Addicted to Achievements

[bapenguin]

Gamespy (http://xbox.gamespy.com/articles/680/680891p1.html) has an article up regarding Achievement Addiction on the XBox 360.

Although the achievement system is a nice touch when you're playing offline, it's not until you get onto Xbox Live that you'll find yourself becoming an addict. Essentially, you'll be able to check on the games that your friends have played, tracking the number of achievement points that they've received. It may not sound like much at first, but you'll gradually begin to check out their scores more and more, and it won't be long before you're spending more time comparing scores than actually playing games against them. Finally, a way to compete in both single player AND multiplayer games!

I have to say I'm addicted as well. I've spent many a times playing a game with a sole goal of unlocking this achievement and unlocking that. It in essence extends the replay ability of a title. It's pretty amazing really, it's something I thought was pretty pointless when it was first announced. Now, it's one of my favorite features.

My current Gamerscore is 4950 (http://live.xbox.com/member/BAPenguin). What's yours?

[DigitalFirefly]

I've got 1715, but only 3 games and a couple arcade games.

I like trying to get achievements, it adds replay value to games.

[Balthasar]

Still sounds a lot like level grinding/item forging in MMORPGS.

[Yeti2005]

MuCrew Yeti: 1880

Hey bapenguin, any tips for Hexic or do you know of place online where I could look?

[King Drewsky]

Only 220, but I have the best Robotron score of all my friends, 160k. I also have the 2nd best Joust score but that is still pretty low.

I only have got achievements in PD0, Hexic, Joust, and Robotron. The arcade game don't give out that many points and it is hard to unlock points in PD0. The EA Sports games give points away like beads during Mardi Gras.

http://live.xbox.com/en-US/profile/profile.aspx?pp=0&GamerTag=King+Drewsky

[GrinR]

Absolutely agreed. It's aptly named - Achievements are real markers of progress. Someone mentioned that they didn't want to participate in a "grind" as in a MOG, but this is the wrong paradigm. Actually it is more like a culmination of gamer desires; a global scorecard showing detailed particulars of each players skill.

PS3, Revolution may have the best games/graphics ever, but they won't have this network going for them - and I'll be missing it every moment I play without it.

[Atorak]

I'm only 1770. 4950 is one hell of a Gamerscore bap! Honestly, you have NO idea how many times I've checked games you've played, trying to unlock the same achievements! I think you have the highest score out of all my friends, so obviously, I'm competing with you.

I love the Gamerscore system too, though. Didn't think much of it in the beginning, but now I can't get enough. In fact, my brother has a 360, and I find myself stealing some of his games just so I can unlock some easy achievements for a better score!

[bapenguin]

MuCrew Yeti: 1880

Hey bapenguin, any tips for Hexic or do you know of place online where I could look?

My only tips are

1) Create flows with star pieces. The bonus points for this are immense. The multiplier goes like this: 2x, 4x, 8x, 16x, 24x, 32x

So on level 5 if you create a flower with 3 stars you'll get 40,000 points.

2) Go slow. Keep as many stars as you can, when it gets crowded start creating black pearls.

I have to admit, at first I thought Hexic was crap...but now I'm really addicted to it.

[ColdForged]

I think they're an admirable addition to the console, and they are actually addictive. I don't see it as a level grind analogy but rather as an enticement to explore more of the game or do things in a slightly different way.

A prime example is the Pacifism achievement in Geometry Wars, rewarded for surviving the first 60 seconds of the game without firing a shot. What a novel thought and I wouldn't have tried it -- or discovered how challenging it is to not shoot -- without that achievement there driving me to it.

The achievements in Condemned are similar, rewarding exploration of the levels by finding dead and dying birds and metal pieces as well as secret areas that have various TVs and Xbox 360s. There have been secret areas in almost every game known to man and it was a private accomplishment to find them when you did... now you're rewarded in a way that is more public and visible.

It's a rather ingenious system.

[rein]

Yea, level grinding for consoles. IMO it is about the same concept. It doesn't matter if you are having fun. The game is just a means to an end goal of getting achievements unlocked.

