It's always exciting to see what new directions a game can go in. Welcome to WatchMojo and today we're counting down our picks for the greatest spin-off games of all time!
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00:00Check it man, Muska is actually coming to this dump for his skate demo.
00:07Get dressed Musko!
00:10Welcome to WatchMojo and today we are looking at the side pieces that are better than the
00:13marriage.
00:15These are the 20 greatest spin-off games.
00:18There were some long debates in the Mojo office about what constitutes a spin-off, so if you're
00:22thinking that's not a spin-off, I don't care, someone already lost the argument, you're
00:26not special.
00:27That's so mean, what's wrong with me today?
00:29Crysis Core Final Fantasy 7.
00:47Spin-off?
00:48Yeah, I think so.
00:49Did other people consider it a spin-off?
00:50That's not an important question at this juncture, so I'm going to move on.
00:53An exciting aspect of spin-off games is how they expand the original's game's story, adding
00:57depth to the plot, characters and nuances.
01:00Crysis Core Final Fantasy 7 excels at this.
01:03Crysis Core doesn't just excel as a game on its own, but it enhances elements of the
01:06original game in indescribable ways.
01:09While its over-the-top style and melodrama might not appeal to everyone, these qualities
01:13contribute to its charm.
01:21Tales from the Borderlands.
01:33You might be more familiar with the developer Telltale's other games like The Walking Dead
01:38and Game of Thrones, but did you know they made an outstanding Telltale-style game in
01:42the world of Borderlands?
01:43Set between Borderlands 2 and 3, this episodic story centres on Rhys, an ambitious corporate
01:49climber, eager to take Handsome Jack's place as Hyperion's leader.
01:54Teaming up with Fiona, a savvy con artist, the two are pulled into a dangerous scheme
01:58gone wrong.
01:59The game has events that directly affect the main series, which is one of those ingredients
02:03of the recipe that makes a delicious spin-off game.
02:13Resident Evil Revelations
02:36I fully and truly believe that if Revelations had been released before Resident Evil 6,
02:40it may have been more widely appreciated, but the general public was fatigued from this
02:44weak 6th entry before the series was saved by Resident Evil 7, the entry that is often
02:49wrongly celebrated as the franchise's return to survival horror.
02:53It was Revelations, you guys, play this game!
02:55Originally released as the 3DS exclusive, Revelations didn't let its platform limit
03:00the intense atmosphere and grotesque monsters Capcom created.
03:04Revelations follows Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield as they uncover the secrets of the
03:08IT Abyss virus, and it, as well as Revelations 2, have stories that are incredibly full.
03:15Hyrule Warriors
03:28The Legend of Zelda series ever heard of it?
03:30Follows Link, a young boy who repeatedly finds himself responsible for the fate of Hyrule,
03:35preventing it from dark forces seeking to overthrow Princess Zelda and claim power.
03:39While Ganondorf is typically the main antagonist, a few titles break from this tradition.
03:43None, however, diverges quite like Hyrule Warriors.
03:46Instead of the usual high fantasy adventure with exploration, monster battles and dungeon
03:50crawling, Hyrule Warriors shifts focus to fast-paced, hack-and-slash gameplay where
03:55players take on waves of enemies in action-packed battles.
03:58It's dope, you should definitely play it.
04:10Tony Hawk's Underground
04:21Not only is Tony Hawk's Underground one of the best spin-off games ever made, but I'd
04:24make an argument that it's the best Tony Hawk game ever made.
04:27But that's contentious, and not what we're here for.
04:29The story is actually engaging for the first time ever, allowing you to take your own self-made
04:33character on a journey to become a pro skater.
04:36The gameplay introduces mechanics that make the world feel more full, and places the stepping
04:40stones for future games that made the gameplay go from amazing to mind-blowingly incredible.
04:45It's the first game in the series that allowed you to dismount your skateboard and explore
04:49the world on foot, and the first game in the series that glued me to my couch for weeks
04:53and allowed me to explore the world on couch.
05:06Final Fantasy Tactics
05:15Final Fantasy Tactics stands out as a fan-favorite Final Fantasy entry, even among the mammoths
05:19in the main series.
