Welcome to the MacNN Forums.

KCrosbie · Apr 28, 2010, 01:27 AM

I read a pretty interesting article here about the way achievements/trophies have affected some gamers and the way they play games.

There's no doubt in my mind that there are some people out there who want to keep their completion percentage as high as possible, but have you heard of people who don't even buy a game because the achievements/trophies look annoying? How ridiculous is that?

I honestly think they give more replay value to the game but they also take away replay value as well. I completed MW2's achievements within a week and played a little bit of multiplayer here and there, but I moved on to other games that I wanted to play and get achievements on. If there were more online achievements for the game I'd be all over it. It sucks I know, but sometimes that what dictates how I play a game. I'm sure I missed a lot of great MW2 matches with some of you guys and I'm sure I'll get back in the game sometime soon but there are just too many other games and achievements I want to go for. It's like Pokemon. Gotta get them all! Granted, there are a lot of achievements in games that are annoying to try to get, but there are some that give you an overwhelming sense of accomplishment. I never played through a game on veteran/insanity difficulty until the achievement era. I rarely played through a game more than once, but now I do if the reward is an achievement.

What are your thoughts? Do you find that achievements/trophies are better for gaming or not? What are your thoughts on its positives and negatives it brings to gaming?

mattyb · Apr 28, 2010, 07:54 AM

I guess that I'm the opposite to you. I'm all about online multi-player. I couldn't care less about achievements. In fact I bought the Xbox because I read that online gaming was much better on XBL than on Sony's equivalent.

Now challenges are a different matter.

sek929 · Apr 28, 2010, 09:53 AM

I like chievies, but not enough to go out of my way to get them. I'll try to get ones I might have missed that seem possible on a second play-through, but I'll never grind it out just to get 100%.

KCros, playing MW2 with a party of 6 is innumerably more enjoyable than getting achievements.

mattyb · Apr 28, 2010, 10:06 AM

Originally Posted by sek929

KCros, playing MW2 with a party of 6 is innumerably more enjoyable than getting achievements.

Especially with a red cod piece on and being covered in peanut butter.

Leonard · Apr 28, 2010, 10:34 AM

Originally Posted by sek929

I like chievies, but not enough to go out of my way to get them. I'll try to get ones I might have missed that seem possible on a second play-through, but I'll never grind it out just to get 100%.

That pretty much sums me up to. I'll play a second time through (or from a saved game) if there's enough to make it worth it. I replayed through Bioshock 1 from a saved game through 3 or so levels to get 3 achievements worth 50G or 60G total.

I usually also review all the achievements nowadays ahead of time, to see if there are any that can be missed during normal play. Ie. achievements that can only be done on a certain level and if missed, you have to replay the game.

But, I'll also keep playing multiplayer, even if there are no achievements left to get, as long as I'm having fun. I played UT2004 on the Mac until the end of 2007. I was on the clan UT2004 server just last weekend for a few minutes - it's still up!. I played Halo 3 for over a year. I was thinking of going back to Halo 3 one double EXP weekend to see what's happening. I'll probably play MW2 for several more months at least.

The Final Dakar · Apr 28, 2010, 01:14 PM

I don't think I've earned more than 500 gp since 11.10.09. And I don't care. I do like keeping a good completion rate, but not at the cost of awful grinding or, even worse, mindless boosting (like rubberbanding a controller). I've left points on the table on L4D, GoW2, and Halo 3/ODST, and the only one I regret even mildly is Halo 3, because I never even played on the new maps (my choice).

I would say that a game chock full of impossible achievements would dissuade me some, if only because I feel like if I can't get the majority of them (lets say 500 gp) I haven't quite beaten the game (That said, I still own a few music games I have only a handful of points on, but you don't really "beat" those). On the flipside, a game with really easy achievements would not entice me.

Originally Posted by KCrosbie

I completed MW2's achievements within a week and played a little bit of multiplayer here and there, but I moved on to other games that I wanted to play and get achievements on.

...and I totally called it.

Originally Posted by KCrosbie

If there were more online achievements for the game I'd be all over it. It sucks I know, but sometimes that what dictates how I play a game. I'm sure I missed a lot of great MW2 matches with some of you guys and I'm sure I'll get back in the game sometime soon but there are just too many other games and achievements I want to go for.

