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As always, when I decide to go off on a tangent, or just decide to talk about my thoughts on gaming, I go back to the retro. I was a SNES boy who still enjoys the retro with a healthy mix of current generation games from all systems. Today I is no exception as I decide to talk about achievements.
Last night I was enjoying a nice game of Lips on the Xbox 360 with my fiancée. My singing was enough to cause even the cats to scream in horror, but that’s not the point. After finishing A-ha’s Take on Me and Jamelia’s Superstar, I was temporarily pleased to see I had unlocked an achievement. ‘500 Medals Earned’ Wow. I had actually been rewarded for playing the game. I hadn’t really achieved anything. I’d played the game enough with my fiancée to earn 500 in-game medals which meant I could have a rise in my Xbox gamerscore. Great, I’m not complaining. But had I actually earned it?
Back when I was young enough to actually pay a penny for a penny-chew, we had better achievement systems. Games were simple enough to have high-scores or to unlock new levels. I remember the first time I managed to get the Space Shuttle to launch in Tetris DX on the Game Boy Color. I had been playing for ages and my thumbs moved so fast! It was an achievement I earned through getting better at the game.
I also remember when I first completed Super Mario Bros (SNES version where you could save your game). I still aim to complete the original NES version, but I was well pleased with myself for beating that challenge. In the Command & Conquer series of games, you had the pleasure of seeing how the story progressed through cut-scenes. In Goldeneye 007 you could unlock cheats. Even Kirby’s Dream Land on Game Boy told you how to unlock the hard mode once you completed it on easy.
I don’t know about you, but I found that actually gaining something was more rewarding than a few gamerpoints. Especially now when you consider how many gamerpoints the obsessed have earned, or those that have more time or money. It is interesting to compare with mates when you’re playing similar games, but does a gamerpoint system actually mean anything now?
Games used to provide a greater sense of achievement. When I played Ocarina of Time for the first time, I was well chuffed with myself making it to Zelda in Hyrule Castle. The whole reveal with the music made sneaking past the guards feel as if I had achieved something magical. Then, finding the Master Sword and hearing the SNES Master-Sword Get music play on the N64...my heart raced. If Microsoft had the same game on the Xbox 360, I predict Link would simply make a quiet ‘yes’ gesture whilst an oval box appears on screen saying, “Achievement Unlocked: Get Master Sword 20 Points” My response would have merely been a Fable 2 “Oh”.
I wouldn‘t say achievements aren’t relevant though. If you’re a keen online gamer and find you’re rewarded for killing 1000 enemies on deathmatch mode, you’ll feel a sense of achievement in just having that pointed out to you. Similarly, Flatout’s persistence achievement made me have a warm fuzzy feeling when I tried and tried and tried to beat a particular race – it actually drove me to try some more!
I think that as games get bigger and more complex, the achievement system becomes even more relevant. There are some games that require a lot of attention to complete by doing absolutely everything, and not everybody has drive to find all items in a long and epic RPG, or to strive for perfection in an FPS. However, if you think that you can show-off effortlessly to your mates by showing them your gamerscore as proof of your achievements, it means you may actually get more out of the games.
So what do you think? Are points-based achievements (or in PS3’s case, trophies) worth going for? Or are they just a waste of time?
*What, no footnotes this time? S’not like me...(eats Easter egg)
Last night I was enjoying a nice game of Lips on the Xbox 360 with my fiancée. My singing was enough to cause even the cats to scream in horror, but that’s not the point. After finishing A-ha’s Take on Me and Jamelia’s Superstar, I was temporarily pleased to see I had unlocked an achievement. ‘500 Medals Earned’ Wow. I had actually been rewarded for playing the game. I hadn’t really achieved anything. I’d played the game enough with my fiancée to earn 500 in-game medals which meant I could have a rise in my Xbox gamerscore. Great, I’m not complaining. But had I actually earned it?
Back when I was young enough to actually pay a penny for a penny-chew, we had better achievement systems. Games were simple enough to have high-scores or to unlock new levels. I remember the first time I managed to get the Space Shuttle to launch in Tetris DX on the Game Boy Color. I had been playing for ages and my thumbs moved so fast! It was an achievement I earned through getting better at the game.
