Activision steals Rare's thunder with cheeky Kinect-Sports-alike

Activision just did the publishing equivalent of widdling in Rare's coffee. The publisher has announced Big League Sports for Kinect, an 18-game sporting compilation that allows you to play as your Avatar. Offerings include baseball, golf and American Football.

Sounds suspiciously like Rare's Kinect Sports, doesn't it? That's because the game appears to be *exactly* like Kinect Sports, give or take the odd US-centric athletic endeavour and a cutback in lighting fidelity.

"We wanted to create the perfect active sports videogame for families and friends to play together and now Kinect for Xbox 360 has given us that ability," commented David Oxford of Activision Publishing in a release. Say that to our face, Dave. Say it without laughing.

In Activision's defence, Big League Sports (known in PAL territories as World Championship Sports) was originally released for the Wii back in 2008, two years before Rare's warmly received calorie-burner hit shelves. The BLG team have had approaching a year now to set their game apart, mind.

What's the most flagrant game rip-off you can think of? Check out Rare's upcoming Kinect's Sports: Season 2 - it looks pretty slick.