In this article, we will be putting out a list of the top 10 best extra modes in video games and these are all personal opinions and we may have missed out on some mods so make sure to mention them in the comments section.
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Video games are carefully curated arrangements of ideas that work out in a very specific way, but sometimes developers come up with other ways that their ideas can work. so here are the list of best modes out there.
List of top 10 Best Extra Modes in Video Games
Resident Evil 2
Starting off with number 10, “Resident Evil 2’s” Fourth Survivor.
A classic. “Resident Evil 2” you could unlock a bonus mode By completing both scenarios and finishing at least one of them with an A rank.
And if you managed to pull that off, then you get to play as this Umbrella soldier trying to escape the city.
It’s a fairly short little bonus game that can be completed in a few minutes, but only we know exactly what you’re doing first because HUNK has very limited supplies and you gotta get through a real gauntlet of enemies to get to the finish line.
The “Resident Evil 2” remake faithfully remade this mode, And while it’s a little easier to access because you don’t have to get an A rank to unlock it, it’s still really difficult to get through without a lot of practice.
Of course, we can’t talk about the Fourth Survivor without at least briefly mentioning the Tofu Survivor mode.
You unlock this mode after beating the Fourth Survivor.
In it, you play as a sentient hunk of tofu and you have to survive the same scenario again, only this time all you have is a knife and some herbs, good luck with that.
It’s one of the most iconic bonus modes of all time.
And while you can spend money to unlock it in the “Resident Evil” remake, it’s still possible to unlock the standard way as well.
These kinds of best extra modes and a lot of replayability to what are normally a pretty short video games and stuff like this is what we like to see.
Call of Duty: Best extra modes in video games
At number nine, is the “Call of Duty” series zombie mode.
Before it became a staple of the franchise, the zombies mini-game was just a little bonus you unlocked For beating the “World at War” campaign.
After the credits rolled, the very first zombie map would automatically start.
Compared to how massive these maps would eventually get, this one’s relatively basic.
Just a creepy house, you are being besieged by endless waves of zombies, and the goal is simple, you survive for as many rounds as possible.
With each round of zombies, they get more plentiful and they get tougher so eventually, you do get overwhelmed, But there are weapons you could buy off the walls, and sometimes zombies would draw power-ups.
That was pretty much, at least, at first.
More elaborate zombie maps were released for “World at War” and the mode just snowballed from there.
With each new Treyarch “Call of Duty” game the zombie mode would just get bigger and bigger with more mechanics, enemies, and Easter eggs. And the Easter eggs eventually got out of control.
They became almost the main draw of the maps and were really complicated for a while.
The complexity of the Easter eggs Basically peaked around “Black Ops III,” but these maps are still getting added to games now and while they’re probably not as big as they once were, it’s still a lot of fun just brainlessly blast zombies.
The mode started with a simple premise but basically became a place where the developers could let their imaginations run wild and create the most outlandish, crazy environments possible. We’d never get something crazy as Shadows of Evil in the regular “Call of duty” games, obviously.
Burnout: Best Extra modes in video games
And number eight in the”Burnout” series, Crash Mode.
“Burnout” is one of those seriest that’s just dying for a return at some point, and when it does this mode needs to be a star attraction.
Introduced in “Burnout 2,” but getting its own mode in “Burnout 3, “Crash is exactly what it sounds like.
You have a car, you have a busy intersection, and your goal is to crash your car in such a way that it maximizes the amount of damage that happens.
It’s all about causing these massive pile-ups too.
You’d be the world’s greatest monster in real life, but in this game, you’re just creating this massive spectacle that’s entertaining as hell.
There are a few mechanics here to help things stay interesting too.
Like the impact time that lets you slow down time, and steer your vehicle when it’s in the air or right after it crashes.
There’s also the Crashbreaker, where if you manage to damage enough cars you trigger a massive explosion to rack up even more damage.
It’s a simple, but really satisfying mode that never stops being entertaining. It helps that they’re always throwing new intersections and challenges at you and it manages to keep things fresh.
But half the fun of a “Burnout” race is watching cars crumble like tissue paper after you ram them off the road, so including an entire extra mode dedicated to the simple act of smashing into cars, it was a stroke of genius and we’d love to see this mode return in some form in the future.
Crash Mode actually had a spiritual successor called Danger Zone that came out a couple of years ago.
But what we really want is a full new “Burnout” game.
Tomb Raider
At number seven is CroftManor in “Tomb Raider.”
