Ready Up

The rants of an Anti-Achiever

Before I joined the 360 scene I used to be strongly against Xbox. My beliefs would say that those who own a 360, own a rubbish PC setup… I think I still stand by that statement today.

However I’m also one of these people who got a 360 because I own a poop PC. Bioshock was to blame, it made me realise that I’d have to give in to Microsoft’s winning formula in the long run (see picture below). Money is sparse and I’m too n00b to get my head around tech talk. A sacrifice for the average view of high quality and well, at least things are guaranteed to work without hassle. No chores of thorough configuration, simply plop that game disc in and it’s all set for butt kicking action. I haven’t gotten round to the HDTV yet so there’s just that little extra light at the end of the tunnel.

Xbox 360 + HDTV and surround sound set up = Great Gaming!

I’ve been riding the waves of some great titles for just over a year now, fantastic stuff! Bioshock lit my expectations of 360 visual performance, Gears of War gets me rocking (totally looking forward to the next!), Dead Rising is still an amazing piece of work and of course we’ve got the range of reminiscent arcade titles. The 360 investment has served me well and will continue to do so with the new things we’ll be getting over the Christmas period, ooooh the excitement!

And here comes the “but”. Yes this is going to shock my fellow Ready Uppers and readers, I just don’t understand the hype of gamer score and achievements. Seriously what is so great about them?! The thing that infuriates me is how people use them as a comparison of who’s a better gamer. As I see it, it totally doesn’t measure the skill between gamers! Everyday I never cease to hear conversations of how someone spent two weeks trying to get some sort of crazy achievement, some extra 20 gamer score. To me the number ladder just tells me who’s got lots of money to buy games or if the individual enjoys the task of 100% completion. Now I dont joke when I say that I know some people who would go out and buy poor shoddy games just to rack up some points. Come on it’s petty right?! Seriously with the lengths that people go to, I’d even be right that someone out there would want this achievement:

If I could, I WOULD give out my points to you lot, except Kirsten and Kate (ha ha). ‘Cuz I love seeing them two at their score whoring rivalry.

Lastly a bit more pet hate on the achievements. Why the need for the checklist? What happened to just appreciating the games solely? The little satisfaction of discovering the small touches of games without knowing they’re there because the achievement suggests it. I hate those plinkies! By default my notifications are off. Nothing worse than those stupid alerts to interrupt and kill the mood of a good in-game cut scene. I don’t need some descriptive achievement to pat me on the back, it’s like it’s trying to patronize me! I play and enjoy the game for myself thank you very much.

So yeah, my energy of ranting FINALLY draws to an end (exhales a puff of smoke). However, let’s finish this up with a lighter note (where my acceptance of gaming competition is concerned), try and beat my high scores! hehehe.

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Shaz

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27 responses to “The rants of an Anti-Achiever”

  1. Tony avatar
    Tony

    Achievements are one thing, I think they are a good idea and I enjoy watching them crop up from time to time.

    But I’m with you on Gamerscore – it’s utterly pointless to perform comparisons with. Someone with a 3000 gamerscore may have three games that they have absolutely beaten to a pulp, or they may have 300 games and be so rubbish they’ve only got 10 points per game.

    Not to mention the balance, some games give you 1000 points as standard just for completing them.

    I know the PS3s trophies are a blindingly obvious ripoff of the 360s system, but at least they have ranked trophies, bronze, silver, gold and platinum, to give you an idea of skill levels.

  2. Laura avatar
    Laura

    I like being patted on the back to be honest. I agree that the score is a bit pointless but the checklist is my favourite part. I’d rather get a 5G achievement for something quirky and unusual that meant something to me than a 100G achievement for just completing a level that I would have completed anyway.

    I love achievements cause I like looking back on them from time to time remembering playing the game and I like comparing with people and chatting about the battle to complete some of the harder ones, no matter how much they were worth.

    Unlike getting the highest score in a particular game, your achievements can’t be taken away from you, unless you are naughty and MS bans you of course 🙂

  3. chobe avatar
    chobe

    I like achievements when they’re done well, a good incentive to replay games or to do something a bit different. The orange box comes to mind as having well implemented ones.

