What's the worst reward for 100%'ing a game?

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There’s something immensely satisfying about fully perfecting a game, and uncovering all its secrets--reaching 100% completion. Whether that’s getting every map tile for 200.6% in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, or collecting the 120 Power Stars in Super Mario 64, it can feel like a huge accomplishment, especially when it’s accompanied by a shiny achievement or trophy. Some games even give players a fun little bonus for doing all that extra work, like how getting A ranks in every stage in Sonic Adventure 2 will unlock a playable 3D remake of Green Hill Zone. Not only do these rewards feel special, but they’re fantastic inclusions to give players that one last feeling of excitement before they move on to another game.

Some games, however, completely miss the mark. For example, in Assassin’s Creed 2, you’re given the optional task of collecting 100 feathers throughout the sprawling maps of Renaissance Italy. These tiny collectibles can be incredibly hard to find, and you’re never given a map marker at any point in the game, nor are you informed as to which ones you’ve already collected, which can make getting every single one a complete nightmare. Getting every feather should result in you getting an amazingly overpowered cool weapon, at least, right? Absolutely not. For all that meticulous work, you get the Auditore Cape, an equipable item that serves only to make every guard instantly aware of your actions at all times, in all areas. Your reward only makes the game more annoying to play in every aspect, which feels like a complete letdown.

And let’s not forget the entire Pokemon franchise, which tasks you with collecting every single Pokemon out there. At this point in time, that’s 898 creatures. When you do catch ‘em all, your grand prize is, in almost all cases, a “diploma”, a mere static image that says, congrats, player name, you filled the Pokedex. That’s all.
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So, have you ever 100%’ed a game, only to be met with utter disappointment? Which game was that, and what lackluster reward did you get for all your hard work? Let us know in the comments!​
 

AlexMCS

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I was satisfied after getting the 120 stars in Mario 64, 24 years ago, and that alone was enough.
I've completely finished a game I loved playing, every single step of the way.
That in itself was the reward.

I mean, what's the point of giving anything after completing the game?
It's not like I'll bother replaying it with a 100% save file.
On that note, if a new stage in unlocked, it just means it hasn't been "100%" yet after all.
 
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DJPlace

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parappa the rapper. once you beat the game you can unlock an option to get cool ranking's in every stage and what's your reward for doing that.

it sound's good. Katy Kat and the sunshine band.

you enter it and guess what it's just a model viewer of Katy Kat and Sunny Funny.

wasted my time IMO. but still it's cool to get cool ranking's IMO.
 

banjo2

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Afaik absolutely nothing happens after 100%ing any Animal Crossing game

In terms of games that have one, I found the stud fountain in LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga kinda disappointing (technically it's the reward for all gold bricks, not for 100%, but it might as well be)
By the time you reach this point in the game in natural progression, you've probably already bought everything and/or hit the max studs (I had, at least), so it's kinda just "ok and?"
 

Issac

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Assassin's Creed 1 on the PS3 was bad too, because there were those small flags you could collect that were scattered all over the place. They do absolutely nothing in the game, they have absolutely no use at all. They don't give you anything, they are not used for anything, they are just there to be collected. On the Xbox 360 you got an achievement for collecting them, but the PS3 version didn't have Trophies. So they didn't even give a trophy! :D WORTHLESS

But yeah, the 100 1-ups in SM64 are actually quite nice for those of us who likes to do retroachievements since it helps when tackling those challenges ;) (Look in my signature)
 

AkiraKurusu

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And let’s not forget the entire Pokemon franchise, which tasks you with collecting every single Pokemon out there. At this point in time, that’s 898 creatures. When you do catch ‘em all, your grand prize is, in almost all cases, a “diploma”, a mere static image that says, congrats, player name, you filled the Pokédex. That’s all.
NOPE. The largest number of species that can ever be held in one game is 807, back in Ultra Sun/Moon - because Game Freak decided outta nowhere to start leaving tons of fan-favourites (...and tons of mediocres, too, to be fair) out.

Even then, you didn't need all 807, because quite a few of those are event-exclusive "Mythical" Pokémon (e.g. Arceus, Victini, Genesect, Hoopa, Celebi, Mew) that aren't taken into account. You still need the regular Legendaries (e.g. the ones catchable in-games - Articuno, Entei, Latios, Rayquaza, Palkia, Giratina, Reshiram) to get the Diploma, though.


tl;dr Never was, and as of now cannot be, "all 898 species", and requirement was more lenient than just "total number of species" would suggest.

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

Oh, and Ultra Sun/Moon didn't even have the National Dex, let alone a second Diploma, so really it's Gen VI (XY, ORAS) that requires the most species to get a Diploma, with 721 - minus, of course, the Mythicals.
 
