Guest AndrewTS Report post Posted June 20, 2003 The news of that girl suing Sega for ripping her off for the "Ulala" character in Space Channel reminded me that there are plenty of other cases in which game companies do this. Most famous example: "Mike Bison" in Street Fighter--Balrog in the US. Funny thing is in the game he looks white most of the time except for his more recent incarnations (Alpha 3). But in the original Street Fighter II--he looks exact-freakin'-ly like Mike Tyson with a different haircut. Then of course, Gorby in many of Zangief's endings. I noticed Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow has "Succubus" and "Lilith" enemies. Just palette swaps, but they look a LOT like Morrigan from Capcom's Darkstalkers, and this Lilith has an attack that's a blatant ripoff of Lilith's Soul Flash. The Fire Pro games and many of the "fake" wrestlers in WCW vs. the World/vs. nWo/Revenge are mainly just renamed foreign wrestlers. A classic example--NBA Jam and NBA Jam TE's "Hidden Characters." Were all of them considered kosher with the celebs they represented? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest crandamaniac Report post Posted June 20, 2003 Can't forget Spider-man and Batman in the Shinobi game. And I have a feeling that these are legal, b/c it's not exactly the people who they represent, but it's probably skirting the edge of what's legal and what's not Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Flyboy Report post Posted June 20, 2003 Most famous example: "Mike Bison" in Street Fighter-- But in the original Street Fighter II--he looks exact-freakin'-ly like Mike Tyson with a different haircut. Oh my god. I HATED that him. HATED HATED HATED HATED. I swear to God that I cried when he beat me. I tried about times to beat him and I just gave up. I was pretty young and almost destroyed my Genesis. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Renegade Report post Posted June 20, 2003 Most famous example: "Mike Bison" in Street Fighter--Balrog in the US. Funny thing is in the game he looks white most of the time except for his more recent incarnations (Alpha 3). But in the original Street Fighter II--he looks exact-freakin'-ly like Mike Tyson with a different haircut Just a cut and paste from the street figher cannon plot guide: "His full name is Mike Bison in Japan. He was Mike in Street Fighter 1, though for quite a long long time, BOTH Capcom of USA and Capcom of Japan would not say that so that Mike Tyson wouldn't sue them for various copyright infringements (though really, you should be able to tell they're one and the same person just by looking at them). This is also why Capcom of USA changed his name to Balrog for the US version of Street Fighter, if you didn't know that, already (the end result being Capcom switching around Bison's and Vega's names, too, since they switched in Balrog for M. Bison). It's darn obvious that it's Mike. Besides looking exactly like Mike (especially when you look at the official art of Mike), having the exact same moves as Mike, being from the same country as Mike, and even having the exact same motivations as Mike, Balrog also has the exact same history as him of being a former heavyweight champion who got booted for brutality, for crying out loud. And, as the Japanese version of CvS (which came after All About Capcom and any other publications of Capcom official statements) shows, Capcom has finally decided to bite the bullet and declare that the M. DOES stand for Mike... previously, they wouldn't make any official statements on it. " Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest AndrewTS Report post Posted June 21, 2003 Most famous example: "Mike Bison" in Street Fighter-- But in the original Street Fighter II--he looks exact-freakin'-ly like Mike Tyson with a different haircut. Oh my god. I HATED that him. HATED HATED HATED HATED. I swear to God that I cried when he beat me. I tried about times to beat him and I just gave up. I was pretty young and almost destroyed my Genesis. "My fists have your blood on them." Kinda funny thing--Balrog has...er.. In Super SFII Turbo Revival, the boxer dude's win quotes are instead the quotes that should be for the red-suited dictator guy, and the fruity Spanish guy and the dictator's quotes are flopped around as well. I was kinda pissed off they took Pepsiman out of Fighting Viper's American Saturn release. Oh, and Lei from Tekken 2 and up = Jackie Chan (straight out Supercop). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Karnage Report post Posted June 21, 2003 Fei Long, Law and countless others fighting game characters all resemble Bruce Lee. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest AndrewTS Report post Posted June 22, 2003 Fei Long, Law and countless others fighting game characters all resemble Bruce Lee. Sad thing is--he's so commonly ripped off I forgot about him. Law even ripped off moves from him. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest kkktookmybabyaway Report post Posted June 22, 2003 Can't forget Spider-man and Batman in the Shinobi game. Don't forget that big guy who throws cars at you and turns greener with every hit. Of course then he turns into some Terminator-like machine and explodes... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Renegade Report post Posted June 23, 2003 Hon-Fu from fatal fury...Jakie chan anyone? