The Top 7… shameless rip-offs

Ripped off: Resident Evil 4

The photocopied premise: A gun-toting protagonist shoots loads of corpse-harvesting monsters in a hostile environment.

What it borrowed: While the setting is radically different, there’s no question Dead Space wouldn’t exist if Resi 4 hadn’t reinvigorated the survival horror genre with its action-heavy reinvention. The over-the-shoulder aiming, copious backtracking, documents lying around waiting to be read, the screen-filling bosses; all inspired by Capcom’s masterpiece.

Trying to write a preview for the game before its release without using the phrase ‘Resi 4 in space’ was as difficult as trying to solve advanced algebra while juggling used needles. The game’s most persistent baddy was also clearly based on Resi’s Regenerators. Killing these pesky foes, who can grow back their limbs, arguably spawned the whole idea for Dead Space’s Strategic Dismemberment, too.

How to make a Resi 4 knock-off

Is it really just a rip-off?

Is it really just a rip-off?

Is it really just a rip-off?