I do a lot of the side quests but only if they are for good rewards or a tiny part of a plot. Once I complete the game I go back over it to do everything including mini-games if they give you something (like 200 bolts in FFX)
I’ve learned to enjoy storyline and character backgrounds, unlike when I first got started, so I usually try to do alot of the sidequests.
Gimme plot …or mind(less)-bendigly actions I need to follow for some obscure reason
I never played the game really…i like playing MegaMan Battle NetWork 3 Blue im trying to get all the items and 100% so i can defeat bass(omega)and alpha(omega) and get all 7 stars then maybe start all over again if i feel like it…
I don’t max my characters or spend time getting super items (unless I really need them), but I will do sidequests IF they’re fun. But I do read dialogue, talk to NPCs, and take my time.
For some reason, though, I went through Super Mario RPG and found all those hidden chests 
Every now and then. If I know that the sidequests will give me something worthwhile. I’ve done sidequests before and turned up with nothing. If I feel like playing longer of course, I’ll go for all the sidequests I can find.
I usually try to do as much as I can the first time through the game. That includes sidequests, but usually if the sidequest is ridiculous (like a lot of them in FFX) then I won’t bother with them. I like bonus dungeons though, usually those are my favourite type of sidequests, same with ultimate monsters/bosses.
Yes, I try to do and find everything in my first playthru of a game, that’s why I always buy the guide first (and I hate it when the guide misses something and I later find out about it online.) However, some recent games have had sidequests that are SO blasted dificult, I’ve started to ignore them. (And why the Hell was that @#$%ing vanishing floor placed RIGHT BEFORE the final boss area in Wild Arms 4?? I almost quit the game right there because I could hardly make it across! ARRGH!)
:ark:
I do ones for plot and anything that improves my (main) party.
Only if I get anything that helps my players.
I’m usually enjoy subquests however I do tend to get sidetracked for the final dungon and lose interest in a game of a couple of months/years.
Of course I finnished LoM on no future mode, I’ve beaten 299/305 missions in FFTA, and I am currently playing though Disgaea and [STRIKE]FFZX[/STRIKE]… err I mean FFX-2 yeah right …umm!! :runaway:
I actually resisted my perfectionist ways last night when I finished Suikoden Tactics. Only my Hero4 was at the max level, 50, and only five characters had their weapons maxed out, Hero4, Kyril, Coop, Kika, and Flare. I actually killed the end boss with more than double the strategy guide pictures, so that was enough to satisfy me. Getting enough Potch to max out everyone would have taken forever and I already finished all the sidequests anyway. I mean going through the Ruins of Obel at least a dozen times is enough.
Dont think Ive ever maxed anything, closest to that is in ToS. Managed to complete the collectors book/monster list and get my characters up to 113 (approx).
But usually I just tend to play the game through, I do some sidequests for better weapons, the odd challenge, but im not a perfectionist nor do I have much patience lol.