Do Trophies/Achievements make the game Better?

[Zeema]

I believe that some games are much better with trophies but it really depends on what kind of trophies they are.

I believe these trophies/achievements should be challenging like

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Alpha Protocol: Thorton, Inc.

Turn all of your enemies into allies in one single career.

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But Not as insanely hard as Ghost Recon

Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter

-World Champion (Multiplayer)
Climb to the top of the universal leaderboard.


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But a Game with a REALLY easy Trophy would be

Fallout New Vegas: Ain't That a Kick in the Head

You get this trophy for [drum roll] taking a test then walking out of a house.

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But do these Trophies/achievements make the game better or worst?


I think if the Trophies are skill wised trophies like kill 5 people with 2 bullets with out explosives but if there insanely hard then its just annoying.

 

[Who Dares Wins]

They should be optional because they take away freedom when you want to: cheat, fiddle with the save file or something. You usually can't to prevent getting Achievements/Trophies easy, it wouldn't be fair to get GamerScore just like that and someone has to do it the old fashioned way.

 

[Valagetti]

Trophies doesn't really make much of an impact on me, mainly because half of the time they just give them away and the worst thing about it, it comes across to me as so patronising. It should apply for more of the 'hardcore' gamer demographc. The worst was when I installed Heavy Rain and it gave me a trophy for 'supporting interactive media', that really puzzled me.

 

[Mr. Gency]

I like achievements. They can get players to try things they would otherwise ignore.

 

[ThisIsFiveEighteen]

I love earning achievements. They add a whole other layer to playing a game, giving you goals beyond those in the actual game.

 

[Sovvolf]

I like them, they don't serve much use to the player, its not like you can swap them for prizes. However you do get that sense of a achievement. It does encourage you to do things that (as a users already put) you wouldn't normally do.

Well I find them fun anyway, I'm sure many will disagree with me on that but hey, to each their own right?

What I do enjoy more are the Avatar Awards that some games offer, which seem more of a prize. However most games don't give those away. What also would be nice is if they gave you a few free MSpoints for every game that you get 100% with... OR at least a free award. Would add extra purpose.

 

[PurpleSkull]

I like them, they encourage you to do stuff in a game you normally wouldn't. I hate the really easy achievements though, like in your fallout NV example. Why do you get a trophy in many games for just advancing the story? You would do that anyway.

 

[soultrain117]

Ill say sometimes better sometimes worse. I like good ones that offer a challenge like Starcraft beat 2 insane AI , but others are just impossible like the one you mentioned. Then some are too easy. I kind of think their should just be challenges not any milestone achievements like beat the campaign or beat a mission.

 

[Dr.Susse]

They don't usually affect the game for me at first but it's what keeps me coming back to the game.

 

[linwolf]

I dislike them. At best they are an annoying pop-up. At worst they prevent me from modding the game, see Starcaft 2.

 

[Sepphyre]

I quite like achievements, gives an extra dimension to the game. They need to be worthwhile though, even if a few of them are impossibly difficult.

Foamy, on the other hand... Foamy doesn't like achievements.

 

[Laurie Barnes]

Extra Credits here on the Escapist has an episode dedicated to Achievements, and I agree with that stance, but quoting it would do it injustice so here's the link.

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/extra-credits/2758-Achievements

 

[Bradd94]

Avatar: TLB (or whatever) only became known because of it's ridiculously easy 1000g
I don't think achievements should be given away like that

That being said, I can't resist the 'pop' sound
I'm on around 30k, which isn't that much but it beats all my friends

[small]Bragging rights are awesome -.-[/b]

 

[tim98042]

i personally like them, but its not the be all, end all, i like the sense of personal achievement i get from awards, trophies and achievements, but the mainthing for me is to enjoy the game im playing and if that means not reaching an achievement for the sake of fun, ill do that instead.

 

[GeneWard]

I'm a big supporter of the steam achievements, because on steam I find you don't get the same amount of elitism as on xbox live, due to the fact there are no points for achievements. I only have like 10 games on steam and have respectable amounts of achievements for all, where as on xbox live I would be criticised for not having as many Gamer points as someone with more games but less G individually.I don't like the elitism the Gamer points system brings, but like achievements on their own.

 

[ThePirateMan]

I like achievements after doing something extremely difficult or something that you're not actualy supposed to do or have to explore to find/do. It's like the game giving you a thumbs up for being awesome and bothering to explore, playing on the higher difficulties and even making things more difficult for yourself. Such as playing through a shooter only using melee weapons or playing Europa Universalis III from beginning to end without a single war and still coming out on top.

I do however not like it when I get achievements for, say, completing the first chapter of a game or shooting 50 enemies with a normal weapon.

I also love humorous achievements, like in Magicka.