    I’d be more concerned about DLC – one of the things I like least about Microsoft’s console. Oh yeah, and the user hosted nonsense. Give me a PC anyday for an online multiplayer game.

  4. Kirsten avatar
    Kirsten

    Plinkies tell me when my friends are around. They let me know I’ve reached certain benchmarks in games.

    Achievements are another (voluntary) way to work your way through a game. When you say why can’t we just appreciate the game as it is without them? – firstly you can and secondly you might as well say why do games have levels? Why do they have bosses? Why does there have to be ANY hurdle by which we measure our experience? Because it’s fun, thats why.

    As for score? There’s been leaderboards and highscore tables since gaming began and Shaz is a good example of someone who likes them, pays attention to them and compares how well she plays to others using them. In fact she’s usually at the top of them.Which is great. Gamerscore is just another highscore table.

  5. John avatar
    John

    For me, the achievements are sometimes an indication that I may have missed something in the game – a kind of aide-memoir that there may be stuff in there I haven’t enjoyed yet. sometimes though they’re just designed to frustrate I’m sure.. those I ignore.

    The Gamerscore number.. it’s annoyingly competitive to look at those around you and think if I can finish Grid, and get the rest from LEGO Star Wars and 300 from something from something else I MIGHT catch them up. I’m guilty of that I’m afraid.

  6. Shaz avatar
    Shaz

    Great responses girls and boys, I like seeing reasons beyond my bias mind. 🙂

  7. Michael avatar
    Michael

    Well, I happen to enjoy gaining Achievements – moreso the ones that challenge you, both in terms of skill and playing a game differently, rather than ones you’d get in a typical playthrough. The One Free Bullet was a test of patience, Call of Duty 2 on Veteran a test of sheer bloody-mindedness. I was compelled to get both, and was glad when I did, because they were testing me (and Veteran was a total biatch to get!). Not for GS, that was not the point.

    I will probably never be good enough to reach the scores you have on all those XBLA games, Shaz. I’ll have to settle with my paltry Gamerscore as consolation!

  8. Van-Fu avatar
    Van-Fu

    In terms of gamerscore bragging, there is only one person in my sights. Geofortean. Ever since he left this comment on my blog in Feb 2007.

    “…And you might catch me up…. if, you know, my fingers fall off or something!”

    Once I pass him, I shall party like it is 1999.

  9. chobe avatar
    chobe

    One free bullet made Ep1 more interesting, I thought. CoD2 on vet made me swear a bit <_<.

    As for the score, we (my flatmate and I) too have a single nemesis – none of the other friend’s scores matter. I remember his face when I told him I’d done One shot… and MHC on CoD4. He said, “It’s only a matter of time.” Just a bit of fun.

  10. Razgate avatar
    Razgate

    I think games score’s ok but it’s not something i bother with, i must say though i do like the achievements because it gives you something else to do in the game.
    i prefer the achievements that get you to do something that you wouldn’t normally do in the game, a good example of this is the wax on wax off achievements in Geometry Wars 2.

  11. Razgate avatar
    Razgate

    *gamerscore*

  12. Laura avatar
    Laura

    I agree with Chobe about the one free bullet, I really enjoyed that, the garden gnome one on ep 2 was not so much fun but I had this urge to accomplish it.
    COD 4 on Vet was a nightmare but strangely I loved it! I think I’m just into self torture or something lol

  13. Colin avatar
    Colin

    1 free bullet was excellent… it shows ep1 as a stroke of genius being able to get through the whole thing with only 1 bullet. There aren’t even any quirky bits that require a flook to get past.

    I agree with Shaz on the skill thing. I have a mate with only a few hundred points because he play COD4 all the time and thats it and his skillz on that are amazin.

    Another gripe that I was telling Dan and Kirsten about is how the achievements are set out. I am bursting GTAIV to try and finish it in under 30 hours to get 30 points I think. I was in the airport the other day looking for a helicopter for a mission, got a 4 star wanted level. I just ignored it and kept driving about and inadvertantly dropped the wanted level and got more points for this in 2 minutes that what I will get IF I finish the game in under 30 hours.