At first I really liked the idea because it was a way to compare where you were in a game vs friends. Then I realized that achievements have the potential to replace a fun time in a game with the objective of achievement unlocking at the expense of good game play.

[falcon]

Only at 1460 right now but I haven't had much time to spend with the 360 over the last few weeks. Very cool to quickly and easily see what your buddies are playing and how far they are in the game (always fun to see who's currently stuck on the crappy water boss in Kameo).

[bean19]

bapenguin - My gamerscore is 1645 (http://live.xbox.com/en-US/profile/profile.aspx?pp=0&GamerTag=shai23), but game to game I've got you beat except for Kameo, which I have yet to finish, and may not finish.

I know you guys love it, but I'm just sort of bored with it. Also, the controls are pretty weak on some of the mobs. I freaking HATED playing as Deep Blue, and Major Ruin jump puzzles are not really that hard, but they leave me frustrated some times.

[Gerbs]

My score is 3210 right now, but I have the highest score in geometry wars among my friends! Of course I only have like three friends, and none of them have a 360. So if anyone wants to add me... ;)

[torrefaction]

If I hear one more complaint about deep blue, I'll scream. Not only is he my favorite character, the control mechanics worked really well for me, and I had it beat in no time. I thought it was one of the easier levels, after a second of getting the hang of the thing. I just don't understand how people had so many problems with it.

[Cubfan]

Prior to the release of the 360, I saw many articles expounding on the whole Gamerscore concept. I didn't care in the slightest and considered it to be one of the less interesting new features of the console. But after picking up the 360 (and being gouged for the wireless adapter thingy) I can say that it is very, very cool. It's addictive, but addictive in a good way. It pushes you to put a little time into games that you might not have otherwise. I get more mileage out of my games, and find myself playing and enjoying games that I would otherwise have overlooked.

[fahrvergnugen]

I love the achievements system. It's got me to stick with games I would have given up on otherwise, and breathed new life into them.

My score's 5320 (http://live.xbox.com/en-US/profile/profile.aspx?pp=0&GamerTag=Fahrvergnugen) right now. Only 1000 of those are "gimp" points, taken from a game that gives them away like they're candy (King Kong). I'm unreasonably proud of getting that score without touching a single EA Sports game, which are notorious for giving away points for doing nothing.

I do have to admit that I'm grinding out the last few points from Gun right now, though. It's asinine that they make you play through on every difficulty to get credit. If I beat the game on Insane I should get complete credit for easy / normal / hard as well. I'm not even having any fun on these lower difficulty levels, I'm just doing it for the points.

However, on the whole it balances. I'm going to go back to PGR3 and Kameo and finish those out next. The Kameo endgame is actually really subtle and interesting, and I'm learning about racing lines & the like in order to get better at Gotham.

[Roc Ingersol]

My score is: can't find a damn 360.

[Valkyrist]

I agree with the peeps here comparing this to lvl-grinding in MMORPGs.

Thank god. Now even on console games we can tolerate a bland game if only to get our "Achievement Fix". I want every single person who just said they like this feature to publicly appologize for making fun of Pokemon for so many years. =P

[ColdForged]

And we've come full circle to where I can confidently state that people will bitch about anything. Give them a golden poontang, they'd complain that it wasn't 24k.

[KDups]

Hey I really like the achievement system, but I have to say I played Tony Hawk way, way, way more than I wanted to just to get more achievement points. I didn't want to play the game at ALL anymore (side note - started the series with 4, now ending it with the crappytacular American Wasteland) but I just had to keep playing to get that Gamerscore up.

Over time I can't see myself caring this much for them. Achievements will ultimately be less about the mundane tasks (i.e. beat the third boss) and more about the really impressive feats.

[Sinistar]

5000+ and 4000+ scores - crikey. I'm full on at 1100. Either I need to up my play time or you guys need to check out the sun more.

[Phades]

Hey I really like the achievement system, but I have to say I played Tony Hawk way, way, way more than I wanted to just to get more achievement points. I didn't want to play the game at ALL anymore (side note - started the series with 4, now ending it with the crappytacular American Wasteland) but I just had to keep playing to get that Gamerscore up.

