123456: Why I Love Achievements

Earlier today, my Gamerscore became the numerical sequence 123456 when I unlocked the Peter Moore Achievement in The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai. Points sure do add up over time, don’t they? Taking some time to reflect on my latest accomplishment, I decided to look back on why achievements are my favorite feature from this current generation of gaming.

Although it was lost to memory unit corruption, I’ll never forget my first achievement. I earned it at an Xbox 360 preview event by unlocking Pummel Weed in Kameo: Elements of Power. The representative guiding us through the game took some time to explain the achievement system to our group, and I loved it! The idea of being able to prove your worth to other online gamers, whether they were friends or strangers, was very intriguing to me. Competing for high scores in the older days of gaming was thrilling, and this was basically the new evolution. The rep also noted several ideas that were once in the works, such as game store demo discs having their own set of achievements. Although that never became a reality, I was suddenly excited at the thought of playing on a store interactive for the first time in years! These little video game merit badges had just given me a whole new reason to play.

Going forward several months after the Xbox 360 launch, I noticed that my old boss was several thousand points ahead of my formerly tame Gamerscore. Just for kicks, I decided to borrow a copy of Fight Night Round 3 for a slight boost. I don’t like most sports games, but I figured why not give it a try since I’d at least walk away with a few more points. I ended up unlocking every achievement and learned that Fight Night was actually a pretty damn good game! From then on, I’d frequently borrow random titles I would never normally purchase, earning more points and broadening my horizons. By doing this, I’ve found many games that I never thought I would appreciate (The Club, Prey) and sampled abominations (Over G Fighters, Cars) that I would not want any other gamer to suffer through.

Once the Wii and PlayStation 3 began shipping to stores, I wondered how the heck they were going to top the achievement system. I soon learned that they wouldn’t. I remember thinking that the Wii stood a chance when I noticed achievements in Excite Truck, but was saddened when I found out that not every game would have these and there would not be a central score tracker. The PlayStation 3 also had the chance to sink their claws into me with their Trophy system. Unfortunately, their late arrival and the fact that they weren’t initially mandatory in PS3 games kept making me go to the 360 for all my multiplatform gaming needs.

I realize that I don’t have the highest Gamerscore in the world and probably never will, but that won’t stop me from continuing with my entertaining addiction. I just want to see how high I can possibly go! I still do spend time gaming on my other systems, but continue to dream of a day when some third-party may unite the console makers and establish some sort of universal achievement system that would catalogue your progress on every platform. Until something miraculous like that occurs, I’ll be fine with unlocking Microsoft’s achievements. Now I must depart, I have an urge to gain more points by conquering the battlefield in Dynasty Warriors 6: Empires and clearing stages in Mamoru-Kun Wa Nowarete Shimatta!