet brutally atmospheric and challenging ''[[VideoGame/MetroidPrime2Echoes Prime 2]]'' above all else; those who prefer the much more populated, planet-hopping, action-packed, story-focused romp of ''[[VideoGame/MetroidPrime3Corruption Prime 3]]'' to its predecessors; those who want a ''[[VideoGame/MetroidPrimeHunters Hunters]]''-style multiplayer, and so on.
240** ''VideoGame/MetroidIIReturnOfSamus'' has something of a civil war regarding its [[VideoGameRemake remakes]]: the fan-made ''[[VideoGame/AnotherMetroid2Remake AM2R]]'' and the official ''VideoGame/MetroidSamusReturns''. Subjects include sprite art vs. 3D art, approach to backtracking, combat, bosses, atmosphere and more. It did not help that Nintendo slapped a DMCA on the 10-year passion project before releasing their own remake one year later, causing a certain animosity amongst some of ''[=AM2R=]''[='s=] fans severe enough to boycott the game. For what it's worth, the creator of ''[=AM2R=]'' (Milton Guasti a.k.a. Doctor[=M64=]) expressed no ill feelings toward the DMCA notice and does enjoy Nintendo's own take on revisiting that entry.
241** ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'' and ''VideoGame/HollowKnight'', the latter being an indie game that is in part a love letter to the former series. Many argued upon the latter's release that ''Hollow Knight'' is indeed better than any ''Metroid'' game and is the new standard for the genre, with said fans also citing the fact that ''Hollow Knight'' had sold more than any ''Metroid'' game at the time. This was exacerbated with the announcement of ''VideoGame/MetroidDread'' being a full-priced game, as the genre had mostly become populated by indie titles such as ''[=HK=]'', ''VideoGame/{{Ori|AndTheBlindForest}}'' and ''VideoGame/{{Bloodstained|RitualOfTheNight}}'', which combined with a stigma towards 2D games to have many question why ''Dread'' wasn't sold at a budget price.
242** While we're at it, ''Metroid'' vs ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}''. Both fandoms will tell you despite sharing [[{{Metroidvania}} the name of a genre]], the games are ''nowhere'' near as similar as people are lead to believe. Many of the former fans find the addition of RPG elements to be an obstruction more than anything to the basic gameplay loop, think there is disproportionate focus on action over exploration, and don't care for the more overt anime-style storytelling; the inverse applies for fans of the latter. In fact, this extends to ''Metroid'' vs. the {{Metroidvania}} genre as a whole, with ''Metroid'' fans feeling most games in the genre take far more from Koji Igarashi and Creator/HidetakaMiyazaki's [[VideoGame/DarkSouls work]] than they do the Nintendo franchise and that ''Metroid'' shouldn't be considered a Metroidvania itself as a result, viewing it as a "bastard" or "gentrified" genre.
243* ''VideoGame/StarTrekOnline'' has a lot of rivalries inside and outside the fandom:
244** First is between it and ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'' due to the old ''Trek''/''Wars'' rivalry.
245** Then, you have Federation players vs. Klingon Defense Force players vs Romulan Republic players. KDF and Rom players hate the Federation as they're usually seen as a CreatorsPet, Fed and KDF hate the Romulan Republic due to their overpowered ships and Fed players hate the KDF and Romulan Republic as they get ships that cloak and they don't.
246** Then, you have rivalries between ''message boards'', particularly the official, Perfect World-hosted one and the official Reddit-hosted one. The PW one is looked down upon by the Reddit posters because it's devolved into a pit of wank, complaints and just outright negativity. The PW posters look down on the Reddit one because they believe that they're nothing more than Cryptic dev buttkissers who allow the game to continue to "deviate" from the "true ''Star Trek'' game it could be."
247* ''VideoGame/RuneFactory'' vs ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon'', despite the fact the former is a spinoff of the latter. The main debate mostly comes people who think ''Harvest Moon'' has dropped in quality sometime between ''More Friends of Mineral Town'' and ''Animal Parade'', and think ''Rune Factory'' has become the better series.
248* ''VideoGame/WorldOfTanks'' and ''VideoGame/WarThunder'' have a strong rivalry due to their overlapping premises: MMO style Second World War era vehicle combat. The major fault line dividing fans is the former's looser, more arcade style mechanics, as opposed to the latter's stricter adherence to realism. Both claim that their chosen game's approach is the superior one, and any video online featuring one is certain to be bombarded with comments from fans of the other calling it crap. To this day, the rivalry still persists even as the games diverged from each other with ''War Thunder'' moving towards late Cold War/Modern era while ''World of Tanks'' sticking to its [=WW2=] roots.
249* Speaking of ''VideoGame/WorldOfTanks'', its stablemate ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarships'' is swinging between this trope and FriendlyFandoms, surprisingly, with ''VideoGame/KanColle''. Even while it is still under Closed Beta testing, the influx of ''[=KanColle=]'' fans spamming Yuudachi's "''[[VerbalTic Poi~]]''" in the in-game chat riles up players who are unaware of ''[=KanColle=]'', to the point that they'd refer to such fans as "shipfuckers."