Over time I can't see myself caring this much for them. Achievements will ultimately be less about the mundane tasks (i.e. beat the third boss) and more about the really impressive feats.

I agree. Scores are going to mean less than the individual things you've done. Heck, the fact that you get 1000 for beating King Kong proves that point.

[fahrvergnugen]

Yeah. I feel like a total stud for getting the 100% achievement on Tony Hawk, I know hardly anyone else who has the full 1,000 points for it.

[Chalex]

http://card.mygamercard.net/Chalex.jpg

[NACIONAL]

Over time I can't see myself caring this much for them. Achievements will ultimately be less about the mundane tasks (i.e. beat the third boss) and more about the really impressive feats.

I think is going to be the other way around... the good games will have almost imposible achievements....

well that is just my two cents.

[Balthasar]

And we've come full circle to where I can confidently state that people will bitch about anything. Give them a golden poontang, they'd complain that it wasn't 24k.
I'm not complaining. If I am compelled to pony-up for the 360, I can just ignore the achievements altogether. Or so I hope--which is kind of the problem. These sorts of things tend to get very addictive, but not because they're actually fun. Eventually it just becomes work, much like level-grinds. Anyway, I was just making an observation. If you disagree, you disagree. See how you feel about it in 3 or 4 months when you are fixated on getting all the achievement points you can for a game that you completely regretted buying. Or, similarly, sapped the fun out of a game that you really liked by making you do tasks that give you a headache.

Wait until Oblivion hits.

[WastelandDan]

I've gotten pretty hooked on them. It gave me incentive to replay COD2 on veteran difficulty, which is nice. When I first played I did it on the regular difficulty and I was able to pretty much Rambo my way through some of the more difficult parts. Doing it on veteran takes a hell of a lot more planning and careful execution. I'm on the very last part of Hill 400 and after that all that's left is the final mission. So close!

[fahrvergnugen]

I think is going to be the other way around... the good games will have almost imposible achievements....

well that is just my two cents.

Not necessarily. Quake IV has by far the hardest requirements, and it's pretty universally panned for long load times and short matches.

[Returner]

5775 points

[ruprect]

Good lord, I'm quite low compared to you all. . . just 585. Of course, I've only completed one game at this point. . . just haven't had time yet.

[ColdForged]

Eventually it just becomes work, much like level-grinds.

It's a glass half full versus half empty thing to me. You see "level grinds" on games you don't find fun. I see additional incentive to do things, hopefully fun, that I might not otherwise have tried life the aforementioned GW thing.

To me, blaming the gamerscore/achievement system for "forcing" anyone to engage in an activity that isn't fun is silly. These are still games... if it ain't fun, 30 additional points ain't worth the pain. Admittedly, I guess that's the definition of "addiction." So perhaps I'm not "addicted" yet, because I'll be damned if I'll spend my short free time doing something that isn't fun just to earn the dubious distinction of a slightly higher gamerscore.

[Ozymandias]

Check out J Allard's - aka Hiroprotagonist.

Over 10,000 - yes, 10,000. Anyone who cares to argue the guy isn't a gamer can just go here:

http://live.xbox.com/en-US/profile/profile.aspx?pp=0&GamerTag=hiroprotagonist

[Yeti2005]

I can't believe people are complaining / knocking this feature. They're letting you track game by game how you're doing compared with the rest of the world and more importantly your friends. You can ask people for help who you know have beaten a certain part of game or you can disprove someone's claim that "so and so game sucks" when you can clearly see they've never played it. I don't understand why any of this is a bad thing.

[Reanimated]

http://live.xbox.com/en-US/profile/profile.aspx?pp=0&GamerTag=Reanimated

4330 for me. The games that make you play like a million hours of multiplayer to get most of the points really piss me off. I also don't like the games that make you run through on every difficulty. If I play a game on hard, I should get the credit for the lower difficulty settings, like I did in CoD2. I beat that game on Veteran and got credit for all of the difficulty levels. But with Quake, I've got to play that shit 4 times... 2 down so far.

