Originally posted by Evangelion
I can’t think of any side quests in FF8 that kept to the storyline, except when you get Bahamut, because that obviousy served a purpose.
There were also the Shumi Tribe sidequests, which delve into Laguna’s history, and the Winhill sidequests, which did the same. Even the chocobo sidequests had a definite purpose - if you wanted Ragnarok once you reached the future, you needed a chocobo to reach it. The other sidequests generally had a definite purpose and were beneficial to anyone who decided to undertake them.
Again back to my point that if you whine about how easy a game is, there are ways of making it harder. Such as skipping sidequests that would yeild you stupidly powerful equipment and skills.