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C Of Mini-Games and Arenas

Rob Hamilton Profile _ Twitter _ E-mail _ Homepage

One thing I've noticed as my style of gaming gravitates more towards the "blast through game, write review, onto the next" way, as opposed to the "savor EVERYTHING available" way is that I rarely take part in a game's diversions (with one notable exception). But yet, I do have plenty of fond memories of wasting much time with various casinos and other such things. My first beloved mini-game was directly tied to an actual quest. In Super Mario Brothers 2, you could collect coins in each level that would be placed into a slot machine accessible between stages in order to win those cherished 1-UPs. I was addicted to the point where I eventually got VERY good at timing button taps to ensure a slew of extra lives would come my way. At times, I'd finish the game with 50-60 lives in reserve just because I was particularly "on" as far as collecting three or five bonus lives with one pull of the arm. Level 3-1 was the greatest stage for exploiting the slot machine. In two trips to the sub-world, it was easy to collect a TON of coins (especially if you used Toad and his superior vegetable-picking ability), resulting in the opportunity to amass an impressive number of lives. Another slot machine I have fond memories of is also in a NES game: Formula One: Built To Win. The reason for this is that it might be the most generous machine of all time. It seems like I always won more than I lost and EASILY had more big jackpots than in any other game. If you play long enough, you are all-but-assured of being able to buy every upgrade as soon as it becomes available. I really liked some of the mini-games from Kirby's Adventure on the NES, as well. Plucking a Kirby doll from a machine, winning quick-draw contests, swallowing eggs (while avoiding bombs) and winning arena battles against mini-bosses all were fun and at times lucrative. Sure, the game was easy enough that 1-UP hoarding wasn't necessary, but I've always been of the mindset that it's better to finish with a gazillion extra lives than to NOT finish with them. Even before my reviewing schedule started to dictate I play through games with a bit more focus and speed, I had started to lost interest in most mini-games, though. I found myself wanting to run out and kill monsters, instead of wasting time spinning a virtual wheel in roulette or something like that. When I came upon the casino in Tales of the Abyss, I walked in and talked to the people to find that I could play poker or some other game...and then walked out. Sure, I could win any of a number of potentially great items, but I felt I'd have more fun going outside town to delve into dungeons and advance the plot. Right now, I can't even remember what town the casino is in, in the event that I'd want to buy a few chips. Which is how I felt about many of the mini-games in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Sure, I could wander to the local bar to play pool, sample one of the handful of arcade games available or play basketball...but other than a bit of amusement, I saw no point to it. Now, things that earned me money such as those bike courier missions were a different story. I obsessively attacked those things until I'd beaten them and was earning cash on a regular basis. Unfortunately, I never tended to be good at actually stopping by stores to collect my take, but it was there waiting for me if I did show up! Some mini-games, to me, can make playing a game feel more like work than a simple enjoyable pastime. They tend to revolve around collecting items in order to unlock something. I'm of the opinion that Yoshi's Island is one of the best 16-bit platformers out there. However, when I decided to 100% every level, it became a tedious chore to play it. You'd have to find five flowers, 10 red coins and finish with 30 stars. The stars were easy (as long as you avoided contact with enemies), but it could be a real pain to get all the flowers and coins. And playing most of the game's levels over and over again just to get 100% to eventually unlock a bonus level just stopped appealing to me after a while. I could say the same for Spiderman: Shattered Dimensions. I loved the game, but if you told me to achieve all 180 or so challenges scattered throughout 12 levels, I would be completely sick of it long before I was finished with that task. However, there is one mini-game that I will always at least try to work through: the arena/coliseum. I may not complete every battle in one of these places, but I ALWAYS try my hand. For a gamer of my tastes, there's nothing better than a place where I can get rewarded for winning a bunch of fights and possibly take out an optional boss, as well. Final Fantasy VII got me hooked into the joys of arena fighting and now, I always am looking for some sort of coliseum whenever I pick up a new RPG. An important note should be that I am just talking about mini-games here and not bonus dungeons or optional bosses (other than those encountered in arenas). You'll get my opinions on those in a couple of days.

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