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Vyce Report post Posted June 23, 2003 You'd have to do a quick review of trademark law to get the full answer. Quick & dirty version: celebrities have a right of publicity (by common law or statute) that protects the use of their image (which acts as their trademark - some, like Mr. T if I'm not mistaken, have even gone so far as to try or actually succeed in trademarking the particular appearance they portray to the public) from others who would appropriate it for their own economic gain. There is an issue of "fair use", though, and also using someone's image for parody reasons is generally okay (this is why Saturday Night Live can do all the skits they want featuring celebrities and not NECESSARILY get sued by them). Companies like Capcom who create a Mike Tyson-like character such as Balrog / Mike Bison would probably be okay, as they could argue that Balrog / Bison is only a parody of the real character. Other companies could argue this as well - they're just using a parody version of the real celebrity, so no foul, no harm. This all works in theory, though, as they can still pretty much get sued by the celebrity in question. But they may have a valid defense which will allow them to prevail in any legal action taken against them. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest IDrinkRatsMilk Report post Posted June 23, 2003 Well, Kim of KoF looks exactly like Tom Cruise, though the similarity seems to end there. This is why I love World Heroes, every character was a rip off, mostly of designs from other games, but you had Bruce Lee and Hulk Hogan as well. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Sakura Report post Posted June 23, 2003 Since Playmore has the rights to World Heroes they should put some WHers into a crossover game with Capcom. Imagine it! Bison vs. Brocken would be HUGE! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest KingOfOldSchool Report post Posted June 23, 2003 Well, Kim of KoF looks exactly like Tom Cruise, though the similarity seems to end there. This is why I love World Heroes, every character was a rip off, mostly of designs from other games, but you had Bruce Lee and Hulk Hogan as well. Speaking of Hogan. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest AndrewTS Report post Posted June 23, 2003 Well, Kim of KoF looks exactly like Tom Cruise, though the similarity seems to end there. This is why I love World Heroes, every character was a rip off, mostly of designs from other games, but you had Bruce Lee and Hulk Hogan as well. Speaking of Hogan. HA! Actually, he was one of the ones who inspired the topic, but I didn't mention him because in DOA2 (the only one of the DOA games I have), it seems he doesn't look that much like him. In 3 though, I see he does. Still, he fights nothing like Hogan. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest redbaron51 Report post Posted June 23, 2003 Fred Durst is in WWF Raw on the X-Box. The only reason why this game was any good Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest AndrewTS Report post Posted June 23, 2003 Fred Durst is in WWF Raw on the X-Box. The only reason why this game was any good I thought the consensus is that it's f'n terrible? And, being a Limp Hater, it was fun to murder Durst in Smackdown: JBI. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Nightscrawler Report post Posted June 25, 2003 Fei Long, Law and countless others fighting game characters all resemble Bruce Lee. Don't forget Liu Kang from the MK series. He evens sounds like Bruce Lee with all the yelling. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Flyboy Report post Posted June 25, 2003 I really don't see the Liu Kang-Bruce Lee comparison/ripoff. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Karnage Report post Posted June 25, 2003 Liu Kang is actually some HK actor, but I forgot his name. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest IDrinkRatsMilk Report post Posted June 25, 2003 The yelling is clearly Lee inspired, but that's really about all. But then, lots of martial artists scream like that, but it all goes back to Bruce. The yelling you're supposed to do in martial arts sounds like "huh... ha... hyah", Bruce was more like "hooooEEEEAAAIIIYAAA!" It was his thing he did. That and the nunchakus. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Sakura Report post Posted June 25, 2003 Liu Kang is actually some HK actor, but I forgot his name. Ho Sung Pak, who plays Liu in MK and MK II. He also played Shang Tsung in MK1. Eddie Wong took over the role for MK 3. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest AndrewTS Report post Posted June 27, 2003 I heard one of the new characters for SNK vs. Capcom 2 was a ripoff of Freddy Mercury. Almost the entire Slammasters cast are ripoffs, such as the guy who looks like King Kong Bundy in Road Warriors facepaint. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Sakura Report post Posted June 27, 2003 I heard one of the new characters for SNK vs. Capcom 2 was a ripoff of Freddy Mercury. Eagle, who first appeared in Street Fighter(As in the first game). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Renegade Report post Posted June 27, 2003 I heard one of the new characters for SNK vs. Capcom 2 was a ripoff of Freddy Mercury. ? Thats news to me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Renegade Report post Posted June 27, 2003 I heard one of the new characters for SNK vs. Capcom 2 was a ripoff of Freddy Mercury. Eagle, who first appeared in Street Fighter(As in the first game). What part of Eagle resembles Freddie Mercury? A moustache, being british and thats about it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Sakura Report post Posted June 27, 2003 Both are gay and supposedly some of Eagle's win quotes and poses are tributes to Mercury. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
