LIST - Do You Want To Play A Little Game?

Mini-games! Who doesn't love finding a distraction to occupy their time with while playing a game they're already playing to fill their time with? Not me! Here are a few games within games that have managed to take up a fair chunk of my final "game completion" time.

• Triple Triad - Final Fantasy VIII
  

In a game that's promising to be at least 80 hours of your life, you'd think you wouldn't need to include a highly addictive card game. Final Fantasy VIII is one of my favourite games in the series, and Triple Triad plays no small part in that.
The Rules: You are provided with a 3x3 square grid, within each empty space you and your opponent place a card. Each player has five cards each and a coin flip decides who goes first. When looking at the cards, you'll notice each of them have four numbers in the top left corners. These numbers indicate the "strength" of the corresponding sides, ranging from 1 (the lowest) to A (the highest). As an example, if I was going first, I would generally place my first card in a corner with high outward facing sides. This way, my opponent would have to place their card elsewhere, maybe showing a weak side I can exploit with my following card. The basic aim of the game is to "obtain" as many of your opponent's cards as possible before all the board spaces are used up.
That is the basic gist of the game. There are separate, regional rules depending who you're challenging and whereabouts in the world you are. This can affect anything from how many cards are won at the end of a game, whether or not you can see each other's cards during a match and even if you can pick your own hand before starting. ("Random" can be dangerous if you're given one of your rare cards with a bunch of duds because if you lose, your opponent will take the rare one without a second thought)
Losing isn't the end of the world, as any cards you lose can be won back. (Provided the computer wants to play with the card it just won from you) This is actually how you can obtain some of the rarer, more powerful cards in the game. (Adding a side-quest or two to a minigame in an already massive game with enough to do as it is)
Apparently, there's a physical copy of the game that only came out in Japan in 1999. Am I sad I'll never own it? Yes. Yes, I am.

• Fishing - Various (Zelda, Fable, FFXV)
  

Sometimes, when you've been out adventuring to the MAX, you just want to find a nice quiet spot, cast your line and BREAK ALL KNOWN FISHING RECORDS IN THE LAND! I've been fishing once in my life and I can tell you one thing: I truly suck at it. So I am eternally grateful to these games for providing me with a fishing environment in which I can thrive. (And not get soaked)
 The Rules: You attach bait (with the exception of Fable), you cast your line, you wait, you wait, you wa... *vibration* SHITE, REEL THAT SUCKER IN! Depending on the game, this can be as simple as pressing the button at the right time to a drawn out (and surprisingly tense) situation in which you inch your catch towards you. This is probably most prominent in Final Fantasy XV's fishing, where I've caught some genuine monsters after some serious struggles.
While in Fable, fishing is used to grab a few extra items, it can become quite a fun distraction in Zelda: Ocarina of Time and FFXV. (They even went as far to make a separate VR game for the FFXV fishing, though that's still not enough to get me hooked on VR... that pun was not intentional but I'm keeping it in because it's the pun I deserve)

• Gummy Ship - Kingdom Hearts
  

Like it or leave it, the Kingdom Hearts series knows how to provide some quality space shooty goodness. For those of you that haven't played the main games, this may come as a bit of a surprise.
The Rules: Flying between the different worlds in Kingdom Hearts isn't a simple case of "Pick Destination" and hit "Go". You have to put some hard graft into getting from A to B. So it acts like an on-rails shooter, though more along the lines of a 3D R-Types. At the start of the game, you'll be equipped with a simple booster for acceleration and one cannon to defend yourself. As you fight your way from planet to planet, you acquire pieces for your ship and can upgrade it to make it faster and more devastating. (Trust me when I say "devastating" isn't too strong a word) At the end of each journey, you are ranked on how well you did. A combination of how fast you got through the level, how many enemies you destroyed and if you managed to take down any special targets. (This is more of a feature in Kingdom Hearts 2) You can then be rewarded with special ship parts or even blueprints to build powerful ships.
I've mentioned it before, but when you get tired of saving the entire Disney universe by swinging a giant key around your head, it's really a lot of fun and blast some spaceships for a bit. By the end of the game, your ship has the potential to be ridiculous in its firepower capabilities, reducing everything in front of you to some pretty lights and a lot of space dust. It's everything I hoped No Man's Sky's space combat would be. I dreamed too big in that regard...

