remnant_phoenix said:
"Ripoff" might go too far, but God of War became a lot more popular than Devil May Cry, and God of War had the same basic gameplay: third-person action combat with a fixed-camera relying on combos and quick reflexes in order to control the battlefield and dominate multiple foes.
Now, I do think that God of War (the first one by itself, that is) had a much better story than Devil May Cry, and yes, God of War had prettier graphics, but I think that it's absurd that people were talking about how God of War "redefined action games" when most everything that God of War did gameplay-wise, Devil May Cry did better four years prior. To boot, Devil May Cry 3 came out earlier the same year as God of War, and it has more depth and challenge in its gameplay than the entire God of War trilogy COMBINED.
GoW was DMC for the masses. It was easier to comprehend and easier to play but still a solid experience, so I don't begrudge it. Also, as a Greek dude, I enjoyed seeing my myths done justice. It was clearly made with enough love that it escapes the label "ripoff" and becomes more "inspired by" DMC, at least in my eyes.
All in all, unlike some of those other ripoffs, I believe GoW is worthy of a good portion of its praise. Even though it sorta stagnated. Let us not forget that DMC2 is also a thing. While DMC is much better, it's not perfect either.
Now Bayonetta, that, that's pretty much near perfect. Platinum games took the crown back. I can't remember a recent good GoW game.