Full Games List
Featured Games
New Games
Reviews
Media
Images
Blogs
Game Updates
Images Feedback Summary
Game Design Highlights
Tutorials
Articles
Scripts
Utilities / Plugins
Resources
Engines
Engine Bulletins
What is Makerscore?
Past Events
Achievements
Misaos
Forums
Post History
Chat
New to RMN?
Full Store List
RMN Music Pack (free)
WHY DO MINIGAMES EXIST?
Posts
Craze
View playlists
CloseI don't like minigames in traditional/semi-traditional rpgs. I think that they take away from the game itself, both as a player and as a dev spending time on them.
"But Craze, they're a fun distraction!" Why do I need to be distracted from your game? Is it that boring?
"But Craze, Hakox was really really good!" Okay, yeah, but did Xenosaga 3 need it? No, it didn't.
"But Craze, they can help tell a story!" I can understand something along these lines. The motorcycle escape from FF7's introductory missions was silly but served a purpose. I don't think it's necessary, but a one-off thing can be okay if you're willing to spend the time on it. Compare that to the time waste that is chocobo breeding, though.
"But Craze, dungeon gimmicks!" Actual dungeon puzzles that are a consistent part of the gameplay are 100% okay. Maybe you have a variety of mirror-and-light puzzles or sliding ice rooms. Sure, whatever. Go play Kinetic Cipher (Again) for more inspiration. But think of, say, that stupid follow-the-light part from FF6's intro mission, or that horrible simon says game to get the Crono doll (for a reason you wouldn't know of without a guide, probably). Uggggghhhhhhhhhh.
Why do you include minigames (if you do)? What's the point? Why did the big-name games need to bother? Especially for games that are already 20-30 hours too long, why include them?
"But Craze, they're a fun distraction!" Why do I need to be distracted from your game? Is it that boring?
"But Craze, Hakox was really really good!" Okay, yeah, but did Xenosaga 3 need it? No, it didn't.
"But Craze, they can help tell a story!" I can understand something along these lines. The motorcycle escape from FF7's introductory missions was silly but served a purpose. I don't think it's necessary, but a one-off thing can be okay if you're willing to spend the time on it. Compare that to the time waste that is chocobo breeding, though.
"But Craze, dungeon gimmicks!" Actual dungeon puzzles that are a consistent part of the gameplay are 100% okay. Maybe you have a variety of mirror-and-light puzzles or sliding ice rooms. Sure, whatever. Go play Kinetic Cipher (Again) for more inspiration. But think of, say, that stupid follow-the-light part from FF6's intro mission, or that horrible simon says game to get the Crono doll (for a reason you wouldn't know of without a guide, probably). Uggggghhhhhhhhhh.
Why do you include minigames (if you do)? What's the point? Why did the big-name games need to bother? Especially for games that are already 20-30 hours too long, why include them?
I don't think they serve a purpose. At least no primary purpose. About every game could easily do without them.
They rarely if ever bring meat to the story, although they can be in the same vibe of the main game. I think it's become just a habit to include it somehow. It's something to show off, but it's also a "fun distraction" in a way that is different from the main game.
It certainly is nice to include during advertising - different kinds of funs, sidequests, minigames, story, battles. Neat. (+ even with 20-30 hours plus, people always want more. and apprantly some breed of people measure game enjoyment/money worth spent with how many hours they sank into it)
Let's face it, going through dungeons all the time can be pretty exhausting if you do nothing else - that is why we take breaks from gaming and then return.
Adding minigames to the game allows for a break while still playing the very same game you want to take a break from
It won't enhance the main story in any way, but it gives us breaktime even if we keep playing.
I certainly wouldn't start up minigames in my freetime when I could be playing a full game instead. Not minigames in the sense of breeding or fishing or digging games or whatever.
But I certainly would do so in a game when it's readily accessible and when I want to take a break from the usual session. I quite enjoyed fishing in Okami or Twilight Princess, for example.
And then there's the simple collectors factor - minigames give you not only something to play, but also something to complete. And that in a small area with a nice overview (thus easier reward and easier completion) - and may cater to the 100% people.
I still believe they are unnecessary. But I also believe that the break-factor can play a fairly large part in why it seems to work well. Especially in longer titles.
They rarely if ever bring meat to the story, although they can be in the same vibe of the main game. I think it's become just a habit to include it somehow. It's something to show off, but it's also a "fun distraction" in a way that is different from the main game.
