Achievements are the Best/Worst thing to Happen to Gaming

[Ganthrinor]

Until Achievements actually get me something besides a way to measure my Geek-ness, I will remain indifferent to them. They can be a nice little window into what the Developers consider noteworthy about thier games... but you don't get anything tangible for Achieving, and you don't lose anything for NOT achieving, so "meh" I say! Meh.

 

[G1eet]

Mass Effect's are the best in my opinion, because it pretty much unlocks stuff/ upgrades stuff in your game. "Enhanced Achievements" I think is the phrase Bioware used.

 

[SigmondK]

As terrible as Mass Effect's achievements might be (forcing you to play the game AT LEAST 3 times), there are few games that are more fun to play through 3+ times than ME. Heck, I have 1050 in that game (current max) and I will still go back and play it 2 weeks before ME2 comes out.

How is making you play a game more times a bad thing? I think if your an achievement whore that giving your game meaning past just the first play through is a good thing. For everyone else those players will have probably played through much more than just three times.

 

[NeutralMunchHotel]

I don't hate them, it's just the fact that they can restrict you - you always think about getting the achievement rather than what the consequences actually might be.

Okay I'm game. Let's go down that road shall we?

* Medal of Honor - Complete 1 Mass Effect Playthrough on any setting - 100G
* Medal of Heroism - Complete Feros - 25G
* Distinguished Service Medal - Complete Eden Prime - 25G
* Council Legion of Merit - Complete Virmire - 25G
* Honorarium of Corporate Service - Complete Noveria - 25G
* Long Service Medal - Complete 2 Mass Effect Playthroughs on any setting - 25G
* Distinguished Combat Medal - Complete 1 Mass Effect playthrough on the Hardcore difficulty setting. Do not change the setting. - 25G
* Medal of Valor - Complete 1 Mass Effect playthrough on the Insanity difficulty setting. Do not change the setting. - 50G
* Pistol Expert - Register 150 Pistol Kills - 10G
* Shotgun Expert - Register 150 Shotgun Kills - 15G
* Assault Rifle Expert - Register 150 Assault Rifle Kills - 15G
* Sniper Expert - Register 150 Sniper Rifle Kills - 15G
* Lift Mastery - Use biotic Lift 75 times - 15G
* Throw Mastery - Use biotic Throw 75 times - 15G
* Warp Mastery - Use biotic Warp 75 times - 15G
* Singularity Mastery - Use biotic Singularity 75 times - 15G
* Barrier Mastery - Use biotic Barrier 75 times - 15G
* Stasis Mastery - Use biotic Stasis 75 times - 15G
* Damping Specialist - Use Damping Field 75 times - 15G
* AI Hacking Specialist - Use AI Hacking 75 times - 15G
* Overlord Specialist - Use Shield Overload 75 times - 15G
* Sabotage Specialist - Use Sabotage 75 times - 15G
* First Aid Specialist - Use medi-gel 150 times - 15G
* Neural Shock Specialist - Use Neural Shock 75 times - 15G
* Scholar - Find all primary Alien: Council Races, Extinct Races and Non-Council Races codex entries - 25G
* Completionist - Complete the majority of the game - 25G
* Tactician - Complete playthrough with shield damage greater than health damage - 25G
* Medal of Exploration - Land on an uncharted world - 50G
* Rich - Exceed 1,000,000 Credits - 25G
* Dog of War - Register 150 organic enemy kills - 25G
* Geth Hunter - Register 250 Synthetic enemy kills - 25G
* Soldier Ally - Complete the majority of the game with the Alliance soldier squad member - 20G
* Sentinal Ally - Complete the majority of the game with the Alliance sentinel squad member - 20G
* Krogan Ally - Complete the majority of the game with the Krogan squad member - 20G
* Turian Ally - Complete the majority of the game with the turian squad member - 20G
* Quarian Ally - Complete the majority of the game with the querian squad member - 20G
* Asari Ally - Complete the majority of the game with the asari squad member - 20G
* Power Gamer - Reach 50th level with one character - 20G
* Extreme Power Gamer - Reach 60th level with one character - 50G
* Renegade - Accumulate 75% of total Renegade points - 15G
* Paragon - Accumulate 75% of total Paragon points - 15G
* Paramour - Complete any romance subplot - 10G
* Spectre Inductee - Become a Spectre - 15G
* Charismatic - Use Charm or Intimidate to resolve an impossible situation - 10G
* Search and Rescue - Locate Dr. T?Soni in the Artemis Tau cluster - 10G


There is an entire list of every achievement? How does any of those limit you? Okay we can say that the ally one has it's problems, but the first time I played through I had Wrex and Ashley with me the whole game without knowing of that achievement. So help me understand how these achievements are so very narrowed that you have to worry about them other than the consequences of your actions in game?