• Races - Various (GTA, Sleeping Dogs)
  

It may seem a bit of a strange inclusion to the list but I really like taking part in (probably illegal) street races in these games. (Despite having zero interest in cars or driving myself) I just like to jump into the sleekest looking luxury vehicle I can find (You know, the one that screams "Behold my micropenis" to any and all who'll listen), then tear up the streets with as much wild abandon that my limited skills will allow.
The Rules: Despite the setting generally being an "illegal" street race, it's frowned upon to open fire on the other competitors. I mean, there's only one way to test that theory and you can bet your golden spinning rims that I do. Getting a mission failed for blowing away a fellow racer is a little discouraging as it then means I have to rely on my knowledge of the map and my vague understanding of how a "handbrake turn" works. Most races come in the form of a checkpoint, circuit/A to B type track. Over the years, the checkpoints in these various games have become a bit more generous in what constitutes "passing" it, as we should all be familiar with the frustration of missing one by literal millimetres. The struggle is real.
In most cases, the prize will be some sweet cash money. Maybe a fancier Mid-Life Crisis Mobile. It's not really why I enjoy them though. As the crime simulators have become more sophisticated, so to have the driving controls. So now when I win a race it actually feels like I've played the game properly. As opposed to having manipulated the games dodgy physics to somehow hop my off-brand Lamborghini over a convenient wall. (Not that I've ever done that...)

• Slot Machines - Borderlands 2
  

Not really a minigame as such. I just really enjoy spending all my money on these things in Borderlands 2 while my friends get their shit together before the next mission. It's not the prizes or the brief excitement of having to run away when the reward slot produces a live grenade. I just like spending money like it doesn't matter, unlike real life.
The Rules: It's a slot machine, you put money in, you might get a prize out. I shouldn't have had to write this and shame on you for reading it. (That feeling you feel just now? It sustains me)
Yeah. A game of chance. No skill involved. Much like life. (Obviously, I don't actually feel that way, it just sounded pithy)

• Arenas - Ratchet & Clank
  

So, arenas in the Ratchet and Clank series are a long-running staple. You'll be introduced to the planet where the games are held with a mandatory match then more are opened up to you the more you play the game.
The Rules: Basically broken down into individual, themed contests, each battle has a gimmick that keeps the gameplay interesting and challenging. Maybe you can only use one weapon or the weapon randomly changes as you fight. Maybe you have to fight a butt load (technical term) of enemies only to be faced off against a massive boss battle at the end. Maybe the game won't tell you there's going to be 99 rounds in this particular battle and you only stuck the game on for a quick 10 minutes before you had to go out for dinner. You know, challenges. Whatever the case, I've rarely come across a match that I haven't had a lot of fun blowing away a ton of enemies with the insane arsenal you're given in this particular game series.
Arenas in the Ratchet & Clank games are super rewarding and fun. They even made a whole game out of the concept, Ratchet: Gladiator. Though that more or less proved the rule of "having too much of a good thing". (It's still a good game, just lacks most of what makes the other games better)

• Gwent - The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
  

In a game that's promising to be at least... Wait, this is familiar. Oh right, another massive RPG manages to slot in a highly addictive card game. I wasn't too hot on Gwent when I first encountered it, but that was mostly because I was really bad at it. (I'm not a fan of things I'm not good at. Please also see: Dancing, improvising and art) Then they introduce a whole new faction in the DLC and completely throw your game out the window. Seriously, Skellige faction, go suck a dick and die. (But also seriously, still love this card game)
The Rules: At its core, Gwent is an army building game. You build a deck that can crush any army that an opponent can throw at you. You can pick from the Scoia'tael (elves), Northern Realms (humans), Nilfgaard (other humans) or Monsters (eh, literally just monsters) Each of these factions come with their own unique play styles, bonuses and artworks. (I played pretty exclusively as Northern Realms) Simple enough, right? Unfortunately, no. Like I said, it took me a while to get into Gwent and while that was partly to do with having a whole load of nothing to play with to start off with, there are also various rules that can be exploited and general behaviour that can be manipulated to ensure a swift and crushing victory. (Can I remember them off the top of my head? No, it's been at least two years since I played a game of it) But know that they're there, and if I can pick them up and have fun with it, then you can as well.
Then, once your comfortable with everyone's play style, Projekt CD Red release some amazing DLC with some excellent gameplay and story. The price? Oh, just all victory forever against anyone who uses the Skellige faction. No biggie...

Well, I hope you enjoyed that little jaunt through the little games that make the bigger games better games. Haven't done a list in a while as I thought I was going to be able to cover most things with the podcast (Geek Theory Podcast, tell your friends) but apparently there are topics I've to keep to myself. So that's fine... see if I care. *cries for slightly longer than is appropriate for a grown adult to cry about his feeling being hurt* Ahem... Kisses. ;)