What About Side Quests?

[shopy01]

i have always thought side quest were a waste of time in all games. but when i played epic mickey that changed my mind. . what they did was change the ending of the game based on whether you helped certain people or not. now usually side quests have no impact on the ending but in epic mickey they do. i like that. now i don't think all side quests are a waste of time. if the have something to do with either what happens in the game or how the game ends then i welcome them but if there just there to find a piece of heart or more rupees then no. i need to explain better what i mean. in epic mickey there are four different versions of peg-leg pete. you don't have to help them if you don't want to. but it's better to help them because at the end when you are inside the blot (the main villain) there are these purple monster that can't be killed. if you help the petes then there are only a couple of them. if you don't they are everywhere and it makes almost impossible to kill the blot. so what i would like in ss is that there are characters that are optional to help but it makes the game end better if you help them.and i'm not talking about main quests like getting illia's memory back like in tp. i'm mean optional quest that make a difference in the game's ending. i'm so sorry this is long. what do you guys think? would you like side quest that make a difference in the game?

 

[Djinn]

I have always appreciated side quests and the additional gameplay they create. Then the game is not so short and gives the player extra options if they wish to beat the game and move on or prolong it by playing these side missions. Creating different ending sequences based on sidequests would add a lot of replay value as well.

One of the larger issues about them though is the reward for completing them. For a lot of people if the sidequest does not give some sort of reward in the form of a useful item or heart piece then they would not bother with them. By the time you are far enough into the game that you wish to play additional sidequests, rupees are of no value since you either have enough already or there is nothing worth buying at that point. So if there is no physical rewards for completing the sidequest then players will not waste the time doing them.

I have mentioned this in another thread about multiple endings, but I believe Chrono Trigger excelled in this. The game gives the player the option to go to the final boss and beat the game fairly early. After a point the final boss is optional while there are several other character specific sidequests available to play. Which are also optional. Their reward is normally the acquisition of a special weapon or unlocking a more powerful spell or technique. Some of which are meant to open other events in later time periods, or alter the future for a better ending. Completing all of them will unlock the better ending while completing certain ones will give different endings, good or bad. The ending changes depending on the player's choice to finish certain areas or not, which gives a lot of replay value for people who would like to see the various different endings.

However story driven sidequests would not appeal to everyone as they might not grant any additional items leaving some people to wonder why they should even bother. It would appeal to completionists and those interested in the storyline as well as gameplay. With games of the fantasy genre the story can be just as important as gameplay. As the storyline can attract players to the series along with graphics and game design. Obviously with the amount of different comic series and shows based on the franchise, people are just as invested in the story behind the game. So having extra content that unlocks more of the story of a game would be great in my mind. Any little bit of information that fuels theorists and timeline makers is valuable too.

 

[shopy01]

i still think most side quest are a waste of time. but you do bring up some good points. although my original point was that if side quest dealt more with the main part of the game they would not be a waste of time. helping the petes in epic mickey did several things they gave you power sparks which are need to proceed through the game and they help you at the end when you are trying to defeat the main villain. it's not a cut screen either. there are less monster there at the end if you help them. that's not story aspect that a gameplay aspect. the benefits are not all story driven. think of it this way you helped someone earlier in the game they come back in the end and give you something that would make defeating the villain easier. not something you have to have but is optional. that would make side quests better and not as much of a waste of time.

 

[green goron]

I don't think side quests are a waste of time I find them to be fun and give more playing if you want to take a rest from the real game. Sometimes it's really neat to see how they make you use your items in a way the main quests never asks you to do and in some instances such as the Tomahawk in TP you only needed to use it in a side quest. The only thing I don't like about them sometimes is what most others don't appreciate. The reward. Sometimes you really don't care about a piece of heart or 50-100 rupees.

I really like your idea of having some side quests that alternate the ending depending on how many side quests you actually finish. It wouldn't be as boring to replay a game over and over again.

 

[Cococrash11]

I like the side quest since its like helping people in the game. Sure its hard and troublesome but in the end the people thank you and got a special items that makes it worth while.