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Mini Games GenreHere are the genres we use. And below is a list of all out Mini Games coverage:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z top
1
1 vs 100 360 XBLA
1 vs 100 Season 2 XBLA
101-in-1 Party Megamix Wii
top
B
Babysitting Mania DS
Babysitting Party Wii
Bakushow DS
Barbie Fashion Show DS
Bejeweled PC
Bejeweled 2 PC
Bejeweled Twist PC
Bejewled PC
Big Beach Sports Wii
Big Family Games Wii
Blast Off PSP
Block Party Wii
Bonsai Barber Wii-Ware
Bookworm PC
Build A Bear Workshop: A Friend Fur All Seasons Wii
Buzz PS3
Buzz Junior Dino Den PS3
Buzz Quiz World PS3
top
C
Carnival Games Wii
Carnival Games: Mini Golf Wii
Cate West: The Vanishing Files DS
Chuzzle PC
Colour Cross DS
Cookie Shop DS
Cooking Mama DS
Cooking Mama 2 Wii
Cooking Mama 3 DS
Cosmic Family Wii
Crazy Machines PC
top
D
DJ Hero PS3
Disney: Think Fast Wii
Doodlehex DS
Dora the Explorer: Dora Saves the Snow Princess DS
Dream Bingo Web
top
E
EA's Playground Wii
Echoes PSP
Eye Pet PS3
top
F
Family Games Night Wii
Family Party Wii
Family Trainer Wii
Feeding Frenzy 2 PC
Fenimore Filmore's Revenge PC
Fifi and the Flowertops DS
Food Frenzy DS
Fun Fair Party Wii
top
G
Guinness World Records Wii
top
H
Hair Salon DS
Half-minute Hero PSP
Hell's Kitchen DS
Hello Pocoyo DS
Hysteria Hospital Emergency Ward Wii
top
I
I Spy Treasure Hunt LeapFrog
Imagine: Baby Club DS
Imagine: Champion Rider DS
Imagine: Dream Wedding DS
Imagine: Fashion Model DS
Imagine: Happy Cooking DS
Imagine: Interior Designer DS
Imagine: Makeup Artist DS
It's My Birthday Wii
top
J
Jewel Quest Solitaire DS
Jewel Quest: Expeditions DS
top
L
Let's Catch Wii-Ware
Let's Play Pet Hospital DS
Lock'n'Roll iPhone
top
M
Maboshi Arcade Wii-Ware
Mah Jong Quest DS
Monkey Mischief Wii
Monopoly Wii
More Game Party Wii
Movie Studios Party Wii
My Baby Boy/Girl DS
My Dress Up DS
My Make Up DS
My Pet Shop DS
MyMeeba Toy
MySims Party Wii
Mystery Case Files: Millionheir DS
Mystery Stories DS
top
N
Nancy Drew the Mystery of the Clue Bender Society DS
Ninja Captains Wii
top
O
Order Up Wii
Outwit LeapFrog
top
P
Pass the Pigs DS
Peggle XBLA
Peppa Pig: The Game Wii
Pictoimage DS
Pirates Hunt Wii
Pizza Frenzy PC
Planet Rescue: Endangered Island DS
Planet Rescue: Wildlife Vet Wii
Pony Luv DS
Primary Attack 360
Professor Layton DS
Professor Layton and Pandora's Box DS
Professor Layton and the Curious Village DS
Professor Layton and the Curious Village DS
Professor Layton and the Curious Villiage DS
Puzzle Quest DS
top
Q
Quickspot DS
top
R
Rabbids Go Home Wii
Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party Wii
Ready Steady Cook Wii
Real Deal Games PC
Rubik's Puzzle World DS
top
S
Sam Power DS
Scene It? Box Office Smash 360
Scene It? Bright Lights! Big Screen! Wii
Scruzzleword iPhone
Shrek's Carnival Craze Wii
Sims 2: Apartment Pets DS
Smarty Pants Wii
Space Camp Wii
Sports Party Wii
Style Boutique DS
Super Fruit Fall Wii
top
T
TV Show King Party Wii
Tetris DS DS
Tetris Party Wii-Ware
top
W
WarioWare Inc.: Mega Party Games Gamecube
WarioWare: Mega Microgames GBA
WarioWare: Smooth Moves Wii
WarioWare: Touched DS
WarioWare: Twisted GBA
Wii-Play Wii
Wonder Pets: Save the Animals DS
top
Y
You're in the Movies 360
top
Z
Zenses DS
Zenses: Ocean DS
Zuma PC
Mini games come in a variety of shapes and sizes. What unites the genre is the speed with which players can pickup the games and the relativley short time requried to complete a level or two.
