I love video games. You love video games. We all love video games. But what makes a video game better? It’s when it follows the plot of Inception, except instead of dreams, we’re playing minigames within a game.
And you may not have even noticed this. Because whereas some titles actively publicise their in-game minigames, others are more of a surprise. A nice little Easter Egg for fans of the game to enjoy when they stumble across it.
So we’re going to go through a few of our favourite minigames within games right now. But if we’ve missed some you feel we should check out, don’t be afraid to let us know in the comments or on social media.
Gwent (Witcher 3)
Gwent is probably one of the most popular minigames ever found in a game. It’s a collectable card game that was originally found in The Witcher 3, where the player positions cards on a battlefield and wages war against their opponent. It became so popular that it ended up getting its own standalone game back in 2016.
Wolfenstein 3D (Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus)
This game within a game is not like the above that is actively encouraged that you play as you progress through, it’s more of a hidden Easter Egg, left as a little surprise for gamers to enjoy. It is located in Eva’s Hammer’s bar, where there is an arcade machine. Turning on the machine allows you to play a reworked version of Wolfenstein 3D.
However, as with all Wolfenstein games that show an alternative outlook to how the world would’ve been if the Nazis had won WW2, this minigame follows the same pattern. Instead of leading the resistance against the Nazis, you play as Nazi hero Elite Hans, with lots of changes including replacing enemies with British and American soldiers, amongst other differences.
Crash Bandicoot (Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End)
This was a game within a game that blew people away, as developer Naughty Dog left a little surprise that gave gamers a trip down nostalgia lane as they played Uncharted 4. Yes, they reference their hit classic Crash Bandicoot within the game, as Nathan Drake and Elena sit down to play the game.
You then get to run through a classic level as the two comment on the playthrough. Impressively, they didn’t just emulate the level in the game, they actually recreated it in its own game engine. Which since this was before the release of the remastered Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, probably should’ve been a sign to gamers that they were working on the remaster.
Red Menace (Fallout 4)
Fallout 4 has a whole bunch of minigames throughout the game, but not like New Vegas, which allows you to visit a number of casinos to play games such as Blackjack. Instead, in Fallout 4 the minigames come in the form of little cartridges that you can pop into your pip-boy or a computer terminal.
Each of the games you can find resemble some top classics, with some rebranding so as not to have to pay any rights for putting them in the game. One of the most popular and recognisable is the Red Menace, which is very similar to the original Donkey Kong games, where you make your way up platforms, dodging barrels as you go.
Billiards/Pool (Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas)
San Andreas was another game that had plenty of minigames throughout. There were plenty of gambling ones available in the casinos, but there are other additional games. One of our favourites though is when you go on dates with the girlfriends you pick up around the map, and you take them to a bar, where you can play a game of billiards/pool. And who doesn’t love a good game of pool to wind down after performing a drive-by?
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