Your favorite video game side quests?

[NeoCracker]

Chrono Trigger and FFVI obviously have great sidequests as already mentioned.

My favorite was probably the one where you get drunk with someone at one of the bars and blackout. When you wake up you need to go back and fix all the trout you did. lol.

Easily one of the coolest quests in the game.

I'd gotten that quest in Riften, and my god was I mad. I was going to hunt that mother smurfer down and find out what he did to me.

Then as I progresses, I slowly came to the realization he didn't really do anything, I just got really smurfing drunk.

I almost didn't finish the quest because I didn't want to admit that happened. XD

It was great fun, that it was.

[Heath]

I've always liked the trading sequences in the Zelda games. Especially given the awesome new swords you tend to get as a result. Also, loads of Majora's Mask, especially the rather sweet Anju and Kafei one which spans the whole three days.

[Lone Wolf Leonhart]

Also, loads of Majora's Mask, especially the rather sweet Anju and Kafei one which spans the whole three days.

I also enjoyed filling the Bomber's notebook. Great way to keep track of side quests.

[Red Mage Coffman]

Hmm... This is a tough one. Favorites...

- Star Ocean games. Going through the events to recruit certain characters. Those are always entertaining to me.
- The Contests in Pokemon Platinum. I LOVE those contests. I don't know why, but they appeal to me.
- X-2 was a sidequest. A damn good one. Kinda of.
- VII had some amazing sidequests. Chocobo's, Ultimate Weapons, The Weapon fights, and more. I love VII.
- The Chao garden in Sonic Adventure 2 was fantastic.
- Fallout 3 has some epic sidequests. I love them all.
- XII had some pretty cool sidequests. The hunts mainly.
- Chrono Cross was amazing with the sidequests and junk. Recruiting other characters, I mean.
- Persona 3. I loved building Social Links with other people. For some odd reason. Guess it could be a sidequest...
- Last, but not least is Final Fantasy XIII. I loved exploring every little corner in the hallways, sometimes finding a really useless item. Oh, and there were some monsters that I fought! Willingly! Seriously, the sidequests in this one.

[Del Murder]

Going down a branching path for a few feet to find a tresure sphere isn't really a sidequest. FFXIII really only had one sidequest.

[Night Fury]

Not entirely a side quest, but when I had a Dreamcast I used to love the Sonic game where you collected little toy animals to 'feed' your Chaos and stuff, and you had them in a little park and you could make them look super cute and race them.

[DownDiagonalLeftA]

A lot of the ones that popped up in my head were already mentioned in the thread, so I'll mention the ones that weren't.
- Suikoden 2 side quest to get Hix and Tengaar (lmao)
- Bumping into naked Nords in Morrowind that got fooled by witches
- Sheogorath being a douche and making you kill a Bull Netch with a Fork in Morrowind
- Not really a "side quest" but getting the Hadoken and Shoryuken in Mega Man X 1 & 2

[Wolf Kanno]

Chrono Trigger had some awesome ones but the three that stand out is finding out what happened to Ozzie, Flea, and Slash; getting the Rainbow Shell which was a great cinematic sequence for a 2D game; and easily restoring the Forest and saving Lara from being crippled. Chrono Trigger knew how to take little things and make the game feel grand in doing them.

FFVI a lot of the sidequests are pretty awesome in this game. I love discovering Shadow's past through his dreams, Cyan's Dream World, fighting the Hidon was an interesting dungeon concept, and the Ancient Castle and learning about Odin and getting a little taste of the War of the Magi.

Suikoden II has recruiting McDohl which is both just an awesome quest and an emotional roller coaster ride for players of the first game, especially if you bring Flik, Viktor, and Sakura with you. It's also one of the coolest payoffs in the series as well. Second is Hai Yo's Iron Chef themed sidestory which was totally awesome and had me hunting down all those recipes. Luc is an asshole cause he hates everything...

FFXII - The Man of Mystery Mark hunt, both parts, it was glorious...

Chocobo Racing is great in FFVII

Triple Triad is still the best mini-game in the FF series.

Xenoblade Chronicles has several good ones but my favorites were helping the inexperienced officer who was trying to get promoted, the drug ring was amusing as all hell, the warring chefs in Colony 6 were amusing, and the Telethia missions in Alcamoth after the games main villain reveals themselves, you never saw the build up for these missions and they are some of the more poignant missions despite being simple Mark Hunts due to the games larger narrative.

Fairy Colony in Breath of Fire series.

Mini-Medals in DQ games, I know its simple and silly but I always look forward to them.

The Brotherhood missions in Assassin's Creed Revelations, really made recruiting the characters get more personality and make the Brotherhood feel human.

Moira's Wastland Survial Guide in Fallout 3

Recruiting all the extra characters in Final Fantasy Tactics

Acquiring adult Emerelda in Xenogears since it fills in more backstory for Kim, and the Zeboim Era.

Building Erde Kaiser in the Xenosaga games, also fighting Welltall~Id in Episode 3.

The Elizabeth Dates in Persona 3 FES

Getting the Mastermune in Chrono Cross

The botched demon summon fight with Mara and getting the final Magatama in Shin Megami Tensei III

Finding all the Easter Eggs in Metal Gear Solid franchise.

Fun City in Star Ocean 2

I'm sure I'll think of more later...