It certainly is nice to include during advertising - different kinds of funs, sidequests, minigames, story, battles. Neat. (+ even with 20-30 hours plus, people always want more. and apprantly some breed of people measure game enjoyment/money worth spent with how many hours they sank into it)
Let's face it, going through dungeons all the time can be pretty exhausting if you do nothing else - that is why we take breaks from gaming and then return.
Adding minigames to the game allows for a break while still playing the very same game you want to take a break from
It won't enhance the main story in any way, but it gives us breaktime even if we keep playing.
I certainly wouldn't start up minigames in my freetime when I could be playing a full game instead. Not minigames in the sense of breeding or fishing or digging games or whatever.
But I certainly would do so in a game when it's readily accessible and when I want to take a break from the usual session. I quite enjoyed fishing in Okami or Twilight Princess, for example.
And then there's the simple collectors factor - minigames give you not only something to play, but also something to complete. And that in a small area with a nice overview (thus easier reward and easier completion) - and may cater to the 100% people.
I still believe they are unnecessary. But I also believe that the break-factor can play a fairly large part in why it seems to work well. Especially in longer titles.
I, personally, actually am a fan of well-executed minigames in RPGs. I wouldn't describe them as a "distraction" but more as an expansion and diversification of the gameplay. Depending on what kind of minigame is chosen, they can give the player the opportunity to practise a different talent or skill (for example, a reaction/reflex-based minigame in an RPG with turn-based combat can make for a very nice short change of pace).
What I definitely agree with is that (except when they are the main focus of a game), good minigames cannot substitute solid overall gameplay. If the enjoyment factor of an RPG comes solely from its minigames hidden in a swamp of dull dungeons or whatever, that's a bad sign. Also, I would argue that the best minigames are those that fit in really well with both the narrative and the design of the "non-minigame" gameplay in general. In a way, I think things like puzzles in dungeons could be categorized as minigames as well, so perhaps our positions are not that different?
Either way, minigames that are badly integrated into the overall feel of the game or just shoehorned in as filler are definitely a no-go, but in the right situations, they can add a lot to the fun factor of a game. I would include them whenever I feel like a situation or challenge in my game cannot be properly expressed using the tools the "normal" gameplay provides
What I definitely agree with is that (except when they are the main focus of a game), good minigames cannot substitute solid overall gameplay. If the enjoyment factor of an RPG comes solely from its minigames hidden in a swamp of dull dungeons or whatever, that's a bad sign. Also, I would argue that the best minigames are those that fit in really well with both the narrative and the design of the "non-minigame" gameplay in general. In a way, I think things like puzzles in dungeons could be categorized as minigames as well, so perhaps our positions are not that different?
Either way, minigames that are badly integrated into the overall feel of the game or just shoehorned in as filler are definitely a no-go, but in the right situations, they can add a lot to the fun factor of a game. I would include them whenever I feel like a situation or challenge in my game cannot be properly expressed using the tools the "normal" gameplay provides
Fun. Fun fun fun. Also, ways to get money/prizes. ANd if you have a 20 hour game, a little diversion in-game is good too.
I really like minigames as long as they're fun and optional. And that's what they usually are - optional. You don't have to include them in a game but it's nice if there is something there that you can do when you don't feel like going on the epic quest or need to rack up some cash for items (instead of fucking grinding all the time ugh) or just have a few minutes to spend and want to do something in the game.
The Gold Saucer was great because it was not only plot-relevant but also a lot of fun. And games should be fun in some way or why fucking bother?
Really, though, they are not necessary but they are good to have. Just like pimpin' graphics and awesome music ain't necessary but still good to have. I mean, optional shit is always a good thing to have, else you'd be cutting out any extraneous quests that aren't the story and end up with FFXIII and long-ass corridors for dungeons.
Bleh, bor~ing~
Also, I like chocobo breeding. That shit was fun. (It's still fun in minecraft~ XD )
But hey, if you don't want to include minigames you don't have to. Just as you don't have to play them unless they're part of plot points.
I really like minigames as long as they're fun and optional. And that's what they usually are - optional. You don't have to include them in a game but it's nice if there is something there that you can do when you don't feel like going on the epic quest or need to rack up some cash for items (instead of fucking grinding all the time ugh) or just have a few minutes to spend and want to do something in the game.
The Gold Saucer was great because it was not only plot-relevant but also a lot of fun. And games should be fun in some way or why fucking bother?
Really, though, they are not necessary but they are good to have. Just like pimpin' graphics and awesome music ain't necessary but still good to have. I mean, optional shit is always a good thing to have, else you'd be cutting out any extraneous quests that aren't the story and end up with FFXIII and long-ass corridors for dungeons.
