History Main / CosmeticallyDifferentSides

** This trope ''does'' apply to the religions in ''Civilization IV''. You can found any of seven religions (Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Confucianism, Taoism, Christianity, and Islam),[[note]]And you can found as many as you can get your hands on; one common SelfImposedChallenge is to found all seven yourself[[/note]] by discovering a particular technology before any other civilization manages to do so. However, they're all mechanically identical except for (1) ''which'' technology you need to discover first found them and (2) four of the religions (Confucianism, Taoism, Christianity, and Islam) get a free missionary upon founding. In the manual, the creators admit this was [[InvokedTrope done on purpose]] to [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools avoid offending anyone]] by [[UnfortunateImplications suggesting that any one religion was better than the other or feeding into inaccurate stereotypes]]; the only reason that Confucianism, Taoism, Christianity, and Islam get free missionaries at founding is game balance (the technologies they require are much higher up the tech tree, and need the extra help to compete with the older three).

* Played straight in ''VideoGame/WarGroove''. While every commander and each of the 4 factions look very different, their units are completely analogous. In gameplay, that is; the codex has pages upon pages of individualized lore explaining the exact differences between a Cherrystone Swordsman, a Fellheim Dreadsword, a Floran Slasher and a Heavensong Lionblade, even if they're all identical Solider units mechanically.

* ''VideoGame/{{Outpost 2}}'' has some common units and research between the two factions but some significant differences, particularly as you get farther into the TechTree.

* The UsefulNotes/GameBoyColor game ''{{Warlocked}}'' is similar. Each side had workers, soldiers, and archers, and they had exactly the same stats as their equivalents on the opposite side (despite the humans' archers being elves and the beasts' archers being [[DemBones skeletons]].) Each side can also summon wizards to help, and while most wizards are mercenary, there are some who only work for one side or the other... and have an exact counterpart on the opposite side (the Necromancer turns enemies into skeletons while the Elvenwiz turns enemies into elves, the Sage and Mysticwiz both turn enemies into healing hearts, and so on).

* Averted in ''VideoGame/TheUnholyWar'' on the UsefulNotes/PlayStation. While both sides have the same ''classes'' of units, they function very differently -- enough that [[DamnYouMuscleMemory players of one side are worse at playing the other than newbies would be]].

** Regardless if you choose to play the Hero Story or the Dark Story in ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'', your team will be formed by a speedster who can spin dash [[spoier:and use Chaos Control in the end]] (Sonic/Shadow), a GadgeteerGenius riding a bipedal MiniMecha with limited flight and various ranged weapons (Tails/Eggman) and a treasure hunter with the ability to glide, climb, and dig (Knuckles/Rouge) that plays exactly like their opposite counterpart.

** Technically, the only difference faction makes for units is their appearance. The commander characters provide varying bonuses and penalties, but while each is associated with a faction in-story, they're not tied together when under play control. There are some Black Hole-developed units in the second and third games that look especially similar or identical for all factions, since they're all made from the same stolen Black Hole blueprints.

* In ''VideoGame/AdvanceWars'', provided that the armies are led by the same commander character (and in Days of Ruin, have the same skill level), the only difference between units is their appearance. Then again, the game relies on the commander characters to provide varying bonuses and penalties.
** There are some Black Hole-developed units in the second and third games that are identical for all factions, since they're all made from the same stolen Black Hole blueprints.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Battletech}}'': Classic ''Battletech'' (3025-3049) and post-''[=ilClan=]'' (3150 onwards) is this. According to the lore and encounter tables all factions prefer different 'Mechs and variants of those 'Mechs, but their statistics remain the same if they are deployed by a different faction: A ''Phoenix Hawk'' is a ''Phoenix Hawk'' no matter the faction it belongs to and [[{{BFG}} an AC/20]] is an AC/20 no matter if, lorewise, it is a Defiance Industries model mounted on an ''Atlas'' or a Kali Yama model mounted on a ''Hunchback''. The only exception to this is that the Inner Sphere and the Clans operate on different tech levels: Both field unique 'Mech chassis and have some unique equipment, so an Inner Sphere vs. Clan battle (at least one set between 3050 and 3149) averts the trope.

** ''VideoGame/EndlessSpace2'' splits the difference. Races marked as low-complexity look different but have minor differences, much like a classic 4X. Medium-complexity races can demand very different gameplay priorities, and high-complexity races typically play by very different rules.

