Dueling Games: Difference between revisions

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|''[[In Famous (Video Game)|In Famous]]''||''[[Prototype (Video Game)|Prototype]]''||[[Wide Open Sandbox]] games where [[Ordinary High School Student|ordinary people]] mysteriously gain [[Magic and Powers|extraordinary powers]], then [[Closed Circle|trapped]] in [[Big Applesauce|a big island city]] on a quest to [[Ontological Mystery|figure out what the hell is going on]] and eventually [[Escape From the Crazy Place]]. Oh, and [[The Government]] makes sure that everything [[It Got Worse|just gets worse]].||''inFamous'' encourages the player to [[Contemplate Our Navels|contemplate the use and abuse of power every five seconds]], and its star is [[Shock and Awe|electric]]. ''Prototype'' encourages the player to slice and dice [[Heroic Sociopath|anyone and anything in your path]], or just [[Cannibalism Superpower|eat them]].||Both games were good, but ultimately ''inFamous'' had better review scores and ''[[Prototype (Video Game)|Prototype]]'' was a much bigger commercial success. (Being multi-platform helped.) Both are getting sequels in 2011 and both had a [[Wholesome Crossdresser|Drag queen]] [[Zero Punctuation|contest]] (Yahtzee declared inFamous won).

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|''[[Pikmin]]''||''[[Overlord]]''||Adventure/RTS hybrids where your character leads a small army of followers.||In ''Pikmin'' you're a tiny spaceman leading tiny flower aliens in exploring a garden. ''Overlord'' is a fantasy parody that has fun with [[Evil Tropes]]; you're an [[Evil Overlord]] going out with your [[Laughably Evil|enthusiastically destructive]] [[Mook|Mooks]] to pillage, plunder, and conquer.||Neither. While the gameplay is extremely similar, the story and atmosphere go in opposite directions, so the two coexist in a sort of [[Sibling Yin Yang]]. However ''Pikmin'' is considered by most to be the better game (and sold much better), although ''Overlord'' is considered a pretty decent series.

|''[[Pikmin]]''||''[[Overlord]]''||Adventure/RTS hybrids where your character leads a small army of followers.||In ''Pikmin'' you're a tiny spaceman leading tiny flower aliens in exploring a garden. ''Overlord'' is a fantasy parody that has fun with [[Evil Tropes]]; you're an [[Evil Overlord]] going out with your [[Laughably Evil|enthusiastically destructive]] [[Mook|Mooks]] to pillage, plunder, and conquer.||Neither. While the gameplay is extremely similar, the story and atmosphere go in opposite directions, so the two coexist in a sort of [[Sibling Yin-Yang]]. However ''Pikmin'' is considered by most to be the better game (and sold much better), although ''Overlord'' is considered a pretty decent series.

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|''[[Unreal Tournament (Video Game)|Unreal Tournament]]''||''[[Quake III Arena (Video Game)|Quake III Arena]]''||[[Game Mod]]-friendly, multiplayer-only [[First Person Shooter]]||''UT'' was based on a somewhat newer engine, and was lauded for its creative and interesting game design; ''Q3A'' came out ''ten days'' later, with a simpler design and somewhat more [[Hard Core]] gameplay. Both games sold bazillions of copies and spawned sequels that continue to this day, ''UT'' outselling its competitor by a slight margin, while ''Q3A'' is currently reviving itself as ''[http://www.quakelive.com Quake Live]''.||''UT'' nailed it commercially and critically, whereas ''Q3A'' lasted longer for [[Tournament Play|any form of play beyond recreative]], plus its engine was much more widespread.

|''[[Unreal Tournament (Video Game)|Unreal Tournament]]''||''[[Quake III Arena (Video Game)|Quake III Arena]]''||[[Game Mod]]-friendly, multiplayer-only [[First-Person Shooter]]||''UT'' was based on a somewhat newer engine, and was lauded for its creative and interesting game design; ''Q3A'' came out ''ten days'' later, with a simpler design and somewhat more [[Hard Core]] gameplay. Both games sold bazillions of copies and spawned sequels that continue to this day, ''UT'' outselling its competitor by a slight margin, while ''Q3A'' is currently reviving itself as ''[http://www.quakelive.com Quake Live]''.||''UT'' nailed it commercially and critically, whereas ''Q3A'' lasted longer for [[Tournament Play|any form of play beyond recreative]], plus its engine was much more widespread.

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| ''[[Unreal Tournament III (Video Game)|Unreal Tournament III]]'' || ''[[Enemy Territory Quake Wars (Video Game)|Enemy Territory Quake Wars]]'' || The latest iterations of the multiplayer-focused FPS franchises. || Both introduced major new technologies for each series; the Unreal Engine 3 for ''UT3'' <ref>though technically, it was [[Epic Games]]' own, more successful ''[[Gears of War]]'' that introduced it to the world</ref>, and MegaTexturing for ''ET:QW''. || Both suffered from underwhelming sales figures, despite pretty good reviews. In the end though, ''Unreal Tournament 3'' was saved by some decent-selling home console ports<ref>In fact, the [[PS 3]] version was one of the first games able to deal with user-made content, there's a lot of it for this game</ref> and better sales of the [[Steam]]-exclusive "Black Edition", whereas any chance of success that ''Quake Wars'' had was killed off by a pair of dreadful console versions.

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|''Top Hunter: Roddy & Cathy''||''[[Ristar]]''||Platformers where characters with stretching limb must save a star system invaded by literal space pirates.||''Top Hunter'' mostly play like a [[Beat Em Up]] and the stretching limbs are not very important. ''Ristar'' is a straight platformer.||Both failed financially, although ''Ristar'' is considered something of a [[Cult Classic]].

|''Top Hunter: Roddy & Cathy''||''[[Ristar]]''||Platformers where characters with stretching limb must save a star system invaded by literal space pirates.||''Top Hunter'' mostly play like a [[Beat'Em Up]] and the stretching limbs are not very important. ''Ristar'' is a straight platformer.||Both failed financially, although ''Ristar'' is considered something of a [[Cult Classic]].

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|''[[Gears of War]]'' Vs. ''[[Resistance]]''||Unable to figure out who is who||First-Party shooting game where the protagonists fight to defend what remains of a mankind ravaged by a ''[[Badass Army]]'' of monsters||Both games were first released on the SAME WEEK, as well as being the first major exclusive shooter for their respective system (Xbox 360 for ''Gears of War'', [[PS 3]] for ''Resistance'').||While picking a clear winner is complicated by the fact both franchises are exclusive to completely different platforms, ''Gears of War'' has a much larger fanbase (and cooler weapons too).

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|''[[Rock Band]]''||''[[Guitar Hero]]'' post-''World Tour''||Rhythm games wherin you play songs by hitting notes on a plastic guitar or drum pads, or sing along and try to match the pitch.||You read that right. Following the success of ''[[Rock Band]]'', ''Guitar Hero'' added drums and vocals to its fourth main installment, which it continues to use in subsequent [[Mission Pack Sequel|Mission Pack Sequels]].||''Guitar Hero'' was officially killed off on February 9, 2011 thanks to Activision not understanding the laws of supply and demand in regards to the aforementioned sequels. However, ''Rock Band'' also saw its sales take a heavy plunge from the ''Guitar Hero'' oversaturation [[Genre Killer|screwing]] the ''entire'' rhythm game market into a decline, not to mention Activision using the defeat as an opportunity to pool even more ressources on [[Call of Duty|that other cash cow]] whereas Harmonix was sold off for '''fifty dollars''', so ''Rock Band'' pretty much won a [[Pyrrhic Victory]] for the time being.

