10 Video Game Spin-Offs Nobody Asked For (That Were AWESOME)

Information about the existence of Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle began to leak nearly a year before the project was seen for the first time but it was such a Ludacris thing that most people paid absolutely no mind to such a thing.

When the reveal was finally made, gamers everywhere were outright flabbergasted. First of all, Nintendo are pretty restrictive about their own properties and you don’t get anything more precious than Super Mario. Secondly, many thought the Rabbids characters were the gaming equivalent of the obnoxious and painfully unstoppable Minions mascots.

It got even weirder when Mario started brandishing a gun and taking cover in what turned out to be a XCOM style tactical shooter.

Honestly, even with a sequel on the way, it still feels like a fever dream or a drunken bet but all the same this crossover event was an early success for the Nintendo Switch. Critics praised its sense of style, charm and love of both franchises. In places, it was genuinely quite funny and from a gameplay perspective it was surprisingly addictive.

Not only did nobody ask for this one, it seemed an unfathomable thing that it would work tonally or even in terms of entertainment value... but it was a surprisingly deep and full-length tactical adventure well worth the money.