10 Amazing Game Spin-Offs You Totally Forgot Existed

When most gamers think of their favorite big, iconic franchises, the entries that come to mind rarely stray from the main series. And why would they? The flagship titles are where studios pour their best talent, time, and budget - the projects designed to showcase what makes the franchise tick.

Spin-offs, on the other hand, often feel like afterthoughts. They’re the side projects released to keep a brand alive between major instalments, justify a marketing push, or give the studio’s B-team something to tinker with. More often than not, they’re seen as non-essential distractions from the “real” thing.

But sometimes that lack of pressure and the freedom that comes with it can lead to something truly special. Without the heavy expectations of a mainline entry, developers can take bold risks, experiment with new genres, and twist familiar ideas into something fresh. Sadly, even when these spin-offs succeed, they’re rarely celebrated. Critics may have praised them at release, but history tends to forget the ones that dared to do something different.

This list is about those rare exceptions - the spin-offs that defied expectations, proved their worth, and, in some cases, outshined the very series that spawned them.

Out of all the fighting games that have taken the world by storm, Mortal Kombat easily has the coolest and most fascinating lore. The original game was a violent potpourri of cinema genre classics, including Kickboxer, Enter the Dragon, and Big Trouble in Little China - yet over time, the storyline has evolved and expanded to the point where even the mainline entries now feature fully cinematic campaigns, something few fighting games can boast.

With such a rich backstory, you’d assume spin-offs would be ripe for the picking. However, NetherRealm Studios (then Midway Studios LA) stumbled out of the gate with a mediocre Sub-Zero platformer (Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero) and a clunky 3D action title starring Sonya and Jax (Mortal Kombat: Special Forces). Both left a bad taste, which likely explains why this third attempt was unfairly overlooked.

Shaolin Monks launched during the PS2 era and is essentially a 3D beat-'em-up with local co-op. It follows Liu Kang and Kung Lao as they brawl their way through the Netherrealm, pummelling anything in sight. It was a stellar modernization of a dying genre, backed by a surprisingly engaging campaign and great buddy-cop chemistry between its two leads.

With the Mortal Kombat Kollection bringing remasters of those other heavily criticized spin-offs, it’s a shame this vastly superior effort has been left out. Here’s hoping it makes it into the next collection volume - with online co-op, pretty please.