Posted December 31, 2008 Just wondering what everyone thinks of the system behind achievements and trophies really. Do you care about them much, do you think they could be improved etc? What goals are you currently going for? --------------------------------------------------------------------------- As for me I think they're not a vital thing but they are worth having. I want to say that I don't care about trophies on the playstation but the problem is that I do. This is because I think they can make a game seem too challenging and turn into a contest to get things instead of having the natural fun-factor. I'm currently trying to attain a gold trophy on Motorstorm: Pacific Rift by getting golds for all 96 Festival events (eek!) which I probably would try hard to do even if there was no trophy for it - I'm at 55 Golds so far with no bronze or silvers so it is going well. I do wonder sometimes though why some trophies are really easy to get yet they're golds... You can get a gold trophy on buzz for playing 50 solo games (It's called Lonesome or something) even though by acing the Wipeout single player campaign (which is renowned for being SOLID) still only bags you a gold.... Weird. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 31, 2008 Im not bothered about getting every trophy in a game and i never do for that matter, i like the ones that require skill to get but NOT ones that require an insane amount of game time Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 31, 2008 I think it's a great idea. I think some people take it to extremes, like buying games just for the sake of easy achievements/trophies but for the average joe it makes you try that little bit more to complete games. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 31, 2008 They add tons of replay value to games, I love it. Currently trying to get the last trophy in Dead Space (beat the game on Impossible). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 31, 2008 We've had this discussion loads of times, so I'll shorten it :P I don't care much about them, but they're a pretty cool addition, however they add very little if any replay value to me, because I won't do anything I wouldn't do anyway and stuff like high scores/higher difficulty, etc, I always do regardless of achievements. The downside I can think of is that a lot of devs go for achievments instead of adding actual replay incentives and I hate that. I can certainly see this kind of stuff being in every console in the future. And like JonST lots of people take it to ridiculous extremes, but that's their call :P Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 31, 2008 We've had this discussion loads of times, so I'll shorten it :P I don't care much about them, but they're a pretty cool addition, however they add very little if any replay value to me, because I won't do anything I wouldn't do anyway and stuff like high scores/higher difficulty, etc, I always do regardless of achievements. The downside I can think of is that a lot of devs go for achievments instead of adding actual replay incentives and I hate that. I can certainly see this kind of stuff being in every console in the future. And like JonST lots of people take it to ridiculous extremes, but that's their call :P What I get annoyed with sometimes with trophies is that they ad time-consuming trophies which gets in the way of platinums. Rewarding people for playing for a long time is pointless, isnt even commendable and encourages too much time to be spent on it. If I'm rewarded I want it to be an award based on doing something well. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 31, 2008 I like them. The creative one are the best. I hate ones that mean you have to do the game on an unlocked difficulty setting. That's just dumb. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 31, 2008 I agree on what JonSt and Hellfire said about achievements/trophy. People get carried away with them but it just numbers/trophy icons in a way and half of game companies love them or hate them. Namco love to get carried away with the achievements and Ubisoft hate them. I like them. The creative one are the best. I hate ones that mean you have to do the game on an unlocked difficulty setting. That's just dumb. Dont like the challenge Daft? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 31, 2008 The main disadvantage is that it seems to have replaced unlockables in some games. The achievement should be the goal, not the reward. Because of this, Smash Bros Brawl has the best achievement system. As other people have said, ones related to playing x amount of times or playing for so long are the worst kind (PDZ is the best worst example: Most of them requite playing 1000 games of each multiplayer mode). Fun ones are great (best example is Geometry Wars 2), especially when it involves doing stuff that you wouldn't think of doing otherwise. I'm also not fond of achievements that require you to do specific things in solo ranked matches. If the game is fun and the achievements sound fun then I'll go for the whole lot (I've got 1000G on Burnout Paradise, Call of Duty 4, Bioshock and Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 31, 2008 Dont like the challenge Daft? No, I just don't like having to complete a game so I can unlock the extreme difficulty and then have to play it again. That's dumb. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 31, 2008 Yeah when I play a game I complete it on normal first. Then I want to jump straight into the top difficulty and that isn't always possible (Uncharted and Resistance cough) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 31, 2008 No, I just don't like having to complete a game so I can unlock the extreme difficulty and then have to play it again. That's dumb. okay but for me it fun having to beat a game again on a difficulty settings. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 31, 2008 I think the achievement system for both systems is a great idea because, ok it's not much, but you get something for completing a game or for a certain skill. It's something I'd like to see implemented into Wii games (Brawl's one was fantastic) and I wish that the 360/PS3 games would incorporate things from Brawl's such as unlocking certain items, etc. I'm not hugely bothered about getting them when I play. I normally get the main ones for completing a game and it's levels but I will look through the achievements and if I think I can get them, I will. It does add some longevity to a game for me but I won't sit for hours on end trying to get all of them. I haven't gotten close to getting 1000G on any 360 game I've played. I've come within 300 but I honestly don't care to get them. To me, it just seems a little excessive. But if you enjoyed yourself while getting them, then fair dos. