Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2007 1:28 pm
So achievements were introduced with the X-box 360 and have since moved to PCs via Microsoft's Live service. Now, even Valve has gotten into the act by putting them into it's latest releases.
On a sidenote, Live might be the stupidest, most insulting product in the history of gaming. Anyone associated with it on Microsoft's end and anyong who is dumb enough to subscribe should be euthanized to protect the human species.
Anyway, achievements are like "gold stars" for gamers. They exist in every(?) game for the 360. Basically, you get a pat of the back when you fulfill some unnecessary goal while playing a game. For example: In Portal, I got a "Friendly Fire" achievement for killing a turret with a turret.
That's an easy one, some are much harder.
The "benefits" to achievements are many:
1. They show you different ways to play.
2. To gain them, you pretty much have to explore most of a game's world and do everything within.
3. It's another goal for goal oriented gamers.
4. They are "badges of honor" that other gamers can see to tell what games you've been playing, how good you are, etc.
The negative is the argument that they're essentially tacked on to create "unnecessary" gameplay, and thus, extend the life of a game for someone artificially. Kind of a weak argument, but I've seen it debated.
So do you like them or hate them? Have you played a game longer or in a different way to earn some achievements?
On a sidenote, Live might be the stupidest, most insulting product in the history of gaming. Anyone associated with it on Microsoft's end and anyong who is dumb enough to subscribe should be euthanized to protect the human species.
Anyway, achievements are like "gold stars" for gamers. They exist in every(?) game for the 360. Basically, you get a pat of the back when you fulfill some unnecessary goal while playing a game. For example: In Portal, I got a "Friendly Fire" achievement for killing a turret with a turret.
That's an easy one, some are much harder.
The "benefits" to achievements are many:
1. They show you different ways to play.
2. To gain them, you pretty much have to explore most of a game's world and do everything within.
3. It's another goal for goal oriented gamers.
4. They are "badges of honor" that other gamers can see to tell what games you've been playing, how good you are, etc.
The negative is the argument that they're essentially tacked on to create "unnecessary" gameplay, and thus, extend the life of a game for someone artificially. Kind of a weak argument, but I've seen it debated.
So do you like them or hate them? Have you played a game longer or in a different way to earn some achievements?