Mini-games within games are often there to keep players from getting bored. Even though writers might add them as an aside, some minigames are so fun that some players like them more than the main tasks. Here are some of the best minigames that could stand on their own if given the chance.
1. Insectron (Rogue Galaxy)
Best Mini-Games (Rogue Galaxy)
If you put Chess and Pokémon together, you’d get something like Rogue Galaxy’s Insectron. Insectors are bugs that you can raise and breed to get better stats. Then, you can use these Insectors in the Insectron Championship games, where you fight NPCs to move up the ranks. The only goal of the game is to get rid of the other team’s king Insector. Each Insector has a unique move that, if used right, can change the way the fight goes.
2. Bowling (Grand Theft Auto IV)
Best Mini-Games (GTA IV)
There are a lot of interesting minigames in the Grand Theft Auto series, but the bowling minigame in GTA 4 stands out because it became a joke. The minigame is a good and fun way to pass the time, and the rules are easy to understand. But as the game goes on, Niko Bellic, the main character, will get phone calls from his cousin Roman asking if they can go bowling. He asks the question at the worst times most of the time. You could be in the middle of a high-stakes car chase when he calls to ask if you want to go bowling.
READ: How does the Run 3 Game work?
3. Blitzball (Final Fantasy X)
Best mini-Games (Final Fantasy X)
Blitzball is a game in the world of Final Fantasy X that is a lot like underwater football. Each team’s goal is to get the ball to the other team’s goal post, but it’s not easy to do. Math is involved, as it turns out. It might explain why so many people don’t like this mini-game. But once you get the hang of the game and figure out the right numbers, Blitzball is a lot of fun. That’s why it’s on this list.
4. Fishing (The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time)
Best Mini-Games (Ocarina of Time)
There are many reasons why Ocarina of Time is one of the best-reviewed games in The Legend of Zelda series. One of these reasons must be that the game lets you fish. In the game, fishing is more than just a hobby because it can be hard, even though the controls are easy. This makes the catch all the more satisfying. Why waste time trying to save the world when you can spend hours and hours trying to catch the biggest fish in Lake Hylia?
5. Motor Kombat (Mortal Kombat: Armageddon)
Best mini-games (Mortal Kombat: Armageddon)
Motor Kombat, the minigame, seems very out of place in the Mortal Kombat series, which is known for being violent and bloody. But this minigame is way too fun to be a copy of Mario Kart, even though it is. It has characters from the series, and each of them has their own kart and special powers. In the spirit of the series, crashes that kill people are called “fatalities.”
6. Liar’s Dice (Red Dead Redemption)
Best Mini-Games (Red Dead Redemption)
Liar’s Dice is a real game that you can play with your friends, but it doesn’t usually show up in video games. Red Dead Redemption had a few more well-known card games, but Liar’s Dice is something different. In this minigame, each person gets a cup with five dice that is slammed face down on the table. You can look at your dice and make bets based on what numbers they have. Your opponent can either match your bet, fake, or say that you’re right. As you can see, it’s a bit like Poker, where you have to learn how to trick your opponent. So, Poker techniques can be used in this game. You need to be willing to take chances and trust your own judgment. Let’s hope that the next game, Red Dead Redemption 2, will have a similar minigame.
7. Snake Vs. Monkey (Metal Gear Solid 3)
Best Mini-Games (Metal Gear Solid 3)
To get the banana camouflage outfit, you have to finish the tasks that have to do with Ape Escape. In this mini-game, players have to sneak through the woods and catch as many monkeys as they can. In retrospect, it doesn’t change much from how MGS3 was played. Just switch out the troops for cartoon monkeys, and you’ve got a minigame. You can’t help but like Hideo Kojima’s funny side.
8. Caravan (Fallout: New Vegas)
Best Mini-Games (Fallout: New Vegas)
Minigames like Poker and Blackjack are common in games, but Fallout: New Vegas added a whole new one called Caravan. In this game, the player has to put together three “caravans” out of numbered cards. The goal is to outbid your opponent in all three by keeping the total number of cards on each caravan between 20 and 27, so that the total number of cards on each caravan is between 20 and 27. At first, it sounds hard, but once you start, it’s hard to stop. In the same vein, why not check out our list of games like Fallout that take place after the end of the world?
9.Bugsnax
Bugsnax is, if nothing else, one of 2020’s weirdest games. You play an investigative journalist who makes their way to Snaktooth Island and discovers something extraordinary: Bugsnax. These creatures are, as the name suggests, half-bug, half-snack, and it’s your job to catch them all and solve a mystery involving an intrepid explorer and the settlement she founded. The game takes a lot of inspiration from games like Pokémon, but there’s no combat here — just exploration, puzzle-solving and documenting your discoveries as you go. The other big draw is following the story, which is equal parts bizarre cartoon comedy and sincere community drama. — Marshall Honorof
10.Astro’s Playroom
A cynic would describe Astro’s Playroom as just a demo to showcase the capabilities of the PS5’s DualSense controller. And they’d be partially right: It’s a wonderful way to show off the advanced haptics in what I feel is a rather innovative controller. But Astro’s Playroom is far more than that, as it’s also a surprisingly good platformer. It takes you on a journey through levels and environments that are loosely linked to parts of the PS5’s internal hardware, as well as referencing PlayStation consoles from the past. And each area has a certain technique or gimmick to master using the DualSense controller. It’s not an incredibly deep platformer, along the lines of of Super Mario Odyssey. But for a bundled game, it’s surprisingly smart, and just a joy to play while the real world implodes from the rigors of 2020. — Roland Moore-Colyer
11.The Settlers 7: Paths to a Kingdom
The Settler series goes back almost as far as SimCity – 21 years to be precise. Like SimCity, it’s still pottering along nicely under the original developer, in this case German studio Blue Byte Software.
Settlers games are cartoon-medieval in tone, and the focus is a little more zoomed in on the day-to-day workings of its burgeoning community than SimCity.
That’s not to say that they lack scope, though. The latest full release, The Settlers 7: Paths to a Kingdom, is rendered in full 3D, and offers three distinct paths to victory – military, science, and trade. It’s the one to go for.