250* Input devices:
251** When it comes to {{first|PersonShooter}}- and [[ThirdPersonShooter third-person shooters]], there's quite a bit of stir between those who prefer a keyboard and mouse and those who prefer playing on a game pad. Keyboard players prefer the precision of a mouse, while pad players often find pads to be more comfortable to use.
252** Amongst FightingGame players, arcade stick vs. pad...and occasionally, vs. [[http://www.hitboxarcade.com/ Hitbox]] as well.
253** Amongst ShootEmUp players, sticks vs. pads vs. keyboards. Those who grew up with console shmups prefer pads, those who grew up with arcade shmups prefer sticks, and those who grew up with {{doujins|oft}}hmups such as ''Touhou'' prefer keyboards.
254* When it comes to arcade stick controller parts, a popular rivalry is Sanwa vs. Seimitsu. Fans of Sanwa parts defend their lighter resistances that make them less tiring to use, while fans of Seimitsu parts cite their reduced chance of accidental mispresses and their shorter throws.
255* ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVThePhantomPain'' and ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'', at least for those for whom the latter is even on the radar. Both games came out the same month, and the rivalry between them started over Metacritic scores, after ''Undertale'' quickly shot up and surpassed ''MGSV'' on the score charts, leading to a number of fans from both games creating sockpuppet accounts to try and change the user scores of each game. ''Undertale''[='s=] creator, Creator/TobyFox, has directly contributed to the rivalry by posting the Metacritic charts on his Twitter and insinuating that most of the 0 score user reviews of ''Undertale'' were from bitter ''Metal Gear Solid'' fans.
256* Creator/{{Bethesda}} vs Creator/{{BioWare}}. Both are very prominent developers of Western [=RPG=]s, and both have one ScienceFiction (''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' and ''Franchise/MassEffect'' respectively) and one HighFantasy (''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' and ''Franchise/DragonAge'' respectively) flagship series, but have two very different styles. Bethesda tends to focus on open-world exploration and world-building while [=BioWare=] tends to focus on creating memorable characters and immersive, linear story-telling experiences. When one developer borrows elements from the opposing camp, such as when ''VideoGame/Fallout4'' included a voiced protagonist with a four-option DialogueTree or when ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'' opted for a WideOpenSandbox with crafting and exploration mechanics, expect fans to get a little... upset over the changes.
257** Oddly, and rather humorously, this divisiveness does ''not'' extend to the devs themselves. If the official Twitter accounts are to be believed, the employees at both companies are fans of each other's work.
258* For adventure game fans, Creator/{{Sierra}} vs Creator/LucasArts, largely due to the companies' radically different philosophies of game design. While Sierra games [[HaveANiceDeath were all too happy to randomly kill players and mock them for it]], [=LucasArts=] games avoided this out of a belief that it punished players.
259* ''VideoGame/MightyNo9'', due to the game's mismanaged Kickstarter project, an alienating marketing campaign by Deep Silver, and the game's final product being written off as average at best and a failure at worst by most critics and players, it quickly garnered a laundry list of fandoms that are condescending and/or antagonistic towards the game (as well as Keiji Inafune) and said list hasn't stop growing.
260** Many fans of ''VideoGame/AzureStrikerGunvolt'', whom initially perceived the game as average at best, quickly changed their tune about [[VideoGame/AzureStrikerGunvoltSeries the series]] when ''Mighty No. 9'' was being ridiculed by critics and backers alike and began clamoring ''Azure Striker Gunvolt'' as "the true successor to Mega Man." This line of thinking only worsen over time as ''Gunvolt''[='s=] sequels refined some of the games' sticking points. Likewise, ''VideoGame/MightyGunvolt'' and especially ''Mighty Gunvolt Burst'' [[VindicatedByHistory have since received much more praise than they did initially]], with the latter being called "what ''Mighty No. 9 should have been''" by many players despite Creator/IntiCreates' attempts to try and bring ''Mighty No. 9'' into a positive light while disregarding Keiji Inafune's involvement in some of these games.
261** Initially there was a [[FriendlyFandoms fandom alliance]] between fans of other crowd-funded projects, such as ''VideoGame/{{Shantae}}: Half-Genie Hero'', ''VideoGame/ShovelKnight'', and ''VideoGame/BloodstainedRitualOfTheNight'', but this eventually gave way when ''Mighty No. 9''[='=]s problematic development cycle came to light and final product was deemed as mediocre by most critics and many using the game as an example of how Japanese developers should not make a crowdfunded game, while using ''Bloodstained'' as an example of a Kickstarter-funded game that so far has been done right due to the developers' transparency and communication with its fans and the quality of the builds they've released so far including one demo build shown at E3 and offered to backers of the project. In the case of ''Shantae: Half-Genie Hero'', despite Comcept trying to help [=WayForward=] out by bringing awareness to their Kickstarter campaign, many fans of ''Shantae'' are quick to ridicule ''Mighty No. 9'' and blame it for holding back that game's potential.