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|''[[Bemani]]''||''[[Rock Band]]'', ''[[Guitar Hero]]''||Rhythm games that require special instrument controllers||''[[Rock Band]]'' and ''[[Guitar Hero]]'' are Western imitators of the Japanese-borne originators ''[[Beatmania]]'', ''[[Drum Mania]]'', and ''Guitar Freaks''.||In Japan and a couple spots in East Asia, Bemani is the clear winner. Everywhere else, Bemani is relatively unknown outside of ''[[Dance Dance Revolution|DDR]]''. Konami [[Too Good to Last|decided too soon]] [[No Export for You|that nobody outside of Asia likes rhythm games]], [[Viewers ~~Are~~ Morons|and especially not]] Bemani's [[Nintendo Hard]] difficulty on harder settings; [[Activision]] through [[Red Octane]] and [[Electronic Arts|EA]] through Harmonix simply filled the niche and ran away with pockets bulging with cash, now fighting each other instead of Konami for supremacy. Late in the game, Konami finally realized that there was demand in the West for rhythm games, and unsuccessfully tried to cash in with ''Rock Revolution''. After that, Activision proceeded to screw the entire genre in North America and Europe, as mentioned above.

|''[[Bemani]]''||''[[Rock Band]]'', ''[[Guitar Hero]]''||Rhythm games that require special instrument controllers||''[[Rock Band]]'' and ''[[Guitar Hero]]'' are Western imitators of the Japanese-borne originators ''[[Beatmania]]'', ''[[Drum Mania]]'', and ''Guitar Freaks''.||In Japan and a couple spots in East Asia, Bemani is the clear winner. Everywhere else, Bemani is relatively unknown outside of ''[[Dance Dance Revolution|DDR]]''. Konami [[Too Good to Last|decided too soon]] [[No Export for You|that nobody outside of Asia likes rhythm games]], [[Viewers are Morons|and especially not]] Bemani's [[Nintendo Hard]] difficulty on harder settings; [[Activision]] through [[Red Octane]] and [[Electronic Arts|EA]] through Harmonix simply filled the niche and ran away with pockets bulging with cash, now fighting each other instead of Konami for supremacy. Late in the game, Konami finally realized that there was demand in the West for rhythm games, and unsuccessfully tried to cash in with ''Rock Revolution''. After that, Activision proceeded to screw the entire genre in North America and Europe, as mentioned above.

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|''[[Power Gig Rise of the Six String|Power Gig: Rise of the Six String]]''||''[[Rock Band]] 3''||Rhythm games that also teach you how to play real music. ||''Rock Band 3'' has keyboards, and cymbals for drums. ''Power Gig'' doesn't have keyboards or bass, and has air drums. ||No contest. ''Rock Band 3'' received rave reviews, while ''Power Gig'' has been compared (''unfavorably'') to the aforementioned ''Rock Revolution''.

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|''[[Virtua Fighter]]''||''[[Tekken]]''; ''[[Dead or Alive]]''||3D [[Fighting Game|Fighting Games]] with an emphasis on realistic martial arts styles||''Virtua Fighter'', like ''[[Street Fighter]]'', is considered the [[Ur Example]] of 3D fighters and most games made after it deliberately ape it. ''Tekken'' combined VF's realistic gameplay with a ''Street Fighter''-like cast of misfits. ''[[Dead or Alive]]'' took VF's gameplay, added a dopey exploding arena gimmick, and utilized some [[Jiggle Physics|very]] fascinating [[Stripperiffic|character]] [[Fan Service|concepts]].||''Tekken'' won financially. ''Virtua Fighter'' is lauded by tournament players. ''DOA'' is very rarely played by anyone other than casual fighting game fans.

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|''[[Skies of Arcadia (Video Game)|Skies of Arcadia]] (Legends)'' ||''[[Tales of Symphonia (Video Game)|Tales of Symphonia]]'' ||[[Reconstruction|Reconstructions]] of the optimistic JRPG, coming out on an RPG-starved console when everyone was still trying to out-angst ''[[Final Fantasy VII (Video Game)|Final Fantasy VII]].'' Both have protagonists that [[Dual Wielding|wield two swords]]. ||''Legends'' was actually a remake of a game for the ill-fated Dreamcast, and took itself far less seriously than ''Symphonia'', at least for the most part. ''Symphonia'' is an action-RPG that takes place in a world with some magitech and the normal fantasy races (elves, dwarves, etc.), while ''Skies'' is turn-based and has an Age of Discovery [[Ocean Punk]] flavour. ||In terms of sales, ''Symphonia'' by a country mile. <nowiki>SoA:L</nowiki>'s gone on to become something of a [[Cult Classic]]. On a related note, the Dreamcast version of ''Skies'' can be considered the winner between it and ''Evolution'', another major Dreamcast RPG which was also remade on the GameCube.

|''[[Skies of Arcadia (Video Game)|Skies of Arcadia]] (Legends)'' ||''[[Tales of Symphonia (Video Game)|Tales of Symphonia]]'' ||[[Reconstruction|Reconstructions]] of the optimistic JRPG, coming out on an RPG-starved console when everyone was still trying to out-angst ''[[Final Fantasy VII (Video Game)|Final Fantasy VII]].'' Both have protagonists that [[Dual-Wielding|wield two swords]]. ||''Legends'' was actually a remake of a game for the ill-fated Dreamcast, and took itself far less seriously than ''Symphonia'', at least for the most part. ''Symphonia'' is an action-RPG that takes place in a world with some magitech and the normal fantasy races (elves, dwarves, etc.), while ''Skies'' is turn-based and has an Age of Discovery [[Ocean Punk]] flavour. ||In terms of sales, ''Symphonia'' by a country mile. <nowiki>SoA:L</nowiki>'s gone on to become something of a [[Cult Classic]]. On a related note, the Dreamcast version of ''Skies'' can be considered the winner between it and ''Evolution'', another major Dreamcast RPG which was also remade on the GameCube.

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|''[[Plok]]'' ||''[[Rayman]]'' ||Platformers involving a character with detachable arms who can throw them at enemies. ||''Plok'' came out in 1993; ''Rayman'' came out for CD-ROM systems in 1995. ||''Rayman'', which, unlike ''Plok'', has had a fair number of sequels and spinoffs. Even [http://www.zee-3.com/pickfordbros/archive/plok.php the original developers] have admitted that if they were to release a new game, it'd [[Seinfeld Is Unfunny|be viewed as]] a ''Rayman'' ripoff, despite ''Plok'' having come first.

