Rhythm Thief and the art of appropriation

With the recent talk of game cloning, it's easy to forget that taking an idea from another game and running with it can be not only inoffensive, but beneficial.

When done the wrong way, cloning lets one company divert revenue and attention away from the original, nearly identical source. But when done well -- when it's "inspiration" and not outright copying -- everyone's happy. People who liked the original game get to play something that takes what worked about that game, and builds on it in interesting ways. The developer of the new game gets a proven framework upon which to apply its own ideas, and a built-in fanbase to sell to. And the originator gains the prestige of having its game become a genre-defining work.

That's the case with Sega's Rhythm Thief: The Emperor's Treasure for 3DS. Sega's musical adventure wears its influences on its... (Continue Reading...)

Ridge Racer Unbounded will be a brand within a brand

Some of you in the Ridge Racer hardcore may have been a little put out by early video of the edgier Ridge Racer Unbounded, but it appears you needn't worry. During Namco Bandai's Level Up event in Dubai, product manager Kevin Chadine said that the Ridge Racer brand is becoming a larger umbrella with several series underneath it, much like EA has done with Need For Speed, saying of Unbounded that "This is just a different branch."

So don't fret, Ridge Racers. Think of Unbounded less as a new direction and more a sidepath, a shortcut that's being explored. And, assuming this is the first of many, let's hope the side streets down the road have better... (Continue Reading...)


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