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bluedart

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I suppose the objective answer would be "apathy." Not necessarily nothing, just an empty husk where your soul used to be. When a game doesn't even recognize that you've gotten all the achievements, stamps, stars—what have you. I recently got all the stamps in Rune Factory 5 and there's no recognition at all. Really underwhelming, especially when to get the last one I had to skip time for about 2 years since there's nothing else to do at that point.

There are so many games I've 98-99% completed because I know what the reward is, and that last 1% is the real nonsense. Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town comes to mind. I don't know if I'll ever get the Journeyman Sprite to level 10. That's the literal last thing I have to do, but it's just so terribly tedious.

[Also, I should point out that, to this day, there is no core-series official Pokémon RPG where you have to collect all 898 'mons. I think Pokémon Home is the only bit of software they even released that allows you to, but at least for that you allegedly get a mythic?]
 

Scarlet

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NOPE. The largest number of species that can ever be held in one game is 807, back in Ultra Sun/Moon - because Game Freak decided outta nowhere to start leaving tons of fan-favourites (...and tons of mediocres, too, to be fair) out.

Even then, you didn't need all 807, because quite a few of those are event-exclusive "Mythical" Pokémon (e.g. Arceus, Victini, Genesect, Hoopa, Celebi, Mew) that aren't taken into account. You still need the regular Legendaries (e.g. the ones catchable in-games - Articuno, Entei, Latios, Rayquaza, Palkia, Giratina, Reshiram) to get the Diploma, though.


tl;dr Never was, and as of now cannot be, "all 898 species", and requirement was more lenient than just "total number of species" would suggest.

--------------------- MERGED ---------------------------

Oh, and Ultra Sun/Moon didn't even have the National Dex, let alone a second Diploma, so really it's Gen VI (XY, ORAS) that requires the most species to get a Diploma, with 721 - minus, of course, the Mythicals.
That's wrong actually. Pokemon Home has an in built Pokedex, so you can strive to complete the full dex to receive a special Pokeball form Magearna. Which is actually a pretty neat reward.
 

cearp

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Some start a thread asking the opposite, what's the best reward?
Worst isn't too difficult to answer because many games give you nothing.
 
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AkiraKurusu

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That's wrong actually. Pokemon Home has an in built Pokedex, so you can strive to complete the full dex to receive a special Pokeball form Magearna. Which is actually a pretty neat reward.
That's HOME (and the mobile version at that), not a main-series game, but...fair.
Still doesn't net you a Diploma though, which is what chary's segment was about.
 

Issac

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That's HOME (and the mobile version at that), not a main-series game, but...fair.
Still doesn't net you a Diploma though, which is what chary's segment was about.
I am fairly certain Chary meant that in the games (from the very start) they have awarded you with diplomas for catching all the pkmn in the game. Not that you need to collect all 898 in one game, but have to have been collecting them all in their respective games (well not counting the event ones).

And still, that's a lame reward, but at the same time I think it's pretty neat to get some acknowledgement from the game like that. Better than nothing ^_^

Adding:

Some start a thread asking the opposite, what's the best reward?
Worst isn't too difficult to answer because many games give you nothing.
Sure, but what's worst apart from nothing? :P Like the Assassin's Creed 2 one where you get an item that's basically a debuff :o
 
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Jayro

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Link's Awakening. (All 3 versions!)

LADX_NA_Box_Art.png


You get nothing, but a picture of Marin on the screen after the credits, if you complete the game without dying once.

If you beat the original 1993 release of Link's Awakening for the original Gameboy without dying and the credits end, you'll get a nice "THE END" screen, and see Marin's sprite with wings fly across the screen. This is just weird...
GB version.gif


And if you beat the 1998 color rerelease Link's Awakening DX for Gameboy Color without dying, you get this derpy image of Marin, derping derpily in derpland. Insulting.
marin-portrait.png


If you beat the 2019 Link's Awakening remake for the Nintendo Switch without dying once, Marin once again appears in the sky and she looks good this time... But she just gives you a cute smiling nod (Stylized after the Link's Awakening DX release).
Marin nodding.gif

Literally useless. I've done it hundreds of times (Not an exaggeration either, I've been playing the game since 1993, and never stopped. It's literally my favorite video game of all time.)
We don't even get a new game+ or any kind of master mode or anything. The game also doesn't save after you beat it, so you just start off in the egg again.
 
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GinOkami428

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NieR: Automata. 100% the game, and what do you get?
ALL OF YOUR SAVES GET DELETED! Yeah, your hard work is retconned, that is the true ending to the game. Everything you ever did in the game? Never happened. The YoRHa androids get to continue their miserable never-ending life and death sequences, fighting for a cause long lost, for possibly thousands of more years. Thanks, Yoko Taro, you troll.[spoiler/]
 
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eyeliner

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Nes:
Raid on Bungeling Bay
You have no ending, restarting the game unaware of the fact after the fourth or fifth level.
 

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