Post-games

[Commander]

I'm going to be one of those people that says it really depends. The one kind of Post-game I do want to move out of the way is ones for extended story such as The Last Story. Despite defeating the final boss, there's actually a few things left to do in the game in which honestly are some of the best moments in the game. Most games that have a post game I do stick around for a while to play them and try to get all the quests done such as catch the legendaries in Pokemon (since those things looked awesome when I was little), but I tend to skip stuff like the ultimate dungeon if it has no story relevance.

 

My personal belief is that a game that is very story heavy should focus on the game being completed and over at the final boss, but a game that is very battle system heavy (as in the combat is very good and a lot of fun) then it benefits more in having a post game as it allows for the developers to throw even more difficult challenges than normal. I could go into more detail but being sick leaves me getting exhausted very quickly so that's all for now.

[Noctelis]

To me, post game stuff can be both an additional part of gameplay or a new game+.

I just hate it when you play all the way to the final boss only to be able to defeat it over and over again because you can't save the game after it or when you just keep walking around the world map with nothing more to do.

Which is what I really liked about ORAS and sun/moon, although there wasn't a lot of post game stuff in ORAS, it was still fun to play and in sun/moon it was really an extra chapter with all those Ultra Beasts.

Edited October 26, 2017 by Noctelis

[Gh0stStark]

As long as the post game includes: sidequests with stories that are worth being told, exploration of new areas, satisfying character development/interactions, and most importantly, contributes to the game's sense of fulfilment, then yes, it's worth it, and I'll most likely play it. 

If the only thing a post game experience has to offer is collecting stuff, lame ass achievement grinding ( to show off on steam, psn, etc) then it's a huge waste of time, and even huger a disappointment if the overall experience of the main story was trully enjoyable (Pokémon Sun and Moon).

To me, whatever content to be experienced after the conclusion of the main game shouldn't just inflate gameplay hours, they should enrich the gaming experience as a whole and if possible, live up to the quality standards set by the main story.

[DiLimiter]

Games that actually have post-games (which, let's face it, it's almost exclusively RPGs most of the time) either get it right or get it wrong; there isn't really much of an in-between, unfortunately. The most recent example of post-game done right for me and that I actually participated in playing is Final Fantasy XV. Now I could definitely consider this a somewhat special case considering the massive scale that the world thrusts upon you with a LOT of extra content outside of the main quest which, to some, was an unfortunately short 15 to 20 hours. That's short for an RPG, you could say. But going back to post-game content, Final Fantasy XV did everything right for me in post-game. There was tons of additional things to do that weren't tied to the main story. And that was the beauty of it: post-game content shouldn't encourage the story. No, it should encourage exploration of the world around you and how you interact with other characters that do and don't have anything to do with the main quest. And with all of the side-quests and post-game content that Final Fantasy XV offered, that's exactly what it did. If you wanted more story content, there's the DLC that has and still is also coming out along with them patching in additional story content into main story quests (something that I think is crappy business practice, but that's another discussion entirely), but there isn't any reason why post-game content should do what is supposed to be the main quest's job.

 

Now, keeping that in mind, I look at the Pokemon games. There isn't exactly a whole lot of post-game content that Gamefreak has ever really offered--bar the legendaries that you can go and catch--except with two select cases that I can think of off the top of my head, both of them doing what they set out to do fantastically. The first one is the Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire games where you go quasi-Bayonetta and fly into space riding a dragon to punch god-alien in his face. This has close to nothing to do with the main story and just expands on what the game had to offer. That's story content done right strictly because it has nothing to do with the main game. Then, on the flip side, there's Pokemon Gold, Silver, and Crystal that allowed you to go back and access the original Kanto region after defeating the Johto region. That was a nice surprise and a beautifully done one at that (if nostalgia isn't blinding me).

 

Honestly, if you were to do post-game content, try not to focus too much on the story unless there was a way that it wouldn't trivialize something that had happened earlier. Focus on what additional and separate features you could offer to keep players interested. 