Bleh, bor~ing~
Also, I like chocobo breeding. That shit was fun. (It's still fun in minecraft~ XD )
But hey, if you don't want to include minigames you don't have to. Just as you don't have to play them unless they're part of plot points.
One thing that players actually do desire out of games is variety. Sure, the core game can be fun on its own, but having the main game being a single style of gameplay throughout, no matter how well-crafted it is, DOES run the risk of the game feeling monotonous and boring the player out of their minds. Mini-games are one way to alleviate that. As Libby said, it just adds to the fun factor!
That being said, I can name plenty of examples that handle mini-games completely wrong. They should serve as a healthy, optional distraction from the main game, not something that steals focus away from it. Playing Spyro 2, I can't tell you how many times I've been groaning because some mini-game was taking up an entire level.
That being said, I can name plenty of examples that handle mini-games completely wrong. They should serve as a healthy, optional distraction from the main game, not something that steals focus away from it. Playing Spyro 2, I can't tell you how many times I've been groaning because some mini-game was taking up an entire level.
Which Spyro had the skateboard minigame? Because that shit was the bomb. Forget finishing the game, my brothers, mother and I would spend hours just trying to out-number each other on it. Lots of fun~
LockeZ
I'd really like to get rid of LockeZ. His play style is way too unpredictable. He's always like this too. If he ran a country, he'd just kill and imprison people at random until crime stopped.
5958
There is value in not just doing the same exact thing over and over for forty hours. This is why a lot of people hate the lack of towns in FF13 - when they were playing previous RPGs they enjoyed the chance for a breather, where they could do something different and non-threatening and explorative for a while before going back to casting blizzara on magitek robots. It has nothing to do with not liking the combat - it's all about pacing.
Pacing in a game - or any other story - has rising and falling action, high intense points followed by dips in energy that serve to highlight the importance of the high points. Traditionally an ideal curve is thought to look something like this:
But games are much longer than books, and even in short stories it's obvious that there are a lot more peaks and valleys than this. Your game will have a lot of smaller ups and smaller downs on the way to and from each of those big peaks. Each scene should have peaks and valleys in its level of energy. Each sentence should, if you're a good writer.
Also, it's important to realize that in a game, this pacing curve applies not only to the story but also to the gameplay. To every aspect of it. To the overall challenge level of your game's series of dungeons, to the set of obstacles in each individual dungeon, to the timing and effort required to get equipment and skill upgrades, to the flow of each individual battle, and arguably even to the decision-making process when choosing which skill to use.
All of this means you won't have five peaks in action like the chart, but you also won't have dozens or hundreds. You will have millions. And every one of them is important. But the big ones are really, really important. And fully abandoning your primary mode of gameplay in favor of paying 10 rupees to dodge chickens so you can win a heart container is about as big a dip in action as you can get. (OK, no it's not - at least it has an effect on the gameplay. If there were no cost and the reward were to give Link a mustache, it would be bigger.)
This isn't strictly about minigames, mind you. It's just about doing something different. Ideally you don't really want it to be too different - you want it to build on the existing game, not only in terms of story and setting, but also in terms of gameplay. Exploring towns and gathering new equipment and upgrades for your party in them is the most popular example. Or maybe you have a multi-party dungeon, or a short segment of battles with only half the party present, or some environmental puzzles, or some required exploration, or optional missions, or a new major aspect of the gameplay gets added to the game, or there's a timed escape scene, or there's a heavily scripted event sequence that takes about half an hour and includes a large number of story battles.
Minigames are rarely the optimal way to add pacing - but they have value because they're a way that you can't really get too wrong. No matter how bad your minigame is, the player knows that it's a minigame, and that it will be over soon. Whereas if you have an equally bad segment of gameplay that is meant to add variety to the game but doesn't feel like a minigame, the player might be unsure whether this is a recurring or even permanent addition to the gameplay, and become much more anxious about continuing to play. They also create a very large amount of contrast, which can be useful if each dungeon in your game already feels pretty different from the last one, to the point where even the differences are starting to feel formulaic. I feel like ultimately they are a crutch for people who don't know how to do pacing correctly. They're not as good as doing it right but they're better than none at all.
On the other hand, obviously people didn't sign up to play a chicken-dodging game. They are here because they enjoy what your game is good at. Different people have different attention spans and enjoy different levels of differentness, but don't stray too far from what makes your game good if you can help it, hmm?
