Does New Korean Game Rip Off Team Fortress 2?

Korean developer SK iMedia has responded to accusations that its upcoming online game H.A.V.E. Online is a little too similar to Valve's Team Fortress 2 for coincidence, dismissing the claims as those of blind men describing an elephant.

H.A.V.E. Online is a team-based online shooter in which action figures come to life, form teams and go to war. Classes like snipers and heavy weapons guys (or gals, in this case) are represented and the combat looks fast and furious. Based on the first promotional trailer, it also looks remarkably like that of Team Fortress 2.

So much so, in fact, that gamers in South Korea are actually angry about it; Kotaku says H.A.V.E. Online is being called "an embarrassment" to the Korean videogame industry. SK iMedia was silent on the matter when it first came to light but has now released a statement urging gamers to reserve judgment until they see the game in action.

"Debating [whether or not it's a rip-off] is like having blind men touching an elephant and describing what it looks like," the company said. "We will reveal the gameplay soon. Other than that, we have no comment at this time."

Is it or isn't it? A video posted on YouTube highlights the similarities between the H.A.V.E. Online promotional trailer and several of the videos released in support of Team Fortress 2 and there's no denying that SK iMedia was, at the very least, powerfully inspired by Valve. I'm not quite ready to join the lynch mob yet - this is just a trailer, after all - but I'm keeping my torch and pitchfork close at hand.

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Having blind men touch elephants?

They're more perverted than I thought.

I'm actually interested in this game, even if it turns out as a direct rip-off.

Everything's a rip-off these days. We even have excuses like "All the best ideas are stolen" and "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery".

If anything, it's more of a rip-off of the film Small Soldiers.

Looks far too similar to be coincidence in my opinion. It's just female characters and robots instead of different nationalities in anime styling.

I can't help notice a lot of similarities between the two, like how the sound of the gatling gun is pretty much the exact same as in TF2, how 2 characters have melee weapons that are metal baseball bats, how the characters with grenade launchers both wear bandanas and the music was of a similar style.

But I guess I'll have to go along with the developers for now and say that since we haven't seen the gameplay in proper action, my notice of similarities ain't nothin' but a thang.

I'd still play it, who cares if its a rip off? BF Heroes also ripped off TF2 with the style.

I dunno, it's a class-based multiplayer FPS. They're all pretty similar to me, except instead of looking like action figures here and in TF2 they're all muddy grey rubber manakins. Frankly, I wish there were more games that went for a more engaging aesthetic.

The similarities are startling but I'll wait for some gameplay before condemning it. I am, however, highly suspicious.

I'm sure the term they'd prefer is 'paying homage to'...

I have to admit though, the similarities are striking; the grenade designs look identical, and the character using them had an eyepatch. Hmmm...
That said, it does look like a decent game.

Oh clearly it's a blatant ripoff. There's lots of camera angles in that video taken almost shot-for-shot from Meet the Scout and Meet the Demoman, I think there's a few from Meet the Soldier too, and other than that, the game's like a kiddy, anime version of TF2.

Looks like an anime version of TF2 from the trailer. Let's not set up the gallows yet but the even copied double-jumping baseball wielding fast people, temporarily invincible mini-gun users, and rocket jumping guys with an army helmet.

The similarities are there in art direction & gameplay, but there is also enough originality that calling it "an embarassment" is kind of unwarranted.

HAVE's demoman even has an eyepatch. lol

I wonder if the trailer was just an homage to, or imitation of, the TF2 trailers to increase sales. Maybe the game looks a lot different when played. Who knows.

Haha, it's actually funny how similar they are, same graphics, character classes, the Demoguy is the funniest though. I mean, he has only 1 eye, or so it seems, and he shoots those pill-looking bombs, so my judgement is yea, it's a total rip-off.

This game needs to die in a fire.

The look of things, the way they die, the music, even the fucking sound effects are all direct rip offs of TF2.

I hope the developers of this game lose their jobs. And I'm never that spiteful.

EDIT:

Indigo_Dingo:
Oh yes, because Valve totally invented the concept of combattants in multiplayer using weapons like a sniper rifle, bazooka, machine gun, shotgun, minigun, or grenade launcher. Its not like we'd seen all that before in 2001. Nope, before that, all online multiplayer had was sticks and rocks.

Honestly, get over them. The similarity is that there is a lot of action and the characters use weapons? What the hell is wrong with all of you?

You've got to be fucking kidding me.

You are kidding me, right? Right? Please, tell me you're kidding me!

Did you even watch that video? It's not about the gameplay, it's about the look and feel of things! They're all torn directly and slightly modified from Team Fortress 2! This isn't a normal case of "it's been done before and better", this is "it's been done before in the same exact way". Anyone who can't see that... well... may as well be looking at an elephant, see another slightly shorter one that has slightly darker skin walk up and stand right next too the first one, and then say "that's not an elephant".

Seriously, Dingo, anyone that can't see that it's a complete ripoff is blind and deaf.

If this game is successful, then apparently there's a niche for people who wanted female characters in TF2.