[Rirath]

So, do you get anything? It does in fact seem to me to be a level grind, which isn't such a bad thing. Heck, I keep lists of every game I play mainly just for the satisfaction of putting a checkmark next to it. I like the "level" system on sites like Gamespot, or the changing title here at EA with post count. I enjoy the extra shine for time invested. But level grinds usually come with rewards, and bragging rights would eventually get old.

I thought I heard once about points being used for free unlocks?

[maharahaj]

Acquiring a higher gamerscore has certaining encouraged me to spend more time with the (4) games I've played so far, especially doing stuff I normally wouldn't do to get more points (setting a lap time for every track in PGR3 for example). I also have realized that I shouldn't try to get every possible point on a first play through in order to fully enjoy the game. Condemned as an example: I knew before playing that an award could be earned by never firing a gun but since I wanted to try the firearms, I've opted to go for that award second play through. Compromising my point addiction for fun.

I also found myself altering the game options in NHL2K6 to my advantage in a quick game to get an opportunity to score while 2 men down for points by dropping goalie skills ALL the way down and increasing penalty severity and speed boost times in order to constantly be down by two men and score on a break away just to get those 200 points. I take it the folks who have completed 40yrs of Madden just simulated 40 seasons real quick to unlock those points.

I guess I would prefer games that rewarded difficult feats with a higher score vs. awarding points in accordance with how far one has progressed in a game where finishing = 1000. But if they are there so far, I'll make my grab for them.

BAPenguin-how did you get your NHL2K6 score on a penalty shot award? I've played around 40 games and have yet to even had a penalty shot called for me. Did you alter the game options? any info appreciated

[bapenguin]

It's not necessarily a level grind. Sure some of the game to get all the acheivements in them would be that. But for most, it gives you a different way to play the game.

For example, NHL2k6 - the one acheivement is score a goal 2 men down. So the entire game I did nothing but get penalties and try to score shorthanded. It was a friggin blast. To top things off, after I scored the goal, I was still only down 3-1 and ended up winning the game.

ON a side note...the hardest acheivements (most of the Live arcade titles) are worth pittlins. Survive a million in Geometry Wars? Get to Level 100 on Joust? Beat Smash TV using 0 continues? PLEASE. That's amazing if someone accomplishes that.

[bapenguin]

BAPenguin-how did you get your NHL2K6 score on a penalty shot award? I've played around 40 games and have yet to even had a penalty shot called for me. Did you alter the game options? any info appreciated

Constantly use the coaching "release" option. As soon as your D gets the puck pass it up to the man. Once you cross the blu-line for a breakway slow downa bit, let the defense catch up. Basically toy with them and force them to hook you to get the penalty shot. It took a few tries but eventually you'll get it down.

[Balthasar]

Check out J Allard's - aka Hiroprotagonist.

Over 10,000 - yes, 10,000. Anyone who cares to argue the guy isn't a gamer can just go here:

http://live.xbox.com/en-US/profile/profile.aspx?pp=0&GamerTag=hiroprotagonist
Is it entirely out of the realm of posibility that one of his main roles is as a marketing tool, to give microsoft "gamer cred?" Besides everything else he's done up to this point, that gamercard of his could easily be fabricated.

[Albinobees]

I personally love the idea of the gamerscore/achievement system. Most of the games I have played over the past few years I have found myself blasted through the main game mode and then never playing it again, but trying to get achievements has really made me play the same game more than I normally would.

Though I have to agree with the whole multiple difficulty level thing. I've been playing GUN now for what seems like forever just to get all the achievements for all the various difficulties.

The only other problem i have had so far is Perfect Dark Zero. It seems like i'll never be able to get all the achievements from that damn game, though it does make me feel better that J. Allard barely has any of the PDZ achievements.

[Phades]

Is it entirely out of the realm of posibility that one of his main roles is as a marketing tool, to give microsoft "gamer cred?" Besides everything else he's done up to this point, that gamercard of his could easily be fabricated.

It's possible but give me a break, I doubt they'd even bother. Is it "out of the realm of posibility" that he really does enjoy games?

By the way, Velocity Girl has apparently decided not to buy a 360 :D

[maharahaj]

Constantly use the coaching "release" option. As soon as your D gets the puck pass it up to the man. Once you cross the blu-line for a breakway slow downa bit, let the defense catch up. Basically toy with them and force them to hook you to get the penalty shot. It took a few tries but eventually you'll get it down.

