Tired of hearing "God of War Clone"

Let me first start by saying i love God of war, Devil May Cry and the Hack'n'Sash genre.

Me and my friend just had a pretty heated discussion about God of War, Devil May Cry and in general, the Hack'n'Slash genre. It first started when i told him about my frustration at the term "God of War clone" used to describe games such as the upcoming "Dante's Inferno" etc, the term kind of implies that God of War single handedly coined the Hack'n'Slash genre. However i refuse to accept that God of War is the single inspiration for the genre, and that other games such as Devil May Cry have played a larger role in the genre than God of War will ever do. This is were the shit hit the fan and we continued to compare each of the games best aspects against each other. 

He started by claiming that God of War is by far the best Hack'n'Slash game there is, describing to me how cinematic the game feels, with its epic story. He then went on to describe that the combat system is the best used in the genre and that if a poll was made of the best games from the genre God of War would win.

To counter his argument i started by describing the impact Devil May Cry 1 had on the genre (we will forget 2 ever existed) and that God of War was infact a Devil May cry Clone  so to speak (GOW even uses souls to upgrade weapon) to which he denied. Furthermore i stated that Devil May Cry 3 boasted  more robust mechanics than any God of War to date, and that its weapon and combo system have yet to be matched by any game.

We continued at this for at least an hour.

I guess this post has no real meaning, but my frustration comes when other games which have made a larger more valuable impact on the genre are forgoten (similar to modern FPS's like Halo, Killzone 2 an so on being called the best in the genre and the truely legendary games such as Doom,quake and Goldeneye being looked over and their influence forgotten.

I also wanted to find out what the larger community thought about God of War (does it really diserve all the credit?) and Devil May Cry. Including their personal view on other games in the genre and influences which are looked over. What do you also think of the term "God of War clone"

Let me first start by saying i love God of war, Devil May Cry and the Hack'n'Sash genre.

Me and my friend just had a pretty heated discussion about God of War, Devil May Cry and in general, the Hack'n'Slash genre. It first started when i told him about my frustration at the term "God of War clone" used to describe games such as the upcoming "Dante's Inferno" etc, the term kind of implies that God of War single handedly coined the Hack'n'Slash genre. However i refuse to accept that God of War is the single inspiration for the genre, and that other games such as Devil May Cry have played a larger role in the genre than God of War will ever do. This is were the shit hit the fan and we continued to compare each of the games best aspects against each other. 

He started by claiming that God of War is by far the best Hack'n'Slash game there is, describing to me how cinematic the game feels, with its epic story. He then went on to describe that the combat system is the best used in the genre and that if a poll was made of the best games from the genre God of War would win.

To counter his argument i started by describing the impact Devil May Cry 1 had on the genre (we will forget 2 ever existed) and that God of War was infact a Devil May cry Clone  so to speak (GOW even uses souls to upgrade weapon) to which he denied. Furthermore i stated that Devil May Cry 3 boasted  more robust mechanics than any God of War to date, and that its weapon and combo system have yet to be matched by any game.

We continued at this for at least an hour.

I guess this post has no real meaning, but my frustration comes when other games which have made a larger more valuable impact on the genre are forgoten (similar to modern FPS's like Halo, Killzone 2 an so on being called the best in the genre and the truely legendary games such as Doom,quake and Goldeneye being looked over and their influence forgotten.

I also wanted to find out what the larger community thought about God of War (does it really diserve all the credit?) and Devil May Cry. Including their personal view on other games in the genre and influences which are looked over. What do you also think of the term "God of War clone"

DMC 1 had a very big impact on the action genre.  If DMC didn't exist, God of War wouldn't exist.

i tottaly agree, that said i still hate hack and slash games

If anything, Onimusha: Warlords deserves credit. After all, it was released before Devil May Cry.

You would think that God of War and Gears of War were the first games ever created when reading about video game influences in articles nowadays.

Also, both of you are wrong, Ninja Gaiden Black is above and beyond DMC or God of War.

