10 Amazing Game Spin-Offs You Totally Forgot Existed

Dead Space might now seem like a relic to modern gamers, but at the time of its release, it grabbed the gaming world by the lapels. A blend of Resident Evil 4’s tight third-person combat with chilling sci-fi terror, the first two entries are rightly regarded as modern horror classics before the franchise began to lose its way. But tucked neatly between them was a worthy and often-forgotten spin-off that deserves far more attention.

Turning any major franchise into a light-gun shooter usually screams “cash grab,” yet in the mid-2000s, when Nintendo’s Wii was dominating living rooms worldwide, the idea suddenly made sense. With its motion controls perfectly suited to aiming and shooting, horror series like Resident Evil jumped on the trend - and EA wasn’t far behind. The result was Dead Space: Extraction, a surprisingly smart and well-crafted prequel.

Extraction took the signature limb-dismemberment mechanic of the series and repurposed it brilliantly for on-rails gameplay. It paired thrilling set pieces with clever puzzle-solving and an actual, emotionally grounded story that deepened the overall lore. Far from a throwaway experiment, it felt like a genuine extension of the Dead Space universe.

Sadly, mature-rated titles rarely found success on the Wii, and Extraction suffered the same fate. Even with a later PS3 port using Move controls, it failed to reach a wide audience. It’s a shame, as it remains an ambitious twist on the stand-and-shoot formula, but also an essential part of the franchise that remains stranded on dated tech.