Side quests are overrated and I don't agree with the writers who list it as a negative in their reviews. Most of the side quests I've played are yawners or generic. As long as the main quest is great that's all I need and actually have time for. Problem is these side quests can give you nice toys so I can't ignore them all. In reality I prefer only a small amount and not too many. I hear FF XIII won't have many side quests and that's a relief (many say that's a negative). I've been playing The Witcher and boy am I tired of these annoying "go to x person, fetch this item, return to x person" routines.
Poll: Sidequests are overrated.
- Thread starter burgbrand22
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I disagree, I find that many side quests can go out of their way to flush out the world that you are roaming. Those side quests freshen the experience
Side quests are great. You can ignore them, if you are doing fine, or you complete them and become more powerful.
Most JRPG's do these better then western RPGs. Most western RPGs use fetch quests and the like as side quests. JRPGs tend to reward you with more back story on the characters, better items, and a chance to level away from the stale grind of running around out in the open.
Most JRPG's do these better then western RPGs. Most western RPGs use fetch quests and the like as side quests. JRPGs tend to reward you with more back story on the characters, better items, and a chance to level away from the stale grind of running around out in the open.
I say sidequest's are a good thing..it helps you as the player get familiar the world you are traversing in and at the same time you're making the character get stronger and receive some very nice in-game items one normally would not get by playing just the main quest
On The Last Remnant there is a quest where you have to go somewhere for someone. The game hits a load screen the minute you accept, then you are at said place, then load screen again, immediately back at quest giver and BAM! Quest complete... Haha. As stated, western rpg's can be a wee bit lacking at times 
See Fable and Far Cry 2. I know FC2 isn't an rpg but side missions of crap a-plenty!
See Fable and Far Cry 2. I know FC2 isn't an rpg but side missions of crap a-plenty!
Sidequests are good if used right. If not, then they are a horrible failure and just another bunch of fetch quests. My favourite sidequests are the Down The Hatch ones in Torchlight, where you can grab powerful gear and do the quest at the same time without any problem.
Also sidequests just pad the story out and I only did of all KOTOR sidequests because I was bored xD
Also sidequests just pad the story out and I only did of all KOTOR sidequests because I was bored xD
I have tried to imagine Baldur's Gate 2 without sidequests.
I do not want to live in such a world.
I do not want to live in such a world.
The sidequests in FO3 were generally pretty tedious. The main quest was just too darn minor part next to them. They side quests didn't branch out of it in any sense, you just meet random NPCs who give you random quests. It was just badly paced because of that.LordCuthberton said:
If a game had great quests that enrich the story, the world, and the characters, sure. As most games I've played though, they usually have some good side quests, and many bad side quests. Problem is that I don't know really what to expect until I embark on one. I guess my main beef with sidequests comes to several things from my experience:
1. In Fallout 3, I hated having to walk through a deserted Wasteland in order to find all those places that have quests for me.
2. I am tired of fetch quests.
3. The logic behind side quests for most games don't make sense. These quests reward you with experience and great items, so if you don't participate, then you are at a disadvantage. The player who chooses not to respond to most of the sidequests should not have to carry that burden.
1. In Fallout 3, I hated having to walk through a deserted Wasteland in order to find all those places that have quests for me.
2. I am tired of fetch quests.
3. The logic behind side quests for most games don't make sense. These quests reward you with experience and great items, so if you don't participate, then you are at a disadvantage. The player who chooses not to respond to most of the sidequests should not have to carry that burden.
Side quests can really breathe life into a game world.
They offer bits of a world that isn't shown in the main quest. The best part is that they're optional. So when/if you get tired of them, you can simply stop doing them.
Fallout 3's Washington D.C. wasteland wouldn't have been the same without Moira and her need to help the Wasteland with a Survival Guide.
Fable II's Albion wouldn't be nearly as interesting without the Demon Doors or the Gargoyles.
Oblivion's Cyrodiil wouldn't hold up without its Mage's Guild or Fighter's Guild or Thieve's Guild or Dark Brotherhood (all of which are just series of side quests strung together).
You don't have to like those games to see how the side quests fleshed out their worlds.
They're there for people who want to be immersed and who want to spend extra time.
They offer bits of a world that isn't shown in the main quest. The best part is that they're optional. So when/if you get tired of them, you can simply stop doing them.
Fallout 3's Washington D.C. wasteland wouldn't have been the same without Moira and her need to help the Wasteland with a Survival Guide.
Fable II's Albion wouldn't be nearly as interesting without the Demon Doors or the Gargoyles.
Oblivion's Cyrodiil wouldn't hold up without its Mage's Guild or Fighter's Guild or Thieve's Guild or Dark Brotherhood (all of which are just series of side quests strung together).
You don't have to like those games to see how the side quests fleshed out their worlds.
They're there for people who want to be immersed and who want to spend extra time.
I've never seen a game do this. Which game in specific?gold_digger22 said:
I suppose it was sort of fun on the first playthrough, when you needed an excuse to explore the wasteland... But afterwards its just feels like a bunch of completely separate little stories without any depth, point or relatable characters.LordCuthberton said:
Hell, I could barely care for the main plot by the time I actually managed to fit in my calendar, usually filled with fetch-quests.
Just trying to clarify, what you want is side quests that are all tied into the main quest? As in more main quests?Axeli said:
I just realized how late it is, so I won't be able to respond, but please clarify, as I'd like to know what you mean.
Some context to why I would do them other than for gameplay's sake would be nice. Take Mass Effect 2 for example: The character loyalty missions are definitely side quests, but the main story gives me a lot of motivation to go out an do them.lovest harding said:
It establishes connection to the situation I'm getting into. I'm not doing them out of obligation to do all the side quests I find or to score some experience, but because I want to find out why Tali is charged with treason and try to help her out of the situation, or because I'm inetrested why the ship Jacob's father served on has suddenly reappeared 8 years later, or because I really want to see if Samara really will kill her own daughter.
You just don't care the same way when you find some random NPC out in the desert, asking you to look for his dad in a nearby town. There won't be the same emotion in it, just mild curiosity at best, though even that dies pretty quickly depending on how tedious it turns out to be.
It still remains that they weren't that great. You can care for a random fetch quest given to you by random NPC only so much. Like I said, it was more of an excuse to explore the Wasteland... Something that could have been accomplished by making the main quest bigger and better.LordCuthberton said:
If they made the main quest bigger and better while taking away side quests, that would just make the game more boring.Axeli said:
What would you want? A huge main quest with no other side quests, meaning that if you are bored with the storyline, you have no motivation of exploring other than to find enemies and kill them.
Or do you want a main quest that you can do, and then several side quests you can encounter on your journey, making exploration much more fun.
Having just a bigger storyline would not have made it equally as fun to explore as with sidequests. Part of the fun with exploring is taking a random path and going around finding interesting things. If the storyline guided you through the wasteland, you would only find the interesting things by going a linear path.
Like Fallout 3, where you find nice items (like those bobble heads) and earn xp for finishing side quests. If side quests are going to reward you in that manner, I'm going to have and finish ones I don't even like doing.lovest harding said:
Not saying I'm against side quests, but I just it's think it's overrated and reviewers are overreacting to some RPGs that may be linear.