Pacing in a game - or any other story - has rising and falling action, high intense points followed by dips in energy that serve to highlight the importance of the high points. Traditionally an ideal curve is thought to look something like this:
But games are much longer than books, and even in short stories it's obvious that there are a lot more peaks and valleys than this. Your game will have a lot of smaller ups and smaller downs on the way to and from each of those big peaks. Each scene should have peaks and valleys in its level of energy. Each sentence should, if you're a good writer.
Also, it's important to realize that in a game, this pacing curve applies not only to the story but also to the gameplay. To every aspect of it. To the overall challenge level of your game's series of dungeons, to the set of obstacles in each individual dungeon, to the timing and effort required to get equipment and skill upgrades, to the flow of each individual battle, and arguably even to the decision-making process when choosing which skill to use.
All of this means you won't have five peaks in action like the chart, but you also won't have dozens or hundreds. You will have millions. And every one of them is important. But the big ones are really, really important. And fully abandoning your primary mode of gameplay in favor of paying 10 rupees to dodge chickens so you can win a heart container is about as big a dip in action as you can get. (OK, no it's not - at least it has an effect on the gameplay. If there were no cost and the reward were to give Link a mustache, it would be bigger.)
This isn't strictly about minigames, mind you. It's just about doing something different. Ideally you don't really want it to be too different - you want it to build on the existing game, not only in terms of story and setting, but also in terms of gameplay. Exploring towns and gathering new equipment and upgrades for your party in them is the most popular example. Or maybe you have a multi-party dungeon, or a short segment of battles with only half the party present, or some environmental puzzles, or some required exploration, or optional missions, or a new major aspect of the gameplay gets added to the game, or there's a timed escape scene, or there's a heavily scripted event sequence that takes about half an hour and includes a large number of story battles.
Minigames are rarely the optimal way to add pacing - but they have value because they're a way that you can't really get too wrong. No matter how bad your minigame is, the player knows that it's a minigame, and that it will be over soon. Whereas if you have an equally bad segment of gameplay that is meant to add variety to the game but doesn't feel like a minigame, the player might be unsure whether this is a recurring or even permanent addition to the gameplay, and become much more anxious about continuing to play. They also create a very large amount of contrast, which can be useful if each dungeon in your game already feels pretty different from the last one, to the point where even the differences are starting to feel formulaic. I feel like ultimately they are a crutch for people who don't know how to do pacing correctly. They're not as good as doing it right but they're better than none at all.
On the other hand, obviously people didn't sign up to play a chicken-dodging game. They are here because they enjoy what your game is good at. Different people have different attention spans and enjoy different levels of differentness, but don't stray too far from what makes your game good if you can help it, hmm?
They're fun. That's it. Even moreso if they offer the player tangible rewards to incentivize participation.
Also, the logic of "Why do you need a distraction if the game itself is fun" is too simple! Not the best example maybe, but I remember how much time I spent in the Gear Arena in Xenogears when it opens up in Disk 1. Did I do so because I didn't like the game? No! I love Xenogears. But a game like Xenogears is so heavy, and it's at least 30-40 hours, and I needed a break from the main narrative, but I still wanted to enjoy the game.
I don't like this logic either though. What do we really need? If you don't want to spend several lifetimes answering this meta question, I'll help you out; once you get the things you need, why not spend time on extra things you enjoy? Like Hakox!
EDIT: Locke kinda nailed it!
Also, the logic of "Why do you need a distraction if the game itself is fun" is too simple! Not the best example maybe, but I remember how much time I spent in the Gear Arena in Xenogears when it opens up in Disk 1. Did I do so because I didn't like the game? No! I love Xenogears. But a game like Xenogears is so heavy, and it's at least 30-40 hours, and I needed a break from the main narrative, but I still wanted to enjoy the game.
author=Craze
"But Craze, Hakox was really really good!" Okay, yeah, but did Xenosaga 3 need it? No, it didn't.
I don't like this logic either though. What do we really need? If you don't want to spend several lifetimes answering this meta question, I'll help you out; once you get the things you need, why not spend time on extra things you enjoy? Like Hakox!
EDIT: Locke kinda nailed it!
author=Cap_H
The question is, Are they minigames anymore if they are part of the main story, not optional?
Is that really a question though? I mean, it seems sort of a semantics issue. A minigame is generally understood as 'a game within the main game' that isn't generally a part of the overall design.