Maybe you mean the renegade or paragon standing? Well that depends on the way you play, but for the most part I don't know anyone that would stay a neutral path in games like these.

How about the charisma achievement where you diffuse an impossible situation through charismatic checks. Such as talking Wrex down or Having Saren kill himself. Again this achievement is negligible and most people would save Wrex mainly because he is one of the better characters in the game to begin with.

So please help me to understand how any of these achievements will force a player to consider the achievement instead of the consequences of your actions in game.

Well I'm one of the people who would make a choice depending on what the situation is, rather than whether I intend to be good and bad. The allies are also bad - you have to stick with two rigidly throughout the game if you want to get the achievements rather than choose which ever you want. This becomes a problem with Liara - you have to go straight to that planet, doing nothing on the Citadel if you want a good chance of getting it. But I do see your point, most of those aren't a problem and I have many of them, it's just those few I don't like.

 

[letsnoobtehpwns]

I don't care much about achievements. I sometimes try to get a couple but I'm not an achievement whore. I like Halo 3's achievements, their fun to get and if you get 1000 points, you unlock armor.

 

[Thunderhorse31]

How is making you play a game more times a bad thing? I think if your an achievement whore that giving your game meaning past just the first play through is a good thing. For everyone else those players will have probably played through much more than just three times.

Well that's what I'm saying - if it's a great game, then it will be a pleasure to play multiple times. If it's a game that sorta sucks balls (like say, Kingdom of Fire) that requires you to play it multiple times (six times, in the case of KoF's achievements), then it's a drag.

Mass Effect's are the best in my opinion, because it pretty much unlocks stuff/ upgrades stuff in your game. "Enhanced Achievements" I think is the phrase Bioware used.

This is indeed awesome, moreso than ones that unlock artwork and videos (which are still nice). Even the minor effects (5% faster shield regen or whatever) were a great feature.

 

[mad benji89]

i do think that there are good and fun to gather up all the points u can on your games but some times i find my self playing on the game that am not really enjoying just for the easy achievements and a cloud of shame comes over me in relisesation that i have become a achievement whore scraping away at games that if it wasnt for the points i would really pick up =/

 

[Tharwen]

Achievements are a good way for game designers to get people to play the game for ages and make them do more within the game. I personally love them, and I see no reason why anyone should complain about them as they have no effect on the gameplay, unless you really care about a tiny portion of your screen being taken away by a little box telling you how good you are.

 

[Bored Tomatoe]

I generally don't have a problem with either, unless they're just completely stupid ones that don't make sense, are redundant, or you have to go out of your way to complete them.

I mean, really. Battlefield: Bad Company...would anyone really conventionally tackle these trophies/achievements unless they saw them first:

On Top of The World - Climb to the highest spot in the game
Never Used a Door - (Online) Destroy 1000 walls
Forest Ranger - (Online) Knock down 1000 trees

http://www.ps3trophies.co.uk//trophy.php?forumid=106

Don't get me wrong, I still love B: BC. I just thought that the aforementioned rewards are utterly stupid.

Actually, I got both of those without ever checking the achievment list, I just really like blowing stuff up.

 

[NeutralMunchHotel]

How is making you play a game more times a bad thing? I think if your an achievement whore that giving your game meaning past just the first play through is a good thing. For everyone else those players will have probably played through much more than just three times.

Well that's what I'm saying - if it's a great game, then it will be a pleasure to play multiple times. If it's a game that sorta sucks balls (like say, Kingdom of Fire) that requires you to play it multiple times (six times, in the case of KoF's achievements), then it's a drag.

Mass Effect's are the best in my opinion, because it pretty much unlocks stuff/ upgrades stuff in your game. "Enhanced Achievements" I think is the phrase Bioware used.