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|''[[Age of Empires (Video Game)|Age of Empires]]'' ||''[[Empire Earth]]'' ||Two [[Real Time Strategy]] games with a ''[[Civilization]]'' motif to it (Meaning you are building a city rather than a base. While [[Age of Empires (Video Game)|Age of Empires]] focuses on one Era (The Ancient Era, The Medieval Era and The Age of Colonialism), Empire Earth spanned across multiple eras. ||Both series have very strong anti-rush measures to give players a fighting chance against rushes. ||While both fought a good damn fight, ''[[Empire Earth]] 3'' dropped the ball with silly units (Farting Camels?) and a terribly slimmed-down era system. ''[[Age of Empires (Video Game)|Age of Empires]]'', while able to churn out 3 expansions for their game, had the company shut down by Microsoft. Neither game won this duel, leaving Blizzard and Relic to take over the RTS genre with less base-building.

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|''[[System Shock]] 2'' ||''[[Deus Ex (Video Game)|Deus Ex]]'' ||Both were [[Cyberpunk]] themed [[First Person Shooter|First Person Shooters]] with [[RPG Elements]]. || ||While both were critically acclaimed, ''System Shock 2'' was a commercial failure. It was the basis for ''[[Bio Shock]]'', though. ''Deus Ex'' wins.

|''[[System Shock]] 2'' ||''[[Deus Ex (Video Game)|Deus Ex]]'' ||Both were [[Cyberpunk]] themed [[First-Person Shooter|First Person Shooters]] with [[RPG Elements]]. || ||While both were critically acclaimed, ''System Shock 2'' was a commercial failure. It was the basis for ''[[Bio Shock]]'', though. ''Deus Ex'' wins.

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|''[[My Adopts]]'' ||''V-Adoptables'' ||They're online games where you can create clickable images, which level up when enough people click them. ||''[[My Adopts]]'' has trading, alts, codes, editable CSS as opposed to a shallower level of interactivity. || V-Adoptables loses hugely, because you can't have more than 70 of said images, and besides, it costs money to have more.

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| ''[[Second Sight]]'' || ''[[Psi Ops the Mindgate Conspiracy (Video Game)|Psi Ops the Mindgate Conspiracy]]'' || Third-person action titles where the main character has incredible psychic powers. || Both have third-person shooter qualities, though Psi-Ops maintains this in it's entire control scheme. || Both were released around the same time (2004) and were often compared to one another in reviews. Often, ''Second Sight'' was given the better nod for its story, while ''Psi-Ops'' conversely was liked more for its over top powers and gore (Second Sight was rated 'T'; Psi-Ops 'M').

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| ''Blacksite: [[Area 51 FPS|Area 51]]'' || ''[[Haze]]'' || [[First Person Shooter|First Person Shooters]] with [[Anvilicious]] political messages. ||''Blacksite'' is a [[Multi Platform]] release and is specifically about [[The War On Terror]]. ''Haze'' is a [[Play Station 3]] exclusive and <s>deals with the [[Did Not Do the Research|misguided notion]] that soldiers are gore-hungry fratboys</s> [[You Bastard|accuses the player of being a gore-hungry fratboy playing soldier.]] || Both lost, but ''Haze'' [[Medal of Dishonor|"wins" based on general infamy]]. It [[Creator Killer|killed its beloved developer]] Free Radical Design (makers of ''[[Time Splitters]]''), contributed to the early bad reputation of the PS3 and is still something of an example of epic failure, whereas ''Blacksite'' was only the latest in a string of flops by [[Midway Games]] and is mostly forgotten.

| ''Blacksite: [[Area 51 FPS|Area 51]]'' || ''[[Haze]]'' || [[First-Person Shooter|First Person Shooters]] with [[Anvilicious]] political messages. ||''Blacksite'' is a [[Multi Platform]] release and is specifically about [[The War On Terror]]. ''Haze'' is a [[Play Station 3]] exclusive and <s>deals with the [[Did Not Do the Research|misguided notion]] that soldiers are gore-hungry fratboys</s> [[You Bastard|accuses the player of being a gore-hungry fratboy playing soldier.]] || Both lost, but ''Haze'' [[Medal of Dishonor|"wins" based on general infamy]]. It [[Creator Killer|killed its beloved developer]] Free Radical Design (makers of ''[[Time Splitters]]''), contributed to the early bad reputation of the PS3 and is still something of an example of epic failure, whereas ''Blacksite'' was only the latest in a string of flops by [[Midway Games]] and is mostly forgotten.

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| ''[[Defense of the Ancients]]'' || ''[[Demigod]]'', ''[[League of Legends]]'', ''[[Heroes of Newerth]]'' || [[Multiplayer Online Battle Arena]] games. ''DotA'' is a hit [[Game Mod]] for ''[[War Craft]] III'' which [[Genre Popularizer|popularized the genre]]; the other three, listed in order of release, are the various commercial/professional attempts to cash in on it. || ''DotA'', ''LoL'' and ''Newerth'' are free to play; ''Demigod'' must be purchased. ''LoL'' and ''HoN'' both (claim to) have at least one member of the ''DotA'' staff working on the game. || The loser is ''Demigod'', an [[Obvious Beta]] with an anemic roster of heroes. ''League'' and ''Newerth'' stay afloat by targeting the casual and hardcore crowd, respectively; of the two, ''LoL'' got better reviews, but the ''DotA'' fanbase provides a ''huge'' flock of [[Stop Having Fun Guys]] for ''Newerth'' to capitalize on, so it's unlikely to go under any time soon either. The real winner? Gamers.

| ''[[Defense of the Ancients]]'' || ''[[Demigod]]'', ''[[League of Legends]]'', ''[[Heroes of Newerth]]'' || [[Multiplayer Online Battle Arena]] games. ''DotA'' is a hit [[Game Mod]] for ''[[War Craft]] III'' which [[Genre Popularizer|popularized the genre]]; the other three, listed in order of release, are the various commercial/professional attempts to cash in on it. || ''DotA'', ''LoL'' and ''Newerth'' are free to play; ''Demigod'' must be purchased. ''LoL'' and ''HoN'' both (claim to) have at least one member of the ''DotA'' staff working on the game. || The loser is ''Demigod'', an [[Obvious Beta]] with an anemic roster of heroes. ''League'' and ''Newerth'' stay afloat by targeting the casual and hardcore crowd, respectively; of the two, ''LoL'' got better reviews, but the ''DotA'' fanbase provides a ''huge'' flock of [["Stop Having Fun!" Guys]] for ''Newerth'' to capitalize on, so it's unlikely to go under any time soon either. The real winner? Gamers.

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| ''[[Doom]] 3'' || ''[[Half-Life]] 2'' || Long-awaited new instalments of beloved FPS series, both of which pushed graphics technology to its limits (by 2004 standards, anyway). || ''[[Half-Life]] 2'' should have pre-dated ''Doom 3'' by nearly a year, but the whole source code fiasco pushed it back until a couple of months after ''Doom 3'' was released. || ''Doom 3'' did well by any standards (in fact, it was iD's biggest selling game to date), but ''Half-Life 2'' did far better in terms of both critical reception and sales.

