Funny, but I hope that no one actually does it to old games. Achievements just break immersion for me - it's like "By the way - you're playing a game!" Imagine if you were watching a movie and a box pops up to say "you've been watching this movie for 30 minutes!"
@ac2basis: Not particularily :p
I can easily see it being bolted on to XBLA and PSN classic titles though as an incentive to rebuy the games though these services. That would kinda suck, but it's hardly the end of the world.
I always thought if you could use your achievement score to purchase things, that would be an awesome use of them. Like a $20 gift card for every 5000 GP, or something to that effect.
Now that games are starting to incorporate actual unlocked items (like for your avatar), I think that's even more reinforcement for increasing playtime in games. Hopefully they use it wisely and not in a dick-ish manner.
But yeah if I could "black out" or trade in a portion of my GP for a real-life item, that would be the shit. Just have my lifetime total show by my gamer tag, but have a separate "account" where the GP is deducted.
Then you get into the negatives of the matter, where people just play games for achievements. I've never personally done this, but at times when I'm looking up FAQs online, I see people with gamer scores of over 100,000. That's nuts! They play some obscure games to bolster that score, and there's no reward for doing so. They also get every last achievement in game and have a network of like-minded people to help out with multiplayer achievements.
Obviously that's the extreme example, but I enjoy achievements because it gives me a goal to hit other than just beating the game or finding all collectibles in the game. I like specific ones, like those that Valve has for creating teamwork elements in L4D and TF. Honestly, that's one of my favorite parts about the 360, because I have been able to get much more playtime out of the console, which makes me feel like I'm really getting my money's worth.
@Tenshigure: I liked Lasers only and Rockets only, especially in Facility. License to Kill mode of course.
As for slappers, it's hilarious because that achievement is spot on... but when I didn't have a gun and my hand was my only weapon, I used to convince my friends to spare me by declaring "I don't have a gun!"
Sometimes they would, sometimes they wouldn't, but when they did, KARATE CHOP TO THE NECK. Then, as the corpse lays there, to the crotch. Repeatedly.
@ShaSt One: Me and my friend had an unofficial rule against killing an unarmed foe in Goldeneye. If one of us didn't have a gun and the other entered the room you could hear many screams of "dishonorable! dishonorable!"
In Pokemon first generation if you got all 150 pokemon you got an in-game certificate. Good luck trying to get all Pokemon now but it would be a game that could easily have something like trophies.
In the end though it's all about bragging or "dick-hat-tery" as some call it.
@RyanGannon: I love achievements (don't care about the associated points -- I'll take or leave them) however your example is how I view achievements... no different than an in-game "good job!"... However now your friends can see you did actually launch a gnome in to space instead of just trusting you on it.
Yossarian promoted this comment
vernichter spends more time reading Kotaku than gaming :( was starred
vernichter spends more time reading Kotaku than gaming :( was unstarred
Tried to make the run a half dozen times but kept losing the damn gnome whenever I had to swerve to avoid a train car. I was really pissed about it, but finally gave up in the interest of actually progressing in the game. Was a shame that I hauled him that far just to give up :(
@Rozzeh: Does that work, though? How do you get through the really long section on the train tracks? Is it possible to actually hoof it that whole way?
@Yossarian: Actually, I haven't done that one yet. But from what I've seen, you can "wedge" him in behind the driver seat. You still have to check/save every so often to make sure it's working.
Achievements were bad enough- but 'trophies'... that ratcheted up the lame. I'm as disillusioned as one can be with current gen console gaming. DLC, 'trophies', marketplace/shopping network... I went along with it for a few years but it took its toll.
@Sex_For_Pandas: I know you are asking Madeira but I want to comment on that too.
Achievements and trophies are bad in my opinion because of the erroneous notion that they 'add replay value'
A game has replay value if you enjoyed it enough that you WANT to play it again. Simple as that.
Playing a game again that you otherwise don't feel like playing anymore JUST for the achievements/trophies, is an artificial and ultimately counterproductive way of getting replay value out of a game.
@CassiusLonginus: I agree it's artificial if that's the *only* reason you're playing it again, and you don't enjoy it, but there are plenty of times that I wouldn't have played a game the second time, but I do for the achievements, and I still enjoy it. CoD: MW for example. I didn't beat it on Hardcore the first time through. Without achievements, after beating it on Veteran I almost certainly would not have turned around and played through it again on Hardcore a couple days later, but I did for the achievements, and I still enjoyed it.
I agree, they don't create replay value by themselves, but they can add just enough to get me to play a game again, which adds to my enjoyment.
@Madeira: I never really understood the argument against achievements/trophies where the "disillusioned" party claims these aspects of modern gaming have somehow bastardized the pure form of gaming they experienced in generations prior. Old school games did have achievements; it was a high score displayed on the Asteroids or Pacman machine at the local Pizza Hut or wherever. Also...how does the inclusion of achievements (here on out also meaning trophies) in any way, shape or form alter your gaming experience? If they offend you that much, just ignore them. But take a second to think that maybe, just maybe they actually add something to a game. Maybe they actually give someone the motivation to play a game in a style they normally wouldn't play, thus rewarding the player while at the same time giving the player a newfound avenue of enjoyment in a title they normally would have quickly sold back to GameStop. I'll agree that sometimes people put too much emphasis on their "gamerscore" in order to increase the girth of their e-boner, but this is nothing new in gaming or even human behavior, and it isn't the fault of the system itself, but rather the douchebag that's bragging.