It's obsessive, and to a certain degree its missing the point. Do you want to have points or have fun? They're not mutually exclusive, but buying DLC and webcams just to 100% a game would reflect a strong focus on the former rather than the latter.

Originally Posted by sek929

KCros, playing MW2 with a party of 6 is innumerably more enjoyable than getting achievements.

See, that's what I find bewildering. How can social fun-oriented gaming be less attractive than achievement hunting?

Burnout: Paradise was a lot of fun because it was social. Sure, we helped each other a lot with achievements, but weren't the challenges themselves half the fun? Is it coincidence that we suddenly stopped playing BP when the Island DLC was released with 10 generic Multi challenges, rather than 70 spanning the 2 - 8 player categories? I know I left a few achieves on the table.

Well designed achievements do add replay value. But so does a well-designed game. Or immersive online multiplayer.

sek929 · Apr 28, 2010, 01:40 PM

An example of achievements flawlessly intertwining with the game is Fallout 3.

Leonard · Apr 28, 2010, 02:58 PM

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar

I would say that a game chock full of impossible achievements would dissuade me some, if only because I feel like if I can't get the majority of them (lets say 500 gp) I haven't quite beaten the game (That said, I still own a few music games I have only a handful of points on, but you don't really "beat" those). On the flipside, a game with really easy achievements would not entice me.

What about a game where you can get most of them by following the storyline or going through all the levels? That's what I like about Assassin's Creed II, most of the achievements can be attained just by playing through and finishing the game.

Kevin Bogues · 07:54 PM

I'll put in my .02$...

Achievements have definitely added some sense of accomplishment to things i've ALWAYS done in games i.e play on the hardest difficulty, search areas unnecessarily, play through multiple times.

I'm not a fan of achievements that force me to "grind" out an experience or repeat some boring gameplay element just for the points. But on the other side of the coin certain well thought out achievements have gave me more reason to replay or re-do certain parts or entire games.

We all know i'm a sorta game-whore (purchase a lot of games) but i only have high achievement values for games i REALLY like and i'm not a fan of pursuing an experience that isn't enjoyable just for some GS.

I do prior to playing almost any game now go through the achievement list looking for something i may of missed, but i generally don't go out of my way on my first run/trial just for achievements.

I commend the entire achievement process but just wish it was used in the correct way (Halo 3/Fallout 3/Assassins Creed II), like said previously by Fatty/Leonard. All of those games rewarded playing the game normal but by taking the extra time/effort to do things at a harder difficulty or find places/events off the beaten path.

boy8cookie · Apr 28, 2010, 05:03 PM

I never strive to achieve anything.

sek929 · Apr 28, 2010, 06:53 PM

...or to gain any prestige.

Rumor · Apr 28, 2010, 09:44 PM

It depends on the game. I enjoy single player RPG's more than anything else (see DA, ME, ME2). However, I do like co-op FPS games like Borderlands. I find that I do not have the time to really get into an extremely competitive game (MW2).

imitchellg5 · Apr 28, 2010, 10:13 PM

Whenever I buy a game, I'm determined to get 100% completion. But, that rarely happens. The only game that I've come close to is Assassin's Creed II, and I'm still working on that. Maybe some day!

Kevin Bogues · Apr 28, 2010, 10:29 PM

Originally Posted by imitchellg5

The only game that I've come close to is Assassin's Creed II, and I'm still working on that. Maybe some day!

Assassins II was actually a GREAT achievement experience, the only "grinding" was the feather hunting which actually wasn't too bad

Leonard · Apr 29, 2010, 02:13 PM

Originally Posted by Kevin Bogues

Assassins II was actually a GREAT achievement experience, the only "grinding" was the feather hunting which actually wasn't too bad

I haven't finished it yet, BUT so far Assassin's Creed II does seem to have much better Achievements than Assassin's Creed I as it was a "grind" to get all the flags in the first one and make sure you got through all the conversations with Lucy. Plus I think there were a couple of other ones that I can't remember that caused "grinding" - oh yeah, the one where you had to press a button when there was a "glitch". Most of Assassin's Creed II's are achieved through the storyline or activities that you likely have to complete as you go through the storyline.

I do have a problem with the Tombs in Assassin's Creed II. It's not sometimes evident what your next jump, leap, or step is. That should have a button that activates a hint feature if you get lost.