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|''[[Command and Conquer]]'' series ||''[[Starcraft]]'' series ||Two of the most prominent Real Time Strategy franchise since 1990s, C&C series took a [[Twenty Minutes Into the Future|more realistic, Earth-based approach]] in terms of background setting, while ''Starcraft'' focused on a distant inter-stellar future.||C&C's first title, ''Tiberium Dawn'', marked the beginning of proper RTS games in recent era after succeeding the release of ''[[Dune II]]'', and became a [[Long Runner]] since, spawning three sub-series and 17 titles. When comparing with ''Starcraft'' C&C gameplay is more casual, though ''Tiberium Wars'' and ''Kane's Wrath'' were on the game list in WCG 07-08.||Both series are critically acclaimed while C&C series probably won slightly on financial front (since they have more titles and came out earlier), but since two of the latest installments for C&C (''Red Alert 3'' and ''Tiberium Twilight'') subjected to much YMMV even among fans, Blizzard is taking a slight lead right now by the release of ''Wings of Liberty''. However ''C&C Generals 2'' is going to be released in 2013 while ''Heart of the Swarm'' is under development, so the war will certainly rage on.

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|''[[Streets of Rage]]'' ||''[[Rushing Beat]]'' (aka ''Rival Turf'', ''Brawl Brothers'' and ''The Peacekeepers''). ||Both are a trilogy of Console [[Beat Em Up|Beat Em Ups]] [[Follow the Leader|inspired]] by ''[[Final Fight]]'', and released on rival platforms (''SOR'' came out on the [[Sega Genesis]], while the [[Super NES]] got ''Rushing Beat''.)|| || Both series ended around the same time, but ''Streets of Rage'' sold better and is remembered much more fondly. Doesn't help that the ''Rushing Beat'' sequels were [[Bad Export for You|gutted]] outside of Japan.

|''[[Streets of Rage]]'' ||''[[Rushing Beat]]'' (aka ''Rival Turf'', ''Brawl Brothers'' and ''The Peacekeepers''). ||Both are a trilogy of Console [[Beat'Em Up|Beat Em Ups]] [[Follow the Leader|inspired]] by ''[[Final Fight]]'', and released on rival platforms (''SOR'' came out on the [[Sega Genesis]], while the [[Super NES]] got ''Rushing Beat''.)|| || Both series ended around the same time, but ''Streets of Rage'' sold better and is remembered much more fondly. Doesn't help that the ''Rushing Beat'' sequels were [[Bad Export for You|gutted]] outside of Japan.

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|''[[Gradius]]'' series ||''[[R Type|R-Type]]'' series ||Both of them are shoot'em ups with lots of powerups.|| || Both have strong [[Cult Classic|cult followings]] to this day, although R-Type has branched out into other genres such as RPGs.

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|''[[Super Mario World (Video Game)|Super Mario World]]'' ||''[[Sonic the Hedgehog (Video Game)|Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' ||Leading titles for the [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System]] and the [[Sega Genesis]].|| Both titles were the pack-in games for their respective consoles, with Sonic 1 replacing the previous Genesis pack-in, ''Altered Beast''.||''[[Super Mario World (Video Game)|Super Mario World]]'' and ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog (Video Game)|Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' both sold roughly the same units (both getting 20 million sold) although four million of Sonic's sold copies were standalone. However, ''Sonic'' had a major impact on gaming and pop culture while ''SMW'', despite being very well received, tended to be regarded as being just another ''Mario'' game.

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|''[[New Super Mario Bros Wii (Video Game)|New Super Mario Bros. Wii]]'' ||''[[Sonic the Hedgehog 4 (Video Game)|Sonic the Hedgehog 4]]'' ||[[Reconstruction|Reconstructions]] of two rival game francises in their prime, done in the [[Sprite Polygon Mix]] style||''NSMBW'' introduces [[Co Op Multiplayer]] to the ''[[Super Mario Bros]].'' series, while ''Sonic 4'' is an [[Episodic Game]]. || Both. ''NSMBW'' is a [[Killer App]], and ''Sonic 4'' also sold strong, even if the "fans" don't want to admit it.

|''[[New Super Mario Bros Wii (Video Game)|New Super Mario Bros. Wii]]'' ||''[[Sonic the Hedgehog 4 (Video Game)|Sonic the Hedgehog 4]]'' ||[[Reconstruction|Reconstructions]] of two rival game francises in their prime, done in the [[Sprite Polygon Mix]] style||''NSMBW'' introduces [[Co-Op Multiplayer]] to the ''[[Super Mario Bros]].'' series, while ''Sonic 4'' is an [[Episodic Game]]. || Both. ''NSMBW'' is a [[Killer App]], and ''Sonic 4'' also sold strong, even if the "fans" don't want to admit it.

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|''[[Die Hard]] Arcade'' ||''[[Fighting Force]]'' ||3D attempts at ressurecting the [[Beat Em Up]] genre.|| ''Fighting Force'' was originally envisioned as a ''[[Streets of Rage]]'' sequel, which would have made this an in-house dueling. Both games had sequels, but ''Fighting Force'' underwent a [[Genre Shift]] in its next installment.||''Fighting Force'' sold better but ''Die Hard Arcade'' is slightly more respected among gamers. Both failed to launch the 3D Brawler genre.

|''[[Die Hard]] Arcade'' ||''[[Fighting Force]]'' ||3D attempts at ressurecting the [[Beat'Em Up]] genre.|| ''Fighting Force'' was originally envisioned as a ''[[Streets of Rage]]'' sequel, which would have made this an in-house dueling. Both games had sequels, but ''Fighting Force'' underwent a [[Genre Shift]] in its next installment.||''Fighting Force'' sold better but ''Die Hard Arcade'' is slightly more respected among gamers. Both failed to launch the 3D Brawler genre.

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|''[[Wii Sports]]''||''Kinect Sports'', ''Sports Champions''||[[Minigame Game|Sports game compilations]] showing off a system's new motion controls.||Let's face it, the real fight's between the control systems: ''Wii Sports'' demonstrated the [[Wii]] remote, ''Kinect Sports'' is made for the [[Xbox 360]]'s controllerless camera system, and ''Sports Champions'' utilizes the [[Play Station 3|PlayStation Move]].||''Wii Sports'' had a four-year head start, being bundled with the [[Wii]] at launch and becoming synonymous with it. The other two systems are playing catch-up, with their motion controls as optional add-ons to existing systems - the Kinect seems to be getting most of the hype (in both cases, the sports game seems to be at best lost in the shuffle as only one of several showcase titles).

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|''[[City of Heroes]]''/''[[City of Villains]]''||''[[Champions Online (Video Game)|Champions Online]]''||[[Superhero]] MMORPGs||Both games were developed by the same studio, Cryptic. Publisher NC Soft bought the CoX property and hired most of the people working on it away from Cryptic two years before ''Champions'' launched.||''Champions'' opened with praise for an excellent character creation system, but quickly began to suffer from shallow content, and reverted to a free-to-play model early in 2011. ''City of Heroes'' is still the defining superhero MMO.

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|''[[Meteos]]''||''[[Lumines]]''||Stylish [[Falling Blocks]] games, developed by Q Entertainment and released in 2005 for portable systems.||''Meteos'' was a launch title or close to it for the [[Nintendo DS]], while ''Lumines'' was the same for the [[Play Station Portable]].||''Lumines'' has had more sequels on PSP, [[PS 2]], [[Xbox Live Arcade]], PC, [[Playstation Network]], and [[Play Station Vita]]. ''Meteos'' only got a [[Disney]]-themed [[Dolled Up Installment]] for DS and an Xbox Live Arcade sequel.

|''[[Meteos]]''||''[[Lumines]]''||Stylish [[Falling Blocks]] games, developed by Q Entertainment and released in 2005 for portable systems.||''Meteos'' was a launch title or close to it for the [[Nintendo DS]], while ''Lumines'' was the same for the [[Play Station Portable]].||''Lumines'' has had more sequels on PSP, [[PS 2]], [[Xbox Live Arcade]], PC, [[Playstation Network]], and [[Play Station Vita]]. ''Meteos'' only got a [[Disney]]-themed [[Dolled-Up Installment]] for DS and an Xbox Live Arcade sequel.

