10 Awful Video Game Spin-Offs That Insult The Original

7. Dirge Of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII

Metal Gear Survive
Square Enix

Forever remaining a stark reminder in Square-Enix's back catalogue that spin-offs of an acclaimed title don't guarantee success, Vincent Valentine's solo adventure in a wounded-but-healing Midgar escaped total ridicule on the merit of its expansion to the Final Fantasy VII mythos, but even that isn't enough to recommend it.

Bear in mind, that Dirge represents Square's first ever attempt at making a third-person shooter, but it only deserves so much sympathy for that fact. Bland level design, repetitive enemy variety and janky third-person combat burden it with little more than a reputation for being a blight on Final Fantasy VII's expansive universe. Chalk this down to another short-sighted attempt to expand a series' appeal beyond its original audience, even if it's at the expense of those that contributed to its initial success.

Thankfully, Square redeemed itself a decade later with the fantastic Crisis Core. Now that's a spin-off worth your time.

Contributor
Contributor

Joe is a freelance games journalist who, while not spending every waking minute selling himself to websites around the world, spends his free time writing. Most of it makes no sense, but when it does, he treats each article as if it were his Magnum Opus - with varying results.