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 31, 2008 They're a great addition to a game. If they make me play a game more, trying to achieve something I wouldn't have really taken the time to try and achieve beforehand, for a little pop up saying 'Well Done here's some points', then what's wrong with them? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 31, 2008 They're helping me enjoy games again I think, as a kid I used to really play a game lots and get fully into it. I guess I couldn't get another for a few months or whatever so i'd have to keep playing the ones I had, unlocking everything, beating it on the hardest difficulty. Then I got a job, and didn't really play games as thorough as I should, then after a while lost the incentive to do so. Anywho all of a sudden trophies are here and I'm playing games to their fullest again, trying to beat the hardest difficulty and do all the random stuff. Mirror's Edge is a great one for trophies, they're generally challenging but doable, without having anything over the top. As long as the trophies are total time wasters requiring you to play for ever online to unlock them I enjoy them. Should have my first platinum soon . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 31, 2008 They're helping me enjoy games again I think, as a kid I used to really play a game lots and get fully into it. I guess I couldn't get another for a few months or whatever so i'd have to keep playing the ones I had, unlocking everything, beating it on the hardest difficulty. Then I got a job, and didn't really play games as thorough as I should, then after a while lost the incentive to do so. Anywho all of a sudden trophies are here and I'm playing games to their fullest again, trying to beat the hardest difficulty and do all the random stuff. Mirror's Edge is a great one for trophies, they're generally challenging but doable, without having anything over the top. As long as the trophies are total time wasters requiring you to play for ever online to unlock them I enjoy them. Should have my first platinum soon . I assume you meant you don't like those? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 31, 2008 I assume you meant you don't like those? Haha yeah, silly typo. I'd enjoy it if it was Socom though.... and the rest of my clan played the God dam thing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 31, 2008 What i dont like is that it seems like achievements and trophies have taken the place of actual rewards like alternate costumes or rare items, which we now have to pay for as DLC Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted December 31, 2008 I never try to get trophies and they're just there. They don't give me any incentive to do anything because you only get a little picture. If it's stuff like songs in SSBB or costumes and stickers like in LBP, then I will work hard on them. If it's just for a chance to brag to your friends, then forget it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted January 1, 2009 I hate points and trophies for what they've done, because they've caused people to obsess over doing things they wouldn't normally do. I have quite a few people on my XBL friend list who are such sad bastards, buying games like Surf's up and Happy Feet (I'm sure they were bought for the gameplay value), and having done things that no person would do or gain enjoyment from had no points or trophies be rewarded. That said, some achievements are nicely done but this is usually a very small minority. The absolute worst thing about achievements is that they group together a meaningless total (points or trophies) that encourages players to play through more and more games using a guide or to the extreme for elitist, show-off reasons. I like the idea that you can be rewarded for doing things in game, but does such information need to be displayed to the public in a zealous fashion? If it wasn't displayed to all then I'm damn sure people wouldn't go for the pointless achievements (play X hours, fry 10,000 enemies) and would more or less go for fun and original ones for their own enjoyment and entertainment. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted January 1, 2009 Achievments are good, get you more moneys worth out the game, even if it is a collect achievment, some people actually enjoy exploring every inch of the game world to find it, they get more out the game. And then theirs the shit games for 1000, people dont buy these, they just rent em for the easy 1000, you might aswell get them if your a point collector, nothing sad about it really. And gloating, cmon its a game, every game on earth requires a bit of gloating if your good at it, what better way than achievments. I love getin more than me mates, some friendly banter, people should lighten up a bit, they are an option, you dont have to get them! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted January 1, 2009 If you are making purchasing decisions because of trophies you have got it all wrong. Missing out on games like MGS4 would be the dumbest thing to do. Also games are hardly equal at them. For example why would I bother going for platinum in some games. Its not worth the time. Other give them away like candy. At the end of the day its just a e-penis comparison. Much like how much WOW do you play? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted January 1, 2009 Love them to bits! I have always been a collectibles/unlockables whore when it comes to games so for me the achievement system has easily been one of the best things to come out of this generation of consoles. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted January 1, 2009 And then theirs the shit games for 1000, people dont buy these, they just rent em for the easy 1000, you might aswell get them if your a point collector, nothing sad about it really. Oh yeah, nothing sad about renting Surf's Up to get some easy Gamerpoints at all. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted January 1, 2009 They're evil and cursed, they make you play shit games no one would normally touch, and they have a really addictive quality which saps the good will out of all human beings. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