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|''[[Captain Rainbow]]''||''[[Epic Mickey]]''||Both games star a character (whose name appears in the cover) that travel to a world of forgotten characters and helps them to feel better about themselves. Captain Rainbow goes to an island of old Nintendo characters, while Mickey travels to a parallel Disney characters.|| ''[[Captain Rainbow]]'' [[No Export for You|was only released in Japan]] ||''[[Epic Mickey]]'' is not greatly known, but it's far more popular than obscure ''[[Captain Rainbow]]'' ([[No Export for You|Not being exported probably]] didn't help). Besides, [[Epic Mickey|EM]] had [[Mickey Mouse|a very well-known protagonist]], while [[Captain Rainbow|CR]] had a [[Captain Ersatz]].

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|''[[Kingdom Hearts]]''||''[[Epic Mickey]]''||Applied ''very broadly'', two games featuring a [[Darker and Edgier]] Disney than you remember featuring a more adventurous Mickey and some plot elements based around hearts.||The first is an [[Action Adventure Series]] RPG created by Tetsuya Nomura that [[Massive Multiplayer Crossover|blends]] characters and elements from [[Square Enix]]'s ''[[Final Fantasy]]'' with Disney's own [[Disney Animated Canon|Animated Canon]] ([[The Nightmare Before Christmas|and]] [[Pirates of the Caribbean|then]] [[Tron|some]]) and stars Sora, an [[Original Character]] by Square. The second, on the other hand, is a [[Genre Busting]] [[Platform Game|platformer]], [[First Person Shooter|shooter]] (along with some RPG elements) created by Warren Spector that serves as a rebirth for Mickey Mouse and brings back old and forgotten [[Classic Disney Shorts|Disney characters]] into a new light.||This infuriates fans on both ends, particularly the ''Epic Mickey'' [[Berserk Button|side]]. While both games are completely different from one another <ref> gamestyle, art, gameplay, Disney focus (''Kingdom Hearts'' preferring post-[[The Renaissance Age of Animation|Disney Renaissance]] material and ''Epic Mickey'' focusing on Disney's pre-Renaissance animated history)</ref> the fact that both games have an emphasis on a "heart" is enough for [[Fan Dumb]] and [[Insane Troll Logic]] to sometimes label ''Epic Mickey'' as a "[[Cowboy Bebop At His Computer|Kingdom Hearts Ripoff]]". Nonetheless, as it stands, Disney has [http://kotaku.com/5474368/thank-kingdom-hearts-for-epic-mickey stated] that it was because of ''Kingdom Hearts'' that allowed them to decide to rethink and retool their most iconic character. ''Epic Mickey'' took a critical drubbing and is a strong paragon of [[Love It or Hate It]], while the ''[[Kingdom Hearts]]'' game released closest to ''Epic Mickey'', ''[[Birth By Sleep]]'', is pretty much a [[Play Station Portable|PSP]] [[Killer App]].

|''[[Kingdom Hearts]]''||''[[Epic Mickey]]''||Applied ''very broadly'', two games featuring a [[Darker and Edgier]] Disney than you remember featuring a more adventurous Mickey and some plot elements based around hearts.||The first is an [[Action Adventure Series]] RPG created by Tetsuya Nomura that [[Massive Multiplayer Crossover|blends]] characters and elements from [[Square Enix]]'s ''[[Final Fantasy]]'' with Disney's own [[Disney Animated Canon|Animated Canon]] ([[The Nightmare Before Christmas|and]] [[Pirates of the Caribbean|then]] [[Tron|some]]) and stars Sora, an [[Original Character]] by Square. The second, on the other hand, is a [[Genre Busting]] [[Platform Game|platformer]], [[First-Person Shooter|shooter]] (along with some RPG elements) created by Warren Spector that serves as a rebirth for Mickey Mouse and brings back old and forgotten [[Classic Disney Shorts|Disney characters]] into a new light.||This infuriates fans on both ends, particularly the ''Epic Mickey'' [[Berserk Button|side]]. While both games are completely different from one another <ref> gamestyle, art, gameplay, Disney focus (''Kingdom Hearts'' preferring post-[[The Renaissance Age of Animation|Disney Renaissance]] material and ''Epic Mickey'' focusing on Disney's pre-Renaissance animated history)</ref> the fact that both games have an emphasis on a "heart" is enough for [[Fan Dumb]] and [[Insane Troll Logic]] to sometimes label ''Epic Mickey'' as a "[[Cowboy Bebop At His Computer|Kingdom Hearts Ripoff]]". Nonetheless, as it stands, Disney has [http://kotaku.com/5474368/thank-kingdom-hearts-for-epic-mickey stated] that it was because of ''Kingdom Hearts'' that allowed them to decide to rethink and retool their most iconic character. ''Epic Mickey'' took a critical drubbing and is a strong paragon of [[Love It or Hate It]], while the ''[[Kingdom Hearts]]'' game released closest to ''Epic Mickey'', ''[[Birth By Sleep]]'', is pretty much a [[Play Station Portable|PSP]] [[Killer App]].

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|''Kileak: The DNA Imperative''||''Robotica: Cybernation Revolt''||Japanese [[First Person Shooter|First Person Shooters]] starring mechas. The plot of both games center around the [[~~Everybodys~~ Dead Dave|survivor of a strike-force team]] exploring the hallways of an hostile complex swarming with [[Mecha Mooks]].|| Both games were released within two months of each other, and on rival consoles, ''Kileak'' on the Playstation, ''Robotica'' on the Saturn.||Both games are obscure and generally considered to be terrible. However ''Kileak'' did get a sequel called ''Epidemic'' and a better-received [[Spiritual Successor]] in the form of ''Brahma Force''.

|''Kileak: The DNA Imperative''||''Robotica: Cybernation Revolt''||Japanese [[First-Person Shooter|First Person Shooters]] starring mechas. The plot of both games center around the [[Everybody's Dead, Dave|survivor of a strike-force team]] exploring the hallways of an hostile complex swarming with [[Mecha Mooks]].|| Both games were released within two months of each other, and on rival consoles, ''Kileak'' on the Playstation, ''Robotica'' on the Saturn.||Both games are obscure and generally considered to be terrible. However ''Kileak'' did get a sequel called ''Epidemic'' and a better-received [[Spiritual Successor]] in the form of ''Brahma Force''.

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| ''[[Tactics Ogre]]'' [[PSP]] [[Video Game Remake|remake]] || ''[[Radiant Historia (Video Game)|Radiant Historia]]'' || [[Eastern RPG]] with time-travel gameplay mechanics and political intrigue || ''Tactics Ogre'' is a [[Turn Based Strategy]] [[RPG]] that allows the player to rewind up to 50 turns in a battle and go back to key story points and follow up on multiple branching story paths. ''Radiant Historia'' has a more typical battle system, with the wrinkle that you can manipulate enemy positions on a grid, sort of like ''[[Mega Man Battle Network (Video Game)|Mega Man Battle Network]]''; the ability to time travel to see differing timelines is actually and ability of the main character, rather than just the player. || ''Tactics Ogre'' sold better partially because it marks the return of franchise with a lot of cachet, but both games have received strong critical receptions.

