10 Video Game Franchises With The BEST Spin-Offs

In all honesty, Mega Man didn't make the first draft of this list. But once Capcom's long-neglected series was name-dropped, a cavalcade of great spin-offs soon followed and it became more and more apparent this list wouldn't be complete without an appearance from the Blue Bomber. 

For fans of the traditional Mega Man formula, the Zero series has to be the first port of call. A spin-off from Mega Man X, the Zero games are a fine evolution of Mega Man's signature guns-'n'-platforms action (they are also brutally hard, but if you like Mega Man you're probably used to headbutting controllers in half out of sheer frustration). Intriguingly, the Zero games also have their own spin-offs - the ZX duology, which sees Capcom try their hands at the Metroidvania genre.

But the most out-there genre change has to be the Mega Man Legend games. These oft-forgotten PS1 classics completely overthrew the Mega Man formula by l̶e̶t̶t̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶M̶e̶g̶a̶ ̶M̶a̶n̶ ̶t̶a̶k̶e̶ ̶h̶i̶s̶ ̶h̶e̶l̶m̶e̶t̶ ̶o̶f̶f̶ plopping the cheerful robot into a fully 3D adventure game. Capcom clearly have a soft spot for the Legends series, as seen by its characters crossing over into various other games, which makes it all the more baffling that it has yet to see any form of remaster or re-release.

Seriously, if any of the Big Three want a guaranteed hit for their next Direct/Showcase/State of Play, just announce a Mega Man Legends collection. Do that, and we'll all forgive the next 30 minutes of CGI trailers and live-action slop!