LockeZ
I'd really like to get rid of LockeZ. His play style is way too unpredictable. He's always like this too. If he ran a country, he'd just kill and imprison people at random until crime stopped.
5958
The fact that you're required to play the bike race game once in Chrono Trigger and play the snowboarding event once in FF7 does not prevent those things from being minigames. Also, a dungeon being optional doesn't make it a minigame; being optional isn't a defining factor. They're largely self-contained smaller games that do not build on or interact with the rest of the game to the extent that you'd normally expect a facet of gameplay to, and they aren't even the same genre as the rest of the game.
There is a strong tendency for minigames to be optional, however, because designers realize what I said in my final paragraph before: different people have different attention spans and enjoy different levels of differentness. Not everyone want to play your crummy archery contest.
There is a strong tendency for minigames to be optional, however, because designers realize what I said in my final paragraph before: different people have different attention spans and enjoy different levels of differentness. Not everyone want to play your crummy archery contest.
A great way to create relaxed downtime between more extreme, challenging parts of your game. Minigames are a good break from battles and dungeons and intense plot points, which are fun but also stressful. The fishing minigames in Zelda were always good when you wanted a small break between dungeons. Hell, even really challenging minigames can create a nice pause, because they're usually optional and so the player doesn't stress as much.
Minigames can also be great for worldbuilding. They can give you a chance to show off interesting minor characters who may not be in the main storyline much. They can create a sense of a more realistic world, or just help reinforce the themes and feelings of the main game. The Golden Saucer, a mid-air carnival for rich people, suspended above a dying slum (and run by Shinra) is a great example.
That said, there's a time and a place for mini-games. You wouldn't pause the survival horror of Silent Hill to play Bejeweled while zombies are chasing you. It kinda bugs me that the end of FFVII has the world supposedly hanging in peril while you grind points in the Golden Saucer. I do tend to encourage people making small games to skip adding minigames, because they tend to involve totally unique systems, assets, and code, and end up being a lot of work for a small team, with not so much benefit. But, again, it all ends up with the question - what does this minigame add to the game? If it really adds a lot, then go for it!
Minigames can also be great for worldbuilding. They can give you a chance to show off interesting minor characters who may not be in the main storyline much. They can create a sense of a more realistic world, or just help reinforce the themes and feelings of the main game. The Golden Saucer, a mid-air carnival for rich people, suspended above a dying slum (and run by Shinra) is a great example.
That said, there's a time and a place for mini-games. You wouldn't pause the survival horror of Silent Hill to play Bejeweled while zombies are chasing you. It kinda bugs me that the end of FFVII has the world supposedly hanging in peril while you grind points in the Golden Saucer. I do tend to encourage people making small games to skip adding minigames, because they tend to involve totally unique systems, assets, and code, and end up being a lot of work for a small team, with not so much benefit. But, again, it all ends up with the question - what does this minigame add to the game? If it really adds a lot, then go for it!
author=LockeZ
Not everyone want to play your crummy archery contest...
...but almost everyone wants to play Suikoden II's Chef battle!
(Bonus points for adding more characterisation to characters, adding more world lore, involving characters that are mentioned/found in another game of the series and let you cook delicious food to be judged by your party members.) ;p
author=slashHoly shit, sign me up that would be fucking awesome! Ever played Huniepop? It's an ecchi dating game where you win girls' affections by giving them gifts, picking the right answers and filling a bar while playing !Bejewelled. In other words, fucking fun as balls. Add that as a way to battle zombies and I'd be sold because that would be hilariously fun and zany.
You wouldn't pause the survival horror of Silent Hill to play Bejeweled while zombies are chasing you.
Minigames can also be great for worldbuilding. They can give you a chance to show off interesting minor characters who may not be in the main storyline much. They can create a sense of a more realistic world, or just help reinforce the themes and feelings of the main game. The Golden Saucer, a mid-air carnival for rich people, suspended above a dying slum (and run by Shinra) is a great example.
Honestly, this is my preferred type of mini-game. Games that offer something to the story, or the characters, and don't force themselves on the player in a negative way. Like Slash said, The Golden Saucer is a great example of this sort of stuff. It neatly collects all the extraneous optional stuff in one place, and does it in a way that benefits the story and world.
As for well done mini-games, Tetra Master comes to mind- that game was incredibly fun, and if it was an actual TCG in real life I'd probably be super into it. The bike chase in FF7 offers a type of excitement and a "cinematic" quality that couldn't have been achieved with regular dungeons and battles, and for that reason its a good way to end the Midgar segment of the game. The mini-games in Zelda (generally) rely on the player's mastery of the game's items and mechanics, and offer good rewards that are helpful in the actual game. They keep the "overcome a challenge, get a treasure" gameplay loop of Zelda rolling, so they don't feel that out of place.
