I agree, but I still think it's a very vague definition. If you use it, most shooters come out as clones, because they look and play similar. 

Yes PSABR is a clones of Battle Royal, but, it's not just because it looks "similar", it's because they took a lot of elements of it.

'Clone' as found at Dictionary.com

1.
Biology .
a.
a cell, cell product, or organism that is genetically identical to the unit or individual from which it was derived.
b.
a population of identical units, cells, or individuals that derive from the same ancestral line.
2.
a person or thing that duplicates, imitates, or closely resembles another in appearance, function, performance, or style: All the fashion models seemed to be clones of one another.

Have fun

When one game from another is merely a patch away from being the same - including name changes etc. Hence why imo there hasn't been a new CoD since 5.

The question is worded wrong, it should be "When does a game loose it's clone status?" As a couple people mentioned, "anything other then the most popular title in a specific genre, is a clone", is actually pretty accurate. As far as I know, the word "clone" evolved from the word "like", and originated from the game Rogue in 1980. After Rogue was released every game that followed, that had the same style of gameplay, was known as a "Roguelike", until eventually, the genre was established to what is now known as a "dungeon crawler". Another example are games known as "Doom clones", after so many came out, the Doom clone name was dropped, and the genre was established, as what we all know as first person shooters. So basically, if a new and popular style of game comes around, there is a period of clones that follow, until that respective style of game becomes it's own genre.

Let me ask you this - suppose that, in a platformer, pretty much everything is the same as in Super Mario Bros, except that rather than jumping, the protagonist has a jetpack that allows them to raise up a certain distance and then move forwards a certain distance before dropping. It changes the "core dynamic" of the gameplay, yet the game itself is pretty much the same anyway. It's still a clone.

The percentage element of Smash Bros, and thus the "defeat by sending the foe off the edge of the screen", is a core dynamic. It's an element that has an impact on the gameplay. But just changing that doesn't mean it's not a clone, because the vast majority of the game is untouched.

Meanwhile, your example is just stupid, because uncharted isn't a racing game. But let's look at an example of a racing game that could generally be called a clone: Diddy Kong Racing. Great game, by the way. But it's a clone of Mario Kart, without a doubt. Yes, it introduces different vehicles including planes. Yes, it has a guaranteed powerup system for which you can increase power by collecting multiples. Yes, it has a story mode, and yes, it has boss races and battles. But it's still a clone. The essential features are still basically the same, even if tweaked.

Again, "clone" isn't necessarily a bad thing. There are many great games that are clones. But when a game makes a clear effort to share a lot in common with another game, with a few tweaks here and there to give it its own flavour, it's a clone.

People still don't get that nearly nobody called PSABR a clone but a rip-off. Seems to be really hard to remember.

If Giana Sisters is a clone of Super Mario Bros., then PSABR is a clone of Super Smash Bros.

/thread

this

but the worse clones are the ones that are clones of themselves. like COD. killzone3 wasn't killzone. killzone3 lost its way, and i hope it find its way back to prime.

mod nation racers is no clone, but LBP karting is a clone of MNR but that shouldn't be a suprise, because in addition to media molecule, united front games co dev'd LBP karting, in addition to developing MNR.