Thread: Side Quest Discussion

The Safari zone, the Game Corner, the Pokeathalon, and the Musical. All ways to divert your attention from the main journey or give you something to do afterwards. Will X and Y do the same? If so, what facilities do you think we'll have?

I personally want the Safari Zone and the Game Corner to come back, possibly with a pinball game instead of the roulette/voltorb flip.

Keep in mind that contests already have their own topic.

I would like the Musical to make a return. I found that fun.

I really want all of them. I could do without the Musical and Contests, but I would like them.

The Pokeathlon is probably the most fun side quest they ever put into the games. The contests are also good, but not quite as fun to do as the pokeathlon. The Pokemon Musical is a pretty lame replacement for these. Watching your pokemon dance with barely any influence from the player is plain boring. And it has no real rewards for winning, like contest ribbons. The Safari Zone and Game Corner should definitely return, this time with more games to play at the Game Corner.

I love side quests

I would love to see a lot more side-quests be implemented in the games. I don't necessarily mean things like contests or game corners or any mini-game like that, but I am talking about side-adventures/sub-plots that are unrelated to the evil team main plot. For example, in Gen III, we had the Regi sidequest, it was both optional and long. Another example being Crystal's Ruins of Alph (yes, just talking about Crystal's because it was longer than GS's version of it). I know some don't like the idea of a LOT of legendaries, so why not make side-quests that require you to go places (like the Regi sidequest basically required cross-region travel) that don't involve Legendaries?


For example, this is a side-quest idea I came up with:

I'd love to see a side-quest involving a Pokémon archaeologist where you help them discover something. My idea is that there is a route near where ever this archaeologist has set up a base of operation, like a tent or something. Then, you happen to run into the guy's base and you go inside this tent (as it would be completely optional, you wouldn't be forced into a mini-cutscene where you bump into the person) and you see the person hard at work. Then you can interact with him (or her. I'll be saying him, because it's just a habit) and he asks for assistance as he underestimated the wild pokemon presence, or the trainer he called for help never showed up (or some other cliché). If you say yes, the side-quest begins, if you say no, you can agree to help later. So, then you go into the wilderness (with the guy following you) and eventually come up to some ruins (he couldn't get there before because of the tall grass/wild pokemon between his tent and the ruins). You and him go into the ruins and find a cave that leads to footprints of an odd pokemon that no longer exists. The archaeologist then goes nuts (like any would if they find something like this) and starts to collect samples, etc. Of course, you get to help too and collect samples (kinda like how you collected things in the Underground area of Sinnoh, but unlike there, you are given a short list of things to find, nothing too difficult). You two go back to the tent and he discovers that the footprints belong to no known ancient pokemon (so it isn't Kabutops', Aerodactl's, etc.). He then tells you you can return later, as it will take him time to completely analyze the data. This is where you are able to continue on with the main game/do whatever you want to do as before this point, you HAD to work with the side-quest. The only way to continue would be to leave the tent and come back. Then he tells you that he learned some interesting things about it, and the bones and other things he and you found before pointed to the only possible location in the region where it lived. You and him then pack up the tent and travel there (the ruins, he tells you, was not in its habitat because of some reason and he believes the ancient pokemon could fly and that's how it got there). Once you two arrive to the only possible habitat [maybe halfway across the region], you do the same thing, but the list you are given to find is longer, and once you get all the things and give to him, he once again tells you it will take him time to analyze the data. This is the only other opportunity before the side-quest ends where you can do whatever. When you come back, he tells you that he has narrowed down the location of its habitat to a small mountain and you two go there. After some digging, YOU find a fossil of it. As expected, the Archaeologist goes nuts because this is the "find of the century" or whatever. He then tells you that you should go to the region's Pokemon University (or museum) if you want the fossil [he will need to take the fossil with him to do the rest of the research on it and possibly bring it to life] and to pick up a nice reward for helping his research. Once you get to the University or Museum [whichever the region has] you meet with him in his office and he gives you both a nice sum of money for helping him out and he lets you have the fossil that he brought back to life (he also was the one who got to give it a name). This pokemon isn't a legendary pokemon, but is still a strong one nonetheless.

more lengthy side-quests like that are what I'd like to see in these games.

The medal quest being more integrated into the game world, perhaps even a way to get to battle higher trainer ranks. Sure medals are immaterial, but if they're not gonna do anything like that with the badges might as well put the medals to use, and give us trainer rematches at the same time. Oh and some sort of return for the Pokeathlon. I don't care how, just do it GF.

I'd love to see the Pokeathlon & the Safari Zone in X/Y.

HG&SS had the best sidequests, especially the Pokeathlon, I think it was the best sidequest so far. I liked the Safari Zone too, I don't know why they removed it. The Pokestar Studios were also fun. I hope they bring the Pokeathlon back, but if they decide to introduce something new again, then it better not be as lame as the Musicals.
ETA:I didn't really bother with the medals, I got most of them out of luck. The Contests were ok, but I'd only want them back if they were revamped to resemble the anime contests more.

They should bring Contests back. I didn't enjoy Musicals, Pokéathlon or Medal Quests, but I loved the Contests.

Contests + Pokéstar Studios = Perfect combo.

I'd love Contests with a little bit of an overhall. BW went in the right direction with making Musicals completely playable regardless of a Pokemon's moves but it was too simplistic for most's tastes. Maybe some form that does incorporate battling in some way (similar to the anime) but not as we've seen in the past might be fun, with a few minigame-esque parts as well.

And I really really REALLY don't want the Safari Zone to return. Luck based mechanics that are actually involved in your completion of the game are never fun and only serve to elongate the game in a bad way.

I really, really want the Pokéathlon back. Or possibly a good variation of it, as it's unlikely they'll totally repeat a whole sidegame. It was so fun in HGSS, sometimes I'd take a break from the main storyline and just spend the whole day trying to get medals on Pokéathlon. And it was a great way to showcase the touch screen, IMO.

I wonder (if ever they'd have a variation of the Pokéathlon in Gen 6), will they incorporate AR and 3D? That would be interesting.

I'd like more side areas like the Battle Area in Sinnoh and the Sevii Islands in FR/LG.
The musical I didn't really care for, and I only really liked the contests that were in Gen III.

In this game It'd be amazing if they made more locations like they made the gyms - more puzzle-like that require thinking and possible use of HM moves, instead of just an occasional use here and there. They could make some really impressive and diverse locations this way, given that things have gone into 3D now.

Game Corner was removed because in Europe, gambling yields an instant 16 rating. So that's never coming back.

I really loved the Safari Zone and the Pokeathlon. I would be more than happy if they made a return in these games. I loved the game corner as well, but only after voltorb flip hit the scene. ): Am I the only one who loves that game? I think it's really fun!

I haven't gotten far enough to try out musicals yet though. They looked cute though!

I'm less concerned about what exactly the side-quests are, and more concerned that they just include them, and plenty of them. Especially for those of us who don't get into competitive battling, or who don't have the time to raise the multiple teams needed to take on some of the post-game challenges (like the mono-type tournaments in B2W2), these side-quests offer us a way to continue our Pokémon journeys besides just battling. They really extend the life of the game.