Side Quest / Easter Egg Question

[97thruhiker]

I've got a question for those of you here dealing with a games side quests / hidden secrets.  Am I stupid or can most of you here figure out all the various side quests / secrets in a game without looking at a guide or walkthrough?  I have been playing the Legend of Zelda Wind Waker (absolutely love the game) and was having trouble with one of the bosses.  I resisted as long as I could but finally looked online at one of IGN's guides for help.  When I looked I saw a link to some of the sidequests and was floored at all of the different things that can be done outside the direct line of finishing the game.  I would of never thought to do many of the things listed.

[shardian]

It is best to just beat a game and be done with it. Anything else is just a waste of time. When I played Kingdom hearts, there were a TON of side projects, all of which weren't even remotely required to beat the game. After I beat it, I started trying to collect all of the Dalmations, trying to make all of the items, etc. It was all a waste of time and nothing extra was accomplished by it. You could play on to beat a few special bosses, which was neat. Those extra missions are fine by me.

[DaveMMR]

Am I stupid or can most of you here figure out all the various side quests / secrets in a game without looking at a guide or walkthrough? 

Depends.  As a rule, I try not to look at walkthroughs (where's the challenge when you're being told how to beat it).  But occasionally, I'll give a glance if I'm really stuck or, as you said, you want to find out what else you can do to extend a game's life.   I have this feeling that some quests/secrets are really obscure on purpose just so they can sell strategy guides.