262** ''VideoGame/TwentyXX'', another ''Franchise/MegaMan''-inspired crowdfunded project, was a relatively niche title but later quickly received a sudden boost in popularity to the suprise of the developers due to said fans using the game to kick down ''Mighty No. 9'' after many players and critics berated it.
263** A number of fans of ''VideoGame/DustAnElysianTail'' are quick to ridicule ''Mighty No. 9'', being a game made of industry veterans with a large crowd-funded budget, compared to the former being made by the efforts mostly of a single person as a passion project.
264** A feud between ''[[VideoGame/AresExtinctionAgenda A.R.E.S.: Extinction Agenda]]'' fans was quickly spurred, and by the developers of said game no less, when they decided to kick down ''Mighty No. 9'' during its disastrous release day and promoted their own game with a discount to [[{{Greed}} pocket money]] off disgruntled backers while claiming [[SmallNameBigEgo their game]] was a better alternative.
265** Followers of the official ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' Twitter has made some soft of hobby of talking smack towards ''Mighty No. 9'' when the user running the Twitter account took jabs at the latter for claiming the game's mismanagement and diasterous release was "better than nothing"[[note]]despite that Inafune himself never said that, but rather it was something his translator inserted[[/note]], however some ''Mighty No. 9'' fans were quick to remind the user behind the official Sonic Twitter that ''Sonic the Hedgehog''[='=]s reputation [[VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog was far from]] [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006 sunshine]] [[VideoGame/SonicBoomRiseOfLyric and]] [[VideoGame/SonicForces rainbows]], and Sega also continued creating mistakes that has harmed the franchise's image since ''Mighty No. 9''[='=]s release.
266** ''VideoGame/{{Rosenkreuzstilette}}'', a niche doujin game that used to be criticized for staying too close to the classic ''Mega Man'' formula, had this criticism toward the game later suddenly become considered a good thing by most of its fan when comparing it to ''Mighty No. 9''[='=]s perceived failings. The localizer behind the official English release of ''[=RosenkreuzStilette=]'' also went on to fuel the flames even further by promoting Steam forum threads from those putting ''Mighty No. 9'' down with the former on the game's blog.
267** A majority of ''Franchise/MegaMan'' fans who first looked at ''Mighty No. 9'' as a victory against Capcom for their then-negligence with the ''Mega Man'' franchise, and despite Comcept trying to be impartial towards Capcom and believing that ''Mega Man'' and ''Mighty No. 9'' can co-exist, this line of thinking however quickly died as the latter's mismanagement and delays came to light, followed by the being game condemned by critics and backers. Adding insult to injury, years later was the announcement of ''VideoGame/MegaMan11'', which was then later praised as a return to classic ''Mega Man'' platforming and a clapback against Comcept by the vast majority of the ''Mega Man'' fandom.
268* There is some vitriol between fans of ''VideoGame/JustDance'' and ''VideoGame/DanceCentral'', mostly in terms of difficulty. Until a few years in, ''Just Dance'' is often berated of being excessively simplistic, and ''Dance Central'' in turn is often bashed for being too hard. Eventually Just Dance raised their game, but by then, Kinect was all but dead, so the rivalry between the two games was a bit moot.
269* As for the futuristic Anti-Gravity racing games, we have both ''VideoGame/{{Wipeout}}'' and ''VideoGame/FZero''. It doesn't help that the former series continues to see new entries, while the latter had a nineteen year SequelGap between 2004's ''VideoGame/FZeroClimax'' and 2023's ''VideoGame/FZero99''.
270* In a rare case of bitter rivalry between two crossover series, the ''VideoGame/MarioAndSonicAtTheOlympicGames'' series against Ubisoft's ''[[VideoGame/MarioPlusRabbidsKingdomBattle Mario]] [[VideoGame/MarioPlusRabbidsSparksOfHope + Rabbids]]'' series. Fans of both ''[[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Super Mario Bros.]]'' and ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' had spent years being bitter that the series' regular crossovers only consist of [[MinigameGame a bunch of sports minigames]], with the majority of those games not even having an ExcusePlot[[note]]''Tokyo 2020'' and the handheld versions of ''Vancouver 2010'' and ''London 2012'' do have actual story modes, which made these games [[EvenBetterSequel well-received]] among the fans[[/note]]. Cue ''Mario + Rabbids'', which despite its [[BizarroEpisode ridiculous premise]] and the Rabbids being a series of minigame games themselves, is a series of ''VideoGame/{{XCOM}}''-style tactics games featuring actual narratives, while also being full of personality and charming interactions between the two universes. Rather than being hated, the ''Mario + Rabbid'' games are ''envied'' for being cruel examples of what a good Mario/Sonic crossover game could and ''should'' be.