I also remember when I first completed Super Mario Bros (SNES version where you could save your game). I still aim to complete the original NES version, but I was well pleased with myself for beating that challenge. In the Command & Conquer series of games, you had the pleasure of seeing how the story progressed through cut-scenes. In Goldeneye 007 you could unlock cheats. Even Kirby’s Dream Land on Game Boy told you how to unlock the hard mode once you completed it on easy.
I don’t know about you, but I found that actually gaining something was more rewarding than a few gamerpoints. Especially now when you consider how many gamerpoints the obsessed have earned, or those that have more time or money. It is interesting to compare with mates when you’re playing similar games, but does a gamerpoint system actually mean anything now?
Games used to provide a greater sense of achievement. When I played Ocarina of Time for the first time, I was well chuffed with myself making it to Zelda in Hyrule Castle. The whole reveal with the music made sneaking past the guards feel as if I had achieved something magical. Then, finding the Master Sword and hearing the SNES Master-Sword Get music play on the N64...my heart raced. If Microsoft had the same game on the Xbox 360, I predict Link would simply make a quiet ‘yes’ gesture whilst an oval box appears on screen saying, “Achievement Unlocked: Get Master Sword 20 Points” My response would have merely been a Fable 2 “Oh”.
I wouldn‘t say achievements aren’t relevant though. If you’re a keen online gamer and find you’re rewarded for killing 1000 enemies on deathmatch mode, you’ll feel a sense of achievement in just having that pointed out to you. Similarly, Flatout’s persistence achievement made me have a warm fuzzy feeling when I tried and tried and tried to beat a particular race – it actually drove me to try some more!
I think that as games get bigger and more complex, the achievement system becomes even more relevant. There are some games that require a lot of attention to complete by doing absolutely everything, and not everybody has drive to find all items in a long and epic RPG, or to strive for perfection in an FPS. However, if you think that you can show-off effortlessly to your mates by showing them your gamerscore as proof of your achievements, it means you may actually get more out of the games.
So what do you think? Are points-based achievements (or in PS3’s case, trophies) worth going for? Or are they just a waste of time?
*What, no footnotes this time? S’not like me...(eats Easter egg)
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As always, when I decide to go off on a tangent, or just decide to talk about my thoughts on gaming, I go back to the retro. I was a SNES boy who still enjoys the retro with a healthy mix of current generation games from all systems. Today I is no exception as I decide to talk about achievements.
Last night I was enjoying a nice game of Lips on the Xbox 360 with my fiancée. My singing was enough to cause even the cats to scream in horror, but that’s not the point. After finishing A-ha’s Take on Me and Jamelia’s Superstar, I was temporarily pleased to see I had unlocked an achievement. ‘500 Medals Earned’ Wow. I had actually been rewarded for playing the game. I hadn’t really achieved anything. I’d played the game enough with my fiancée to earn 500 in-game medals which meant I could have a rise in my Xbox gamerscore. Great, I’m not complaining. But had I actually earned it?
Back when I was young enough to actually pay a penny for a penny-chew, we had better achievement systems. Games were simple enough to have high-scores or to unlock new levels. I remember the first time I managed to get the Space Shuttle to launch in Tetris DX on the Game Boy Color. I had been playing for ages and my thumbs moved so fast! It was an achievement I earned through getting better at the game.
I also remember when I first completed Super Mario Bros (SNES version where you could save your game). I still aim to complete the original NES version, but I was well pleased with myself for beating that challenge. In the Command & Conquer series of games, you had the pleasure of seeing how the story progressed through cut-scenes. In Goldeneye 007 you could unlock cheats. Even Kirby’s Dream Land on Game Boy told you how to unlock the hard mode once you completed it on easy.
I don’t know about you, but I found that actually gaining something was more rewarding than a few gamerpoints. Especially now when you consider how many gamerpoints the obsessed have earned, or those that have more time or money. It is interesting to compare with mates when you’re playing similar games, but does a gamerpoint system actually mean anything now?
Games used to provide a greater sense of achievement. When I played Ocarina of Time for the first time, I was well chuffed with myself making it to Zelda in Hyrule Castle. The whole reveal with the music made sneaking past the guards feel as if I had achieved something magical. Then, finding the Master Sword and hearing the SNES Master-Sword Get music play on the N64...my heart raced. If Microsoft had the same game on the Xbox 360, I predict Link would simply make a quiet ‘yes’ gesture whilst an oval box appears on screen saying, “Achievement Unlocked: Get Master Sword 20 Points” My response would have merely been a Fable 2 “Oh”.
