10 Greatest Spin-Offs In Video Games

10. Hyrule Warriors

Koei Tecmo's "[Insert Brand Here] Warriors" games are the marmite of the gaming world. Their critics say the games are repetitive, one-note brawlers that are less engaging than folding laundry. Their fans say the games are deceptively deep, with each large-scale battle successfully marrying straightforward power fantasies with big-picture decision making.

One thing both camps can agree on, however, is that Hyrule Warriors provides the best example of the genre. Mashing Nintendo's cerebral Zelda series into Warriors' action-heavy template is one of those ideas that looks terrible on paper, but provides spectacular results in reality.

It's a genuine thrill watching Nintendo's heroes taking charge and unleashing hell on the battlefield. This is especially true when playing as Zelda herself, a figure too often marginalised in her own series. And in a gameplay sense the addition of classic Zelda boss battles provides a genuine evolution to the standard Warriors formula, with each unique boss providing a welcome twist to every battle by forcing the player to juggle even more balls on the way to victory.

Zelda and Warriors may sound like a match made in hell, but as a wise woman once said, "Opposites Attract".