271* A rivalry with a rather unfortunate backstory has managed to form between the fanbases of ''VideoGame/YookaLaylee'' and ''VideoGame/AHatInTime''. Both games have so many similarities (they're both Kickstarter funded "Collectathon" 3D Platformers inspired by N64 titles like ''VideoGame/BanjoKazooie'' and ''VideoGame/SuperMario64'', they both, [[WhatCouldHaveBeen at one point in their development]], contained a cameo from famous Website/YouTube celebrity and avid ''Banjo-Kazooie'' fan WebVideo/JonTron, etc) that you'd think their fanbases would be FriendlyFandoms, right? Well, thanks to an unhealthy dose of BrokenBase over some of ''Yooka''[='s=] design choices and some '''extremely''' toxic backlash specifically involving [=JonTron=][[note]]long story short, ''Yooka''[='s=] planned cameo of him ended up getting removed shortly before release for reasons best discussed elsewhere, while ''Hat''[='s=] was retained in order to avoid the severe fan backlash ''Yooka''[='s=] developers received because of said removal[[/note]], people have become more than a little bit torn over which of the two is "better".
272* Within the MediaNotes/FightingGameCommunity, a rather one-sided one between ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcomInfinite'' and ''[[VideoGame/DragonBallFighterZ Dragon Ball FighterZ]]''. ''[=MvCI=]'' was a game with a troubled birth, launching with a flawed marketing campaign and some bizarrely out of touch developmental decisions (such as producer Peter Rosas dismissing ''licensed characters in a crossover fighting game'' as "just functions" in an interview, and the developers not including the Franchise/XMen on the mistaken assumption players simply "forgot" about the characters -- someone should've pointed out to them that the X-Men ''[[FailedASpotCheck have been pop culture icons for decades]]''). Other points of contention include assets recycled from ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3'', inexplicably going from ''3''[='s=] celebrated 3v3 team system to the old 2v2, and questionable post-launch DLC practices. ''[=FighterZ=]'', on the other hand, ran a very good marketing campaign on the back of ''[=MvCI=]''[='s=] disappointments, like using 3v3 teams and a clear dedication on the part of the developers to appeal to the existing FGC. With Creator/ArcSystemWorks having also announced ''VideoGame/BlazBlueCrossTagBattle'', their own crossover tag team fighting game featuring characters from ''Franchise/BlazBlue'', ''VideoGame/Persona4Arena'', and ''VideoGame/UnderNightInBirth'' along with--[[UnexpectedCharacter very surprisingly]]--the fighting game debut of none other than '''[[WebAnimation/{{RWBY}} Team RWBY]]''', and you have fans joking that Arc Sys is just inflicting a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown on poor ''[=MvCI=]'' at this point. As if things couldn't get any worse, EVO 2018 announced that both ''[=FighterZ=]'' and ''BBTAG'' would be featured in the main lineup of games while ''[=MvCI=]'' ''didn't make the cut'', marking the first time in many years a ''[=MvC=]'' entry was absent from the prestigious fighting game tournament.
273** There's also a large rift between ''VideoGame/DragonBallXenoverse'' players and ''[[VideoGame/DragonBallFighterZ Dragon Ball FighterZ]]'' players. ''Xenoverse'' players are likely to diss ''[=FighterZ=]'' for its poor single-player content, dodgy servers, smaller roster, and [[PowerCreepPowerSeep being a competitive-focused game that chucks the series' power scaling out of the window]]. ''[=FighterZ=]'', on the other hand, are likely to accuse the series of being an awkward [[ButtonMashing button masher]] with terrible balancing, and prefer ''[=FighterZ=]'' for being, well, a competitive-focused game that chucks the series' power scaling out of the window.
274* Do not mention ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'' to ''VideoGame/GranblueFantasy'' players (both games being mobile RPG games with [[BribingYourWayToVictory pay-to-win]] "gacha" systems for summoning units and equipment), ''ever.'' ''Granblue'' players look heavily down on ''F/GO'' for being particularly stingy when it comes to its gacha elements. When attacked, ''F/GO'' fans usually respond by criticising Granblue's difficult grind game, story, balancing, [=PvP=] nature, and in general the fact that it only really has the gacha over ''F/GO''. ''VideoGame/FireEmblemHeroes'' players also aren't terribly keen on ''F/GO'' either for similar reasons.
275* After the announcement of ''Artifact'' by Creator/{{Valve}} in 2017, there been one between one between ''VideoGame/Dota2'' (of which ''Artifact'' is a spin-off from) and nearly every other game made by Valve (mainly ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'', ''VideoGame/Left4Dead'', and ''VideoGame/HalfLife''), albeit mainly coming from the latter side. Their fans were furious at the announcement of what they perceived to be Valve trying to cash in on the popularity of ''VideoGame/{{Hearthstone}}'' and further pampering ''Dota 2'' while their games, they feel, have remained neglected (some have received zero new content for ''years''). That's not to say ''Dota 2'' fans were happy about the announcement of ''Artifact'' either, but much of the vitriol has been fired at ''Dota 2'' from the fans mentioned above towards what they perceive as an overrated CreatorsPet.
276* ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'' has one within the franchise itself, between those who prefer the original games and those who enjoyed [[VideoGame/DMCDevilMayCry the controversial reboot]]. Fans of the reboot said that it was more accessible, had better art direction, a far easier story plot to follow, and a protagonist that experience character development. Fans that loved the original titles criticized [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks the many changes]] that were implemented, the arguments ranging from criticizing how ''[=DmC=]'' Dante was [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuoUfyMUQTc so drastically different]] compared to original Dante, ''[=DmC=]''[='s=] story being too on the nose and missing the point of the original games' primary themes of how devils can learn to love like humans as well as a subtle emphasis on the theme of family, and the gameplay mechanics that had been overly simplified and lacking compared to the mechanical depth and complexity found in ''[[VideoGame/DevilMayCry3DantesAwakening DMC3]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/DevilMayCry4 4]]'', just to name a few game-related points. In short, some consider ''[=DmC=]'' worth playing, while others feel it simply doesn't match up to the legacy of the older games. The rivalry had died down somewhat after the 2015 releases of both the Special Edition for ''4'' and the Definitive Edition for ''[=DmC=]'', but had flared up again after [[{{Unreboot}} the announcement and release]] of ''[[VideoGame/DevilMayCry5 5]]''.
277** Smaller yet present would be ''Devil May Cry'' versus the ''VideoGame/GodOfWar'' franchise, although it was primarily limited to Website/{{Twitter}} and mostly instigated by the more provocative ''[=GoW=]'' fans. When pointed out how ''[=GoW=]'' (first game released in 2005) wouldn't have existed without ''[=DMC=]'' ([[VideoGame/DevilMayCry1 first game]] released in 2001) starting [[StylishAction its niche]] within the HackAndSlash genre, they would deflect to another topic or just outright ignore that particular fact. The most strutted examples was using [[VideoGame/GodOfWarPS4 the 2018]] ''[[VideoGame/GodOfWarPS4 God of War]]'' [[VideoGame/GodOfWarPS4 installment]], like how it had a much higher Metracritic score compared to ''[=DMC5=]'', how ''[=GoW4=]'' was Game of the Year 2018 versus ''[=DMC5=]'' being only Action Game of the Year 2019 at the Game Awards, ''[=GoW4=]'' having a better combat system than ''[=DMC5=]'', and how ''[=GoW4=]'' had a better story than ''[=DMC5=]'' (the latter two entries being quite YMMV). There's also the difference of both series being set on different ends of the SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism, with ''[=DMC=]'' running on RuleOfCool and ''[=GoW=]'' best described as [[DarkerAndEdgier Rule of Brutal]]. Sometimes exacerbated by gaming journalism, such as [[https://screenrant.com/devil-may-cry-3-special-edition-review/ a review on the Nintendo Switch version]] of ''[=DMC3=]'' and comparing it to ''[=GoW=]''.
278* ''VideoGame/PlayerUnknownsBattlegrounds'' vs ''VideoGame/{{Fortnite}}''. While ''PUBG'' came out first and pioneered the battle royale genre, ''Fortnite'' is significantly more profitable and popular in the pop-culture zeitgeist. Subsequently, ''PUBG'' fans deride ''Fortnite'' as a childish rip-off of their game whereas ''Fortnite'' fans criticize ''PUBG'' for being visually ugly and unpolished.
279** ''VideoGame/{{Fortnite}}'' has also established a rivalry with a very different fanbase: ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom''. With ''Fortnite'' successfully getting the complete Marvel roster in its game, something with ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcomInfinite'' failed to do, there has been bitterness from [[FanNickname Mahvel]] fans... which only increased even more after Ryu and Chun-Li from ''Franchise/StreetFighter'' were added in 2021.
280** Fans of ''VideoGame/{{Fortnite}}'' are also infamous for frequently clashing with fans of ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'' (the phrase "Fortnite Bad Minecraft Good" is {{memetic|Mutation}}, as is its inverse). The problem stems from HypeBacklash, since ''Minecraft'' suffered a noticeable decline in popularity in the mid-2010s, around the time ''Fortnite'' became popular, causing ''Minecraft'' fans to hold a grudge against ''Fortnite''. Then the situation was inverted in 2019 when ''Minecraft'' [[WinBackTheCrowd won back many fans]] and ''Fortnite'' became a popular source of mockery.
281* ''Franchise/BatmanArkhamSeries'' and ''VideoGame/SpiderManInsomniac'' fans have an intense rivalry that is, by proxy, also a greater extension of the overall DC vs Marvel rivalry. Several ''Arkham'' fans dismiss the ''Spider-Man'' games for borrowing too much from their series and being too light-hearted. Conversely, several ''Spider-Man'' fans argue that their game has better combat and traversal while criticizing the ''Arkham'' games for being too bleak and dour. This escalated when ''VideoGame/SpiderManPS4'' outsold ''Arkham City'' and took the record for best-selling superhero game despite being a platform exclusive as opposed to a multi-platform release.