* The arcade game ''Rampart'' (and its home ports) exemplified the age-old tale of [[PaletteSwap Red Castle Versus Blue Castle]].

* In the NES game ''Conflict'', you're an army composed of American technology against an army of Soviet technology. However, although you can build the F-15E as your attack jet, for example, it's exactly the same as the Soviet [=MiG=]-29A. The game was more about positioning and strategy than technological superiority anyway.

** Horde/Alliance equivalent units even travelled at the same speed. This made sense for the most part, but some were still rather questionable. The Gnomish Helicopter moving at a fast speed made sense, but the Goblin Zepplin didn't, especially as it moved slow enough to be destroyed by a catapult in one of the cinematics. The Human Mage also walked at the same speed as the Undead Death Knight who rode on an equally undead Horse, both of which moved slower than their Human Footman and Orc Grunt Units.

** Beyond spells, the original Warcrafts only real unit difference were the ranged units. Human Archers fired a space farther while Orc Spear throwers did more damage. Due to the Human spells generally being better on top of that, it's not surprising they won the first war.

** Horde/Alliance equivalent units even travelled at the same speed. The Horde's spellcaster was an enormous, lumbering ogre who, naturally enough, moved at an absolute ''crawl''. The Alliance's spellcaster was mounted on horseback...and moved at the same speed, slower than infantry in plate armour!

[[quoteright:349:[[VideoGame/WarCraft https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Warcraft_2_8815.jpg]]]]

This trope is most often seen in RealTimeStrategy games whose designers are too lazy to think of alternate tactics for the various sides and/or ways to balance the differences; in fact, games such as ''VideoGame/StarCraft'' are ''praised'' for averting this trope. Having said that, the lengthy play-testing cycle of ''VideoGame/WarCraft III'', and the card bannings in ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'', show you one benefit to having only cosmetic differences: it's ''way'' easier to create a working CompetitiveBalance, since no side will ever end up with [[GameBreaker uber-powerful superunits]] the other can't counter. The strain on WillingSuspensionOfDisbelief and impact on strategy is just [[AcceptableBreaksFromReality something you have to live with]].

** Later played straight in ''VideoGame/StarcraftII'' where the Dominion ends up with upgrades and tech that is thought up by your OmnidisciplinaryScientist.
** In ''VideoGame/HeartOfTheSwarm'', the primal Zerg have the same stats as the baseline Zerg units with different models and skins (with two exceptions- the Ravasaur, an artillery unit and the Guardian, which ''used'' to be a Zerg unit in the first game). They also don't get the upgrades you can apply to your units.

** In ''VideoGame/LegacyOfTheVoid'', the Tal'darim split off from the other Protoss even longer ago than the Dark Templar. While a few of their units are unique, more are simply slightly altered variations and some units (and all buildings) are completely identical besides color scheme. Karax later lampshades it and hypothesizes that the various Protoss forces that have gone missing over the millennia were actually attacked by the Tal'darim and had their tech copied.

** However, the ''Brood War'' expansion gets special mention in this department. [[AllThereInTheManual The backstory of the game]] says that the Terrans we play are the remnants of a prison colony of mind-wiped mutants and deviants in [[HumanPopsicle cold sleep]] removed from Earth during an enormous ethnic cleansing campaign that was sent zillions of lightyears off-course by a computer failure. After crash-landing on several planets and pretty much building civilization anew, they formed a makeshift interstellar empire of {{Corrupt Hick}}s looting the Koprolu in cobbled-together spaceships. One of the main plot points of the Brood War expansion pack is the coming of an expedition from the ancient, eugenically "purified" United Earth Directorate. After suffering total amnesia and over 500 years of isolation, how much have the Terrans diverged from the UED? Very little: the UED have Medics and Valkyries. Two units. ''Extra'' units. Everything else is the same between them. It is worth noting that Blizzard originally intended to have them be an entirely separate fourth race, but also only wanted to have 3 campaigns in Broodwar.

