Minis for you and me

​When Minis first launched on the PlayStation Network about a year ago, nobody knew whether or not the new, bit-sized additions to the digital market would find a welcome home or be ignored flat-out. It seemed like a match made in heaven to provide smaller, more affordable offerings that could be easily played on the go.

 

Twelve months and a couple hundred Minis later, and the titles seem to really be coming into their own. Below, check out 10 recommendations for some of the best Minis available across multiple genres. With most playable on the PlayStation 3 as well as the PSP, and almost all coming in at under five bucks, there should be something here to keep you entertained when you want to play but don't have the time to sit down for a two-hour gaming session.

 

Echoes

This one's kind of tricky to describe, but it's a lot of fun to play. Maps are based on everyday shapes and objects with your character free to move around in whichever direction they want to pick up glowing orbs. The trick is, once you pick up an orb, an "echo" of how you got there appears on the screen and walks your path back and forth. Collect all the orbs while dodging all your previous echoes. Simple at first, but it gets tricky rather quickly. Puzzle fans will love this one.

 

​Fieldrunners

One of the first Minis is still one of the best. Fieldrunners is a standout tower defense game that's as addictive as it is nice to look at. Use towers to blast your enemies with fire, electricity and good old fashioned bullets to stay alive across three game modes and multiple maps.

 

Tetris

The only Mini on this list you can't play on the PS3 (Since EA has a new version hitting PSN soon), Tetris is, well, Tetris. It looks great and plays as well as it ever has.

 

Coconut Dodge

Guide your crab across the bottom of the screen to collect tokens or keep a ball bouncing while avoiding falling coconuts. It sounds simple, but wait until there's a hundred coconuts filling the screen with a perfect trail of tokens leading you through the madness. This is a great "just one more try" title that will keep you coming back for more.

 

Young Thor

A surprisingly fleshed out side-scrolling adventure, guide the young god of thunder through levels filled with bad guys and bosses in need of a good thrashing. Young Thor is a shorter adventure, but for the price of a super mocha latte coffee thingy, it's a solid investment.

 

Monsters (Probably) Stole My Princess

The best games are those that take a simple idea and find away to make it extremely fun. In MPSMP, you jump. And that's pretty much it. The game looks great and it's laugh out loud funny at times. As The Count, your princess has been stolen and you're decently sure a monster is to blame. Each level has you hopping up an increasingly difficult series of platforms in order to catch these monsters before they reach the top of the stage. The catch is that you earn a bigger multiplier for hitting each platform only once and, if you happen to slip up, your points take a huge hit. It's quick, fun and will leave your thumb hurting the next morning.

 

Age of Zombies

There aren't a whole lot of dual stick shooters on the PSP, primarily because the system only has a single analog stick. Age of Zombies makes the formula work surprisingly well, though, and it's even better when played on the PS3. Travel through time and collect various weapons to blast zombies to bits. You know the drill, but now it works well in the palm of your hand.

 

Monopoly

Since you can play this on the PS3 with multiple controllers, you and your family can finally throw that old, grubby, physical board game away and get to competing for the highest bankroll in style. This Minis version of the game features play for solo or groups and it's surprisingly fun, simple and very accessible.

 

​Who's That Flying?! (WTF?!)

From the makers of Monsters (Probably) Stole My Princess, WTF?! is another top-notch time killer for a minimal fee. You play as the Earth's hero, who must defend its various cities from alien invasion. A side-scrolling bullet hell, WTF?! adds some unique mechanics to the genre, a lot of humor and levels short enough to be played in just a few minutes. This is another solid package any fan of high score runs and hectic gameplay should fall in love with.

 

Blast Off

A neat little game of physics, Blast Off has you determining the angle and thrust for a rocket that must be shot into orbit, dodge obstacles and pick up stranded astronauts. Planets have their own gravitational pull and you still have control of the rocket post-launch, making for a fun and tricky maze run that will give your reflexes a real workout.