BeefJack: Homage or Rip-off: Darksiders vs. Shadow Complex

BeefJack writes: There's a phrase that is often used to draw attention to the distinction between two themes or ideas: "it's a fine line between…" well, whatever you want to highlight the difference of. Or maybe it's more accurate to say that the phrase stresses the similarities of the two ideas. Either way, I've been thinking a lot recently about the line between homage and a rip-off.

A conversation on our recent episode of Midwest Nerds about Vigil Games' Darksiders – the game that I'm currently playing for review – made me start thinking about this topic. While the art style and plot are interesting and unique, it's well documented that the game's design was heavily influenced by, if not directly copied and pasted from, the Legend of Zelda series. For those of you who haven't played the game it's probably enough to know that Darksiders consists of vast dungeons that feature puzzles and enemies that can only be overcome by the use of a special tool received in that dungeon.