Best Side-game you've ever played

[Sneaky Paladin]

Hello people of The Escapist.

I was just looking through my old Gamecube library of games and came across Sonic Adventure 2. I remembered all the fond times I had with chao in it and started it up again. I went immediately through the first few levels and then it was onto the Chao Garden. I spent upwards 3 hours just sitting there raising the Chao. After a while I realized how much I was in love with this side game, So much so infact that I hadn't even touched the main game since except to get more things to upgrade my chao's stats. This gave me a brief insight into how addictive and fun a side-game could be.

And now Escapist's I want you to tell me your favorite side/mini-game you have ever played.



P.S. I call it a side game because it is in no way mini. I remember spending months just playing this in my spare time.

 

[Daniel_Rosamilia]

House of the Dead Overkill's minigames.

I spent at least double the time I played on the campaign shooting little bullseye targets at the carnival minigame.
Good times.

 

[Wuffykins]

Astro-Chicken I believe it was called, from a lovely old title (emphasis on old) called Space Quest III. It was an arcade game where the goal was to land a falling chicken onto a platform, but damn it was fun. I remember having a save spot specifically to play that, and it sure did get a lot of play time.

Damn. Gotta dig that up right now.

 

[IronyJones]

Poker in Red Dead.

 

[sketch_zeppelin]

The pretty much any of the side activites in Saints Row 2

 

[Tanis]

FF8 - Card Game


It's fun...AND it's useful!
There's even some side-story.

 

[spartan1077]

Oblivion Elder Scrolls, all I did was join every group and became the master in every group as soon as I got out of the jail. Needless to say I haven't even beaten the game yet. My achievements recently screwed up so I have to go through all them again and I'm still doing DLC. Damn I love that game

 

[jamradar]

This has to be my favorite side game:

 

[AngelicSven]

I would have to agree with the OP, I spent a lot of time making different kinds of Chao in my spare time.

Though, I really enjoyed Dead Space's shooting game and Fable's bare-knuckle boxing too.

 

[The Rascal King]

I remember the days I'd spend on Alien Hominid HD's PDA games and reflect on how Behemoth can make goddamn minigames incredibly difficult on top of a game that should be convicted of rape.

 

[KRbertsproduck5]

2 words, NAZI ZOMBIES

 

[Hazy]

Outrun and Afterburner in the Shenmue arcades.

I'll just assume that they count.

 

[Mr.Petey]

Spheda!! I hasn't played that in years! I loved the ideas of clearing out an enemy dungeon to use it as a mini golf course, whacking in that chunk of alternate colour time particle to it's corresponding portal.

I used to get tied up so much in Blackjack in San Andreas or Red Dead Redemption and even James Bond on the Gameboy. Hmmm...I did like the georama aspect in Dark Cloud 2 and White Knight Chronicles, that was a nice break from dungeon crawling. Plus.

You do know when you've bought a good game when the side games are just as addictive as the main story/campaign mode

Outrun and Afterburner in the Shenmue arcades.

I'll just assume that they count.

I heard from a mate that you can keep playing in the arcade for ages until the world ended or something in the main game. Is it true?

 

[IamSofaKingRaw]

Monster hunting in FFXII

 

[Enigmatic Master]

i would have to say the card game in ff9 then chao garden. both i would spend hours on both and both were fun as hell

 

[Good morning blues]

Astro-Chicken I believe it was called, from a lovely old title (emphasis on old) called Space Quest III. It was an arcade game where the goal was to land a falling chicken onto a platform, but damn it was fun. I remember having a save spot specifically to play that, and it sure did get a lot of play time.

Damn. Gotta dig that up right now.

Welp looks like you and I both had the same childhood

 

[JPH330]

"I, Zombie Endless" in Plants vs. Zombies.

For anybody who doesn't know what it is, it's a game mode for Plants vs. Zombies where you get to play as the zombies instead of the plants. Basically you have to look at what plants are set up where, and figure out which zombies you should send out and in what order to get through each set. It goes on through endless lawns, and the waves are randomly generated.

It's a lot of fun strategizing and whatnot. It reminds me of those Starcraft/Warcraft missions where you have a handful of units with different abilities and you have to utilize them to get through the map.

 

[Lullabye]

Oblivion Elder Scrolls, all I did was join every group and became the master in every group as soon as I got out of the jail. Needless to say I haven't even beaten the game yet. My achievements recently screwed up so I have to go through all them again and I'm still doing DLC. Damn I love that game

Wow, you literally just described my exact gaming experience with that game. I think I tried the Main Campaign once. Then I found Applewatch and that whole weird quest started.
And the DLC. Oh the amazing DLC! It gave me tunnel cough disease. bastards....