@ogt462: Practically the same, for all intents and purposes. But something about seeing the silver, gold, platinum trophies- it's too obvious. It's a contrived response to Xbox's achievements.
@raffleking: I don't think I've ever met anyone who cared about getting initials on the high score list at the arcades.
Now I am getting into my mid 30's, so I'm starting to grow out of the target demographic, but I'm still an avid gamer and I'd like to think there's still some honest perspective. The increased priority of online/social gaming, and shopping networks, and artificial 'value added' features like achievements... a lot of this fluff just confuses the issue. Games were better when they were just games.
I'd say a Nursery achievement/trophy for MK3 series of games if you babalitied every character in the game. Brutality, Animality etc etc.
Perhaps one for Truxton/Tatsujin when you finish the final boss the first time and before you had to repeat - something like 'Did you think it'd end so easy? No way...'
10/13/09
You've done this before, haven't you?
Beat the game in less than 7 minutes. 100G.
Sight-Seeker.
Beat the game without using a Warp Zone. 100G.
Mega-Man 2.
Glutton For Punishment.
Never use the Metal Blades. 250G.
10/13/09
10/13/09
Thanks for buying the Strategy Guide!
Found Every Item. 100G.
10/13/09
10/13/09
10/13/09
I can easily see it being bolted on to XBLA and PSN classic titles though as an incentive to rebuy the games though these services. That would kinda suck, but it's hardly the end of the world.
10/13/09
10/13/09
10/13/09
10G Double Tap
"Shot that bleeping dog when it laughed at you, and then you shot it again!"
10/13/09
Now that games are starting to incorporate actual unlocked items (like for your avatar), I think that's even more reinforcement for increasing playtime in games. Hopefully they use it wisely and not in a dick-ish manner.
But yeah if I could "black out" or trade in a portion of my GP for a real-life item, that would be the shit. Just have my lifetime total show by my gamer tag, but have a separate "account" where the GP is deducted.
Then you get into the negatives of the matter, where people just play games for achievements. I've never personally done this, but at times when I'm looking up FAQs online, I see people with gamer scores of over 100,000. That's nuts! They play some obscure games to bolster that score, and there's no reward for doing so. They also get every last achievement in game and have a network of like-minded people to help out with multiplayer achievements.
Obviously that's the extreme example, but I enjoy achievements because it gives me a goal to hit other than just beating the game or finding all collectibles in the game. I like specific ones, like those that Valve has for creating teamwork elements in L4D and TF. Honestly, that's one of my favorite parts about the 360, because I have been able to get much more playtime out of the console, which makes me feel like I'm really getting my money's worth.
10/13/09
Oh, and good luck doing "Slappy" in any place but the office...you'll spend an eternity there, honest.
10/13/09
10/13/09
As for slappers, it's hilarious because that achievement is spot on... but when I didn't have a gun and my hand was my only weapon, I used to convince my friends to spare me by declaring "I don't have a gun!"
Sometimes they would, sometimes they wouldn't, but when they did, KARATE CHOP TO THE NECK. Then, as the corpse lays there, to the crotch. Repeatedly.
Ah yes...
10/13/09
10/13/09
...oh, and Odd Job was a punk, you couldn't ever hit the sucker. I used to love blowing his head off with rockets just to blow that hat off his head.
10/13/09
10/13/09
10/13/09
10/13/09
10/13/09
10/13/09
[www.deltaco.com]
10/13/09
I...I need a lie down.
10/13/09
10/13/09
In the end though it's all about bragging or "dick-hat-tery" as some call it.
10/13/09
10/13/09
I could not find a place to stuff him into that damn car. He kept falling out no matter what I did.
10/13/09
10/13/09
10/13/09
10/13/09
10/13/09
10/13/09
Tried to make the run a half dozen times but kept losing the damn gnome whenever I had to swerve to avoid a train car. I was really pissed about it, but finally gave up in the interest of actually progressing in the game. Was a shame that I hauled him that far just to give up :(
10/13/09
10/14/09
10/13/09
10/13/09
I'm curious about the trophy/achievement part. What is it that you hate about them anyway? Are they really that bad?
10/13/09
10/13/09
10/13/09
10/13/09
Edit: Damn, couldn't figure out a way to link both comments. Whatever.
10/13/09
Achievements and trophies are bad in my opinion because of the erroneous notion that they 'add replay value'
A game has replay value if you enjoyed it enough that you WANT to play it again. Simple as that.
Playing a game again that you otherwise don't feel like playing anymore JUST for the achievements/trophies, is an artificial and ultimately counterproductive way of getting replay value out of a game.
10/13/09
I agree, they don't create replay value by themselves, but they can add just enough to get me to play a game again, which adds to my enjoyment.
10/13/09
10/13/09
10/13/09
10/13/09
Now I am getting into my mid 30's, so I'm starting to grow out of the target demographic, but I'm still an avid gamer and I'd like to think there's still some honest perspective. The increased priority of online/social gaming, and shopping networks, and artificial 'value added' features like achievements... a lot of this fluff just confuses the issue. Games were better when they were just games.
10/13/09
Perhaps one for Truxton/Tatsujin when you finish the final boss the first time and before you had to repeat - something like 'Did you think it'd end so easy? No way...'