There is less left for Mario Party Superstars and this is cause for celebration for fans of mini-games, a genre perfect to play with friends, with titles that collect numerous tests and phases with simple but very fun mechanics.
But beyond these compilation games, mini-games have always been a classic of video games, since the famous bonus phases in arcade games, the idea of having a small game with different mechanics to the title in which it is integrated has always worked wonderfully, sometimes serving as an interlude and sometimes as a reward, some of these mini-games became iconic.
The famous Street Fighter II car bonus phase, which has been so many times honored , the launch of shurikens by Shinobi, the competition to break the ice in Mortal Kombat or the balloons of the arcade of The Simpsons, are some of the hundreds that we were able to enjoy it in its time, but over time they became more and more elaborate.
Video games progressed and those small bonus phases led to more complex mini-games, even finding those old arcade games as minigames integrated into some new titles. In classics like Shenmue, we were able to access arcade games or previous consoles in which to enjoy arcade games, something that we have also seen in current titles such as those of the Yakuza saga.
But the ones that we wanted to bring here today are those mini-games that were designed exclusively to be part of the game in which they were included and that due to how elaborate they were, how fun, or the hours of play that they came to offer, became remembered by themselves beyond the game to which they belonged, so much so that some even became complete games. Fortunately, this is not something that has gone out of style and even some titles that have just hit the market show off these mini-games as part of the appeal of the game.
Geometry Wars – Project Gotham Racing 2
In 2003, the former developer Bizarre Creations, introduced a mini-game for the second installment of Project Gotham Racing, the fantastic driving title for the original Xbox, which we accessed from an arcade in the game’s own garage. It was Geometry Wars, a frenzied shooter with a retro vector aesthetic, which was so successful with gamers that two years later it would earn its own full-game status on the Xbox Live Arcade service of the newcomer Xbox 360.
Captain Toad – Super Mario 3D World
The case of Captain Toad is similar to that of Geometry Wars, in that the puzzles with the good old Captain Toad were fresh and brought a change of pace to the platforms of Super Mario 3D World. The mini-game proposed us puzzles that took elements of platforms on small maps where we had to explore every corner until we reached the end of the level. The formula worked so well that Nintendo took advantage of it to create its own game for WiiU that would later also reach the 3DS and Nintendo Switch.
Gwent – The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt became an instant classic and offered us countless hours of good story, great characters and fabulous missions, among all this content, they also knew how to shape a playable version of the one already known to fans of the game. witcher, Gwent. The card game worked so well that it became a full free-to-play game. As in other games of the genre, we will have to collect cards to build decks and face it against our rivals.
Monkey Soccer – Ape Escape 2
The Ape Escape saga was much loved on the first PlayStation and its second installment brought us an especially fun soccer minigame. In the mini-game we will take control of the monkeys we captured and we will form a team of five players, including a goalkeeper. Each of the monkeys that move around the field is assigned a button on the controller. The minigame is very complete and has many options with an arcade football style, in addition to being able to play both alone and against a friend.
Blitzball – Final Fantasy X
Final Fantasy X surprised fans of the saga with the curious Blitzball, a ball sport that takes place in a large sphere of water in the center of a stadium. Two teams of six players face each other to score in the opponent’s goal and the control of our team can be carried out automatically or manually. The mini-game, far from being a curiosity in the development of the title, proposes a sport with numerous rules and strategies, as well as different game modes, being really complete.
Tekken Ball – Tekken 3
The Tekken saga has managed to include really addictive mini-games within some of its best installments, such as Tekken Ball in the legendary Tekken 3. The game placed the two opponents in a field divided by a central line that could not be crossed by the characters. The objective was both to hit the ball to hurt our rival with it, and to get the ball to hit the ground in the opposite field. Both actions lowered the opponent’s health meter until they were defeated.
Snowboarding – Final Fantasy VII
The mythical seventh installment of Final Fantasy is the most beloved by many and although it knew how to conquer the public with a great story and some memorable characters, it also included a lot of interesting additional content. This is the case of the snowboard mini-game that we could access near the Icicle Inn. In it we had to descend through a snowy circuit while collecting balloons, dodging moguls and doing tricks. It was so famous that it ended up being expanded into a game of its own for mobile devices.
¡A por el Sushi! – Pokémon Stadium
Pokémon Stadium was a phenomenon when bringing our Game Boy creatures to the 3D environments of the Nintendo 64. Although the title was focused on battles between Pokémon, it featured a few minigames that guaranteed hours of multiplayer fun. Although they were all quite funny, Go for the Sushi! it was without a doubt the most memorable. Four Líckitung were located in the center of a revolving sushi bar in which we had to get points for eating different types of sushis.
Karaoke –Saga Yakuza
The Yakuza saga is another that has stood out both for including very elaborate mini-games, and for containing complete classic games represented in its arcades, but the most iconic is undoubtedly Karaoke. Designed as a rhythmic musical game, similar to titles like Project Diva, we will have to use the four main buttons of the remote control to follow the rhythm of the songs. There are different types of pulsation and the objective is based on achieving high scores that give way to special kinematics.
