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Best optional content in a game?

Fbh

Fbh

Member
Optional content has to be hard to decide on by devs. We have plenty of statistics that indicate that a lot of people don't finish games which has often been at the core of topics like if it's really worth it to make an amazing ending to a game if a large part of the your consumers won't see it. In a similar way, I can imagine a lot of people don't see the optional content in games because they don't know about it, are not actively searching for it or simply stop playing the game before even being able to access it.

With that in mind, I allways have to admire devs that put a lot of effort in creating amazing optional content. There are some games out there where the optional stuff is some of the best it has to offer despite the fact that a lot of people who purchased the game won't ever get to experience it.

So what games or franchises have your favorite optional content?
What makes it good isn't really defined. It might be because it expands on the story and lore of the game, mabye it's a new area with a humoristic twists, mabye it's a boss that is as good or better as the main ones or mabye it's just a whole area that's damn good.


Personally, I think the Souls games (including Bloodborne) excel at this. Every game has several optional areas and almost all of them are fantastic. It's also amazing how several of them are rather hard to find even if you are looking for optional areas (there have been a few I didn't even know about until I read about them online).

11090821_689359497856131_2675545674289628935_o-747x309.jpg


These areas are just as good, or sometimes even better, than the main ones in the game. With whole new locations, new enemies, music and bosses. I'm almost at the end of Dark Souls 3 (took a break to play Uncharted) and one of the optional bosses in there isn't just one of my favorites from the game but one of my favorites from the entire franchise


So what other games have really good optional content.


NOTE: Please try to write why you think the optional content you are posting is good. Even if it's just brief. It will keep this from just turning into a thread of people posting lists and will give better insight for those who are not familiar with the game you are writing about
 
S

Seyavesh

Member
ng+/endings b-d in nier.

despite not really having any new gameplay content barring one or two things, the added content of simple small scenes and dialogue very much bring the themes of the game directly into the spotlight.

even then, that's simply the ng+ added stuff/ending b.
the additional ending D is something that is wildly interesting, memorable and especially unique- it's an action that is only effective/doable within the context of a videogame and nothing else.

despite being 'optional', these things wildly define the game to me and boost the game from a flawed gem to a flawed masterpiece.
 
R

Richie

Member
This thread is making me wonder how much of Majora's Mask's sidequests are actually needed to beat the game. For sure you don't have to complete Kafei and Anju's story, or Cremia and her sister's, but you would miss on some of the game's best moments if you skipped them.

Also, to mention one fresh off this gen, Lego City Undercover!!!...By that token the GTAs apply as well I bet. The game actively rewards you exploring every nook and cranny.
 
M

Morrigan Stark

Arrogant Smirk
I agree on Soulsborne. Sometimes you don't even realize they're optional until you finish them and realize oh wow, it's a "dead end" (with an item/boss/covenant at the end, or something, but no further story progress). Having cleared the Depths or Nightmare Frontier and later realizing it was entirely optional was pretty mind-blowing.

To list a few of my favourite ones:
- Nightmare Frontier, Cainhurst Castle, Upper Cathedral Ward, Hemwick Charnel Lane (Bloodborne -- yes, I'm aware that's almost all of the optional areas lol, they're that good)
- Painted World of Ariamis, the Depths, Ash Lake (Dark Souls)
- No Man's Wharf, Undead Purgatory, Belfry Luna/Sol (for the fun PvP) (Dark Souls II)
- Consumed King's Gardens, Untended Graves, Archdragon Peak (Dark Souls III)

Out of them all, Painted World of Ariamis, No Man's Wharf and Upper Cathedral Ward are probably my favourites of the list.

FF6's World of Ruins had most of its content as technically optional, but there were lots of great dungeons and story/character scenes you could discover if you explored thoroughly. Pretty rewarding.

Related to that, I hate how some people defend bland, boring fetch quests and padding missions (like collect X wolf pelts or whatever) "because it's optional so who cares". Maybe that'd be true if they made such a trivial part of the game, but when the game is mostly padding, well, fuck that. And besides, content being optional is no reason for it to be bad content.
 
J

JustSomeone

Member
The elder scrolls game.
In fact, the side quests are usually more interesting than the main games themselves.
In witcher 3, sidequests had entire storylines that could very well be the main quest in other games.
 
S

Sinatar

Official GAF Bottom Feeder
Well since Soulsborne has been covered I would have to go with the Demolition Master missions in Red Faction Guerilla.

Best part of that game.
 
P

PSqueak

Banned
Culex in Super Mario RPG was a very cool optional boss, my only complaint is that the fight dragged a bit too long (it was even possible for the boss to run out of FP and essentially be rendered helpless if you took too long to beat him).


Also, fuck the haters, i thought So Sorry was adorable in Undertale.
 
