What Franchise Should Have a Different Genre Spin-off?

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Unexpectedly this week, Fallout 76 was revealed. We don't know much about it yet (but we'll learn more at E3), but from reports we do know it likely won't be the same Fallout we're used to.

Of course, spin-offs and refreshed ideas for established franchises are nothing new in video games. Even the most unexpected games have done it, like Danganronpa's weird third-person shooter spin-off, or Animal Crossing's tedious digital board game.

For this week's community question, we're kicking around this: What franchise do you think deserves to have a different genre spinoff?

Mike Williams, Reviews Editor

Every setting can be improved by the addition of a tactics spinoff, so that's always where I'll start. Final Fantasy Tactics was great. Mario + Rabbids for Switch turned out swimmingly. There was a rumor that Gears of War was getting an XCOM-style title, which sounds great to me, but if Microsoft wants my money, give me a Halo Tactics game. Halo Wars is fine and good, but I prefer small squad combat to the standard RTS model.

Alternatively, Pokemon Tactics. Nintendo and Game Freak have messed with the idea before in Pokemon Conquest, which brought together the franchise and Nobunaga's Ambition. I say you strip out the Nobunaga's Ambition, and start anew.

Maybe the game doesn't have to offer the full suite of 807 Pokemon, but a grab bag of some of the best from each generation would offer a ton of tactical options in terms of play. Do you send that Geodude out to take out the ringer Pikachu on the other side, knowing that his movement speed and ranged attack allows that Pikachu to avoid him? Flying type Pokemon become more useful in maps with environmental hazards. Pokemon lends itself so well to a tactics game that I'm surprised Game Freak and Nintendo haven't tried it again since Conquest's release.

Matt Kim, News Editor

You know what would be cool? A BioShock RTS/city building sim. Imagine building your own utopia/dystopia based on some ideology and trying to fend off the rot and eventual self-destruction of your city on a hill.

I can already see how this could lead to some problems. Namely like how it would basically be a game that argues all kinds of societies built on ideologies will eventually crumble in on itself. But that would align with BioShock Infinite so screw it.

Caty McCarthy, Features Editor

Card games are all the rage these days. The MOBA-like Artifact is on the horizon, Hearthstone and Gwent get bigger by the day. For the next big card game to burst on the scene, I'd love to see something unexpected. Something, say, exclusive to the Switch. Something like Super Smash Bros.—a hodgepodge of different characters from Nintendo and third party properties, only now gracing some sort of card game. It'd likely be colorful and a lot of fun; a welcome change given modern card game's weird obsession with the color beige and dull fantasy themes. So c'mon Nintendo, give me a weird digital card game for the Switch.