Achievements/Trophies

[ThatNickGuy]

I'm not sure where it started, but a few years ago, trophies or achievements became a major part of gaming. Maybe not major among every individual gamer, but certainly in the industry. Every game these days has achievements.

What are your thoughts on them?

Personally, I...kinda like them. It gives the game some more replay value because you obsessively try to get that coveted platinum trophy (for achieving every trophy for that game). When I'm playing a game on PS3, I like hearing that "ting!" noise that I've gotten a trophy. Heck, just this past Sunday, I had a video game day and went about trying to get as many trophies as I could for Smackdown vs. RAW 2010. It's the first game that I actually want to try getting all the trophies.

That said, my one qualm is that, even if you manage to achieve some of those harder trophies, they don't always mesh with the game. Aside from extra experience and personal satisfaction, there's no reward for getting all of The Riddler's riddles in Arkham Asylum.

I just think of games like, say, Metal Gear Solid, where your reward for getting through the whole game without killing gives you a bonus item in a replay. I wish that games would mesh the trophy rewards with actual in-game rewards.

 

[AshburnerX]

Achievements/Tropies

I just think of games like, say, Metal Gear Solid, where your reward for getting through the whole game without killing gives you a bonus item in a replay. I wish that games would mesh the trophy rewards with actual in-game rewards.

You mean games should go back to doing what they did long before achievements existed? SHOCKING.

I don't mind achievements, but I do wish people wouldn't think of them as their e-peen. I'd rather find out someone is good the hard way then have them brag about it.

 

[Jay]

Achievements/Tropies

I think most achievements are pretty damn retarded. I hate concepts where things can only be unlocked if you get X achivement.

 

[Espy]

Achievements/Tropies

I don't really pay any attention to them.

 

[Dave]

Achievements/Tropies

That's one of the things DragonByte has that I have never and would never buy - an achievement/trophy thing for vBulletin. You post 50 times? Unlocked! Etc.

I'm so glad I never did it and it makes the postbit with your avatar HUGE!

 

[Disconnected]

Achievements/Tropies

though I think they are the dumbest invention to games, they have the good n bad sides.

i don't think we need an achievement to tell us to play the game a second time. If silent hill had a 'Get the ____x ending' or 'get the ___z ending' there's no fucking surprise that it can be done more than one way.
I do enjoy games that give me a something different (not just a costume change) on a second play through.

I don't hear of kids challenging each other to the fastest lap on X game in their living room anymore. They challenge each other to predefined achievements.

having your initials as top score on an arcade cabinet was achievement. damn whippersnappers.

 

[ThatNickGuy]

Achievements/Tropies

You mean games should go back to doing what they did long before achievements existed? SHOCKING.

Heh, basically, yeah. If they were able to tie in achievements with in-game rewards, then I'd sure as hell work harder for the trophies.

It's funny, though. Usually, I only care about beating a game. But then, when I look at the trophy list and see, say, 55% on a game, I'm tempted to pick it up again just to raise that number. Guess I'm kinda like Eyes in that sense; I'm a total collector person.

 

[Chibibar]

Resident Evil series. Those games have achievements that unlock stuff (better weapons and such). That was pretty cool.

Now I use to remember when I was a kid that we made up our own achievement. I did X score in Y game or I can beat it in Z time, but not many would do that anymore. The companies figured that by putting in achievements into games, it will increase replay value. Thus, it have become the norm for many games.

Is it bad? It can be IF achievement is the MAIN thing for the game (my opinion) achievements should be extra for the game not the "main course"
Resident Evil series did it very well by giving enhancement but not really necessary to finish the game.

 

[Telephius]

I like them, not as much of a fan of seasonal achievements(such as in some MMOs) as it puts pressure to get something done even for the simplest of things to do. Other than that I usually like them as it gives me something to do different with a game. Even achievment like thins such as the challenge and advanced maps in Portal were nice as they made some of the story levels actually quite hard IMO.

 

[Math242]

i usually try to get them unless they are utterly stupid, counter intuitive or time consuming. (yeah, i usually get 50% )

 

[Telephius]

I do say that I hate achieves that are very counter productive in multiplayer such as ruining a BG for a week or two because everyone is trying to not do the bg but pile on the achieve objection and at the same time if you want to get the achieve you usually have to fight alot of other people to try and get it.

 

[Silver Jelly]

I love to do stupid stuff while playing games. When that makes an achievement pop up, it makes me happy. But I don't actively pursue them.

 

[ThatNickGuy]

Heh, yeah. I love when you get one out of nowhere. My all time favourite one was "Party Pooper" in Arkham Asylum. I was laughing so hard, I had to pause the game.

 

[PatrThom]

I generally see the stereotypical 'achievement unlocked' as the game designer saying, 'We wanted to put some cool thing here, but we ran out of development time. Have a sticky-star.'

Honestly. I'd rather get my reward by climbing to the top of the mountain sneaking past all the baddies and correctly guessing the combination on the chest than by defeating the first boss using only a herring. And when I do get my reward, I want it to be an in-game thing, something I can wave around, not merely a badge. I already see enough of the 'bring me 50 pelts of shadow wolves' sort of quests. Might as well just give me a badge for staying logged in for 3 consecutive hours. It's just as pointless.

Now I know there are people who really like the whole badge/achievement thing. Some people just gotta catch 'em all. But me, I hate pointless grinding.

--Patrick

 

[GasBandit]

I don't mind it when the achievements are for things that are... well, you know, actual achievements. I don't want a popup with an achievement asking me if I want to update my status on facebook about it the moment I stomp my first goomba.

But as far as stat tracking goes, I'm all for that. I like knowing exactly how many feet I've walked, run, flown, jumped, how many of X I've killed, and so on.