10 MUST-PLAY Video Game Spin-Offs

By 1997, Square Enix's Final Fantasy was already a household name in the gaming industry. Having ran for over a decade at that point, Final Fantasy VII rocketed the mainline franchise to the peak of its popularity. Little did fans know they were in for another masterwork one year later on the PlayStation.

The traditional RPG had already been conquered, but how would things turn out in the field of tactical role-playing? Incredibly well in fact, as the most successful spin-off of Final Fantasy was put together by the team behind Ogre Battle and Tactics Ogre.

Taking this venerable RPG series into the realm of tactical grids proved to be a big success, as Final Fantasy Tactics received rave reviews from critics at the time. Taking place in Ivalice, the game portrays the plight of Ramza Beoulve as he partakes in the complicated Lion War. The strong story provided a firm base for FFT's truly excellent battle system, which takes place in an isometric turn-based system. Other elements of the series were also reworked, from world traversal to character level-ups. With such an enormous cult following, Final Fantasy: Tactics helped write the rules on how to do a gaming spin-off right.