The longer a video game series exists the greater the chances said series will get itself a spinoff video game. Sometimes these games are natural extensions of the series, most notably a solo story that focuses on a standout character, but more often than not they are a way to make a quick buck off a major IP during the deadtime between major releases.
This time around we are going to be taking a look at a number of the weirder spinoff games that don’t make a lot of sense when you take even a few minutes to think. So, let’s get into a couple of these weird cash grabs, some of which only helped to harm a series for a few extra bucks.
- . Uncharted: Fight for Fortune
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The Uncharted is one of the most celebrated modern properties that help show off the power of the PlayStation. Each game in the series managed to top the one before, and even it’s PlayStation Vita prequel was a fun romp that served to show off the power of Sony’s next generation handheld. So, it’s weird that Fight for Fortune was the follow-up Vita release. But, instead of being another 3D action platformer, the game was a collectible card game. The game hit digital shelves around the time every series was trying a card game, but most of those were built around science fiction and fantasy based worlds. Taking a modern action game and turning it into a card game just felt sort of off. Still, the game featured online multiplayer which helped its replay value as the games core mechanics felt like Magic the Gathering lite.
- . Guilty Gear 2: Overture
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Guilty Gear is a now legendary series known for its gorgeous 2D animated action, fun fighters, and stylish gameplay. The series is alive and well today with millions of fans and players around the world. It’s grown from this pretty little underground fighter to a top-tier title that competes with the likes of Street Fighter and Tekken. So, with that said, it’s incredibly strange that the developers tacked on the number 2 to this title suggesting this is a direct sequel. It’s weird because Overture isn’t a fighting game at all. Hell, it’s not even in 2D. Officially the fourth in the series, Overture is this hybrid mix between the Dynasty Warriors action, MOBA, and real-time strategy genres. Imagine if Street Fighter 6 was announced but instead of a fighting game it was a VR puzzle game. Sure, it might be a decent game but not one fans probably would want as a core entry.
- . Command & Conquer: Renegade
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Command & Conquer is a famed RTS series that we absolutely love and were happy to see get a remastering that was also bloody fantastic. When you hear C&C you think fantastic RTS action. What you don’t think about is a fast-paced FPS, but here we are. These studios seem to think that abandoning what made their games work would make for a fun time. Well, in this case, they were right! Westwood went all in on Renegade while their compatriots over at Blizzard canceled all their weird FPS and other genre spinoffs. Renegade was a bit clunky but it helped expand the C&C lore and put you right in the action instead of commanding tiny troops. It’s so beloved that fans are still playing the game online today! The in-house engine that powered Renegade would also go on to power a ton of great 3D RTS games Westwood would later release.
- . Arm Wrestling
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Punch-Out! is one of the best video games of all time. It’s beautifully simplistic with a colorful cast of characters that was great in the arcades and amazing at home on the NES. The game itself hasn’t seen a lot of entries, but each one has been top-notch and a blast to play, even the one on the Wii. What’s strange here is that Punch-Out! got an arcade only spinoff only a year after its release. Even weirder is that the sequel dropped the boxing and replaced it with arm wrestling. The game plays a lot like Punch-Out! in that you have to watch the faces of your opponent in order to evade or counter their upcoming major attacks. You win by moving the joystick back and forth in order to slam the opponents arm to the mat before they can counter. It’s a weird game but it’s got a certain ’80s charm to it.
- . Metroid Prime: Federation Force
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When this title came up in our discussion of weird spinoff games it nearly started a Slack fight. Most of the team swore that Federation Force was canceled or only ever released as a demo. We quickly found out it really did release and that its E3 2015 showing wasn’t just some shared fever dream we all had. A Metroid spinoff that looked nothing like its Prime predecessors, featured no single-player, and was a co-op multiplayer focused FPS on the 3DS still sounds like a nightmare. Then picture the game being about saving Samus who has been brainwashed and enlarged into some Godzilla-like monster you end up fighting. Someone on the team had a really weird fetish. Metroid Prime: Federation Force went on to only sell 4,000 copies in Japan during its launch window. Yikes!
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