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| ''[[Call of Duty]]''/''[[Modern Warfare]]'' series || ''[[Battlefield (Video Game)|Battlefield]] series'' || Modern [[First Person Shooter]] || These franchises didn't begin as direct rivals, because the ''[[Call of Duty]]'' series focused more on small-scale squad combat while the ''[[Battlefield (Video Game)|Battlefield]]'' series emphasized much larger matches. But, some wildly unpopular design decisions in ''[[Modern Warfare]]'' prompted a major [[Fandom Rivalry]] which the developers exploited in their marketing. || While both are critical and commercial darlings, the ''Call of Duty'' series is one of the best selling in history.

| ''[[Call of Duty]]''/''[[Modern Warfare]]'' series || ''[[Battlefield (Video Game)|Battlefield]] series'' || Modern [[First-Person Shooter]] || These franchises didn't begin as direct rivals, because the ''[[Call of Duty]]'' series focused more on small-scale squad combat while the ''[[Battlefield (Video Game)|Battlefield]]'' series emphasized much larger matches. But, some wildly unpopular design decisions in ''[[Modern Warfare]]'' prompted a major [[Fandom Rivalry]] which the developers exploited in their marketing. || While both are critical and commercial darlings, the ''Call of Duty'' series is one of the best selling in history.

|-

| ''[[Dragon Age]]'' series || ''[[The Witcher]]'' series || Modern [[Western RPG|Western RPGs]] in a [[Dark Fantasy]] setting, with lots of [[Black and Grey Morality]]. || Both are popular [[Western RPG]]'s with some major gameplay differences. ''The Witcher'' is focused on one character, while ''Dragon Age'' utilizes party-based gameplay. The rivalry did not pick up until the advertisements for each series second games started and it doesn't help that both of them are being released in a close timeframe. || The first games in both series are both critically acclaimed and have sold millions of copies. ''Dragon Age: Origins'' has sold more than ''The Witcher'' and does possess a slightly higher Metacritic rating. The situation was reversed with the sequels, with ''[[The Witcher 2]]'' scoring higher than ''[[Dragon Age II]]''. Both however, were blown out of the water by ''[[The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim (Video Game)|Skyrim]]''.

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| ''[[Super Mario 64 (Video Game)|Super Mario 64]]'' || ''[[Crash Bandicoot 1996 (Video Game)|Crash Bandicoot 1996]]'' || Both established the 3D platformer on their respective systems, the [[Nintendo 64]] and [[Play Station]] || Both were released in 1996. || ''Mario 64''. While both have a huge following, ''Mario 64'' stood out as '''the''' game of the [[Nintendo 64]], while Crash mostly faded as just another [[Killer App]] for the [[Play Station]] and had a [[Crash Bandicoot 3 Warped|better received sequel]]. The ''Mario'' franchise (though it had the advantage of very well-recieved games before ''Mario 64'') is still going on very strong, while the ''[[Crash Bandicoot (Video Game)|Crash Bandicoot]]'' series was very slowly killed off by Activision for being a [[Franchise Zombie]] that doesn't [[Cash Cow Franchise|print money]] like ''[[Call of Duty]]'' does.

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| ''Nanotek Warrior'' || ''N20: Nitrous Oxide'' ||Trippy tube shooters released exclusively on the Playstation.|| ''Nanotek Warrior'' place an emphasis on avoiding obstacles and gives the player craft more mobility. ''[[N 2 O]]'' is more about [[Scoring Points]] and has really ''[[What Do You Mean It Wasn't Made On Drugs|trippy]]'' visuals. || Both games were financial duds, though ''[[N 2 O]]'' seems to be more fondly remembered.

| ''Nanotek Warrior'' || ''N20: Nitrous Oxide'' ||Trippy tube shooters released exclusively on the Playstation.|| ''Nanotek Warrior'' place an emphasis on avoiding obstacles and gives the player craft more mobility. ''[[N 2 O]]'' is more about [[Scoring Points]] and has really ''[[What Do You Mean It Wasn't Made On Drugs?|trippy]]'' visuals. || Both games were financial duds, though ''[[N 2 O]]'' seems to be more fondly remembered.

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| ''[[Minecraft (Video Game)|Minecraft]]'' || ''[[Terraria (Video Game)|Terraria]]'' || [[Wide Open Sandbox|Wide Open Sandboxes]] featuring blocky graphics, random level generation, and underground gameplay. || ''Minecraft'' is 3D, ''Terraria'' is 2D and features RPG elements. || ''Minecraft'' has sold more than five million units since the alpha stages, and received widespread critical acclaim upon official release. ''Terraria'' however still did rather impressively, selling at least a million since release with highly positive reviews and remaining one of the most-played games on Steam. Also, Notch approves of ''Terraria'' and quite a bit of the ''Minecraft'' fanbase also plays it, so there's no real "winner".

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| ''[[One]]'' || ''[[Video Game/Apocalypse|Apocalypse]]'' ||3D overhead shooters released exclusively on the original Playstation.|| ''One'' has more emphasis on platforming and cinematic setpieces. ''Apocalypse'' is more actioney and features [[Bruce Willis]]'s likeness as its main selling point.|| Both games were modest critical and financial successes. If you're stretching things, one could say ''Apocalypse'' had more impact, as its engine was reused for the massively successful ''[[Tony Hawk Pro Skater]]'' series.

| ''[[One]]'' || ''[[Video Game/Apocalypse|Apocalypse]]'' ||3D overhead shooters released exclusively on the original Playstation.|| ''One'' has more emphasis on platforming and cinematic setpieces. ''Apocalypse'' is more actioney and features [[Bruce Willis (Creator)]]'s likeness as its main selling point.|| Both games were modest critical and financial successes. If you're stretching things, one could say ''Apocalypse'' had more impact, as its engine was reused for the massively successful ''[[Tony Hawk Pro Skater]]'' series.

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| ''[[LA Noire]]'' || ''[[Driver]]: San Francisco'' || [[Wide Open Sandbox]] games released in 2011 where you play as a police officer in a [[Period Piece]]/[[Retro Universe]] [[California]] city. || ''Noire'' is set in an accurately-detailed and researched 1947 [[Los Angeles]], while ''Driver'' is set in a [[San Francisco]] with modern technology and vehicles [[Retro Universe|but an otherwise heavy '70s aesthetic]]. ''Noire'' is heavily focused around the process of police investigation, while the ''Driver'' series' strength has always been its car chases, something that looks to remain true here. This is also a continuation of the Rockstar/Reflections rivalry that began in [[Grand Theft Auto III (Video Game)|2001]]. || ''Noire'' wins this one easily, with rave reviews and over three million sales. ''Driver'', though, has also gotten good reviews and decent sales, and has helped to restore its franchise's respectability (which it had previously squandered with the execrable ''Driv3r'') in the eyes of most critics and gamers.

