>>51896294It's nice to have a reason to keep playing the games after you've completed the story. You're less restricted by levels or story, having more to do makes the game feel more alive, and it feels like a nice reward for those who stuck through it.
Look at Alola: the main game is busy and full of life. But once you complete it, there's nothing to do and the region feels totally dead. The best you can do is catch the same few Pokemon through workholes (USUM-exclusive), go through yet another Battle Tower knock-off, or go through a very short post-story that can't be repeated. You can't even play Battle Royals because lag makes them unplayable.
BW2 had the perfect balance, because you had the Battle Tower clone in the main game. The PWT was in the main game, but it expanded greatly in the post-game. You could do movies after beating Roxie, but you got to unlock more movies in the post-game. You also had the short post-game stories, where you got to tie up N's story and unlock seasonal battles with him. White Treehollow/Black Tower was basic, but it let you use a lot of strong Pokemon and face strong opponents you'd never be able to face during the main game. It took time to get through, offered a fresh way of playing (cribbing a bit off of the Battle Pyramid's resource management elements and having you follow clues to figure out who's the gatekeeper), had some lore, and gave you a good prize. And once you finished the attraction, you could use it to levelgrind or face strong opponents.
A good game should have content in the main AND post-game. That's why I liked sidequests like Contests - they're in-depth, repeatable, offer something different, and you can replay them in different ways.