Thanks for the info bapenguin. I had tried that but I'll give it a few more attempts until it works in my favor.

[Balthasar]

"The games that make you play like a million hours of multiplayer to get most of the points really piss me off. I also don't like the games that make you run through on every difficulty. If I play a game on hard, I should get the credit for the lower difficulty settings, like I did in CoD2. I beat that game on Veteran and got credit for all of the difficulty levels. But with Quake, I've got to play that shit 4 times... 2 down so far."

There's what I'm talking about, right there. Why do something that is so clearly unenjoyable? I'm not saying people shouldn't do it. People play MMORPGs too. But it is what it is.

[Balthasar]

It's possible but give me a break, I doubt they'd even bother. Is it "out of the realm of posibility" that he really does enjoy games?
Well, you say it like it sounds so crazy. What does he do at Microsoft that he has that much free time? I barely have time to play that much of any videogame these days, and I'm fairly certain my job carries far fewer time-consuming duties.

[bapenguin]

"The games that make you play like a million hours of multiplayer to get most of the points really piss me off. I also don't like the games that make you run through on every difficulty. If I play a game on hard, I should get the credit for the lower difficulty settings, like I did in CoD2. I beat that game on Veteran and got credit for all of the difficulty levels. But with Quake, I've got to play that shit 4 times... 2 down so far."

There's what I'm talking about, right there. Why do something that is so clearly unenjoyable? I'm not saying people shouldn't do it. People play MMORPGs too. But it is what it is.

Those are very few and far between. The vast majority of acheivments are valuable. Don't knock it till you try it.

[bapenguin]

Well, you say it like it sounds so crazy. What does he do at Microsoft that he has that much free time? I barely have time to play that much of any videogame these days, and I'm fairly certain my job carries far fewer time-consuming duties.

Hmm...his job is to show games to people and promote the product. I'd imagine that's how he's getting a lot of these.

[mister_slim]

I'm addicted to pointing out spelling errors. So... yeah, I'm really not, but the thread title is mispelled. You did get it right in the summary though.

Wait until Oblivion hits.
The final Oblivion achievement should be to beat the game in under 20 minutes.

[bapenguin]

I'm addicted to pointing out spelling errors. So... yeah, I'm really not, but the thread title is mispelled. You did get it right in the summary though.

What do you mean? :D

[mister_slim]

What do you mean? :D
Damn. I am crazy. :rolleyes:

[rein]

Check out J Allard's - aka Hiroprotagonist.

Over 10,000 - yes, 10,000. Anyone who cares to argue the guy isn't a gamer can just go here:

http://live.xbox.com/en-US/profile/profile.aspx?pp=0&GamerTag=hiroprotagonist

Great.... ..we are going to start seeing power-level ads for Xbox Live. I would guess that it is not all him that got the 10,000+ points. It was a bunch of monkees. The Monkees (http://www.monkees.net/)

[Balthasar]

Hmm...his job is to show games to people and promote the product. I'd imagine that's how he's getting a lot of these.
Do you really think his job is that simple? PR in general as a job is extremely time consuming, one of those jobs that easily turn into a 60-80 hour a week affair. Sitting down to get those gamerpoints, he has to do that in his free time. You don't even question it, just a little?

[fahrvergnugen]

I'm addicted to pointing out spelling errors. So... yeah, I'm really not, but the thread title is mispelled. You did get it right in the summary though.

You uh... you mis-spelled "mis-spelled."

[KamaItachi]

I haven't gotten into the whole achievements thing yet, , but I guess it'll be something that'll sneak up on me as I get more games/play them a bit more. I actually think I have yet to score a single point as I haven't really completed anything yet.

[ArkMan]

You uh... you mis-spelled "mis-spelled."

Haha, nice.

