most minigame compilations (think mario party, feel the magic, incredible crisis) often just include pretty simple concepts sustained by the wackiness of the moment. the play is something safe and short to not throw the player off. they're clearly a set of minigames to build a larger game, it can evoke a desire for steadier, fuller environments for play. one of my favorite minigame compilations, wtf: work time fun, even plays off of the inherent misery of minigames. those segmented minigames often fall apart without some other games for structure, greater goal for foundation, and a consistent attitude. i find it consistently miserable to chase an individual microgame's high score in warioware or to play a mario party minigame on repeat (though, some of the mario party games that are physical feats stand alright on their own)
UFO 50 is not a minigame collection. it has fully-formed, individual games unafraid to take risks. imo, that's how it differentiates itself; the difference between short games and minigames is how well they sustain themselves as an isolated experience. one with no goal but the one provided by the current mode of play. playing two games in UFO 50 often brings about about drastically different feelings. i could spend a whole session satisfied with just playing one game in this collection.
while this is not the first collection of new full games, this is the first on this scale. this large number of games isn't even reached by some archival compilations. how many of those compilations have also captured the history of a fictional organization? it tells the story of what was never there, conveying voluminous feelings about what was there.
here i am in my present, voluntarily attempting to overcome its unnecessary obstacles. Isn't This Such a Utopia?!