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| ''[[LA Noire]]'' || ''[[Heavy Rain]]'' || Interactive crime dramas with highly cinematic storytelling. Both games have been put forth as evidence in favor of the argument that video games have artistic merit. || ''[[LA Noire]]'' was originally planned as a [[PS 3]] exclusive, but wound up going multi-platform after a few years as [[Vaporware]]. ''[[Heavy Rain]]'', published by Sony, remained a [[PS 3]] exclusive. In addition, while ''Noire'' goes for the feel of old 1940s [[Film Noir]], ''Rain'' is more inspired by modern crime dramas and [[Psychological Thriller|psychological thrillers]]. || Critically, it's a draw. Both have been hailed as being among the greatest games of this generation (though both have their detractors), and their Metacritic and GameRankings scores are within a hair of one another. Financially... it's also a draw. While ''Noire'' sold three million copies versus ''Rain'''s million-and-a-half (being a multi-platform release as opposed to ''Rain'''s [[PS 3]] exclusivity helped on that front), its [[Troubled Production|long, drawn-out and highly troubled development cycle]] meant that it ''still'' lost money, causing its developer, Team Bondi, to shut its doors within less than a year. ''Rain'' developer Quantum Dream, meanwhile, is still alive and kicking.

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| ''[[Serious Sam]]'' || ''[[Will Rock]]'' || Budget-priced throwbacks to old-school [[First Person Shooter]] featuring unrelenting hordes of strange enemies. Both have an ancient civilization theme.|| ''[[Serious Sam]]'' is set in ancient Egypt (and several other places in ''The Second Encounter'') while ''[[Will Rock]]'' is inspired by Greek mythology.|| ''Serious Sam'' by a mile. ''Will Rock'' was not a big success and was seen by many professional reviewers as a weak copy of Croteam's work, though its reputation has improved over the years.

| ''[[Serious Sam]]'' || ''[[Will Rock]]'' || Budget-priced throwbacks to old-school [[First-Person Shooter]] featuring unrelenting hordes of strange enemies. Both have an ancient civilization theme.|| ''[[Serious Sam]]'' is set in ancient Egypt (and several other places in ''The Second Encounter'') while ''[[Will Rock]]'' is inspired by Greek mythology.|| ''Serious Sam'' by a mile. ''Will Rock'' was not a big success and was seen by many professional reviewers as a weak copy of Croteam's work, though its reputation has improved over the years.

|-

| ''[[Red Dead Redemption]]'' || ''[[Call of Juarez]]: Bound in Blood'' || Shooters set in [[The Wild West]]. || ''RDR'' is a third-person, open-world title, and is the [[Spiritual Successor]] to ''[[Red Dead Revolver]]''. ''Juarez'', meanwhile, is a linear FPS, and a [[Prequel]] to the original game. || No contest. ''[[Red Dead Redemption]]'' won this easily, with over eight million sales, rave reviews, and multiple Game of the Year awards. ''Juarez'' was no slouch, though, earning good reviews and selling well over a million copies. Once again, the gamers are the real winners.

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|''[[Dungeon Defenders]]''||''[[Orcs Must Die]]''||[[Tower Defense]] games where the player can directly influence the flow of battle by fighting back.||''[[Orcs Must Die]]'' is faster-paced and single-player, while ''[[Dungeon Defenders]]'' is slower-paced but can be played with up to four players at a time.||Both games have received very good reviews, but even though ''Orcs'' came out one month earlier, ''Defenders'' wins out on account of its larger scope (multiplayer and multiplatform) and regular content updates.

|-

|''[[Onechanbara]]''||''[[Lollipop Chainsaw]]''||A [[Beat Em Up]] / [[Hack and Slash]] where [[Stripperiffic]] chicks fights zombies. ||Keep in mind ''[[Lollipop Chainsaw]]'' was probably never meant to copy ''[[Onechanbara]]''. Both games just happen to be built around a similar concept. Ironically, in ''Onechanbara Z Kagura'', one of the main characters happen to wield a chainsaw. But since chainsaws are common in zombie games nowadays, this should just be written off as a coincidence.||Who knows? Lollipop Chainsaw is still in development and [[Onechanbara]] wasn't received well in the West. A new game called Onechanbara Z Kagura has been released recently in Japan, but no US/European release has been announced yet. From the looks of it, Lollipop Chainsaw is most likely going to be favored, due to the fact it's being developed by [[No More Heroes|Suda51 and Grasshopper Studios]].

|''[[Onechanbara]]''||''[[Lollipop Chainsaw]]''||A [[Beat'Em Up]] / [[Hack and Slash]] where [[Stripperiffic]] chicks fights zombies. ||Keep in mind ''[[Lollipop Chainsaw]]'' was probably never meant to copy ''[[Onechanbara]]''. Both games just happen to be built around a similar concept. Ironically, in ''Onechanbara Z Kagura'', one of the main characters happen to wield a chainsaw. But since chainsaws are common in zombie games nowadays, this should just be written off as a coincidence.||Who knows? Lollipop Chainsaw is still in development and [[Onechanbara]] wasn't received well in the West. A new game called Onechanbara Z Kagura has been released recently in Japan, but no US/European release has been announced yet. From the looks of it, Lollipop Chainsaw is most likely going to be favored, due to the fact it's being developed by [[No More Heroes|Suda51 and Grasshopper Studios]].

|-

|''[[Beat Down]]: Fists of Vengeance''||''[[Urban Reign]]''||Dark and gritty [[Beat Em Up|Beat Em Ups]].||''Urban Reign'' features cameos from popular ''[[Tekken]]'' characters Paul Phoenix and Marshall Law. ||Neither game got much love from the critics, but ''[[Urban Reign]]'' received somewhat more favorable (if still mixed) reviews, so it wins.

|''[[Beat Down]]: Fists of Vengeance''||''[[Urban Reign]]''||Dark and gritty [[Beat'Em Up|Beat Em Ups]].||''Urban Reign'' features cameos from popular ''[[Tekken]]'' characters Paul Phoenix and Marshall Law. ||Neither game got much love from the critics, but ''[[Urban Reign]]'' received somewhat more favorable (if still mixed) reviews, so it wins.

|-

|''[[Reader Rabbit]]'' / ''[[The Clue Finders]]''||''[[Jump Start]]''||[[Edutainment Game]] series, in which games up to second grade only involve [[Funny Animal|Funny Animals]] while games from third to sixth grade are about mystery-solving humans.||While the ''[[Reader Rabbit]]'' and ''[[The Clue Finders]]'' names are used for the Baby-2nd Grade and 3rd-6th Grade series respectively, ''[[Jump Start]]'' games from 3rd-6th Grade still keep the same title as the Baby-2nd Grade series.||None; both series sold very well.

