History Main / MinigameZone

An area in a videogame, particularly a {{platformer}} or RolePlayingGame, that is host to a number of minigames where the player can win items or cash, sometimes by [[BettingMiniGame betting money]] in a casino-like area. Most of it will probably be optional, but winning at some of the minigames may be part of the main quest, or give access to rare or important items. Often comes in the guise of a casino or theme park.

->''"Welcome to the Pianta parlor. Saving the princess is important but it can wait!"''
-->-- Lahla, ''PaperMario: The Thousand Year Door''

* The ''Zelda'' series.

* In ''{{Timesplitters}}: Future Perfect'', Mr. Khallos has a slot machine aboard his freight train (it occurs just before you try to stop the missile). Whether or not you can actually win anything from it is anyone's guess... Anna, the scientist at MissionControl, [[WhatTheHellPlayer chides you]] upon playing it.

* ''KingdomOfLoathing'' The Casino on the Wrong Side of the Tracks. The Rogue Program familiar introduced in June 2010 added the Game Grid Arcade, which includes such mini-games as [[StarControl Space Trip]] and [[KingOfFighters The Fighters]] [[ArtOfFighting of Fighting]].

[[AC:Party Games]]
* The MarioParty franchise.

* ''Yakuza'' has at least two casinos, plus pachinko and a dice parlor.

** The game corners in {{FireRed}}/{{LeafGreen}}}} and {{HeartGold}}/{{SoulSilver}} can spare you the effort of finding some Pokemon.

** The game corners in Heart Gold/Soul Silver can spare you the effort of finding some Pokemon.

* ''{{Pokemon}}'' The Game Corners from the various games.

* In ''{{Timesplitters}}: Future Perfect'', Mr. Khallos has a slot machine aboard his freight train (it occurs just before you try to stop the missile). Whether or not you can actually win anything from it is anyone's guess... Anna, the scientist at MissionControl, [[WhatTheHellPlayer chides you]] upon trying to play it.

* In ''{{Timesplitters}}: Future Perfect'', Mr. Khallos has a slot machine aboard his freight train (it occurs just before you try to stop the missile). Whether or not you can actually win anything from it is anyone's guess...Anna, the scientist at MissionControl, [[WhatTheHellPlayer chides you]] upon trying to play it.

** ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword Skyward Sword]]'' has several minigame locations, but most are located in the sky somewhere. The place that most fits the trope, however, is Dodoh's mancannon game of chance.

* ''UrbanBrawl'' has a mini-example in form of the casino floor of the Phylex Tower. You can take a break from rampaging through the evil corporation HQ and the search for your daughter to play some video blackjack or fruit machines.

* ''{{Kingdom Of Loathing}}'' The Casino on the Wrong Side of the Tracks. The Rogue Program familiar introduced in June 2010 added the Game Grid Arcade, which includes such mini-games as [[StarControl Space Trip]] and [[KingOfFighters The Fighters]] [[ArtOfFighting of Fighting]].

* The ''SonicTheHedgehog'' series. [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2 Casino Night Zone]] [[VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles and]] [[VideoGame/SonicAdventure rela]][[VideoGame/SonicHeroes ted]] [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog4 stages]], which appear in nearly every game in the franchise. Even the infamous DarkerAndEdgier ''{{Shadow the Hedgehog}}'' had at least one, if not two.

* The ''KingdomHearts'' Series
** The first game has 100 Acre Woods as the center of most Minigames. The main games also have the Olympus Colosseum, which is filled with battle mini games.

** ''{{Mass Effect}}'' There's a small casino in the Citadel.

** Eternal Punishment has a casino with an optional dungeon attached.

* ''GrandTheftAutoSanAndreas'' Las Venturas , which makes sense since it's modeled after [[VivaLasVegas Las Vegas.]] Not only are there casinos with several different minigames from slots to poker, there are also places to bet on horse races and slot machines in smaller bars.
* ''RedDeadRedemption'' has several of these, and each saloon or bar contains at least one way to gamble away all your hard-earned cash.

* ''[[VideoGame/LegendOfLegaia Legaia II: Duel Saga]]'' Phorchoon Casino.
* ''{{Lufia}} 2'' Forfeit Island.
* ''[[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiSuperstarSaga Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga]]'' Little Fungitown has an arcade where the player can play minigames to earn yellow beans.

* ''FalloutNewVegas'' has, of course, the various casinos of New Vegas.