Party mini games provide short bursts of fun themed around novel leisure activities. In contrast to sports games that try and recreate the whole experience, party games take one element and create a game around that. As their name suggests party games are designed to be played with multiple players and work well in a party situation - either an after dinner event or a novelty in the corner of the room throughout the evening.
Puzzle games pose the player a problem to solve, and then provided a limited set of tools with which to solve it. This can be as simple as arranging 2D blocks on top of each other, or as complex as balancing objects in a 3D environment. The initial interaction is what usually hooks players in for the first few hours, but it is the game's ability to scale both the size and complexity of each puzzle that distinguishes the truly excellent experiences.
Food Frenzy DS is an extremely fast paced kitchen scramble. Over seven or so mini-games you slice and dice your way to deliver a perfect meal for a visiting food critic and at no time does the pace let up. Initially thought maybe I was getting a little old in terms of keeping up with games but it wasn't just me the pace left my kids a little bewildered and reluctant to carry on after seeing what the game was expecting of them.
Space Camp for the Wii tries to squeeze an outsized shoe into a tiny Wii-shaped slipper. The result is brutal mismatch between a point and click adventure and a bunch of mini-games. In game development terms this project was always going to struggle beyond what I imagine was committee led pre-dev meetings. Even for those Space Camp fans in the house this is a title best avoided and the money spent on a proper NASA DVD.
Peggle on the 360's XBLA is an enjoyable if short lived experience in solo format that becomes an addictive, compelling puzzler once you're online and multiplaying against the rest of the world.
More Game Party on the Wii is an oddity in that its a party game not from Nintendo. And to be brutally honest, it shows.
Let's Catch is a Nintendo Wii-Ware gem that wouldn't work on any other console. But more than the intuitive controls and amiable game play it's the hard hitting dialogue that surprises here.
Buzz Junior Dino Den PS3 isn't technically a quiz game. Instead it offers a kid's mini-game collection. Although this development technique lacks in variety and there's little to entertain adults, it's spot on for kids.
Family Games Night makes the DS more social with classic board games we know and love. As well as playing these on the handheld, it's also a great introduction to the real thing.
Bonsai Barber's haircut physics make mincemeat of other makeover games. The bargain Wii-ware game offers an intriguing Veggie Tales inspired world as endearing as any doe eyed Disney wannabe.
Babysitting Mania for DS may provide a chaotic challenge, but won't please anyone who actually likes babies or children.
Cate West: The Vanishing Files is an addictive seek-and-find puzzler with an intriguing, mystical story line. Its simple gameplay on the Nintendo DS makes it easy to pick up when you just fancy a quick puzzle, while the storyline draws you on just to find out what happens next.
More posts:
Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party Wii Review
101-in-1 Party Megamix Wii Review
Echoes PSP Review
1 vs 100 Season 2 XBLA Review
Blast Off PSP Review
Scene It? Bright Lights! Big Screen! Wii Review
Half-minute Hero PSP Review
Maboshi Arcade Wii-Ware Review
Scene It? Bright Lights! Big Screen! Wii Review
Imagine: Makeup Artist DS Review
Buzz Quiz World PS3 Buying Guide
DJ Hero PS3 Buying Guide
Rabbids Go Home Wii Buying Guide
Primary Attack 360 Review
Style Boutique DS Review
Hair Salon DS Buying Guide
Cooking Mama 3 DS Buying Guide
Eye Pet PS3 Review
Fifi and the Flowertops DS Review
Ninja Captains Wii Buying Guide
Peppa Pig: The Game Wii Buying Guide
