So, here I am looking at the posed question to the Writer's Club and pondering how am I meant to respond to something like "What do you think about the clone phenomena?". I've been playing MMOs for quite some time now; in fact, longer than many average players to the genre these days. Most of those that were about around the time that I started have 'grown up' and gone their seperate ways from gaming in general. My intial reaction to the question was: "I can't be expected to right about this, it's so..not me." After some persuading, I realised that this could be about how I feel about anything similar to this 'direction' in the MMORPG industry. My absolute opinion on the matter is very straight to understand: There is no such thing as a CLONE in the gaming industry. Yes, I will openly admit that there are many games that follow very similar graphical engines and very similar 'techniques' to appeal to potential members. But how can anyone say that it's a "rip-off" of a game? Most of these people have no clue when the game(s) in question originally came out. Or more importantly, the differences between both titles. This whole debate started due to WindSlayer 'versus' MapleStory, in a manner of speaking (WindSlayer being in Open Beta [Game 'n Game] and MapleStory celebrating its 3rd Anniversary [Nexon]). I'm not trying to insult anyone here but: Have you played both of these games? Have you done the research involved in both of these games? I've played MapleStory for quite some time, off and on. The other day, I was asked to take a look into WindSlayer [silly me, saw no english version so I started playing the Korean one]. Within the magical five minutes of a game's reality, I was able to distinctively seperate what was "MapleStory-isque" and "Unique" (between the two, anyways). Do I have to point out every single detail I picked up from logging in for a few minutes? I'm sure everyone is dying to know. MapleStory Similarities Windslayer   First known appearance in 2003 6 million users (global) Published by a large company Has a dedicated group of hackers "Family-Focused" (no PVP/GVG) Four Available Classes Are two-dimensional Are side-scrollers Have experience growth Have a quest system GUI (Layout/Design) Cash Shop/Premium Shop "Evolved Classes" First known appearance in 2005 Lesser-known game, less hackers Published by a small company Player Versus Player Fresh North American Launch Six Available Classes So are you can see, there are some very minor differences and a fair number of similarities. Wait a second, lets take a look at those similarities shall we? Two Dimensional, Side Scrolling, Experience Growth, QUESTS?! What is this nonsense?! They're the same game, through and through. Okay, there was so much sarcasm in that comment, it even seemed to break my "Sarcasm-O-Meter". The similarities between these two games are pretty much those that are similar in any games that are classified under the same genre and graphical spectrum. I'm not even contending the whole Ghost Online/MapleStory stuff, ironically DragonGem was in development before either of them even thought about being published. Does it matter? No. Why doesn't it though? Because they're games that we all care about. You may find a player who wants to vouch for MapleStory, another who hates MapleStory and loves WindSlayer or even one who just hates them both and plays Ghost Online. What is there to say about these players and the games they play? They're different. They have different tastes just like the games they play have a different 'feel' to them due to each and every player being different. Are WE clones of each other? When we get in front of a computer, do we automatically become one of "THEM"? You know, 'THE' group of RPGers who are always the same and never have any spectral difference between one another. Are we the types that have no preference or heart and only follow the mass? No, of course not. I feel the need to go on and on about different games, and that I shall. We're going to compare some of the most illogical (in my opinion) 'like-minded' games that have very little to do with one another - or have a lot to do with one another. Lets take my next victims, shall we? Air Warrior and Air Rivals are next in line for my 'line up of clones'. For those of you whom aren't too keen on your history of MMOs out there, Air Warrior came out in 1987 and cost $10 per hour to play online. But who's here to criticize? Don't answer that, it was a rhetorical question, at best. Air Rivals has gone through various changes in its name (Flysis, Space Cowboy Online and Air Rivals are the three I know about) and has just passed into Open Beta in March of this year. Now you're thinking: "Splices, what the heck is going through your mind comparing games that are literally two decades apart?!" My subtle answer is: "Now you know how I feel when people start calling games 'clones' of one another..." But hey, we're going to do this anyways - just so we can examine this 'phenomena' in great intensity! Air Rivals Similarities Air Warrior First appeared in 2006 Published by multiple companies More "futuristic" settings" Free to Play (F2P) Air Combat In the Air 3D Graphics 360 Control Rankings First appeared in 1987 Known as the first "MMO" $10 per hour subscription fee Still has a vivid/dedicated community So as you can see, there are a lot of similarities, almost as many in the WindSlayer and MapleStory comparison. But once again, anyone who's played both games would tell you that you're absolutely mad in the head if you think they're clones of one another. But why did I compare them then? Because they're both aerial combat online games. The genre makes them very similar in some regards, but their communities are completely different. In fact, most of the Air Warrior fans that are still about are avid pilots or ex-pilots. It has a more 'realistic' feel and less of a 'leveling up game' like in Air Rivals/Flysis/Space Cowboy Online. The overall logic is that people will take anything they see and compare them as clones because they're fans of a peticular game. For instance, those who are playing Air Rivals probably haven't even heard of Air Warrior. Does it make them 'clones' of it though? Hell no. So why are players so convinced that there are clones of different games out there? Because it's all a popularity contest. I'm not even going to get into the whole "Guild Wars vs World of Warcraft" discussion because it's a moot point with me. I'm a Guild Wars fan. I might play World of Warcraft, inevitably, out of the fact that it has a huge player base. Does that mean I'm going to enjoy it more than I enjoy Guild Wars? Doubtfully so. But does that mean while I'm playing will players get uptight and defensive if I mention the game "Guild Wars" while playing? Most certainly. How many of you have gone into a game and said "Wow, I should really go back to playing <insert game here>"? The normal response would be: "Fine, gtfo my game then. Go enjoy that <insult here> game." Player