Anyways, as far as I'm concerned, anyone that can get every single platinum in project gotham gets BIG TIME sexual favours from me. This generous reward is for two reasons:

1) As a celebration of their superior driving skill

2) To fill the void of female contact since the game was purchased

Actually now that I think about it, if someone finds the perfect car for it's class, I could see how it's possible to accomplish in a somewhat reasonable amount of time. So maybe just a reach around is due, and I'll reserve the mother load for the sorry shit that gets everything in Perfect Dark (skill based achivements I love, but time sinks can fucking blow me).

[Atorak]

The final Oblivion achievement should be to beat the game in under 20 minutes.

That video of Morrowind being beaten that fast is just amazing. And, equally as depressing!!! Heh, especially if you think about how much time you spent on it. Nice call though, slim.

Here's to hoping there is only one achievement for Halo 3:


"Congratulations! You have successfully discovered an ending worth your time."

[Morratut]

I love the achievements in 360 games. My score at the moment is 1315. For me it adds replayability to games you have bought. After i've beaten CoD2 on Veteran i'm gonna try for gold on PGR3 and get some points on PD0.

[bapenguin]

Do you really think his job is that simple? PR in general as a job is extremely time consuming, one of those jobs that easily turn into a 60-80 hour a week affair. Sitting down to get those gamerpoints, he has to do that in his free time. You don't even question it, just a little?

No, I definitely question it a little. Thing is...Allard had something like 5,000 points at launch. He's been playing these games since the end of October. And in all honestly...most of the achievements he has are just basic ones. Could there have been someone playing on his account? Most likely. But do I think he earned the majority of his Gamer points. Most Likely also.

[King Drewsky]

J. Allard has a top 20 score in Robotron. Fucking Robotron. You don't get much more hardcore than Robotron. The guy is a gamer.

[Reanimated]

My question is - WHO FUCKING CARES about Allard's gamerscore?

And especially why would a dipshit that doesn't even own an Xbox 360 care? Get a fucking life.

[Montolio]

2005 Evil Avatar Fantasy Football Champion

Damn you Los Santos Kings...Damn youuuuuuu! ;-)

[Jukey]

it won't be long before you're spending more time comparing scores than actually playing games
A game system I don't play games on. Brilliant!
GG Microsoft.

[Balthasar]

My question is - WHO FUCKING CARES about Allard's gamerscore?

And especially why would a dipshit that doesn't even own an Xbox 360 care? Get a fucking life.
Talking to me? No need to get your panties in a bunch, buddy. If not owning a 360 disqualifies me from talking about it, then you're not allowed to talk about the PS3.

Hypocracy is fun, isn't it?

[NACIONAL]

Talking to me? No need to get your panties in a bunch, buddy. If not owning a 360 disqualifies me from talking about it, then you're not allowed to talk about the PS3.

Hypocracy is fun, isn't it?

when everyone talks about the PS3 they are speculating (everyone is)... but when someone tells you that the achievement system in the 360 is good, he is not speculating, he has played it and it rocked (according to his opinions).

You should try it before waving such a negative opinion.

just my two cents

[Balthasar]

when everyone talks about the PS3 they are speculating (everyone is)... but when someone tells you that the achievement system in the 360 is good, he is not speculating, he has played it and it rocked (according to his opinions).

You should try it before waving such a negative opinion.

just my two cents
I never placed a value judgement on achievements. I was drawing a comparison to something else many people enjoy in a strikingly similar way. If you find it negative, that has nothing to do with me. There are a few million people out there that play games like EQ and WOW that don't mind it.

Futher, it's extremely hypocritical to presume that, on a video game message board, the only ones that are allowed to speak of a particular console or game are the ones that own it. Arguing that there was any merit to his "suggestion" is disingenuous and you know it.

[EL CABONG]

7360 and counting.
My gamer tag is EL CABONG

I am not super gun ho about getting it higher but it is kinda neat to get points feels like I did something instead of just sitting on my ass wasting time playing games.

[thefunmachine]

My addiction continues.
I just hit 50000points exactly.

[RestlessAvenger]

My current Gamerscore is 4950 (http://live.xbox.com/member/BAPenguin). What's yours? [/i]

Pretty sure you meant 41376. You passed 4950 a long time ago.

I am sitting happily at 44696. Maybe there are just too many games to play, but I have been finding myself moving the quick points games further and further down my gamefly queue as of late.