* Republic and Imperial player characters in ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'' are about as cosmetically different as they can get, but only a handful of actual differences exist between them. The Smuggler, for instance, may use a [[TheGunslinger blaster pistol]] ([[GunsAkimbo or two]]), a SawedOffShotgun, and a plethora of [[FellOffTheBackOfATruck black-market]] equipment modules, but don't expect that to play any differently than the Imperial Agent's [[ColdSniper sniper rifle]], [[KnifeNut combat knife]], and [[AttackDrone cutting-edge sabotage probes]].

** ''Film/TheIncredibleHulk'': Bruce Banner vs Emil Blonsky. Gamma-enhanced brawlers.

** Completely averted in ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRedAlert3'', where the only similarity between the Allies, Soviets and Imperial armies is that their Mobile Construction Vehicle can move and the basic infantry unit can clear out buildings; by this game, even their engineers have different abilities as well as different appearances (Allied ones can set up medical tents to heal other infantry, Soviet ones can build bunkers and carries a gun, and Imperial ones can sprint to avoid danger). However, every faction can cheerfully take over another's buildings and produce its units (and are clearly encouraged to do so, with some models having alternate designs when loaded with non-faction units), which might end up causing this trope.

** Completely averted in ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRedAlert3'', where the only similarity between the Allies, Soviets and Imperial armies is that their Mobile Construction Vehicle can move and the basic infantry unit can clear out buildings; by this game, even their engineers have different abilities as well as different appearances. However, every faction can cheerfully take over another's buildings and produce its units (and are clearly encouraged to do so, with some models having alternate designs when loaded with non-faction units), which might end up causing this trope.

* ''VideoGame/{{Battlefield}}'' generally zig-zags this, starting off mostly averting it but gradually coming closer to this as the series progresses - your starting weapons will often be completely different depending on the faction, but later unlocks are available regardless of side and vehicles differ mostly in appearance.

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'' has the Grand Companies, the military branches of the three starting city-states. While distinct in lore, the only real effect they have on gameplay is determining where players go to spend company credits. Even their uniforms are the same, save for color.

** ''Red Alert'' bothered to introduce the concept of "countries", which would vary slightly in terms of things like vehicle speed or armor thickness, but the differences were minor and [[GuideDangIt not explicitly pointed out]]; it wasn't until ''[[VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRedAlert2 Red Alert 2]]'' that each country got its own unique unit or specialty, like the French [[{{BFG}} Grand Cannon]], the Libyan [[SuicideAttack Demolition Truck]], or the American ability to [[ItsRainingMen drop paratroopers]] just with a regular Airforce Command HQ instead of having to capture a tech airport.
** Completely averted in ''VideoGame/RedAlert3'', where the only similarity between the Allies, Soviets and Imperial armies is that their Mobile Construction Vehicle can move and the basic infantry unit can clear out buildings. However, every faction can cheerfully take over another's buildings and produce its units (and are clearly encouraged to do so, with some models having alternate designs when loaded with non-faction units), which might end up causing this trope.

* In TabletopGame/{{Xiangqi}}, the functionally-equivalent pieces of the two sides are distinguished in Chinese by name as well as by color. Some red pieces' Chinese names use obviously similar characters to their black counterparts, but in other cases the characters are completely different (but still have the same pronunciation). Some of the red pieces are named after important parts of an established government, while the equivalent black pieces evoke the idea of an invading army.

*** Played straight by the Mooks- the Weeds and variants introduced in ''2'' are basically equivalent to the mook zombies and their variants.

** ZigZagged; while each class has an obvious counterpart, their abilities differ or are switched around. For instance, while both are healers, Scientists in [=GW1=] lack an equivalent to the Sunflower's Heal Beam and must rely on setting Heal Stations or Mega Heal Bombs.
** Zigzagged with the [[SentryGun Zombot Turrets]] introduced in the first game. They're the Zombies' rough equivalent to the Plants' stationary potted plants, but come in less variety and are Engineer-exclusive.

[=GW2=] then plays this trope straight in that aspect, giving the Zombies their own defensive Co-Op mode (Graveyard Ops) and [=PvP=] mode (Herbal Assault, which is just Gardens and Graveyards with the roles reversed). [[GameplayAndStoryIntegration While this makes sense, given that the Zombies have taken over Neighborville in this game and the plants are trying to reclaim it]], it removes a unique gameplay feature the Plants had in favor of giving it to both. The Engineer also receives a stationary turret ability (replacing his drone, which was given to new zombie Captain Deadbeard) highly reminiscent of those used by two of the plant characters.