[[AC:PartyGames]]

* The ''DragonQuest'' series. Most every game since DragonQuestIV has had The Casino, where in a remarkable fascimile of reality for a swords-and-spells turn based adventure, poker and slot machines suck up the players time and gold like a black hole.

* The ''LegendOfZelda'' series.
** ''ALinkToThePast'' has several minigame locations, but many of them are found in or near the Village of Outcasts in the Dark World. The best one, however, is in the Lost Woods in the Light World, where you bet 100 rupees and max prize is 300 rupees. (You can quickly gain maximum rupees by locating the chest with 300 rupees; every time you enter, it will have moved one chest to the right.)
** ''Ocarina of Time'' Hyrule Castle Town as young Link [[spoiler:- located in Kakariko Village as adult Link as a result of Ganondorf's unholy wrath]].
** ''MajorasMask'' Similarly, several games in the east section of Clock Town
** ''SkywardSword'' has several minigame locations, but most are located in the sky somewhere. The place that most fits the trope, however, is Dodoh's mancannon game of chance.

** ''DragonQuestV'' also has the T'n'T boards, which are basically board games, where a single character rolls a dice and moves around, fighting monsters and earning prizes.
** ''DragonQuestVI'' has [[MascotMook slime]] battles, which, obviously, can only be entered by slimes, as well as the Best-Dressed Contest.

* ''GoldenSun'': Tolbi, Contigo, and even Lemuria have gambling locations.

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* ''ChronoTrigger'' The Millennial Fair.

* ''LegendOfLegaia II: Duel Saga'' Phorchoon Casino.

* The ''SonicTheHedgehog'' series. [[SonicTheHedgehog2 Casino Night Zone]] [[VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles and]] [[SonicAdventure rela]][[VideoGame/SonicHeroes ted]] [[SonicTheHedgehog4 stages]], which appear in nearly every game in the franchise. Even the infamous DarkerAndEdgier ''{{Shadow the Hedgehog}}'' had at least one, if not two.

** ''SkywardSword'' has several minigame locations, but most are located in the sky somewhere. The place that most fits the trope, however, is Popoh's mancannon game of chance.

Not to be confused with [[FlyingSaucer Flying Saucers]]. See also SoleEntertainmentOption.

* ''StarOceanTheSecondStory'' Fun City.

[[caption-width-right:320:Abandon all [[SidetrackedByTheGoldenSaucer priorities]], ye who enter here.]]

* The ''SonicTheHedgehog'' series. [[SonicTheHedgehog2 Casino Night Zone]] [[VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles and]] [[SonicAdventure rela]][[VideoGame/SonicHeroes ted]] [[SonicTheHedgehog4 stages]], which appear in nearly every game in the franchise.
** Even the infamous DarkerAndEdgier ''{{Shadow the Hedgehog}}'' had at least one, if not two.

** Of course, you need a lot of money to begin with to do it like this, because the money you win from the machine drops at your feet, not into your inventory.
*** You autocollect the money if you run out of it. If you press and hold Enter, the game handles several games a second. If you left the game running for an hour, you couldn't possibly have that much money on you. Granted, if you leave for an hour, you will not be able to pick up all that cash - but you can always buy a few items in the casino shop, and have plenty of money to spare.

** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII'' Nautilus, which is presented as Cocoon's premiere amusement resort. Although the characters are too busy running for their lives to gamble or ride attractions, they do stop for [[ExpositionBreak the floor show]] and engage in a brief minigame for some items.
** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX'' has the auction house in Treno, and the three areas that host the 'Chocobo Hot and Cold' game. The fact that the latter has such [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agaH80PYEpY insanely catchy music]] probably helps.
** The Calm Lands become this in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX2''

* ''{{Persona 2}}'' Eternal Punishment has a casino with an optional dungeon attached.

** Unless you play enough to get the [[LethalJokeItem Lethal Joke Items]]...

** ''StarOceanTillTheEndOfTime'' Gemity City, in story. For the actual players, there's a fairly boring betting minigame and a battle arena, which isn't a minigame at all.

** Did we mention that there are achivements tied to trying out each of the various games? After you've gotten yourself hooked they even offer an achivement for getting banned from all the strips casinos.

[[caption-width-right:320:Abandon all [[SidetrackedByTheGoldenSaucer priorities]], ye who enter [[TropeNamer here]].]]

Named after the amusement park from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII''.

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'', the TropeNamer, has the Gold Saucer, a theme park with a futuristic motif.