[Johan]

7,000+ and not even sure of the exact number.

I have very mixed emotions about achievements. The best thing about them, to me, is that they are a part of driving software sales on the system, and the more games that sell, the more good games there will be, which is good for me as a 360 owner.

Other than that one positive aspect, I see no reason to care about them very much. They're just too random across and within games, in terms of difficulty and such, to get hung up on them.

[Micasa]

I disagree. While I think Gamerscore is useless, the Achievements are a great idea. There are easily a dozen games that I've played far more than I ever would have, and played in far different ways, just to get the Achievement. Playing football games with more of a run and gun style, instead of my normal grind the ball gameplay style, for one :D

I think the ePeen angle is pretty lame, but if the Achievements get people playing, and enjoying, games in a different way - how can that be bad?

[Trazzlo the Magnificant]

Pretty sure you meant 41376. You passed 4950 a long time ago.
No, he meant what he said. I think you missed that he posted on 01-12-2006, 12:21 PM., almost 2 years ago. :)

[Micasa]

A game system I don't play games on. Brilliant!
GG Microsoft.

That one seems particularly funny, given the current state of the PS3. I know, I know - the games are coming...

[KingGorilla]

I agree with the peeps here comparing this to lvl-grinding in MMORPGs.

Thank god. Now even on console games we can tolerate a bland game if only to get our "Achievement Fix". I want every single person who just said they like this feature to publicly appologize for making fun of Pokemon for so many years. =P

To a point though. If you are grinding for kit and XP in an MMO, or ANY RPG, you are going to get a "tangible" reward. You will get a more powerful item to make the game play easier, a new skill, and so forth.

[Rogue_hunter]

super duper zombie thread ftw!


Steam does better acheivements

[stereo bones]

This thread is old, guys! Leave it alone!

[KingGorilla]

This thread is old, guys! Leave it alone!

You know what really helps kill an old thread? Posting something to the effect of "Stop posting in this Old Thread" and bumping it back to the top. Escpecially because smart asses like me will point that out, and bump it again.

[PatrickRes9]

heres the problem with achievements. You'll find yourself playing games to get achievements that you'd normaly not be bothering with. You would be playing games youd truly want to play, rather then clinging to a mediocre game a little longer, just to recieve the achievements. Also, when you start playing games on other consoles, they begin to feel a bit hindered, because they dont add to your acheivement points. This could be manifestations of my addictive nature to the achievements, or it could be universal to all achievement addicts. okay, my muffins are done baking. Im going to check on them. (GamerScore: 21353) AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

[Kielaran]

I am addicted to achievement, for the most part. There are a few times I have refused to go for achievements, the most rememberable one being in Halo 3 getting the point score on the level where you are in the flood ship (I would go back if I can finish the rest of the achievements, but it seems like a lost cause at this point). I guess what saves me from going and doing them is I have enough else to play and I know I can get achievements for thsoe games still too.

[AniAko]

MuCrew Yeti: 1880

Hey bapenguin, any tips for Hexic or do you know of place online where I could look?

:(:( I tried the archives, but I couldn't find my old Hexic tips post I wrote god knows how long ago. Anyone know where the cut-off point for the archives are?

I believe I'm still top on my friends list for Hexic. If I was online, I was beating the snot out of Hexic.

Achievements are just added bonuses for me. If they pertain to the task I'm actually trying to accomplish, cool. If I need win 30 online matches in a row for an achievement, chances are I'm not interested in it. But if it's to melt faces on Expert playing Rage Against the Machine on GH2, I'm down.

Even the guy that got an achievement a day every day retired. They're grade 'A' gamer-crack, and are a gateway drug to Korean-72-hour-kamikaze missions.

[Hyperglide]

I wasn't even aware of the achievement system until I unboxed my 360 back in January played some Hexic and unlocked my first achievement 5 gamerscore for a combo. Since then i'm addicted and it's been a welcome addition. I don't even buy games on other consoles that are on the 360 just for the excuse that the achievements are there (also having xbox live helps). My current gamerscore (http://live.xbox.com/en-US/profile/profile.aspx?pp=0&GamerTag=hyperglide).