282* ''VideoGame/MarvelsAvengers'' caused plenty of rivalries with other games:
283** While both franchises are based on Marvel superheroes, fans of ''Marvel's Avengers'' have a strong rivalry with fans of Creator/InsomniacGames' ''[[VideoGame/SpiderManPS4 Spider-Man]]'' and [[VideoGame/SpiderManMilesMorales Miles Morales its spin-off]]. Ever since its announcement, ''Avengers'' was criticized for being a naked money grab with its MCU-lite art style, buggy launch, tedious gameplay and live-service monetization. In contrast, while Insomniac's ''Spider-Man'' had its share of promotional tie-ins like free costumes to advertise Spider-Man movies, the game was more fondly regarded for its own unique art style, general polish, fun gameplay and being a solid standalone game. Comparisons were unavoidable given how ''Avengers'' was released just two months before the release of ''Miles Morales'' and the [=PS5=] remaster of ''Spider-Man'' on top of ''Avengers'' having its own then-upcoming version of Spider-Man exclusive to the [=PlayStation=] platforms. The rivalry only intensified when ''Avengers'' received mediocre reviews compared to the critical acclaim of ''Spider-Man'' while also selling less despite being multi-platform.
284** It has one with ''VideoGame/GothamKnights2022'' and ''VideoGame/SuicideSquadKillTheJusticeLeague''. While still an extension of the long-lasting Marvel vs. DC rivalry, there's also a number of Marvel fans who are very disgruntled with ''Marvel's Avengers'' due to its "live service" approach compared unfavorably to ''VideoGame/{{Destiny}}'' and ''VideoGame/{{Anthem}}'', uninspired aesthetics that make it look MCU-lite rather than its own thing, boring gameplay, and controversial business practices such as keeping Spider-Man exclusive to [=PlayStation=] as well as including an excessive amount of tie-ins with businesses like Verizon and Intel. And while neither ''Gotham Knights'' or ''Suicide Squad'' have shown much gameplay, the developers behind them do have a good track record when it comes to comic book video games, so it's not unreasonable for people to trust them to put out a good game. Future delays and Suicide Squad also taking on live-service and always-online elements put this into question, however.
285** It surprisingly has one with ''VideoGame/MarvelUltimateAlliance3TheBlackOrder'', with the main point of contention being this game's overt MCU influence while ''Ultimate Alliance'' pulls primarily from comics and other adaptations. There's also other disagreements about ''Alliance'' being exclusive to Switch while Avengers is on every platform ''except'' the Switch as well as the "games as a service" model implementation on Avengers.
286** Additionally, fans of the ''Franchise/DeusExUniverse'' have enmity towards this game as the developers of the modern games, Eidos Montreal, have been tasked with working on ''Avengers'' instead of continuing the series, leaving its future uncertain after the lackluster sales of ''VideoGame/DeusExMankindDivided'' (though several key figures including Adam Jensen's voice actor, Elias Toufexis, have said they're eager to make it). Pre-release reactions to the story lead to a general reaction from ''Deus Ex'' fans of "We lost ''Deus Ex 3'' for this?" Many ''Deus Ex'' fans took great catharsis out of [[https://twitter.com/thegamerwebsite/status/1311012869782343681 the news]] that ''Avengers'' is pulling in fewer players on Steam than ''Mankind Divided''.
287** There is also another rivalry between ''Avengers'' and the franchises of Creator/CrystalDynamics, mainly ''Franchise/TombRaider'' and ''VideoGame/LegacyOfKain'', as Crystal Dynamics is the lead developer for ''Avengers'', with many ''Tomb Raider'' and ''Legacy of Kain'' fans begrudging the game's quality and viewing it as a waste of Crystal Dynamics' resources, when instead they could make new games in the aforementioned franchises.
288* ''VideoGame/DeusEx'' vs ''VideoGame/Cyberpunk2077'' post-launch contrasting with FriendlyFandoms pre-launch. Many ''DX'' fans were excited with ''C77''[='s=] 2018 E3 showcase depicting a focus on ImmersiveSim style systems and open-ended gameplay; especially in light of Creator/SquareEnix neglecting the former franchise. However the final product being significantly stripped down, resembling a traditional open world shooter more like ''VideoGame/FarCry'' really let them down; alongside the more [[ObviousBeta universal issues]] ''C77'' faced. Afterwards, fixes to core systems and crossover mods have caused the fanbases to become more friendly to each other.
289* In an inverse of [[FandomRivalry/{{Pokemon}} the way things usually go]], some fans of ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' tend to be accepting of ''VideoGame/{{Temtem}},'' while fans of other MonsSeries tend to disparage it. In a genre that has long been accused of being [[FollowTheLeader "Pokémon clones"]] regardless of how dissimilar they actually are, MonsSeries fans accuse ''temtem'' of ''actually'' copying ''Pokémon'''s mechanics too closely, not bringing anything new to a genre they like for being incredibly diverse. Some also criticize its monster design. ''Pokémon'' fans, meanwhile, enjoy ''temtem'' precisely ''because'' it's so similar to the franchise they like, and are happy with it for adding a much-wanted feature -- fully online play -- to a set of mechanics they like.
290* ''VideoGame/HiddenCity'' has an internal rivalry between fans of the original, "Main" City and those who prefer the more-recently-introduced Upper City, especially since the two areas have completely different casts, stories, and ''[[GenreShift genres]]''. And since the monthly events only add new content to one of the two locations at a time, and the developers tend to stick to one place for several consecutive months, this creates some sort of divide between those who are happy to remain in their favoured location, and those who wish that the developers would stop neglecting ''theirs''.