It's a shame they didn't have more courage to run with their creativity. Just before the fighting shot, it looks very original. Yet the character design is horrible and derivative. The music and sound effects are derivative. The classes are derivative.

A black cycloptic robot demoman?

In fact, I don't think they wouldn't be able to even convince a blind man that this is derivative.

I doubt their balance will be anywhere near as good, but I'm still curious to play it. It would make a nice snack between sessions of TF2.

EDIT:

Watch the original trailer of HAVE. It's much worse than this mockup. This mockup actually gives it pacing. Here's the horrible trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gx23D90sUxk

Looks like TF2 if Gabe Newell had been a Korean with a fetish for school girls and Stik Fas figures...

Inspired? I think inspired was well and truly blown out the door when the one eyed chap with a funny hat and a rotary grenade launcher appeared.
Once the gameplay comes out we'll all know, but the only things missing were one that can turn invisible and one that can heal people.

Yep, this looks like a more asian (and lame) version of TF2. No real point to it, unless you're an anime fanboy. Can't see Valve pulling a dick move like actually sueing them though, so meh, it's all good.

NoMoreSanity:

Cpt_Oblivious:
Everything's a rip-off these days. We even have excuses like "All the best ideas are stolen" and "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery".

If anything, it's more of a rip-off of the film Small Soldiers.

Yep, nothgin is original, and people who complain need to stop caring.

Well nothing is truly original, as everything contains some influence, but these two are far too similar to not piss some people off. If the gameplay is similar as well this could actually become breech of copyright. I mean, just looking at that video, the character specialities, the graphics, the comical styles and even the bombs (EDIT: Weapons in general) are surprisingly similar.

Well actually Team Fortress was hardly an original idea it just grew off of other multi-player deathmatch games and combined a lot of concepts that already existed scattered all over the place together in one game. Over time it did innovate, but you can't really say "oh yes, that was really unique".

In general any kind of team based shooter game is going to be similar to Team Fortress 2.

As far as the Koreans ripping it off, I have no doubt. Developers rip off each other all the time which is how things keep involving (ie rip offs and tweaks, and those tweaks generally represent progression).

In general I'm surprised they haven't done it before now as they rip pretty much everything off. Korea does innovate but you see more derivitive products coming from their game industry than anything. Look at like Korean MMORPGs which have become a sort of prolific joke on the internet. :)

Cpt_Oblivious:
If anything, it's more of a rip-off of the film Small Soldiers.

I think there is more of an argument for TF2 based on the sole fact that it's traditional to rip-off good material. I remember that movie being terrible.

Obvious comparisons aside, it actually reminds me a little of the old Army Men games they made on the N64.

Indigo_Dingo:
Oh yes, because Valve totally invented the concept of combattants in multiplayer using weapons like a sniper rifle, bazooka, machine gun, shotgun, minigun, or grenade launcher. Its not like we'd seen all that before in 2001. Nope, before that, all online multiplayer had was sticks and rocks.

Honestly, get over them. The similarity is that there is a lot of action and the characters use weapons? What the hell is wrong with all of you?

You're either blind, or trying to play Devil's Advocate. I'm not gonna say it's a huge deal where we need to march down to their studio with pitchforks and torches, but the comparisons are pretty blatant. If nothing else, the Sniper and the way the bat chick rebounded off of some wall before coming down for the strike are obvious shots taken directly from TF2 Meet The Team videos without even needing a side-by-side comparison.

So it's TF2 with girls? I'd buy that.

@dingo: you played TF@, right? There's similarities, and then there's fucking copies man. No TF2 isn't the only game with a grenade launcher, but it's the only one with that exact design, and that function. Hell, even the blood and gibs are exactly the same.

Indigo_Dingo:

WhiteTigerShiro:

Indigo_Dingo:
Oh yes, because Valve totally invented the concept of combattants in multiplayer using weapons like a sniper rifle, bazooka, machine gun, shotgun, minigun, or grenade launcher. Its not like we'd seen all that before in 2001. Nope, before that, all online multiplayer had was sticks and rocks.

Honestly, get over them. The similarity is that there is a lot of action and the characters use weapons? What the hell is wrong with all of you?

You're either blind, or trying to play Devil's Advocate. I'm not gonna say it's a huge deal where we need to march down to their studio with pitchforks and torches, but the comparisons are pretty blatant. If nothing else, the Sniper and the way the bat chick rebounded off of some wall before coming down for the strike are obvious shots taken directly from TF2 Meet The Team videos without even needing a side-by-side comparison.

Yes, but that can come under homage for the purpose of trailer, not ripoff of the game.

Perhaps. Like I said, not saying it's a huge deal, just saying that it's impossible to deny it.

"says H.A.V.E. Online is being called 'an embarrassment' to the Korean videogame industry"

Wait, the Korean videogame industry has put out something that doesn't embarrass itself?? When was this? Before or after countless crappy MMOs?

Still wont defeat TF2

That's like asking if the Pope is Catholic...