10 Amazing Game Spin-Offs You Totally Forgot Existed

With Far Cry 3, it could be argued that the series hit its pinnacle in terms of exposure. It had previously been a smaller franchise for Ubisoft, an open-world shooter blending the freedom of immersive sims with blockbuster spectacle, but it never truly broke into the mainstream. That all changed with a massive marketing push and an unforgettable villain front and center, catapulting the third entry into Ubisoft’s top tier of franchises.

During the tail end of the Xbox 360 and PS3 generation, it seemed like every developer was experimenting with offbeat, genre-fuelled standalone expansions for their biggest hits. Red Dead Redemption’s Undead Nightmare and Infamous 2’s Festival of Blood were fun, self-contained detours - yet none managed to surpass their originals… aside from this one.

As enjoyable as Far Cry 3 was, the neon-soaked spectacle of Blood Dragon felt like it had exploded straight out of a dusty VHS bargain bin. The open-world exploration, stealth-versus-combat gameplay, and map-checklist design all remain intact, but instead of a grim descent into the madness of war, its tongue is planted firmly in cheek as you fight laser-firing dinosaurs, rock out to a pounding synth soundtrack, and enjoy your protagonist’s gloriously hammy one-liners delivered by none other than Michael “Hicks” Biehn himself.

The Far Cry series has since continued to churn out similar entries ad nauseam, with only the occasional side experiment attempting to break the mold to mixed results - yet none have felt as fresh, confident, or joyfully absurd as this forgotten gem of a spin-off.