No, I do not like when companies copy. It shows that they lack originality and are parasites that feed off the ideas of another company. Also copying does not lead to innovation. Nintendo developed the D-pad and it has been copied to death but no one has tried to innovate it. How long has it been in use now? Exactly! Nintendo developed a rumble pack for the N64 controller. I do not believe that they were the first to invent the Rumble feature in game pads but I could be wrong. Any way, the force feedback in controllers has been in use since the mid 90's and has still yet to be innovated.
Sony invented the dual analog controller, I am speculating. Last gen every home console game pad had two analog sticks. Some were used more than others but they all had a dual analog setup. If Nintendo had not developed the Wii controller we would all still be using dual analog controllers. The classic controller for the VC also has a dual analog configuration but it's not the main input device for the Wii.
On the Software side of things, Mario and Sonic have both been cloned to death but it never lead to innovation of the platforming genre. Brain age, Nintendogs, Mario Kart, Halo, and others have been cloned and nothing innovative was the result.
The bottom line is that companies copy to make a profit. They do not copy to innovate. Some may have but not the majority. Profit is what drives industries so it seems. This is why successful games or gaming related ideas get cloned and cloned to death. Is it good for the industry? I guess it depends on what console a person supports.
What if Nintendo and Microsoft decided to make their own Resident Evil clones for the Xbox and GameCube. Then they decided to make a Final Fantasy clone. Both games are popular on Sony's console. How about Sony and Nintendo decide to make a Halo clone because Halo became popular on the Xbox. Furthermore, Sony and Microsoft decide to make a Legend of Zelda clone. This is just some examples of how boring the gaming industry would become if companies just relied on copying and not creating their own original products.
Copying does not lead to competition. Halo was an original IP and competed with the Legend of Zelda, Mario, Resident Evil, and Final Fantasy. The Brain Age clones did not force Nintendo to innovate the Brain Age games nor did Ubisoft's Dogz force Nintendo to create a more innovative version of Nintendogs. Clones typically lack the inspiration that led to the creation of the original product. This is why the Mario, Sonic, and Halo clones have fallen to the side.
I'll end here. However, what if a web portal copied VGchartz and called itself VGcharts. Everything ioi did the other site would just copy and paste it on their site but change a few things as to try and not make copying so obvious. We'd say that the site owner was copying but his reply could be that it's competition. I thought I'd throw that in there. I'm bored with this topic. Nexxxxxt.
If Nintendo is successful at the moment, it’s because they are good, and I cannot blame them for that. What we should do is try to be just as good.----Laurent Benadiba
