A long time ago, there was such a thing as in-game rewards, where you unlocked items for performing various tasks. Now days, it seems like a lot of developers have decided to do away with this (Yes, there are several who still do include little bonuses, but it's either mostly multiplayer focused, like everything else in the industry, or it's a lot less than we used to get) in favor of DLC, where said bonuses are bought instead, or Achievements/trophies, which though they give you some satisfaction, they're more linked to your gamer profile than being an in-game reward.
I'm not here to berate game designers for leaving out bonus items given the time/money/resources constraints they're under, nor am I here to yell at them for wanting a return of investment on games that are costing more and more to make.
What I am here to do is to ask you all this question: what in-game reward is your favorite?
Since I've seen the poll system fail enough times, I'll be including the list (and explainations) below.
1. Clothes - Simple enough. This is purely aesthetic rewards, where your avatar changes costumes/appearances. If it does change gameplay, it won't horribly alter it (Clarification: this is not bonus characters. This is stuff like a costume that changes your appearance just so happens to give you a strength boost or something along those lines. It could be the Marvel UA costume where it is technically another character, but nothing that changes how the character plays).
2. Equipment - The infinity plus 1 sword, the armor of MC Hammer, the gold-plated, diamond shooting gun known as the Compensator. This is anything that raises your stats or affects gameplay first and foremost. This is the BFG in FPS, the ultimate weapon in RPGs, or engine that allows you to race Superman in racing games. You get the idea.
3. Trophies - This is not referring to the PS3 equivalent of achievements, but rather to those strange items in game that do nothing more than sit around looking pretty. This is stuff that sits around at your "base" for you to look at inbetween missions. They can be character models, art pieces, random objects (maybe collected from your foes and displayed like Batman does), however they don't really do anything at all other than give you a sense of pride.
4. Pets - MMORPGs love these, but they appear elsewhere. This is basically a friendly AI that follows you around. It may engage in combat, but more often than not is just there to be your trusty sidekick.
5. Journals - These have been around for a long time, but have really started to reemerge recently . This is stuff that you get to read after picking up, such as the Ansem Reports from KH, the pages from Alan Wake, the appocalyptic logs from just about every FPS these days, the codex/journal in Bioware games, etc. It can either add to the atmosphere, explain the world, or just be interesting to read.
6. Extra Cutscenes - I don't think I have to explain this. Maybe it's a secret post credits scene, or maybe it's stuff that explains the world and characters more. Basically, this is a scene you have to go out of your way in order to see.
7. Challenges - Extra missions for either fun or profit. Often these lead to other in game rewards, but sometimes they're just fun minigames. Includes: harder difficulties, the distracting gambling minigames in RPGs, challenge maps, etc. Not included: Sidequests (these are more part of earning rewards rather than a reward themselves. Sometimes, they're extra cutscenes).
8. Other - Not listed above. Do not include Bonus characters (yes it is a kickass reward, but it would probably get most of the votes, and I'd like to see how these other rewards stack up. If is your favorite, you can still say so in the comments section), but pretty much everything else is free game.
I'm not here to berate game designers for leaving out bonus items given the time/money/resources constraints they're under, nor am I here to yell at them for wanting a return of investment on games that are costing more and more to make.
What I am here to do is to ask you all this question: what in-game reward is your favorite?
Since I've seen the poll system fail enough times, I'll be including the list (and explainations) below.
1. Clothes - Simple enough. This is purely aesthetic rewards, where your avatar changes costumes/appearances. If it does change gameplay, it won't horribly alter it (Clarification: this is not bonus characters. This is stuff like a costume that changes your appearance just so happens to give you a strength boost or something along those lines. It could be the Marvel UA costume where it is technically another character, but nothing that changes how the character plays).
2. Equipment - The infinity plus 1 sword, the armor of MC Hammer, the gold-plated, diamond shooting gun known as the Compensator. This is anything that raises your stats or affects gameplay first and foremost. This is the BFG in FPS, the ultimate weapon in RPGs, or engine that allows you to race Superman in racing games. You get the idea.
3. Trophies - This is not referring to the PS3 equivalent of achievements, but rather to those strange items in game that do nothing more than sit around looking pretty. This is stuff that sits around at your "base" for you to look at inbetween missions. They can be character models, art pieces, random objects (maybe collected from your foes and displayed like Batman does), however they don't really do anything at all other than give you a sense of pride.
4. Pets - MMORPGs love these, but they appear elsewhere. This is basically a friendly AI that follows you around. It may engage in combat, but more often than not is just there to be your trusty sidekick.
5. Journals - These have been around for a long time, but have really started to reemerge recently . This is stuff that you get to read after picking up, such as the Ansem Reports from KH, the pages from Alan Wake, the appocalyptic logs from just about every FPS these days, the codex/journal in Bioware games, etc. It can either add to the atmosphere, explain the world, or just be interesting to read.
6. Extra Cutscenes - I don't think I have to explain this. Maybe it's a secret post credits scene, or maybe it's stuff that explains the world and characters more. Basically, this is a scene you have to go out of your way in order to see.
7. Challenges - Extra missions for either fun or profit. Often these lead to other in game rewards, but sometimes they're just fun minigames. Includes: harder difficulties, the distracting gambling minigames in RPGs, challenge maps, etc. Not included: Sidequests (these are more part of earning rewards rather than a reward themselves. Sometimes, they're extra cutscenes).
8. Other - Not listed above. Do not include Bonus characters (yes it is a kickass reward, but it would probably get most of the votes, and I'd like to see how these other rewards stack up. If is your favorite, you can still say so in the comments section), but pretty much everything else is free game.
