Blitzball and Triple Triad may battle for the crown, but many Final Fantasy titles have featured various ways to kill your time.
• How essential do YOU think these little rest stops are on your quest for victory?
• How much time do you blow when you partake in each game's friendly little distractions?
• Which Final Fantasy title had your favorite minigame?

Popularized by the Wonder Square (Gold Saucer, FFVII), minigames have been an integral part of the series for much of the modern era. The games in FFI and FFII were hidden well within the travel mechanics, but offered up some nifty puzzles that could result in prizes if solved efficiently. FFIV didn't get the royal treatment until the DS version came along, when Whyt and the Fat Chocobo minigames were introduced.

En masse, however, FINAL FANTASY VII was the start of the trend that would stick with the series moving forward. The Gold Saucer was home to everything from chocobo racing (and breeding!) to a basketball free throw simulator, like a built-in carnival of random good times. FFVIII brought us Triple Triad, and FFIX supplied a variant in the form of Tetra Master.

FFX provided us with blitzball, perhaps the most in-depth ...