Decline Something-Like Genres Are Decline

[JarlFrank]

No, with FPS specifically the term "Doom clone" was commonly used by the gaming press and most players until first person shooter was established as a genre term in the mid-90s when most FPS developed beyond Doom's restrictions. But any early 90s FPS released after Doom was called Doom clone.

Diablo-likes were called ARPGs at the time, but a lot of game magazines did call them out as Diablo clones, as did a lot of players, because they were obviously clones.

 

[Gerrard]

No, with FPS specifically the term "Doom clone" was commonly used by the gaming press and most players until first person shooter was established as a genre term in the mid-90s when most FPS developed beyond Doom's restrictions. But any early 90s FPS released after Doom was called Doom clone.

Diablo-likes were called ARPGs at the time, but a lot of game magazines did call them out as Diablo clones, as did a lot of players, because they were obviously clones.

As far as I remember they were called "hack'n'slash games". I have never heard anyone refer to them as ARPGs until Path of Exile (and reddit).

 

[JarlFrank]

They were known as ARPGs in the mid 2000s. I torrented dozens of them, I should know.

 

[Great Deceiver]

I wish they would make these soulslikes more like demon's souls and less like dark souls 3

Yes. The series has been thoroughly Flanderized at this point and the 'git gud' meme becoming a reality and development target is a tragedy.

 

[Lagole Gon]

Roguelike.

 

[Kev Inkline]

I think we need to differentiate between genres and clones. Genres have existed at least since the 80s, be it beat 'em up, shoot'em up, adventure game, or an rpg game. The tag itself does not matter, even if it was a *****-like. What matters though, is the experimentation within the genre.

Back in the day, the budgets were a lot smaller, the whole hobby was new and fresh, spurring experimentation which was apparently - or so I'd like to think - motivated partly by pure fun of trying things never done before. Nowadays budgets have inflated to match and even surpass those of the movies, and ROI has taken precedence.

This is ofc a gross simplification, as money mattered even then, and not all experimentation has withered away today. These days it's just harder to find your candy choco bar in the sea of shite.