Another classic alternate mode that isn’t necessary, but adds just a ton to the games it appears in.
In the first two games on the PlayStation, the mansion isn’t really a bonus mode.
In the first game, it’s a mandatory tutorial level, and in the second it’s actually the last level.
But in the third game, it finally becomes an honest-to-God bonus mode that you can access from the main menu.
It still basically works as a tutorial level But it’s much more freeform in this entry.
You can explore basically every room of the mansion, hunt for secrets, and find new training courses.
I mean, they’re fun. It’s basically an environment where you’re free to screw around stress-free.
“Tomb Raider III” wasn’t the only game with a separate mansion mode either.
It shows up again in “Tomb Raider: Legend,” “Anniversary,” and in “Rise of the Tomb Raider,” with the Blood Ties mode added to the “20 Year Celebration” version.
What makes the mansion stand out Is it’s really more about exploring and solving puzzles rather than the action-adventure format the games usually follow.
This is the chill and fun place to hang out in a lot of these games.
Tomb raider is one of my favorite games and it good to see it make its way on top the list of top 10 Best extra modes of video games
Mortal Kombat
At number six is “Mortal Kombat’s” Chess Kombat, Puzzle Kombat, and Motor Kombat.
The “Mortal Kombat” series has never been afraid to do some really weird and goofy stuff that maybe doesn’t always work, but it’s at least interesting.
Some of these modes maybe aren’t Technically the best extra modes ever, but they’re so bizarre and out of character for what you’d expect from a game called “Mortal Kombat” that has the history of “Mortal Kombat” and is the type of game that “Mortal Kombat” is, that they’re sort of remarkable in spite of that.
Probably the most normal, and that’s still kind of a stretch here, is Chess Kombat from “Mortal Kombat: Deception.”
It’s chess with a “Mortal Kombat” twist. When you attack with a piece the battle plays out as a standard fight With the attacker getting a health bonus.
Each piece functions slightly differently, but the goal is the same, capture the leader.
The bishop analog called the Sorcerer really mixes things up by casting spells.
You can do stuff like buff your pieces or even revive a knocked-out piece.
It’s a pretty crazy twist on chess.
And even though it’s still kind of slow it really mixes things up in an interesting way.
Not quite as good as that is Puzzle Kombat, also for “Mortal Kombat: Deception,” Which is basically “Puzzle Fighter” but worse.
It’s probably not fair to compare it to a full-price game, “Puzzle Fighter,” to a little bonus mode, Puzzle Kombat, but it’s just not as fun.
There’s definitely some amusement seeing “Mortal Kombat” fighters in chibi form though.
Now, Motor Kombat from “Mortal Kombat: Armageddon” is probably the most complicated extra mode, while, at the same time, probably being the weakest.
It’s “Mortal Kombat Mario Kart,” with bigheaded characters and unique vehicles.
They even all have their own special attacks, the only problem is it’s boring.
It’s just not a lot of fun to actually play.
A plus forever. It’s an absolute classic as far as goofy bonus modes go.
But if you want to play it seriously, you’re gonna get bored pretty quick.
Tekken Tag Tournament
And number five is Tekken Bowl from “Tekken Tag Tournament.”
Now, if you’re looking for abonus mode in a fighting game that’s both goofy as hell and incredibly entertaining, it doesn’t get much better than Tekken Bowl.
Originally introduced with”Tekken Tag Tournament” on the PlayStation 2, thisis a mode where you bowl.
It’s a bowling game inside of this fighting game, for whatever reason.
And that’s strange enough, but the real not able thing about it is that it’s actually really good.
It’s fun, it’s easy to pick up and play, and the presentation’s really great.
The mode returned with”Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection” and then came back again as DLC for “Tekken 7,” with a few new mechanics of course, But remained basically the same.
There’s honestly not a lot to say with this one, it’s bowling but you play it in “Tekken,” and it’s good and that is why it is on the list of best extra game modes.
Sonic Adventure: Best Extra modes in video games
At number four is the ChaoGarden from “Sonic Adventure 1” and “2.”
You can have a list about extra modes without mentioning one of the most elaborate and strange ones out there.
First introduced in “Sonic Adventure 1,” the Chao these little mythical creatures that play an important role in the story that can also be collected for this monster-breeding mini-game.
Just the fact there’s an entire alternate mode in Sonic dedicated to raising little creatures is wild because of that it has made it’s way on to the list of Best extra modes in video games.
