10 mind-fuddling minigames that entirely forgot the main genre

These minigames flipped the script, transforming beloved games for better or worse.

Blitzball (Final Fantasy X, 2001)

We remember our thought process flowing from ‘This is odd, but okay,’ to ‘this is essential? Surely some mistake…’ rather swiftly back in the day. Unlike the take it or leave it Chocobo Racing, FFX’s futuristic stadium sport practiced by lead character Tidus is integral to the plot, meaning we have to learn to play, and play well in order to progress. Fortunately It becomes optional later on, but many fans find it hard to forgive the early contests you’re forced into in Luca.

Pipe Hacking (BioShock, 2007)

We adored BioShock. We fully hated hacking. Maybe not the first 50 times, that was okay. But after losing count of the number of occasions this one-trick mechanic showed up as an excuse to add intrigue to the overriding of security bots, cameras, turrets and more, it was almost enough to pull the plug on the whole underwater adventure. There’s no question that BioShock was a great game, but the hacking left our experience bitter-sweet. If you know of anything worse, please let us know in the comments below.

Forklift truck racing (Shenmue, 1999)

Martial arts student Ryo Hazuki is a serious guy on a serious mission to avenge the death of his father. During his pursuit of the felon Lan Di, and the mystery surrounding the secret of the Dragon Mirror, Hazuki lands himself a job at the docks. He karate-kicks some respect into the resident gangsters, using Virtua Fighter techniques. He also shows up to work early each day to participate in the world’s slowest motorsport, competing repeatedly until he has the chops to finish in first. The less said the better, really.

Found any great/terrible minigames lately or think we’ve missed a classic? Join the conversation in the comments below.

Writer

Paul’s first videogame was Space Invaders in 1978, which gives away his age a bit. We put his encyclopedic knowledge of the beforetimes to good use in our Retro coverage. If you want to reach Paul, you can email or tweet him @FutureKick.

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