Gaming irks

[Darwock]

I have actually avoided games I would probably like because they have online trophies. I have never played Journey for exactly that reason. I want to complete my games without being at the mercy of online fads and whims. I'll never be able to 100% Warhawk because nobody plays it anymore.

And to repeat my opinion on the 10 year old argument of trophies/achievements, a good trophy list should be designed to get you right into the depths of a game so you gain an appreciation for it you otherwise wouldn't reach. For example, Wipeout HD, Lumines Supernova trophy lists required dedication and real effort into improving skill at the game. Warhawk's trophies included creative challenges that gave a new angle on the gameplay, that nobody would have tried otherwise.

[QualityChimp]

I think we need to update the Best/Worst Achievements you've seen thread!

I just put a funny Easter egg on from Deus Ex last night.

I like achievements that feel like an achievement or push me to play a game in new ways.

I'm not a fan of grinding when it's no longer fun. I enjoyed doing the ones in EDF 2025 and Dead Rising but some are a real chore.

I thought Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare got the balance right. Not a single multiplayer achievement, but ones for doing the game through on veteran toughness. I've only got the one on the plane left to do and it's impossible for me!

[k0pp0]

Props to anyone who slogs through any cod game on veteran.

[Jay]

I have actually avoided games I would probably like because they have online trophies.

Can you not just play the game and ignore the achievements you're not interested in?

[Darwock]

In an ideal world, maybe. I have a pretty compulsive need to properly finish my games though.

[Golgo]

^ Yup, I can vouch for this. Darwork has platinums on all three regional versions (Asian, American and European) of Dark Souls, for example!

My current irk is RPG menu-lag. Don't know if it's just the games I've been playing recently (Bloodborne and Dragon Age Inq and Witcher 3 on PS4) but it's atrocious. Don't understand why the main in-game engines can run fine (well...'fine'-ish) but static screenies with tiny little icons of swords and potions unfailingly brings the console to its knees.

[wakka]

The Witcher 3 one is soooo laggy, not to mention poorly adapted for controllers. I imagine with a mouse it's approx 10000x quicker and easier.

[QualityChimp]

It's horses for courses. I'd rather play through three different games, without getting all the achievements than play three versions of the same game three times!

It's not like your gamerscore really means anything. I wouldn't put it on a CV or start a speed-dating session by bragging about my cool 1000G in King Kong.

I used to be bothered about achievements because I had a friend with a higher gamescore but he had played probably thrice as many games. It was a matter of pride to beat his score with less games by getting as many achievements as reasonably possible.

I finally beat him and now the competitive urge has gone and I can play games without stressing I didn't pick up an item in an area you can't go back to or something.

Ultimately though, I'm not sure who had more fun. Me, eating every type of food in the Dead Rising food court or him playing three different games. It's not clear cut as I've had some fun doing a bunch of them, but he's able to tell me about games I really should've played by now like Skyrim, Undead Nightmare, Assassin's Creed, Mass Effect, Far Cry, Uncharted etc etc etc

I'm still vexed I can't find that last Crackdown agility orb and that GTA IV sits at 99% despite doing everything it asked, but I'm not losing any sleep over it.

[Dogg Thang]

To this day, I don't fully get achievements as a concept. They generally feel like arbitrary tacked-on random challenges rewarded by nothing. You like eating dinner? Try eating 100 dinners in a row without using your hands. Um, what do I get for doing that? I'll let you know that you did it. I'm good, I'll just eat my dinner normally thanks.

[Jay]

You could say that about medals/stars/whatever internal to any game though. eg, getting all perfects in Rhythm Tengoku earns you a little medal next to each level. The only difference with achievements is that they are platform wide.

[Dogg Thang]

Yep, and generally those in-game trinkets haven't motivated me. My ideal is that I am playing because I enjoy the play, not to get some made-up reward of no consequence. Where that works for me is when the reward is more actual content - the next level, a new character and so on. That works for me because gaming is about the experience for me. It's like turning the next page of a book. Many long nights happened because I just wanted to see what the next level was like.

But an extra star? Doesn't cut it as a reward for me.

As QC says, horses for courses.

[Golgo]

I'm with Dogg Thang, and play games until I feel I'm finished, satisfied or bored with them. I give most games a good crack of the whip, I think, and endeavour to thoroughly explore and play them to completion at least, unless something about the game really gets my goat. Achievements are a game's way of saying "you're not finished playing me until I tell you you're finished!!" (Only kiddling...if people enjoy the challenge they provide that's fine by me).

I've only 'platinumed' one game in my life, which was Transistor this year, and that trophy 'popped' without my hunting it during an early 3rd run-through that I was enjoying thoroughly. Wish they'd add some challenge levels to this, would play it all day if I could...

[Deuteros]

Some people, myself included, are suckers for achievements. I'd hazard those very same people, at different points in their lives, took up collecting something, be that soda cans, sugar packets, coins, stamps or whatever. They're the ones who would complete their sticker albums and pay extra for a copy of some used game that came complete with a spine card.

Maybe 'achievement whores' could be further divided. Some care about the 100% completion, meaning they'll play fewer games for a longer time each, while others care about ever increasing their gamerscore, meaning they'll look at a game's achievements from a time investment / gamerscore reward perspective.

[Jay]

Yep, and generally those in-game trinkets haven't motivated me. My ideal is that I am playing because I enjoy the play, not to get some made-up reward of no consequence. Where that works for me is when the reward is more actual content - the next level, a new character and so on. That works for me because gaming is about the experience for me. It's like turning the next page of a book. Many long nights happened because I just wanted to see what the next level was like.

But an extra star? Doesn't cut it as a reward for me.

As QC says, horses for courses.

Fair enough then

I also much prefer unlocking something of consequence, but can also get caught up just trying to complete something for the sake of completeness, but will stop if I'm no longer having fun. I had to get all the Rhythm Tengoku medals but had a great time while doing so. I used to be the same with achievements (but only ones I wanted to get, never really cared for getting the full 1000g) but that obsession has waned over the years.

[Dogg Thang]

That's the thing - if you're genuinely just enjoying the play, then the Rhythm Tengoku medals can be a goal you set yourself and I can completely understand that. You would probably keep playing it anyway, or at least come back to it every now and then. I'm not all that different with Theatrhythm which I'm still playing.