Are Assassins Creed 2 side quests worth completing?

I recently got into Assassins Creed 2 (I realise I'm a little late to the party) and am at the point where I have just unlocked the Contract Side quests.

I imagine these side quests (contracts, races, beat up events, etc) don't play a huge role in the story. But I was wondering if there are any specific rewards that you get at the end of them that makes worth doing?

(I realise the Assassins Seal side quest is probably worth the effort for the Armour)

Solution 1:

No, you don't get any rewards for the side quests other than the fact that you get closer to 100% sync -- if that's what you want.

If you read the contract mission statements a bit closely, you'll notice that there is some relation to the overall story, though not much.

Most of all though, they're fun. The contract missions are great fun because you get to try out some of the more exotic techniques. I still remember the first time I assassinated from a bench. It was hilarious when Ezio sat him down on the bench behind him.

Try a few, then decide if you want to do them all or skip.

EDIT: Oh, I forgot the cash rewards for side missions. But it's easy to forget cash in AC2, since you have way more than you'll ever need.

Solution 2:

In fact, the side quest are mandatory if you want to achieve 100% synchronisation. I don't think there is a reward for that since I'm missing some DLC content.

The armour is very interesting indeed. You can get reward by collecting feathers, buying all stuff also.