Summary
People say that the fun in a journey is in the ride you take, not the destination. To be fair, some titles are that way, likeMetal Gear Solid 5. Once you get 100 percent completion, you feel sad it’s over, like a great vacation. However, there’s plenty of games that do offer substantial rewards once you complete everything.
Whether it’s awesome items, outfits, teasers, Easter eggs, story revelations, and more, some games make 100 percent completion worth it. In certain instances, people will 100 percent a game they wouldn’t otherwise just because of the reward.
These rewards don’t have to be for full 100 percent completion but must be unlocked by doing a significant aspect of the game. For example, the reward can’t be gained by just beating Normal difficulty.
Bye Bye, Wanted System
Most of the 100 percent rewards in Rockstar games tend to be pretty poor, but there are some good ones, includingRed Dead Redemption. There’s a ton of unlockable outfits in this game,more than its sequel, and you even get one for 100 percent completion. This outfit’s really special because with it on, you may’t be affected by law enforcement.
How awesome is that? You can shoot people and cause carnage all day. People would love an unlockable like this in a GTA game. Even GTA5’s cheats don’t let you shut off the Wanted system completely.
9Grand Theft Auto 5: UFOs
Something Is Out There
Speaking of Grand Theft Auto, GTA5 has the best 100 percent reward in the series. Not only do you unlock The Last One side mission, which is a great callback to the Bigfoot myth inGTA San Andreas, but stuff of more extraterrestrial origins also pops up.
Three UFOs will spawn in three specific areas. One high above Sandy Shores, one super high above Fort Zancudo, and one atop Mount Chiliad. That last one will spawn at 3am, and the weather has to be stormy, so use the change weather cheat if you need to. These areexcellent Easter eggs, and so good that some GTA players will 100 percent the game just to see the UFOs and play the Bigfoot mission.
8Metal Gear Solid VR Missions: MGS2 Teaser
A Sweet Sneak Peek
WithMetal Gear Solid 2being released in 2001, the 1999 VR Missions expansion for the first game was a nice way to hold fans over. You got to play 300 VR Missions with varied gameplay containing stealth, combat, puzzle, and even mystery elements. It’s a long grind to 100 percent, but you get a special sneak peek once you do.
Concept art of Metal Gear Ray will pop up on-screen once you’ve finished every mission. Metal Gear Ray is incredibly important in MGS2, being the title’s primary Metal Gear mech and alsobeing a brutal boss fightif you play on Extreme. At release, this small preview of what’s to come must have driven Metal Gear fans wild with excitement.
7Super Mario 64: Yoshi
An Awesome Unexpected Appearance
WhenSuper Mario 64came out, it was a little disappointing that so many iconic Mario characters were not in the game. Luigi was nowhere to be seen, but thankfully, one important Mario ally came in at the very last minute. Once you get all 120 stars, the cannon just outside the castle will now open up.
you may use it to reach atop the castle, where you’ll find Yoshi. It’s awesome to see him again, and it must have been so sweet to discover back in the day. After talking with him, you get 100 extra lives. An excellent way to wrap up the Mario 64 adventure, and it’s surely better than the nothing reward you get inSunshine.
6Super Mario Galaxy: Play As Luigi
Luigi Finally Returns
After being absent in Super Mario 64 and Sunshine, Luigi finally appeared in a mainline 3D Mario game withSuper Mario Galaxy. He appears as a side character you have to rescue a few times, but something special happens once you get all 120 stars.
For one, you’re tasked with beating the final level again, which is an odd request, but after finishing it, an extra cutscene will appear, and you’re able to now play as Luigi. After being gone in two straight games, he’s a fully playable character this time around. You love to see it, plus Luigi retains the same wild jumping power he’s known for.
5Crash Bandicoot 1: Secret Ending
Something You Just Don’t Get Anymore
One thing you may argue about achievements and trophies is that they have affected rewards in games. Often, the achievement/trophy is the reward, but things were different in the N64 and PS1 days. Games like Banjo-Kazooie had substantial unlockables for collecting everything, butCrash Bandicootdid it even better by offering a secret ending.
If you collect all the gems, which is ridiculously hard, you get a better ending by taking a different path in the second to last level. Crash Bandicoot 1 isa surprisingly difficult game, even at the start, so getting a new ending is a very satisfying reward for obtaining all these tough gems.
4Resident Evil Remake: Director Message And Unused Costume Designs
Really Cool Back In The Day
TheResident Evilremake was one of the few RE titles back then thatincluded extra game modesthat were harder variants of the campaign. You had Real Survival, the hardest in the game, but also Invisible Enemy mode. Most will unlock the mode by beating the game with both characters on at least Normal.
All enemies are invisible here, making survival a lot harder, especially in the original GameCube version, as there’s no Very Easy mode to pick from. If you beat Invisible Enemy in under five hours, you’ll get a special message from Director Shinji Mikami, as well as unused costume designs. This was neat to see back then, as unused costume designs weren’t typically shown in games. They are now, but not so much in 2002.
3Halo 3: Hayabusa Armor And Katana
Awesome Looking And A Sweet Reference
Halois a franchise well known for its Easter eggs and references, and one of the best has to be the unlockable Hayabusa Armor and Katana from Halo 3. You unlock the full Hayabusa Armor by getting every Skull, and to get the Katana, you originally had to get the base 1,000 gamerscore on Xbox.
Not only are these cosmetics awesome-looking and something everyone desired, but they’re also a great reference to one of the best Xbox exclusives at the time, Ninja Gaiden. The helmet looks exactly like the one on Ninja Ryu Hayabusa, and the Katana’s essentially the Dragon Sword from the NG series as well. Unfortunately, in Halo: The Master Chief Collection, these cosmetics are unlocked by default, which makes them less special.
2God Of War 3: Ghost Of Sparta Teaser
This Series Is Far From Over
Marking the end of the original trilogy,God of War 3’sthe final chronological instalment in the Greek mythology era. With the ending being pretty conclusive, you might think the series is over, but you would be dead wrong. If you unlock the secret platinum trophy for the game, you notice the description includes a website URL.
At first, the website featured odd, mysterious imagery, and a growing meter was displayed at some point. Once the meter was all filled up came the official reveal of God of War: Ghost of Sparta. This was a great way to reward hardened players who got the platinum by showing them what lies ahead in the God of War universe.
1Metroid: Samus Is A Woman
A Legendary Twist
A lot of people probably don’t even remember that you could beatMetroidand never learn that Samus is a woman. There are five endings in the original Metroid, and you had to get one of the better ones for the big plot revelation. You must beat the game in under five hours, which was pretty hard to do back then unless you had Nintendo Power.
The reveal that Samus is a woman is iconic and almost mythical in gaming history. In America, it wasn’t much of a big deal due to the various female heroines that already existed at the time, but it was a big deal in Japan. Female equality was much worse there, and several Japanese game developers have stated how impactful and shocking this revelation was.