This is indeed awesome, moreso than ones that unlock artwork and videos (which are still nice). Even the minor effects (5% faster shield regen or whatever) were a great feature.

But the thing is, even with a great game like Mass Effect 3+ playthroughs can get to be a drag.

 

[NeutralMunchHotel]

I generally don't have a problem with either, unless they're just completely stupid ones that don't make sense, are redundant, or you have to go out of your way to complete them.

I mean, really. Battlefield: Bad Company...would anyone really conventionally tackle these trophies/achievements unless they saw them first:

On Top of The World - Climb to the highest spot in the game
Never Used a Door - (Online) Destroy 1000 walls
Forest Ranger - (Online) Knock down 1000 trees

http://www.ps3trophies.co.uk//trophy.php?forumid=106

Don't get me wrong, I still love B: BC. I just thought that the aforementioned rewards are utterly stupid.

Actually, I got both of those without ever checking the achievment list, I just really like blowing stuff up.

But isn't that what achievements are supposed to be about? Doing things you wouldn't ordinarily do? I think you hit the nail on the head without even meaning to - 'would anyone really conventionally tackle these trophies/achievements unless they saw them first'

 

[nathan-dts]

Worth mentioning is the anti-Christ that is online achievements. I fucking hate when people refuse to co-operate with the rest of their team because they're only 12 sniper rifle kills away from the achievement.

Or those achievements/trophies that you have to get 10000+ kills in online games, even though the multiplayer sucks.

 

[MrSnugglesworth]

I hate some achievements. Like no dying in a campaign or something. Thats almost impossible. (Except in fable.)

 

[NeutralMunchHotel]

I think it's when Quake has one where you have to be number 1 in the world that it becomes a little bit pointless. Although, it would be awesomely awesome to have it.

 

[Jon Etheridge]

I don't get the whole thing really. I mean I "get" it. it's a simple solution for console makers to come up with a way to get the "hardcore" crowd to buy, or rent, every game they possibly can. Then the reward for sinking numerous hours into a game is a digital trophy or achievement that says "Hey look, here's how much time I wasted."

Now, I love gaming, and i like to play as many of the latest and greatest titles and can get my grubby little mits on. But I look at this whole achievement/trophy thing as nothing more than a business decision by greedy executives to give people a reason to buy and play more then they really should. Look at the language they use, "achievements". ... "trophies" ... Two words that defy doing something and getting rewarded for it. But what are you actually getting? A digital string of code that says "Thumbs up buddy, here is your cookie"

Trickery I say.

I hate sounding negative about stuff, but this whole achievement thing, I just cant get into.

 

[NeutralMunchHotel]

I don't get the whole thing really. I mean I "get" it. it's a simple solution for console makers to come up with a way to get the "hardcore" crowd to buy, or rent, every game they possibly can. Then the reward for sinking numerous hours into a game is a digital trophy or achievement that says "Hey look, here's how much time I wasted."

Now, I love gaming, and i like to play as many of the latest and greatest titles and can get my grubby little mits on. But I look at this whole achievement/trophy thing as nothing more than a business decision by greedy executives to give people a reason to buy and play more then they really should. Look at the language they use, "achievements". ... "trophies" ... Two words that defy doing something and getting rewarded for it. But what are you actually getting? A digital string of code that says "Thumbs up buddy, here is your cookie"

Trickery I say.

I hate sounding negative about stuff, but this whole achievement thing, I just cant get into.

I can see your point, but I don't see achievements as a way of telling me how good I am. They're more of things to aim for as I play, rather than just go through everything in a linear way.

 

[Xionis Zeshun]

I like achievements that prompt me to explore a facet of the game I'd never experience on my own, mostly due to personal obliviousness. Grinding achievements I dislike a lot, I would rather be rewarded for achieving something in a unique fashion rather than because I spent 8 weeks kicking chickens around.

 

[Prons]

They are wonderfull, I wish we had them way back on the Magnavox Odysey

 

[DueAccident]

Worst/Hardest would be Burnout Revenge. Seriously? An Achievement for having your clip be in the top 20 vids of all time? Ridiculous.

That's laughably unfair and impossible. Worst achievement I've ever heard of.

 

[Iampringles]

I think they are an enjoyable extra perk.