Achievements/Trophies In Games. Your Thoughts

[Alex]

Ever since the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 came out games have now had achievements (360) and trophies (PS3). These are things in a game where you are rewarded with an achievement for doing something in a game. Sometimes its as simple as finishing a level or completing the game. Others are more difficult such as finding particular items or using certain weapons. However all of them register on your account profile (whether online or off). And with the release of the Xbone and PS4 this looks to continue. (I don't know if Nintendo has done this, can someone confirm whether they have or not)

My question is what are your views on achievements and trophies. Do they add an added fun aspect to your gaming or are they more of an annoyance??

For me its a bit of both. I like how I can show what I've done on my profile such as completing a game on a particular difficulty setting or getting particular items. Back in the day you got some people who would be skeptical of your abilities no matter what, so this allows you to prove what you've done.

However they're also an annoyance because before they came about I'd come back to a game naturally to try and beat the harder level, collect the items etc. Now I feel I have to do everything in one go which I think undermines the enjoyment of the game because I feel these things I have to do. Most of the time I just forget it or usually come back to it when I want, but its still a reminder of something you haven't finished per se. Also the people who harp on all the time about their gamerscore/trophy score irk me. I just want to play the game without you telling me you completed it on hard first time through only using the pistol.

At the end of the day I do like achievements. They're a fun little thing I can show on my profile. But at the same time I feel they take some of the enjoyment out of the game because of the people who go on about their score all the time and also if you feel you have to do them because they're there.

So what are your views on achievements and trophies. Do you think they're good, bad or are you indifferent.

 

[KitsuneDreamer]

I wont make this long, but there are benefits to having an achievement/trophy system.

Some are incredibly stupid though. Like "Press The Start Button once for 5G" or "Use A Potion",lol.


Some are insanely hard to get, and give you a real sense of accomplishment, I remember when GH3 came out, my friends and I stayed up for weeks before graduation trying to get that Inhuman Achievement, gave me some good times.

Also Mortal Kombat's "My KungFu Is Stronger". This achievement, which gives out 60G, asks you to become a Master of every single fighter in the game, and this is achieved through winning 100 fights, executing 100 fatalities, 150 x-ray moves, spilling 10,000 liters of blood, and playing for an entire 24 hours. That’s with each character, you know. (thanks Shaun)

Also, if done right they can add a whole lot more of replayability to a game. For instance, I did NOT have an online connection to any system till 2012, that was a long time of single player games. But having those achievements really stretched out what would have been a 10-12 hour game into something much longer. (EX:Shooters, Mass Effect,TES Series)

There are some people who like to "Cheev Hunt" and think they are better than you for doing it, while i frown on something like that, it is another activity available by having the achievements.

In conclusion, It's just preference I guess, but there is a huge upside to it, and if one doesn't care about them, simply they don't have to worry about them. Cheers.

EDIT: NINTENDO DOES NOT HAVE A TROPHY SYSTEM, SHOULD THOUGH ESPECIALLY WITH THE VC.

 

[Dagger Dias]

I generally like Achievements/Trophies in games. They add more fun challenges for you after you complete the main portion of the game. I rarely bother attempting to get every achievement possible as it can get incredibly frustrating, not to mention difficult. Smash Bros comes to mind. I tried to get every trophy in Melee as well as Brawl, but ended up giving up in both titles when I just couldn't take it anymore. To those who accomplished that (and related feats in other games) more power to you. 100% completion is over-rated. I don't mind achievements overall, it is something that should remain in games. They add more things for the hardcore crowd to do, even if it means we have to listen to them brag about it once they achieve everything.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

I don't mind them being there. I'm still going to play a game the way I want to, and probably will unlock quite a few achievements doing it that way, but it does add extra playability to a game, and offers the gamer extra challenges if they want them.

Things like "Collect all secret packages" on GTA games, and "win X number of matches on Legend difficulty" on the WWE games are things that players can enjoy trying to achieve once they have completed all the missions/levels/stories that the game offers.

I think it's more relevant for people who play online though, as they can compare their scores with other players and brag about their achievements and show off their skills. I don't play online, although I have X-Box Live(for DLC mostly) so they don't really bother me either way. It's nice to get a few achievements, but I'm not going to lose any sleep if I don't get all the achievements for a game. Come to think of it, I don't think I ever have got all achievements for any game, ever!

And I am not in the slightest bit arsed.