At the same time, mini-games that are forced onto the player can end up ruining a good game, the prime example of this being DK64. I'd say that more than half of the Golden Bananas in that game are hidden behind mini-game barrels, and at that point it makes me ask why they even bothered making the game a platformer. It's extremely grating, because nobody went into DK64 wanting to test how good they were at fucking slot machines, they wanted to play challenges related to platforming.
IMO, a good rule is to just avoid bog standard mini-games. Don't just throw slot machines or tile puzzles at the player, actually build something into the fabric of the story and world that you're creating. Mini-games can be more than just crappy distractions if you actually care to work them the right way.
Benjo
0
author=Trihan
FF8 just wouldn't be the same without Triple Triad. Just sayin'.
I was thinking about this yesterday evening, strangely enough! In fact, Triple Triad pretty much answers Craze's initial question: mini-games provide a temporary distraction from the monotony of an extended experience. Never too long that they become monotonous themselves, but just long enough to give you a break from the core game. Novelty within a repetitious system.
Does anyone remember the Space Invader intro to Ridge Racer? It had nothing to do with racing ("the core game"), just a lil' something to keep you entertained as the game was loading.
author=Trihan
FF8 just wouldn't be the same without Triple Triad. Just sayin'.
Final Fantasy VIII literally wouldn't be the same without Triple Triad; it's so tied into gaining power and the gameplay mechanics that it totally destroys the game. Getting good at Triple Triad can put you in a position to defeat every boss in the game before you even beat the first disk.
To be fair, Feldschlacht, the junctioning system accomplishes the same thing by itself even without factoring in Triple Triad.
author=Trihan
To be fair, Feldschlacht, the junctioning system accomplishes the same thing by itself even without factoring in Triple Triad.
That's what I mean. I meant more that Triple Triad is the fastest and most efficient way to get to gamebreaking levels of power more than anything else in the game.
Running through the Deep Sea Research Center comes close, but a distant, distant second.
turkeyDawg
195
I can't think about mandatory mini-games without remembering my sister tearing her hair out trying to beat them in Sam & Max Save the World. They were a bit on the tough side, and TellTale's incompetent programming wasn't helping matters, so I ended up having to beat all of them for her.
So... that's something to think about. It might not be the greatest idea to throw a mandatory action sequence into a typical non-action JRPG or Adventure game. Just making sure it's easy enough for anyone to pass doesn't really solve it, either, as regular and more hardcore gamers could just end up feeling feel bored or slightly annoyed. (The latter is pretty common if the mini-game is based on an established genre that the player happens to be a fan of. They'll notice the shortcomings real quick-like)
Most of the random mini-games I can think of don't seem like they actually had much of any time put into them. I wouldn't be surprised if at least a third of these things are just a result of them experimenting with the dev kit or just getting really bored one afternoon waiting for some other department to finish something so they can get back to their normal work.
So... that's something to think about. It might not be the greatest idea to throw a mandatory action sequence into a typical non-action JRPG or Adventure game. Just making sure it's easy enough for anyone to pass doesn't really solve it, either, as regular and more hardcore gamers could just end up feeling feel bored or slightly annoyed. (The latter is pretty common if the mini-game is based on an established genre that the player happens to be a fan of. They'll notice the shortcomings real quick-like)
author=MeestaPizzaYeah, in a way, but sometimes I feel like I would've rather had a pre-rendered cutscene for that. It's been at least 6 years since I last played that game, so I honestly can't remember whether or not I liked that mini-game at all. I know I definitely would've preferred cutscenes for all those mock-fighting game sequences in Final Fantasy 8, but this goes back to the biggest issue in trying to discuss this topic, which is trying to separate feelings towards mini-games vs feelings towards SHITTY mini-games.
The bike chase in FF7 offers a type of excitement and a "cinematic" quality that couldn't have been achieved with regular dungeons and battles, and for that reason its a good way to end the Midgar segment of the game.
author=Craze
I think that they take away from the game itself, both as a player and as a dev spending time on them.
Most of the random mini-games I can think of don't seem like they actually had much of any time put into them. I wouldn't be surprised if at least a third of these things are just a result of them experimenting with the dev kit or just getting really bored one afternoon waiting for some other department to finish something so they can get back to their normal work.