291* ''Franchise/{{Persona}}'' vs. the ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles'' games. Aside from both of them being on mutually exclusive consoles (''Persona'' games are almost always exclusive to [=PlayStation=], while ''Xenoblade'' is owned by Creator/{{Nintendo}}), ''Xenoblade'' fans will most likely make fun of the RelationshipValues system present in ''Persona'' and the mainstream exposure the series got after ''VideoGame/Persona5'', and ''Persona'' fans generally tend to make fun of some of the more [[MsFanservice revealing female characters]] from ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles2'' and the game's divisive voice acting, with both sides getting angry at the other for judging each others' games without playing them. There's also the fact that ''Persona'' has generally been more accepted by the gaming public at large, while the entire ''Xeno'' metaseries has had a long history of being stuck with AcclaimedFlop status until ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles1'' on the Platform/{{Wii}} and ''Xenoblade Chronicles 2'' on the Platform/NintendoSwitch. Best exemplified with The Game Awards 2020; ''Persona 5 Royal'' was nominated for Best RPG over ''Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition'', despite both games being {{Updated Rerelease}}s (and in ''Xenoblade'''s case, an outright remake).
292* ''VisualNovel/YouAndMeAndHer'' and ''VisualNovel/DokiDokiLiteratureClub'', given that their basic plots are ''very'' similar despite creator Dan Salvato having never even heard of ''Totono'' while making the game: [[spoiler:One of the girls in a ClicheStorm romance game getting sentience and preforming a HostileShowTakeover to be with the player, before being stopped when the player preforms actions outside the game itself.]] Somewhat uniquely, few people who played both games really try to contest ''Totono'' is the better of the two, but instead the debate comes down to arguing if the latter's release in English makes the former's value null and void or not.
293* The Players' Choice Award for the 2022 Game Awards caused a rivalry to form between the ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' and ''VideoGame/GenshinImpact'' fanbases, which only grew worse as both ''Genshin Impact'' and ''VideoGame/SonicFrontiers'' made it to the final round of voting, leading to days of toxicity, mud-slinging, and accusations of bot votes from both sides. Ironically, after all of the bot votes were disqualified, it turned out that ''both'' games had a significant amount of bot votes, specifically during the final round. In the end, ''Genshin'' took home the award, and it was left to the calmer side of both fanbases to try and mend the divide.
294* Occasionally, inter-company fandom rivalry happens. For a company that has multiple franchises that have gone big or at least reached cult-fandom status, it will be inevitable that they would prioritize their resources towards those that give them the most profit. Cue the fandoms of any "abandoned" (or at least smaller) franchises feeling bitter and developing a rivalry with the fandoms of the more popular franchises, arguing that their beloved series should be the one basking in mainstream popularity while calling the other franchise overrated, stale, and/or existing purely for profit and having no creativity. Meanwhile, the fandoms of the popular franchises can sometimes get a bit too high on their overwhelming popularity and taunt back, arguing how those "lesser" franchises are generally irrelevant and not worth fawning over. For example:
295** Creator/{{Capcom}}. The rivalry between ''Franchise/MegaMan'' and ''Franchise/StreetFighter'' fandom has been pretty strong. But both are two of Capcom's [[CashCowFranchise juggernaut franchises]], alongside the likes of ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'', ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'', ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' and ''Franchise/ResidentEvil''. For the fans of lesser-known franchises they used to pay attention to like ''Franchise/BreathOfFire'', ''VideoGame/{{Okami}}'', ''VideoGame/SengokuBasara'', ''VideoGame/{{Darkstalkers}}''... It's a free all-out brawl between the fandoms.
296** Creator/{{Sega}}. Pick any fandom of one of Sega's franchise (except somehow ''[[VideoGame/LikeADragon Yakuza]]''), then pit them against the ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' fandom. There's a reason why some Sega fans are annoyed that their company is generalized to be just making ''Sonic'' games. Sega's acquistion of Creator/{{Atlus}} in TheNewTens zig-zagged this in the sense that the argument then shifted from "Sega only cares about ''Sonic'' (and maybe ''Yakuza'')" to "Sega only cares about ''Sonic'', ''Yakuza/Like a Dragon'', and ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei''" -- which, as evidenced by the ''SMT'' entry elsewhere on this page, just opens another can of worms in the process.
297** Creator/{{Konami}} is a peculiar example. The fandoms weren't bickering about which franchise got the most attention, but which franchise deserved the comeback the most though they still accuse Konami for caring more for either pachinko, mobile... or [[NoExportForYou Japanese-exclusive franchises]]. But for the most part, the loudest would be the fandoms of ''VideoGame/MetalGear'' and ''Franchise/SilentHill'' since they believed themselves to be the most screwed by Konami after the controversy, to the point that other fandoms, be they large (''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'', ''VideoGame/{{Contra}}'') or smaller-scale (''VideoGame/{{Suikoden}}''), felt the need to say "Hey, our franchise also equally deserves good treatments instead of just ''Metal Gear'' and ''Silent Hill'', you know? We can agree to yell obscenities at Konami, but what makes you think you're the most suffering, and thus most deserving of attention? We suffered too!"