I wouldn‘t say achievements aren’t relevant though. If you’re a keen online gamer and find you’re rewarded for killing 1000 enemies on deathmatch mode, you’ll feel a sense of achievement in just having that pointed out to you. Similarly, Flatout’s persistence achievement made me have a warm fuzzy feeling when I tried and tried and tried to beat a particular race – it actually drove me to try some more!
I think that as games get bigger and more complex, the achievement system becomes even more relevant. There are some games that require a lot of attention to complete by doing absolutely everything, and not everybody has drive to find all items in a long and epic RPG, or to strive for perfection in an FPS. However, if you think that you can show-off effortlessly to your mates by showing them your gamerscore as proof of your achievements, it means you may actually get more out of the games.
So what do you think? Are points-based achievements (or in PS3’s case, trophies) worth going for? Or are they just a waste of time?
*What, no footnotes this time? S’not like me...(eats Easter egg)
Last night I was enjoying a nice game of Lips on the Xbox 360 with my fiancée. My singing was enough to cause even the cats to scream in horror, but that’s not the point. After finishing A-ha’s Take on Me and Jamelia’s Superstar, I was temporarily pleased to see I had unlocked an achievement. ‘500 Medals Earned’ Wow. I had actually been rewarded for playing the game. I hadn’t really achieved anything. I’d played the game enough with my fiancée to earn 500 in-game medals which meant I could have a rise in my Xbox gamerscore. Great, I’m not complaining. But had I actually earned it?
Back when I was young enough to actually pay a penny for a penny-chew, we had better achievement systems. Games were simple enough to have high-scores or to unlock new levels. I remember the first time I managed to get the Space Shuttle to launch in Tetris DX on the Game Boy Color. I had been playing for ages and my thumbs moved so fast! It was an achievement I earned through getting better at the game.
I also remember when I first completed Super Mario Bros (SNES version where you could save your game). I still aim to complete the original NES version, but I was well pleased with myself for beating that challenge. In the Command & Conquer series of games, you had the pleasure of seeing how the story progressed through cut-scenes. In Goldeneye 007 you could unlock cheats. Even Kirby’s Dream Land on Game Boy told you how to unlock the hard mode once you completed it on easy.
I don’t know about you, but I found that actually gaining something was more rewarding than a few gamerpoints. Especially now when you consider how many gamerpoints the obsessed have earned, or those that have more time or money. It is interesting to compare with mates when you’re playing similar games, but does a gamerpoint system actually mean anything now?
Games used to provide a greater sense of achievement. When I played Ocarina of Time for the first time, I was well chuffed with myself making it to Zelda in Hyrule Castle. The whole reveal with the music made sneaking past the guards feel as if I had achieved something magical. Then, finding the Master Sword and hearing the SNES Master-Sword Get music play on the N64...my heart raced. If Microsoft had the same game on the Xbox 360, I predict Link would simply make a quiet ‘yes’ gesture whilst an oval box appears on screen saying, “Achievement Unlocked: Get Master Sword 20 Points” My response would have merely been a Fable 2 “Oh”.
I wouldn‘t say achievements aren’t relevant though. If you’re a keen online gamer and find you’re rewarded for killing 1000 enemies on deathmatch mode, you’ll feel a sense of achievement in just having that pointed out to you. Similarly, Flatout’s persistence achievement made me have a warm fuzzy feeling when I tried and tried and tried to beat a particular race – it actually drove me to try some more!
I think that as games get bigger and more complex, the achievement system becomes even more relevant. There are some games that require a lot of attention to complete by doing absolutely everything, and not everybody has drive to find all items in a long and epic RPG, or to strive for perfection in an FPS. However, if you think that you can show-off effortlessly to your mates by showing them your gamerscore as proof of your achievements, it means you may actually get more out of the games.
So what do you think? Are points-based achievements (or in PS3’s case, trophies) worth going for? Or are they just a waste of time?
*What, no footnotes this time? S’not like me...(eats Easter egg)