05:20What makes Final Fantasy Tactics such a beloved spin-off is how it captures the spirit of
05:24the main series, feeling both fresh and familiar.
05:27This familiarity is largely thanks to its class system, inspired by the mainline games,
05:32and the inclusion of iconic Final Fantasy characters.
05:34It's a gameplay style that feels different, but scratches the same itch as the turn-based
05:38style that defined the series at the time.
05:43Forza Horizon
05:45Turn 10 Studios' Forza Motorsport launched in 2005 on the original Xbox, providing Microsoft
05:50with a strong contender to Sony's Gran Turismo series on PlayStation.
05:54Whether Forza Motorsport ever surpassed Gran Turismo is still a topic of debate.
05:59It didn't.
06:00But it undeniably offered Xbox players a top-tier racing experience to enjoy.
06:04However, the game's intense focus on realism and accuracy proved polarizing, leading to
06:08the creation of a more arcade-friendly spin-off, Forza Horizon.
06:13This new direction offered a more accessible experience that appealed to a broader audience
06:17while still honoring the spirit of the original.
06:20Judgment
06:36Judgment is a standout spin-off because it combines the gripping crime drama of the Yakuza
06:40series with fresh perspectives and gameplay elements.
06:43Set in the same gritty world, it tells a unique story through a detective with a complex past,
06:48offering players a new lens on the criminal underworld.
06:51With investigative gameplay elements, including tracking suspects, collecting clues in courtroom
06:56battles, it adds depth beyond the traditional brawler mechanics of Yakuza.
07:05Pokemon Go
07:18Pokemon Go!
07:19Ever heard of it?
07:20A global sensation, upon its release, Pokemon Go took the world by storm when it launched
07:24on mobile in 2016, racking up over 500 million downloads within its first year.
07:29Right from the start, players recognized the brilliance of this deceptively simple game.
07:34By encouraging exploration of real-world locations and chance encounters with other
07:38players, Pokemon Go offered a unique journey that continues to resonate.
07:42Though walking around isn't practical or enjoyable for everyone, the game brilliantly expanded
07:46on the universal charm of the original Pokemon games, making it a groundbreaking experience.
07:52Mega Man X
08:01A near-perfect game in many ways, and technically a spin-off, even though many people think
08:06that it's Mega Man 10, not Mega Man X.
08:08With a thrilling soundtrack, vibrant color palette, tight controls, and iconic bosses
08:12and stages, Mega Man X truly delivers.
08:15The game also shines with replay value, hiding secrets like the street fighter Hadouken and
08:20adding clever features, such as completing one level to change another's environment.
08:35Metal Gear Rising Revengeance
08:53I guess Metal Gear Solid could technically be argued as a spin-off of Metal Gear.
08:57So does this mean that Rising is a spin-off of a spin-off?
09:00Spin-offception?
09:01The series is famed for its stealth-based gameplay, encouraging players to slip past
09:05enemies with patience rather than brute force.
09:07Metal Gear Rising Revengeance is as far the other direction as you can imagine.
09:12Set in 2018, four years after the events of Metal Gear Solid 4, players take on the role
09:16of Raiden, slashing, smashing, and bashing their way through everyone they encounter.
09:33Apollo Justice Ace Attorney
09:40Now this was up for debate, but even the developers consider Apollo Justice a spin-off from the
09:46Ace Attorney series, so take your comments to their inbox.
09:49Apollo Justice Ace Attorney excels as a fresh addition to the Ace Attorney series, introducing
09:54new characters, innovative gameplay mechanics, and a story that is as good if not better
09:59than the main games.
10:00The game also cleverly ties in past events while carving out its own identity, presenting
10:04complex cases and memorable characters that add fuel to the franchise.
10:09Luigi's Mansion
10:10We could do an entire list of Super Mario spin-offs, because technically the majority
10:26of their games are just spin-offs of Super Mario Bros, but we've shown restraint.
10:30Luigi's Mansion is a delightful twist on the series, putting Luigi in the spotlight as
10:34he explores a haunted mansion filled with secrets and surprises.
10:38Oh, and ghosts.
10:39Armed with his trusty vacuum, Luigi's unique ghost-hunting gameplay is both charming and
10:44inventive, blending puzzle-solving with exploration.