mentality is practically predictable when they are 'fans' of a certain game. That's where this whole "clone phenomena" nonsense has originated from, not just two or three games looking like one another; but, because people know of the 'larger' game more intensively compared to a newly released game that has similar graphics. Have we taken the time to say that all SNES and Genesis games are clones of one another? Have you heard someone compare Boogerman to Kid Icarus? Or how about Chrono Trigger to Phantasy Star? They are all completely different games, with different storylines and with different characters. Just because they have the same appeal does not mean that they're clones of one another. That's why this is a huge pet peeve of mine. I've played games since NES/Atari/Commodore era. 8-Bit graphics were pretty routine, obviously. Do you have any clue how many 'aliens' looked like the aliens in Space Invaders? Did they steal the idea? Perhaps, but they still were limited to what they could use anyways. Those who get moody about what monsters are in-game are just lacking to see how many games have those 'default' monsters. Do you seriously think that MapleStory was the first game with slimes in it? Slimes can be predated all the way back to the 16-bit era (at the latest 'noticeable' time period). We've seen them in Phantasy Star (Sega Genesis/Sega Master System), for instance. Now you know, that there are just too many games with similar monsters in them. Does it matter? No. Does it mean they're rip-offs or clones? Again, no. Take your head out of the gutter and stop being so closed-minded about the games that we play. No player is the same, just like no game is the same. The closest you're going to get to 'clones' of a game would be private servers. Why? Because they're modifications to what the original developer wanted; which means the work itself was ripped from the developer and features were added or removed based on that private servers's views and opinions. Am I advocating them? Not exactly. I'm just explaining that they're the clones in the MMO world; not those that are released publically for all players to enjoy in a 'legal environment' (per se). As a reviewer, I've tried my best not to judge a game by the screenshots I see. If I did, most of the games I have become addicted to wouldn't be installed on my computer. I see people preach about that 'magical five minutes of first impression' that an MMO is going to have on you. What a crock of bologna! The only people that narrow theirselves down that quickly are those who are too impatient to experience the game for about 20 minutes or those who are just trying to justify their own opinions that they gathered from the screenshots. Face it, we all look at screenshots before we play the game - even if we're not too aware of it. Most companies put screenshots on the home page. Unavoidable, trying to draw you to the game with them. Heck, even concept art can make us oogle and drool over a game (some of us, anyways). That's right, I don't believe in the "first five minute impression" nonsense. To me, it's basically trying to fill yourself with ignorance just because you don't want to spend time on getting 'the feel'. I've not played one game that made me want to play it after experiencing it for the first five minutes. Do you know what takes five minutes for most people to do? That's right, make a character! So certainly, we have the wisdom and first impression by just making our character and logging in ... right? Wrong. If the game has a Player versus Player feature, you've not experienced a game until you've tried that as well. Why? Because that's a totally different 'version' of the game you're playing. It's a game within a game, the thing that captivates so many players. WoW, GW, Ragnarok Online...... plethora of games have Guild versus Guild or Player versus Player systems implemented. But anyone will tell you that they're completely different from the mundane 'walk and grind' part of the game. In fact, ever since I heard about the "first five minutes" stuff - I've been seeing more and more comments about clones and duplicates and rip-offs than I have ever seen on the Internet. I've gone through people moaning about web scripting "ripping" to people moaning about someone stealing "ascii emoticons". But never have I see such a riot-level operation against the MMO industry like this. To me, it's pathetic and makes me want to slap them all with a stick (which, of course, is usually one of the selections as a character's first weapon!). I've gone through so many MMORPGs and MMO games in general that I can't even remember them all. If someone mentioned their name to me, I could probably remember playing the game for at least a few hours. You have to give a game a fair chance before you can really say that you're dissatisfied with it. This isn't like eating, guys. You don't take a small bite out of 14-course meal and expect to have the experience that the chef designed for you to have. Playing for a few minutes is like taking a teaspoon amount of the world's most complicated ice cream. Imagine if the chef had a vision so that you took a nice size tablespoon amount and it would be the best ice cream in the world? You would've given up on it because you took a small bit and thought it tasted horrendous. This is the thing about gaming or art work or even eating - people are in too much of a hurry. It's a problem with humanity as a whole, in my opinion - but that's for another debate/discussion. When you can't sit down and enjoy a random game for a few hours, you've lost that 'gamer touch' that you started out with. You know it, I know it, and everyone else knows it as well. Gaming is a hobby, hobbies are meant to take time and dedication. Do you really think I would take requests to review random games and give the most unbiased point of view I could if I wasn't a gamer? It does take time out of my day and sometimes I'm too busy to sit down and get that 'time in' that I feel all games deserve. People ask me why my reviews are so few from time to time; and the answer is because I do try to give them as much time as I can afford. Clones? What the hell are you people talking about?! Come back to me when you've started spending as much time exploring different worlds as some of us reviewers have (especially professional ones). You'll start noticing the differences between games beyond the 'basics'. When I started writing this article, I was expecting to write about 4,000 words. But I've come to realise that my opinions are pretty easy to understand on this matter. I don't have to make a huge, long, elaborate article to explain every little detail as to why "these two games aren't clones". Instead, I'm going to tell you all to do it yourself if you're that focused on calling them clones of one another. Splices, over and out guys. If I've offended anyone, I'm sorry it's taken that way but these are my opinions. In this particular case, that's all I can give.