    Achievements add a whole other dimension to a game and this may attract people to the Xbox that may never have played it. Whilst one person disagrees with them another player my live for them

  14. Donna avatar
    Donna

    I’ve had my 360 for nearly 2 years now and my score is still tiny. It’s not for a lack of skill, but more of a lack of playing. I’ve got 3 consoles now plus my PC and the DS.

    I personally find little use in leaderboards of any type which is what the gamerscore is really. But then I’m not terribly competitive in general with my gaming.

  15. Kirsten avatar
    Kirsten

    You mean you never wrote your name as ASS or TIT on a highscore table in an arcade?

  16. Michael avatar
    Michael

    I don’t know about the rest of them but no I haven’t. Maybe it was just you, you dirty mare!

    I have seen a highscore table full of TITs and ASSs though… it warped my tiny little mind and embarrassed my parents when I shouted out “What does that mean?!”

  17. Laura avatar
    Laura

    They’ve got highscore names like that on the Cub3d machine in GTA IV, brilliant!

  18. Zoey avatar
    Zoey

    Hey I worked damn hard for my 42k and am very proud of it cos I know it’s not made up of things like King Kong. I only play a game if I want to and am a completionist maniac so I like to remember everything I did and get something for my effort!

  19. Kirsten avatar
    Kirsten

    ^^^^^^^^^^

    HAS PLAYED AVATAR

  20. avatar
    Anonymous

    I see exactly what Shaz is trying to say and I agree that we should not let achievements dictate the way you play a game.

    I can also see how addictive they can be, ever shrewd microsoft have hit on something that will encourage gamers with OCD to increase game sales.

  21. avatar
    Anonymous

    anon = barry 😛

  22. avatar
    Anonymous

    http://www.splitreason.com/Product_Images/0b594938ea59-xl.jpg

    my fav achievement / t-shirt ha !

  23. Jake avatar
    Jake

    Van… I read your comment and I thought “hey, that sounds familiar”. Yeah I am a whore of the score, but not to the point of buying stuff for the sake of it – I rent a shed load of stuff, mainly to keep new (to me at least) titles coming through so I stay interested and when I have them I do try to get as much from them as possible – unless I hate them with a passion. I still remember when Kirsten caught me playing King Kong last year.. the shame.

  24. Martin avatar
    Martin

    I like the plink of a plinkie, but don’t neccessarily go out my way to get it, I like the element of surprise. I know of people though who are total score whores, looking up youtube etc to find out how to…..sad!
    They are however entirely optional, you can choose to ignore them, I do believe they can also be turned off if you are that way inclined.
    We are all raised with a bit of one upmanship in us, be it sports related or gaming, it’s only natural.
    But Shaz you need to update your Every Extend Extra scoreboard, cause I’m on top….yipppeeeeee, runs about like a demented fool, then realises it wasn’t the best two hours he’s spent gaming!

  25. avatar
    Anonymous

    I like achievements.
    They give me ideas for how to play a game in different ways, and extend the length of a game by suggesting objectives to me that I would otherwise not have thought about.
    I agree with you on the skill thing though. Just because you have a larger Gamerscore doesn’t necessarily mean you’re a better played than someone with a smaller one.

  26. TM Brock avatar
    TM Brock

    I suppose it doesnt say if your good or not. Just how commited you are to the game. However it is nice when you have been playing gears of war for 4 days straight to get the ‘its a massacre’ achievment and it finally gives you it after 178 chainsaw kills!

  27. David avatar
    David

    Shaz, I’m in total agreement with you here. Gamerscore is a measure of how much money you have to buy tons and tons of games and how much time you have to conquer all the achievements for those games.

    My style has always been to play a few games at a time and to build up your skill in those games. I’m still playing games like Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat and Halo since they came out whereas the achievement obsessed gamer has already bought many more games than I have and will continue to buy more.

    I guess there are different types of gamers but focusing on games is good for your wallet and you get the most value out of a game.

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