Yeah, you know, Sonic, the game we’re running through levels as fast as possible is the point.
Yeah, that’s pretty good, but you know what’s missing? Raising monster babies.
What’s fun is that it’sreally complex too, with a ton of variables thatcan affect your Chao’s stats and abilities.
There’s so much going on here it would be impossible to get into all of it, It’s in-depth.
And it makes Chocobo breeding from “Final Fantasy VII,” which is also extremely in-depth, seem like awalk in the park.
What’s especially strange about it Is that basically, it doesn’t matter in any way, shape, or form.
There’s no reason to doit other than for medals, which are not useful in any way.
Even still it’s a modethat a lot of people still have a lot of fondness for and would like to see it return in some way in a future Sonic game.
Every Sonic announcement is accompanied by somebody saying, “Please bring back Chao Garden.”
And it’s still weird, to me, that it’s in a Sonic game at all, even despite the fact that i am somebody that enjoyed this when it was originally a thing.
Even if you didn’t though, it’s something that you can’t deny how ambitious it is in just giving people analternate game inside the game.
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
At number three is Richter Mode in “Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.”
Another absolute classic, this mode is generally unlocked by beating in the game on normal mode, and then putting in Richter as your name in the title screen.
Do that, And instead of playing through the game as Alucard, as you normally would, you get to explore Dracula’sCastle as Richter Belmont.
That means that there’s noinventory, no experience, no new traversal powers, and you just have to get through the game with what you’ve got.
Normally, that would make fully exploring the castle impossible, but there’s a few extra moves like the high jump Richter can do, which gets you almost everywhere.
There are a few spots he can’t get to, but there’s nothing stopping you from progressing through the castle.
At least you still havethe Vampire Hunter whip and access to sub-weapons.
But in the prologue, Richtercan perform an item crash too, which uses up a ton of hearts but usually makes his sub-weapon attacks way more powerful.
Richter Mode basically makes you Play through the castle in a whole new way.
In some ways, you’re weaker and less mobile, but in others, you’re much stronger.
So while the castle’s still the same the game feels very different.
There’s plenty of games out there that have modes where you play as a different character, but few are as fun and satisfying as this one.
Project Gotham Racing 2
At number two is “ProjectGotham Racing 2’s” “Geometry Wars.”
This is an extra mode that’s so good it basically spawned its own franchise.
The first “Geometry Wars” game was actually an Easter egg in “Project Gotham Racing 2.”
You could play it from the arcade cabinet in the garage, but the game was so good that the developers were encouraged to make a standalone game, it’s really good too.
The first one and the remake released on Xbox LiveArcade, were basically just score attack games, but the presentation and music made them instantly memorable and really addictive arcade experiences.
Usually, these little jokegames that you can play don’t amount to much.
Most of the time you get something basic like a clicker game or a “Flappy Birds” rip-off at best, but “Geometry Wars” was something special.
There are a lot of people who don’t even know that it came from”Project Gotham Racing 2.”
I know multiple people who I’ve said this fact to and they were like, “Really?” It wasn’t better than the main game or anything, but “Geometry Wars” was so good.
Not just for an extragame, it’s so good period.
Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance – Best Extra modes in video games
And finally, at number one, is “Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance” Snake Tales and skateboarding.
With the re-release version of “Metal Gear Solid 2,” the developers tried toadd a little something to placate fans who wanted more Snake, and that ended up being Snake Tails.
Reusing environments from the original game, these were pretty elaborate missions let you play a Snake through various scenarios that can actually play out differently depending on what you do.
They’re a pretty size able addition to the game, even if their actual stories seem non-canon.
For players still grumbling about having to play as a new characterrather than Solid Snake, these missions were areally fun diversion.
The best extra mode is actually skate boarding though.
Also part of the rerelease, it’s basically just a demo for Konami’s “Evolution Skateboarding,” but with the awesome twist that you can play as either Solid Snake or Raiden, shredding around a levelbased on the Big Shell.
The fact that it controls as well as it does probably comes down to the fact that it’s meant to sell you on a different game.
But for the most part, this was all they really needed.
I didn’t need to play Konami’s”Evolution Skateboarding.”
And after this, I had that but with Solid Snake and Raiden as play able skaters on the Big Shell.
What would be better than that for me? It was really just a fun mode, and I remember wasting so much time with that.
So that is all on the list of top 10 best extra game modes and if we have left out any, make sure to list them in the comment.
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