In my opinion, this page requires an overhaul. I noted few of my remarks and propositions below.
1) The entry about Deus Ex and KGB is completely unsubstantiated. The former is a fully 3D FPS technothriller, the latter is a point'n'click adventure set in against the historical backdrop of the fall of the Soviet Union. The only thing these two games share is the conspiracy theme (which is definitely not discerning enough) and the fact that the protagonist is the government agent (again, like in many other games, and while JC Denton goes rogue in the second part of the game, Rukov remains more or less loyal until the end).
Even design-wise these games are vastly different KGB is actually highly unique game, utilising Virtual Theatre lookalike (timing is essential) and context-sensitive interface and dialogs.
2) Wasteland 2 has been released, so I think we can delete the historical comments (or mark them historical). The game turned out to be both a remake and a direct sequel to the original 'Wasteland' (the gameplay is very similar to the 1989 release and the game itself takes place 20 years after the ending of 'Wasteland', with some characters from the game, including the default party members, still alive and kicking).
As it is the direct sequel, I think it has no place on 'spiritual successor' page. If no one minds, I'll delete the historical hypotheses that border on natter now.
3) Fallout 3 is not a spiritual successor of the 'The Elder Scrolls' in any way. It simply uses the 'Oblivion' game engine (developers decided to use what they already have instead of investing money in completely new engine), but the game is a pretty faithful rendering of the classical 'Fallout' in 3D and with gamepad support.
4) 'Rise of Nations' has nothing in common with 'Civilization III' (why not II or I?). If you don't mind, I'll delete this entry, leaving the later comment of relationship between 'Rise of Nations' and 'Age of Empires' which much much closer to the mark.
5) 'Some people consider the Yakuza series'. This should go to YMMV page.
6) 'Alpha Protocol' differs greatly both from 'Vt M - Bloodlines' (much less emphasis on dialogue, more on choices that are still superficial, game is more combat-oriented). Comparison with 'Deus Ex' is more justified but the games are too different to make this conjecture.
7) Kot OR II a spiritual successor to P:T? This claim is not substantiated in any way. This is still Kot OR with some ideas about character development lifted from P:T but that's that.
8) Metro2033 is a good example of 'Yes Except No' trope. The entry says that the games are similar except they are completely different. One is a sandbox s-f shooter based on a short story and a novel by Strugatsky Brothers, the other is a linear postapocalyptic shooter based on the modern novel by Dimitry Glukhovsky. Both are based on Russian books, both have s-f elements, both are shooters but there the similarities end. Unless there is a Word of God that Glukhovsky was heavily inspired by Strugacky Brothers (emphasis on 'heavily', as most Russian writers were more or less inspired by Boris and Arkady), 'Metro2033' should not be listed here (it can be moved to YMMV though).
In my opinion, this page requires an overhaul. I noted few of my remarks and propositions below.
1) The entry about Deus Ex and KGB is completely unsubstantiated. The former is a fully 3D FPS technothriller, the latter is a point'n'click adventure set in against the historical backdrop of the fall of the Soviet Union. The only thing these two games share is the conspiracy theme (which is definitely not discerning enough) and the fact that the protagonist is the government agent (again, like in many other games, and while JC Denton goes rogue in the second part of the game, Rukov remains more or less loyal until the end).
Even design-wise these games are vastly different KGB is actually highly unique game, utilising Virtual Theatre lookalike (timing is essential) and context-sensitive interface and dialogs.
2) Wasteland 2 has been released, so I think we can delete the historical comments (or mark them historical). The game turned out to be both a remake and a direct sequel to the original 'Wasteland' (the gameplay is very similar to the 1989 release and the game itself takes place 20 years after the ending of 'Wasteland', with some characters from the game, including the default party members, still alive and kicking).
As it is the direct sequel, I think it has no place on 'spiritual successor' page. If no one minds, I'll delete the historical hypotheses that border on natter now.
3) Fallout 3 is not a spiritual successor of the 'The Elder Scrolls' in any way. It simply uses the 'Oblivion' game engine (developers decided to use what they already have instead of investing money in completely new engine), but the game is a pretty faithful rendering of the classical 'Fallout' in 3D and with gamepad support.
4) 'Rise of Nations' has nothing in common with 'Civilization III' (why not II or I?). If you don't mind, I'll delete this entry, leaving the later comment of relationship between 'Rise of Nations' and 'Age of Empires' which much much closer to the mark.
5) 'Some people consider the Yakuza series'. This should go to YMMV page.
6) 'Alpha Protocol' differs greatly both from 'Vt M - Bloodlines' (much less emphasis on dialogue, more on choices that are still superficial, game is more combat-oriented). Comparison with 'Deus Ex' is more justified but the games are too different to make this conjecture.
7) Kot OR II a spiritual successor to P:T? This claim is not substantiated in any way. This is still Kot OR with some ideas about character development lifted from P:T but that's that.
8) Metro2033 is a good example of 'Yes Except No' trope. The entry says that the games are similar except they are completely different. One is a sandbox s-f shooter based on a short story and a novel by Strugatsky Brothers, the other is a linear postapocalyptic shooter based on the modern novel by Dimitry Glukhovsky. Both are based on Russian books, both have s-f elements, both are shooters but there the similarities end. Unless there is a Word of God that Glukhovsky was heavily inspired by Strugacky Brothers (emphasis on 'heavily', as most Russian writers were more or less inspired by Boris and Arkady), 'Metro2033' should not be listed here (it can be moved to YMMV though).
Edited by Wereboar