As far as I know, you need to do the minigame.
I agree that this game tried to do to much, but I come at it from a different angle.
Even if a given player likes all of the genres/elements in a game like this, there are only so many gameplay elements that a developer can polish to a lustrous shine. The action is the only part of this game I found satisfying. The RTS elements were as clunky and boring as I've come to expect from RTS on a console, the driving mechanics are wanting, and several of the missions are confusing or glitchy.
Spore syndrome. Too many ideas, and never enough resources to spend sharpening those ideas to a razor's edge. What some of these game designers need more than anything is a good editor.
"The worst part about these reviews is they are [subjective]--and their scores often depend on how drunk you got the media at a Street Fighter event." — Mona Hamilton, Capcom Senior VP of Marketing
*Image indefinitely borrowed from BrainBoxLtd without his consent.