I hate the God of War games, they are just boring after a while you realize it's the same thing. Go into room, Door is sealed, kill all enemies in room, door opens, proceed to next room, do it all again.

Maybe it's because I played it a few years after it was released (but I can still play DMC3 to this day and love it), but I felt God of War was overrated as hell. I personally feel that the game devolves once you find the most effective combo in your arsenal that you spam over and over again, because the enemies, to me, didn't act differently enough from one another to warrant different battle tactics. The fact that the only other weapon you got was practically useless compared to the chains didn't help matters much.

Also, I hated how enemies were invulnerable to being stunned during their attack animations-I thought that it was a sort of cheap way to increase the game's difficulty. This last point might piss people off (or not, I don't know), but I thought the game, aside from certain environments and some of the characters, was ugly. The art style didn't do much for me and a lot of it just seemed so....plain, and blurry. Who knows, maybe it was just me. It wasn't a bad game, necessarily, but I don't feel it deserves all of the praise and attention it got. I think that DMC3 is the superb game in comparison.

With all that being said, I don't think using "God of War clone" is wrong. Dante's Inferno really does look a lot like GoW, not only because of the gore and mythological/religion based setting, but also because of the quick times and long-range main melee weapon. Being labeled a GoW clone isn't necessarily a detracting statement either.

Of the games I've played in the genre, I still think DMC is the best franchise, although I really enjoyed Ninja Gaiden 2.

Ummm... no. GoW is not a DMC clone. They play nothing alike, set out to do different things, and appeal to different crowds.

If anything, GoW is a Sands of Time/Warrior Within clone.

I don't really have any problem with the term "GoW clone" though, because if it's Western-made, it probably is GoW clone.

@CoolDrMoney: i feel the same way, everyone always refers to third person shooter now as "gears of war inspired" describing cover systems or shooting mechanics, when in actual fact Gears of war is influenced by resident evil 4.

Ninja Gaiden is awsome, and is a true example of the genre 

" @TheFreeMan: I think what sets GOW apart from Devil May Cry is the scale of the game and the environments, However i always thought and still do, that devil may cry has the potential to be a fantastic game, better than it is now "

I'm not a huge fan of hack/slash games, but they are fun to play.  Also, QTE was ripped from Shenmue, which was ripped from Dragon's Lair(?), which was used to rip quarters from the pockets of children but who really gives a shit.

I think FPSes are different because it is an overdone genre.

" @eclipsesis said:

" @TheFreeMan: I think what sets GOW apart from Devil May Cry is the scale of the game and the environments, However i always thought and still do, that devil may cry has the potential to be a fantastic game, better than it is now "

I think that the last two DMC games were great (especially DMC3), but I agree that they could be pretty damn mindblowing if they really tried. Here's hoping to DMC5 to fill that potential. "

God of War deserves credit for its quality & its following. No one says "Devil May Cry clone" because the game wasn't that popular nonetheless it wasn't superb by any means. Devil May Cry is the asian God of War & that was the problem.....

I think God of War brought the genre back to a mainstream public eye. Also, while I agree with you on that DMC 3 may have a more robust combat and combo system, the God of War system is much more friendly and has a smoother feel to it all. With Devil May Cry, if you are not aware of what moves link best to what, the moves end up feeling clunky and stiff. On the other hand, with a simple two or three button press, Kratos may pull of a double digit combo complete with flashy effects and an orchestra chanting your name in the background. Devil May Cry has a high barrier to entry for some people so God of War is next plausible choice for them. I for one prefer God of War for its aesthetic.

These console Hack 'n Slash games are just clones of games like Final Fight and Fatal Fury.

nobody is saying that God of War invented the genre by any means, its just that games like Dante's Inferno as clearly drawing a LOT of inspiration from GoW. 

It happens all of the time. After the original DOOM was released almost every Sci-Fi FPS after that was called a DOOM clone for while. You can't stop the human compulsion to make comparisons to other games to make people understand the gameplay for a game.