[Shamitako]

I almost always go through the post-story, for me it's still part of the game (thus, post-story) and I haven't completed the game until I've finished it. The only exceptions are New Game+ setups, for which it depends on replay value, or when the post-story is just a challenge arena of some kind, in which case it heavily depends on whether or not I enjoy the challenges.

 

I guess I just hate leaving things unfinished... despite all the games, shows, comics, and books I am currently halfway through and ignoring. Maybe that's not why... IDK

 

EDIT: For the record, there being more story related content after the main story of the game is over doesn't means it's not after the main story. Frankly if there's still primary plot points being cleared after the game has supposedly ended, the game hasn't ended. (Don't mind me, I just felt a need to preemptively defend my choice of terminology without anyone targeting it.)

[Masquerain]

I very much care about post-game content when it comes to games like pokemon. It really depends on the game in general and on the genre/type of content that the post game will offer.

 

E.G. for pokemon games (or even harvest moon/rune factory games and the like), I like having an additional postgame "quest" to be told to go on. I like having a reason to play more and I like that reason having plot. For pokemon, things like the delta episode/mystery dungeon explorers of sky postgame are what I like and would want to see. The second thing is akin to a battle frontier or new places to visit for reasons..Mini quests that make you visit new areas and do new stuff.

 

Honestly could not care less about collecting legendaries

[5hift]

Having an end goal is great and all but sometimes you feel an experience is so good you never really want it to end. Hence the "endgame" aspect for many games. Grinding for that legendary loot, fighting the additional bosses, or even playing the DLC.

 

Of course, nothing great last forever. And I'd rather not pay for more of the game than I already did.

[Howin]

Post game is an excellent thing when there's still more potential to be drawn from what you've created. I'm fairly certain what you feel isn't the majority feelings toward this subject.

 

Some of the best parts of a game can be post-game/irrelevant to the story. There's examples of this throughout game history.

[Layback80]

Yes and no.Depends really because some games do it to add extra stuff and some games do it to add a little bit more to the story or explain the ending in more depth.Some do it to show the characters having down time after saving the world lol

Edited December 11, 2017 by Layback80
xtra

[Chase]

1. Have a necrobump  - because this is an opinion thread and those are safe and lawful. Sorry Mods.

 

2. YES! Another chance to disagree with Ame. 2018 is apparently a normal year.

 

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My answer is less "depends" than it is "if its relevant to the story, then it matters - period."

 

Like you, friend - I do believe that narrative matters in games. For me - that's where the postgame content's importance lies.

 

Rules with story writing in my opinion should be as follows.....

 

• Put all the story points IN your base game before the game is over -OR- make your post-game with considerable integrity and reward story seekers for playing it. (as well as other folks, such as collectors and completionists.)
• Do NOT paywall your story in any degree.
• Only leave story points points open-ended in ways that are not invasive or disruptive to gameplay. Basically, don't suck at telling your story and fit it to the gameplay - then you can inject mystery and intrigue beyond it.

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Pokémon - for example - has done story-laden postgame with various degrees of success. The Ruby and Sapphire remakes for example, completely broke open the Pokémon Universe in a particularly clean retcon between games that featured Mega Evolution and games that didn't. That story point also made a believable existence of multiple dimensions that laid the ground work for Gen 7's Ultra Space.

 

Then there's lore points that connect Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia's post game to Fire Emblem Awakening in another brilliant retcon that fleshes out a character that had held a bunch of scrutiny and intrigue in the earlier title..

 

The point here is, If story is elaborated - be it singular games or ENTIRE FRANCHISES - then the game after the credits holds significant value. This doesn't mean that there always has to be a good post-game in a game. There doesn't need to be a post-game at all. However, if there is, and it holds implications to the story (which we both care about...) then it should matter and be cared about. It can completely change a way you are supposed to view the story.