Does New Korean Game Rip Off Team Fortress 2?

[Andy Chalk]

Does New Korean Game Rip Off Team Fortress 2?

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Korean developer Team Fortress 2 [http://www.sk-imedia.com/] for coincidence, dismissing the claims as those of blind men describing an elephant.

H.A.V.E. Online is a team-based online shooter in which action figures come to life, form teams and go to war. Classes like snipers and heavy weapons guys (or gals, in this case) are represented and the combat looks fast and furious. Based on the first promotional trailer, it also looks remarkably like that of Team Fortress 2.

So much so, in fact, that gamers in South Korea are actually angry about it; Kotaku [http://kotaku.com/5308073/korean-developer-responds-to-team-fortress-2-rip+off-claims] says H.A.V.E. Online is being called "an embarrassment" to the Korean videogame industry. SK iMedia was silent on the matter when it first came to light but has now released a statement urging gamers to reserve judgment until they see the game in action.

"Debating [whether or not it's a rip-off] is like having blind men touching an elephant and describing what it looks like," the company said. "We will reveal the gameplay soon. Other than that, we have no comment at this time."

Is it or isn't it? A video posted on Valve [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_Spj0wYEqQ]. I'm not quite ready to join the lynch mob yet - this is just a trailer, after all - but I'm keeping my torch and pitchfork close at hand.


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[rawlsku]

Having blind men touch elephants?

They're more perverted than I thought.

 

[SomeGuyNamedKy]

I'm actually interested in this game, even if it turns out as a direct rip-off.

 

[Cpt_Oblivious]

Everything's a rip-off these days. We even have excuses like "All the best ideas are stolen" and "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery".

If anything, it's more of a rip-off of the film Small Soldiers.

 

[brabz]

Looks far too similar to be coincidence in my opinion. It's just female characters and robots instead of different nationalities in anime styling.

 

[plastic_window]

I can't help notice a lot of similarities between the two, like how the sound of the gatling gun is pretty much the exact same as in TF2, how 2 characters have melee weapons that are metal baseball bats, how the characters with grenade launchers both wear bandanas and the music was of a similar style.

But I guess I'll have to go along with the developers for now and say that since we haven't seen the gameplay in proper action, my notice of similarities ain't nothin' but a thang.

 

[Sevre]

I'd still play it, who cares if its a rip off? BF Heroes also ripped off TF2 with the style.

 

[L.B. Jeffries]

I dunno, it's a class-based multiplayer FPS. They're all pretty similar to me, except instead of looking like action figures here and in TF2 they're all muddy grey rubber manakins. Frankly, I wish there were more games that went for a more engaging aesthetic.

 

[CoverYourHead]

The similarities are startling but I'll wait for some gameplay before condemning it. I am, however, highly suspicious.

 

[Jharry5]

I'm sure the term they'd prefer is 'paying homage to'...

I have to admit though, the similarities are striking; the grenade designs look identical, and the character using them had an eyepatch. Hmmm...
That said, it does look like a decent game.

 

[The Great JT]

Oh clearly it's a blatant ripoff. There's lots of camera angles in that video taken almost shot-for-shot from Meet the Scout and Meet the Demoman, I think there's a few from Meet the Soldier too, and other than that, the game's like a kiddy, anime version of TF2.

 

[Eldritch Warlord]

Looks like an anime version of TF2 from the trailer. Let's not set up the gallows yet but the even copied double-jumping baseball wielding fast people, temporarily invincible mini-gun users, and rocket jumping guys with an army helmet.

 

[Onomatopeia]

The similarities are there in art direction & gameplay, but there is also enough originality that calling it "an embarassment" is kind of unwarranted.

 

[Krakyn]

HAVE's demoman even has an eyepatch. lol

I wonder if the trailer was just an homage to, or imitation of, the TF2 trailers to increase sales. Maybe the game looks a lot different when played. Who knows.

 

[AkJay]

Haha, it's actually funny how similar they are, same graphics, character classes, the Demoguy is the funniest though. I mean, he has only 1 eye, or so it seems, and he shoots those pill-looking bombs, so my judgement is yea, it's a total rip-off.

 

[ZeroMachine]

This game needs to die in a fire.

The look of things, the way they die, the music, even the fucking sound effects are all direct rip offs of TF2.

I hope the developers of this game lose their jobs. And I'm never that spiteful.

EDIT:

Oh yes, because Valve totally invented the concept of combattants in multiplayer using weapons like a sniper rifle, bazooka, machine gun, shotgun, minigun, or grenade launcher. Its not like we'd seen all that before in 2001. Nope, before that, all online multiplayer had was sticks and rocks.

Honestly, get over them. The similarity is that there is a lot of action and the characters use weapons? What the hell is wrong with all of you?

You've got to be fucking kidding me.

You are kidding me, right? Right? Please, tell me you're kidding me!

Did you even watch that video? It's not about the gameplay, it's about the look and feel of things! They're all torn directly and slightly modified from Team Fortress 2! This isn't a normal case of "it's been done before and better", this is "it's been done before in the same exact way". Anyone who can't see that... well... may as well be looking at an elephant, see another slightly shorter one that has slightly darker skin walk up and stand right next too the first one, and then say "that's not an elephant".

Seriously, Dingo, anyone that can't see that it's a complete ripoff is blind and deaf.

 

[Capo Taco]

If this game is successful, then apparently there's a niche for people who wanted female characters in TF2.

It's a shame they didn't have more courage to run with their creativity. Just before the fighting shot, it looks very original. Yet the character design is horrible and derivative. The music and sound effects are derivative. The classes are derivative.

A black cycloptic robot demoman?

In fact, I don't think they wouldn't be able to even convince a blind man that this is derivative.

I doubt their balance will be anywhere near as good, but I'm still curious to play it. It would make a nice snack between sessions of TF2.

EDIT:

Watch the original trailer of HAVE. It's much worse than this mockup. This mockup actually gives it pacing. Here's the horrible trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gx23D90sUxk