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|''[[FIFA Soccer]]''||''Pro Evolution Soccer''||Long running soccer game series||The samurai vs. knight of soccer games. Since their debut in the middle 90's, both series are a constant source of [[Fandom Rivalry]].||So far the FIFA series is usually more acclaimed than PES (with help of the real FIFA organization that gave it their official seal of approval).

|-

|''[[Kane and Lynch]]''||''[[Army of Two]]''||Gritty, co-op centric [[Third Person Shooter]] [[Follow the Leader|cashing in]] on ''[[Gears of War]]''. The sequel of both centers around the protagonists trying to escape Shangai after a job goes south.|| ''Army of Two'' takes itself far less seriously. || Neither series are huge critical successes, but both ''[[Army of Two]]'' and its sequel had a somewhat more positive reception and sold better.

|''[[Kane and Lynch]]''||''[[Army of Two]]''||Gritty, co-op centric [[Third-Person Shooter]] [[Follow the Leader|cashing in]] on ''[[Gears of War]]''. The sequel of both centers around the protagonists trying to escape Shangai after a job goes south.|| ''Army of Two'' takes itself far less seriously. || Neither series are huge critical successes, but both ''[[Army of Two]]'' and its sequel had a somewhat more positive reception and sold better.

|-

|''[[Duke Nukem]]''||''[[Serious Sam]]''||Over-the-top first person shooters with a one-liner-spewing [[Rated M for Manly|macho protagonist]] fighting off an alien invasion||Serious Sam was inspired by and originally based off Duke himself, but his games would include many [[Take That|Take Thats]] towards Duke, particularly the at-the-time unreleased ''[[Duke Nukem Forever (Video Game)|Duke Nukem Forever]]''.||Duke Nukem is by far the more well-known name among gamers, but ''[[Duke Nukem Forever (Video Game)|Duke Nukem Forever]]'', despite selling better than ''Serious Sam 3'', received poor reviews from both old fans and new gamers, while ''Sam 3'' was generally better-received, particularly for sticking to the classic formula better.

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|''[[Ultima]]''||''[[Wizardry (Video Game)|Wizardry]]''||[[Trope Codifier|Trope Codifiers]] of [[Western RPG|Western RPGs]], inspired by [[Dungeons and Dragons]]|| ''Ultima'' focused on a single slightly customizable hero(ine) while ''Wizardry'' featured an entire party of characters created from scratch.<ref>In fact, ''Ultima III'' introduced party members in response to ''Wizardry''.</ref> Both initially sticked closely to the spirit of ''Dungeons & Dragons'', but ''Ultima'' eventually shifted away from it to focus more on story and [[Karma Meter|morality]]. ''Wizardry'' however embraced the spirit fully and remained a [[Nintendo Hard|hardcore]] dungeon crawler. ||In America and Europe: ''Ultima''. Both series fizzled out and died around the turn of the millenium, but ''Ultima'' had been more successful commercially and remains alive thanks to ''[[Ultima Online]]'', which still has an active playerbase. In Japan: ''Wizardry'', where the series saw [[Germans Love David Hasselhoff|unexpected success]] and remains alive and popular with [[No Export for You|Japan-exclusive]] titles still being made more than 10 years after the last official game.

|-

|''[[The Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword (Video Game)|The Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword]]''||''[[The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim]]''||Installments of two [[Long Runner]] [[High Fantasy]] franchises for the 2011 holiday season. And for what it's worth, they both have "sky" in their titles.||''[[Skyward Sword]]'' is the first ''Zelda'' game to feature 1:1 motion controls and fully orchestral music, and was made for the series' 25th Anniversary [[Milestone Celebration]]. ''Skyrim'' has an updated graphical system, a strong emphasis on dragons, and plenty of [[Sequel Escalation]] (over 300 hours of content), which is saying a lot for an ''[[Elder Scrolls]]'' game.||Skyrim took a slight lead in reviews, though it needed a few patches due to technical issues. Skyrim handily won in sales, despite Skyward Sword being the fastest selling Zelda game to date, possibly because Skyrim was available on three platforms instead of one.

|''[[The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Video Game)|The Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword]]''||''[[The Elder Scrolls V Skyrim]]''||Installments of two [[Long Runner]] [[High Fantasy]] franchises for the 2011 holiday season. And for what it's worth, they both have "sky" in their titles.||''[[Skyward Sword]]'' is the first ''Zelda'' game to feature 1:1 motion controls and fully orchestral music, and was made for the series' 25th Anniversary [[Milestone Celebration]]. ''Skyrim'' has an updated graphical system, a strong emphasis on dragons, and plenty of [[Sequel Escalation]] (over 300 hours of content), which is saying a lot for an ''[[Elder Scrolls]]'' game.||Skyrim took a slight lead in reviews, though it needed a few patches due to technical issues. Skyrim handily won in sales, despite Skyward Sword being the fastest selling Zelda game to date, possibly because Skyrim was available on three platforms instead of one.

|-

|''[[Explodemon]]'' and ''[[Splosion Man]]''||''[[Ma Xplosion]]''||Platformers where player character uses explosion as a method of propulsion|| Explodemon's and Splosion Man's concepts and trailers of the game were released almost simultaneously. Explodemon uses [[Mega Man (Video Game)|Mega Man]]-style artwork while Splosion man is goofier||''Explodemon'' was initially greatly overshadowed by ''[[Splosion Man]]'' and publishers weren't willing to market a game with a similar concept. ''[[Ma Xplosion]]'' was considered a cheaper imitator of ''[[Splosion Man]]''

|-

| ''[[X-COM|XCOM]]'' (2012) || ''[[Syndicate (Video Game)|Syndicate]]'' (2012) || Squad-based [[First Person Shooter|FPS]] [[Video Game Remake|reboots]] of classic sci-fi [[Strategy Game|strategy games]] from [[The Nineties]]. || ''XCOM'' has a [[The Fifties|'50s]] [[Eagle Land|Americana]] feel, while ''Syndicate'' is more [[Cyberpunk]]. || [[Ruined FOREVER|Neither is]] [[They Changed It Now It Sucks|all that popular]] with fans of the original games, though reaction to the ''XCOM'' reboot led to development on a separate game, ''XCOM: Enemy Unknown'', that plays more like the older games. ''Syndicate'' has received mixed-to-positive reviews so far, while ''XCOM'' is due to be released in March. Stay tuned.

| ''[[X-COM|XCOM]]'' (2012) || ''[[Syndicate (Video Game)|Syndicate]]'' (2012) || Squad-based [[First-Person Shooter|FPS]] [[Video Game Remake|reboots]] of classic sci-fi [[Strategy Game|strategy games]] from [[The Nineties]]. || ''XCOM'' has a [[The Fifties|'50s]] [[Eagle Land|Americana]] feel, while ''Syndicate'' is more [[Cyberpunk]]. || [[Ruined FOREVER|Neither is]] [[They Changed It, Now It Sucks|all that popular]] with fans of the original games, though reaction to the ''XCOM'' reboot led to development on a separate game, ''XCOM: Enemy Unknown'', that plays more like the older games. ''Syndicate'' has received mixed-to-positive reviews so far, while ''XCOM'' is due to be released in March. Stay tuned.

|-

| ''[[NBA Jam]] Extreme'' || ''NBA Hangtime'' || Fast-paced two-on-two basketball games with over-the-top dunks, no fouls besides goaltending, and players catching fire after making three straight baskets. || Midway made the first two NBA Jam games for arcades and Acclaim ported them to consoles. A dispute over the name led to a split where Acclaim kept the NBA Jam name and made a sequel, while Midway made its own sequel under a different name. Also notable is that ''Extreme'' is in 3D, while ''Hangtime'' remains 2D. || Despite more advanced graphics, ''Extreme'' couldn't compete with ''Hangtime'''s added depth and far faster load times. Acclaim continued to make ''Jam'' as more of a simulation, while Midway adapted the formula further to make ''NBA Showtime'' and ''NBA Ballers''.