10:47Luigi's Mansion, it rocks.
11:01Donkey Kong Country
11:02Released the year I was born, Donkey Kong Country was the second best thing to drop
11:12that year.
11:13With exceptional controls, Donkey Kong Country on the Super Nintendo stands out as one of
11:18the finest platformers ever made.
11:20Its outstanding level design, packed with cleverly hidden secrets, vibrant colours,
11:23iconic pre-rendered 90s graphics, memorable characters and some of the best music on the
11:27SNES make it a near-perfect game.
11:30Wait, is Super Mario just a spin-off of Donkey Kong?
11:33Is anything original?
11:42Super Mario Kart
11:50Released in 1992, Super Mario Kart was a kart spin-off game to Super Mario Bros, and it
11:55began one of the best Super Mario spin-off series, if not the best ever made.
11:59What can I say that hasn't already been said?
12:00From Mario Kart 64 to Mario Kart 8, this game defined couch co-op for a whole generation,
12:06and has gone on to define online competitive gaming for a new generation of Nintendo players.
12:10It's fun, it's easy to pick up and it's dope to master.
12:14Go Mario Kart, you're doing great.
12:22Apex Legends
12:41Respawn its name, its high-speed shooter Titanfall always seemed overshadowed by Battlefield,
12:46but in 2019, Respawn struck gold by launching Apex Legends, a battle royale spin on Titanfall,
12:52featuring hero-shooter mechanics.
12:54Apex Legends has blown up beyond expectation, making most players forget it's even related
13:00to Titanfall at all.
13:01Released with a surprise same-day announcement across multiple platforms, Apex Legends quickly
13:06captured a massive audience.
13:08It has since become one of the top battle royale games, arguably only rivaled by Fortnite.
13:22Revelations Persona
13:42Revelations Persona or Persona 1 was the first entry that kicked off the beloved series,
13:46but it was in fact a spin-off of digital devil story Megami Tensei, which began as a sci-fi
13:51horror novel trilogy in the 80s, and was later adapted into a video game for the Famicom
13:56in 1987.
13:57Since then, over 40 Megami Tensei games have been released.
14:01While it retains themes from early Megami Tensei titles, Persona shifted focus to psychology
14:05and relationships.
14:06By the 2008 release of Persona 4, the series had eclipsed the original franchise in popularity.
14:13The Sims
14:20The Sims is one of the best-selling games ever, and has become so ingrained in pop culture
14:24even for non-video game fans.
14:26It basically single-handedly popularized the simulator genre, which as we all know is insanely
14:31popular today.
14:32The series' roots go back to the first SimCity game, released in 1989, followed by sequels
14:38in 1993 and 1999.
14:40Ironically, this spin-off, The Sims, became a far bigger success upon release than the
14:44original SimCity titles, with most players now assuming SimCity is a spin-off of The
14:48Sims and not the other way around.
14:58Fallout New Vegas
15:13Fallout
15:14Ever heard of it?
15:15That's the second time I made that joke.
15:16The Fallout series places players in a post-apocalyptic world shaped by nuclear devastation, staying
15:22true to its name.
15:23With multiple main titles and an online multiplayer entry, the franchise expanded with a beloved
15:28spin-off, Fallout New Vegas.
15:30Developed by Obsidian, this entry is widely considered the series' best.
15:34It is insanely open, giving players more control of the world than any other titles in the
15:39series.
15:39Considering New Vegas is a spin-off is hard to do considering just how integral it is
15:44to the series overall, but technically, it is a spin-off.
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16:15World of Warcraft
16:30It's surprising to think that World of Warcraft is technically a spin-off.
16:33When it launched in 2004, it quickly outlasted the original Warcraft games that defined Blizzard's
16:38real-time strategy series and helped popularise gaming in the 90s.
16:42Although the three Warcraft games were critically acclaimed and successful, none could match
16:47the impact of World of Warcraft.
16:49This MMORPG spin-off vastly expanded the world of Azeroth and beyond in ways few could have
16:54predicted.
16:55It is the king of the MMORPG genre and probably will be till this big blue planet of ours
17:01explodes.
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