H

HvySky

Member
The Witcher 3's side quests, contracts, etc.

The first game in a long time that I actually wanted to see through, 100%.
 
S

silva1991

Member
I really like the data optional bosses in Kingdom Hearts 2 final mix

I never replayed such an optional content as much as that one
 
B

Brian_FETO

Banned
What I've played of optional areas in Souls/Bloodborne generally seems like amazing art design and boss fight, but kind of weak/frustrating encounter design leading up to it

Martyr Logarius is probably my favorite boss in Bloodborne and the area looks incredible, but actually going through it isn't all that fun

Upper Cathedral Ward has amazing atmosphere and wolves coming from all sides but despite the "oh shit" nature of it I don't really want to play through it again. Though it again leads to another one of the best boss fights in the game so yea

I'm all about sprint Souls so I don't mind but I usually don't like the optional areas for the same reasons I like playing through the main content
 
K

kagamin

Member
Post-game in Etrian Odyssey, although technically optional, is where the game gets really intense and tactical, namely in Etrian Odyssey 3, the most difficult post-game bosses can easily wipe a max level party if you have a bad play strategy.
 
D

Deleted member 752119

Unconfirmed Member
OP nailed it. I loved the optional areas in Bloodborne and DS3.
 
B

brokentrain

Junior Member
cave of trials/unlimited indalecio in star ocean 2
taking pictures of everything for inventing in dark cloud 2
literally anything other than the main plot in skyrim
dodging 100 lighting bolts in ffx (lol jk)
 
E

Erdnuckel01

Member
I don't know if it really fits, but the inverted castle in Castlevania - Symphony of the Night, you can finish the the game without ever unlocking it, but you only get the real ending if you finish it.
 
K

Kipper

Member
Dragon's Dogma's "post game." After beating what seems to be the whole game, you can enter an area called the Everfall to fight some of the toughest bosses, and continue to the game's true (and sort of "meta") ending.
 
M

Morrigan Stark

Arrogant Smirk
Kipper said:
Dragon's Dogma's "post game." After beating what seems to be the whole game, you can enter an area called the Everfall to fight some of the toughest bosses, and continue to the game's true (and sort of "meta") ending.
Click to expand...
That's not optional... you don't see the credits until after you beat the Everfall.

Plus honestly, the Everfall sucks ass. BBI is where it's at.
 
F

FrontalMonk

Banned
Any game where the optional content is truly optional is okay in my book. If you need to do collect-a-thons or other bullshit sidequests to keep parity with where you should be along the critical path, it's a problem.

The day I remember vividly when I started actively disliking the Zelda series with their bullshit side quest garbage was when I was playing Twilight Princess totally blind and got to a point where I couldn't pick up rupees anymore because I hadn't captured enough skulltullas or whatever to upgrade my wallet. so I was suck with a max of like 200 rupees and left the game forever because I realized that if I wanted to get all my shit upgraded I would have to backtrack for hours before I could go back to the fun fucking part of the game...you know, doing the dungeons.
 
G

Ghost Slayer

Member
Kipper said:
Dragon's Dogma's "post game." After beating what seems to be the whole game, you can enter an area called the Everfall to fight some of the toughest bosses, and continue to the game's true (and sort of "meta") ending.
Click to expand...

It's also the most boring optional content in that game. Who ever designed Everfall should look for the word "variety" in dictionary
 
A

ar4757

Member
The Battle Frontier (Hoenn and Sinnoh's both work). Should also be in Gen VI but Game Freak is incredibly lazy.

The Pokemon World Tournament from BW2 was also really cool, fighting pretty much every important trainer/gym leader/E4 member in one area.
 
Shifty

Shifty

Member
Now this is a thread premise I can get down with.

Though as usual, I can't bloody think of anything. Hmph.

I'll get back to you.

Edit: Ah! Resident Evil 6 Mercenaries Mode.

The best/only legitimately good part of the game, because it forgoes all of the ridiculous action pretense of the campaigns and lets the amazing mechanics shine.

Kid Ska said:
Also another vote for No Man's Wharf in DS2. That was a cool area.
Click to expand...
Wait, you're telling me that No Man's Wharf was optional? I dropped SotFS because of that area! (As well as all my other grievances with the game, but that place was the final straw.)
 
Z

Zyrox

Member
Really liked the Amala labyrinth in SMT Nocturne. Such an oppressive and confusing place, really felt like a labyrinth. It was also full of nice items so exploring it felt really rewarding.
 
S

Saladinoo

Member
Ha, I'm currently playing through Hemlock Charnel Lane - had no idea it was optional until now!

I haven't played it (sadly) but the inclusion of Rondo of Blood in Castlevania Chronicles on PSP seems pretty amazing.
 
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