298** Creator/{{Nintendo}}:
299*** The ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' series is a good way to showcase how much in-fighting there is between Nintendo fans in a microcosm. As a MassiveMultiplayerCrossover between Nintendo franchises, whenever a new game comes out, there are always debates over what characters and franchises are "deserving" of representation. Fans of more niche Nintendo series will argue that their favourite franchise should get a fighter or two, stating that more popular franchises [[SpotlightStealingCrossover already have enough representation as is]]. Meanwhile, fans of those more popular franchises will scoff at the "obscurity" of lesser-known Nintendo series, saying that they'd only be taking away space for a more anticipated fighter, as their series is too irrelevant for anything more than a Trophy or Spirit. At which point the fans of these popular franchises will move on to fight with ''each other'' over why ''their'' successful series deserves more attention than a different successful series, with accusations of SpotlightStealingSquad being tossed around like confetti, and how a fighter from one series is taking a spot clearly meant for a fighter from another. Now swap out "fighter" with "new game" and "Trophy or Spirit" with "cameos or references", and you have a good approximation of most discussions that occur whenever a new Nintendo game releases.
300*** The rivalry between the fans of "old guard" series from TheNineties and [[TurnOfTheMillennium The Noughties]] vs. franchises that either more recently debuted or exploded in popularity during TheNewTens. Usually this manifests in something along the likes of ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry'', ''VideoGame/FZero'', ''VideoGame/StarFox'', ''VideoGame/BanjoKazooie'', and ''VideoGame/{{Mother}}'' fans vs. fans of ''Franchise/FireEmblem'', ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing'', ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}'', ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles'', and ''Franchise/{{Splatoon}}'', with fans of "mainstay" franchises like ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'', ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'', ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'', ''Franchise/{{Kirby}}'', ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'', and ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' either taking a backseat or taking side depending on their preferences (''Kirby'' and ''Pokémon'' fans may gravitate towards the former, while ''Zelda'' and ''Metroid'' fans may be more partial to the latter).
301* There are several instances where fans of old and modern games hate each other.
302%% This entry might need to be commented out due to its current vagueness.
303* ''VideoGame/GirlsFrontline'' and ''VideoGame/{{Arknights}}'', ''especially'' in the Chinese fandom. The rivalry is primarily a case of enmity between the developers bleeding into the fanbase -- Yostar was founded by ex-MICA employees who had CreativeDifferences on how ''Girls Frontline'' should be done, which got ''extremely heated'' (there are claims of sabotage by both parties), which caused the groups to split off. Their have been claim that unlike most rivalries, the developers are actively trying to kill the competitor's game, and this is notable even in gameplay surveys -- when Yostar surveys ask what other app games the user plays, ''GFL'' is pointedly left off the list. ''Girls Frontline'' fans also have disdain for ''Arknights'' because the latter has a broader concept that attracts fans who would be disinterred in ''GFL'' for various reasons, such as how events are handled. [[note]]''GFL'' events directly supplement the main story, meaning that anyone who misses them will be missing certain details going forward until the event is added to the event mission tab. ''Arknights''' events are usually side stories that are self contained, with the few story relevant ones being added to the Itermezzio tab ''immediately after the vent ends'' so that at least the story is accessible.[[/note]] Fuel was only added to the fire when ''Arknights'' announced collaboration events with ''VideoGame/RainbowSixSiege'' and ''VideoGame/Destiny2'' -- franchises that ''Girls Frontline'' fans have ''highly desired'' collaborations with.
304* ''VideoGame/BulletWitch'' has been viewed as a mediocre third-person shooter by many critics and players since its release on the Xbox 360, and the fire has been fueled even further when ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}'' was released a few years later and praised as one of the best action games on the system. Fans of the latter has been making a hobby out of talking smack about the former claiming it to be a "''Bayonetta rip-off''" (oblivious to the fact that ''Bullet Witch'' predated the latter) or "[[ObviousBeta BETA-netta]]" (as a jab towards the game's dated presentation and clunky gameplay).
305* Ever since the release of ''VideoGame/PhantomBreaker: Omnia'', there has been fans of big name anime tournament fighting games such as ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear'', ''VideoGame/Persona4Arena'', and ''Franchise/BlazBlue'' among others who have been antagonistic towards ''Phantom Breaker'' for the game's lack of character trials, not having the movelist in the pause menu (even though the special moves are ''very'' simple to pull off), and especially not having rollback netcode, while using the game's rough launch day issues as means to quickly write the game off as a bad game. ''Phantom Breaker'' fans have tried to argue against these claims by backing it up with the game's nuanced approach can help beginners get into more combo-centric games such as ''VideoGame/MeltyBlood'' with relative ease and the developers has since fixed a lot of the glaring issues, but the other camp often go out of their way to continue deride fans of the former and disregard the game's niche appeal, which led to some heated arguments on online forums.

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