Ready Steady Cook DS Review
Professor Layton and Pandora's Box DS Buying Guide
Bejeweled 2 PS3 Review
1 vs 100 360 XBLA Review
Professor Layton and the Curious Village DS Review
Professor Layton and Pandora's Box DS Review
Professor Layton and Pandora's Box DS Review
Big Family Games Wii Review
Super Fruit Fall Wii Review
Scruzzleword iPhone Review
Bejeweled 2 iPhone Review
Ready Steady Cook Wii Review
It's My Birthday Wii Review
Hysteria Hospital Emergency Ward Wii Review
Mystery Stories DS Review
Big Family Games Wii Rough Guide
Big Beach Sports Wii Rough Guide
Jewel Quest Solitaire DS Review
More Game Party Wii Review
Pizza Frenzy PC Review
My Pet Shop DS Review
Let's Play Pet Hospital DS Review
Crazy Machines PC Review
Bejewled PC Review
Bejeweled 2 PC Review
Bejeweled Twist PC Review
Block Party Wii Rough Guide
Pirates Hunt Wii Rough Guide
Monkey Mischief Wii Rough Guide
Cooking Mama 2 DS Review
Monopoly PS3 Review
Wonder Pets: Save the Animals DS Rough Guide
Lock'n'Roll iPhone Rough Guide
MySims Party Wii Rough Guide
Zuma PC Review
Order Up Wii Review
Doodlehex DS Review
Fenimore Filmore's Revenge PC Review
Cooking Mama DS Review
Bookworm PC Review
Cookie Shop DS Review
Bejeweled PC Review
Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party Wii Review
Mystery Case Files: Millionheir DS Review
Imagine: Interior Designer DS Review
Imagine: Happy Cooking DS Review
Barbie Fashion Show DS Review
Cooking Mama 2 Wii Review
Hello Pocoyo DS Rough Guide
Chuzzle PC Review
Zenses: Ocean DS Review
Imagine: Dream Wedding DS Review
Professor Layton and the Curious Villiage DS Review
Build A Bear Workshop: A Friend Fur All Seasons Wii Rough Guide
Family Party Wii Rough Guide
Dream Bingo Web Promotional Review
Disney: Think Fast Wii Rough Guide
EA's Playground DS Review
EA's Playground Wii Review
Planet Rescue: Wildlife Vet Wii Rough Guide
Planet Rescue: Wildlife Vet Wii Rough Guide
Smarty Pants Wii Review
Pass the Pigs DS Rough Guide
TV Show King Party Wii Rough Guide
Movie Studios Party Wii Rough Guide
Sports Party Wii Rough Guide
TV Show King Party Wii Rough Guide
Babysitting Party Wii Rough Guide
Fun Fair Party Wii Rough Guide
Bejeweled PC Review
Sims 2: Apartment Pets DS Review
Feeding Frenzy 2 PC Review
Jewel Quest: Expeditions DS Review
Outwit LeapFrog Rough Guide
Colour Cross DS Rough Guide
I Spy Treasure Hunt LeapFrog Rough Guide
Dora the Explorer: Dora Saves the Snow Princess DS Rough Guide
Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party Wii Rough Guide
Scene It? Box Office Smash 360 Rough Guide
Planet Rescue: Endangered Island DS Rough Guide
MyMeeba Toy Rough Guide
You're in the Movies 360 Rough Guide
Family Games Night Wii Rough Guide
Guinness World Records DS Rough Guide
Rubik's Puzzle World DS Rough Guide
Zenses DS Rough Guide
Tetris Party Wii-Ware Review
Sam Power DS Rough Guide
My Dress Up DS Rough Guide
Carnival Games: Mini Golf Wii Review
Professor Layton DS Review
My Make Up DS Rough Guide
Monopoly Wii Rough Guide
Guinness World Records Wii Rough Guide
Imagine: Champion Rider DS Rough Guide
Buzz PS3 Rough Guide
My Baby Boy/Girl DS Rough Guide
Cosmic Family Wii Rough Guide
Nancy Drew the Mystery of the Clue Bender Society DS Review
Pony Luv DS Review
Mah Jong Quest DS Review
Family Trainer Wii Rough Guide
Hell's Kitchen DS Rough Guide
Shrek's Carnival Craze Wii Review
Imagine: Baby Club DS Rough Guide
Pictoimage DS Rough Guide
Professor Layton and the Curious Village DS Rough Guide
Wii-Play Wii Rough Guide
WarioWare: Smooth Moves Wii Rough Guide
WarioWare Inc.: Mega Party Games Gamecube Rough Guide
Imagine: Fashion Model DS Rough Guide
Bakushow DS Rough Guide
WarioWare: Touched DS Rough Guide
WarioWare: Mega Microgames GBA Rough Guide
WarioWare: Twisted GBA Rough Guide
Carnival Games Wii Rough Guide
Puzzle Quest DS Review
Quickspot DS Review
Real Deal Games PC Review
Tetris DS DS Review
Wii-Play Wii Review
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