God of War was a complete masterpiece. I don't quite think Devil May Cry can touch it. Regardless, whenever you have a big breakthrough game come out that redefines a genre, all similar games are often referred to as clones. Doom clones, Goldeneye clones, Halo clones, Gears of War clones, Grand Theft Auto clones. You know how it goes. God of War tops Devil May Cry, and that's why it's the one that gets the recognition here.

Cool story bro.

You fail to realise that whenever something reinvigorates a genre, or sets a new benchmark for quality, it becomes the new standard hence anything remotely similar becomes a 'clone'.

I don't see you complaining about equally bullshit terms like Halo clone, fuck, even the allmight "Doom Clone" would be bullshit by your reckoning, there were many first person shooters before doom, Doom just blew them all out of the water much like God of War had done for the hack n slash genre, and Resident Evil 4 for third person action.

Don't be offended by it, because you're clearly interpreting the term the wrong way, it doesnt mean what your dumbass friend says it means. Also, your friend is a dumbass, he's clearly an ignorant God of War fanboy if he wont accept those points about Devil May Cry. But the point still stands that "something clone" usually means that the newer game has been copied to ride on the coattails of the clonees success, not that the clonee gave birth to the genre, besides these terms have to be constantly updated because if I said to you that "generic 2009 FPS" was a Faceball clone, you wouldnt have a fucking clue what I meant.

 if I said to you that "generic 2009 FPS" was a Faceball clone, you wouldnt have a fucking clue what I meant. "

I don't really think GoW is all that either. Sure, its fun, but it wasn't genre defining or anything for me. Between GoW and DMC I prefer DMC 1, that was a great game. That said, Castlevania and Ninja Gaiden are the best hack n' slash/action game series.

" I don't really think GoW is all that either. Sure, its fun, but it wasn't genre defining or anything for me. Between GoW and DMC I prefer DMC 1, that was a great game. That said, Castlevania and Ninja Gaiden are the best hack n' slash/action game series. "

Agree, it is a lame pass off. I like all those games also.... I don't even like the term hack n slash now, it's come to the point where it's used it a derogatory manner constanly.

Looking forward to Bayonetta,.

Personally i liked DMC3 and DMC4 much better than GoW. I like the characters better and i like the art style better. But im not saying that its a bad game. I liked GoW  and have two of the games but after im finished both of them i could never go back and play it again cause i wasnt interested anymore. With all the DMC's (excluding 2 which i refuse ever exsisted) i go back and play through them all the time. Also i like the term GoW clone when it comes to Dante's Inferno cause of how similar they look. The cross and its magic to Krotos' lightning are very similar. Same with the really long reaching scyth and Kratos' chains. But you cant call DMC a GoW clone or the other way around because of how differently the play styles are. Either way DMC is the best hack n' slash game for me :)

No game in recent history has made a bigger impact on the hack n' slash action adventure genre then God of War, so your friend is right in that respect. It has an epic storyline, larger then life battles with a huge variety of enemies in stages so beautiful graphically, it can put to shame some 360/PS3 games. Devil May Cry 3 was also another amazing game, and both are in my top five favorite games of last generation. Devil May Cry upped the ante and the action in the cinematics department but overall God of War is definitely the game that all other games should strive to be in this genre. So then it is appropriate that games like Dante's Inferno should be called God of War clones, especially since they borrow so heavily from mechanics that God of War made popular.

I loved GOW 1&2, loved Dmc 1
But i cannot stand DMC2&3, They get repetitive (both GOW and DMC)
But I can enjoy GoW alot more because the story is interesting, and DMC because the story is interesting. But DMC 2 and 3 just bore me :O
 
Other then that what the earlier guy said, he explained it perfectly
 And as for calling it a clone, why would i mind
 
But i have to agree with most people Ninja Gaiden is the best
Btw why has nobody mentioned Dynasty Warriors.....  :P ROFL

" DMC 1 had a very big impact on the action genre.  If DMC didn't exist, God of War wouldn't exist. "