gamerscore
Latest
Titanfall pushes Guinness World Record holder to 1,000,000 Gamerscore
Raymond Cox - or Stallion83 as he's known on Xbox Live, Twitter and Twitch - has reached a level of gamer previously thought unobtainable. We've seen gamers, even Super Gamers. Cox showed us back in August 2011 what it looked like when a Super Gamer ascended past a Super Gamer - or, you could just call it a Super Gamer 2. But this ... this is to go even further beyond. This is one million Gamerscore. Cox hit the one million mark at approximately 2:35 a.m. EST, March 13, 2014, after completing a game of Titanfall. His score has to be verified with Guinness to be recorded as the official highest Gamerscore, but considering Cox broadcast his ... uh, achievement to the world on Twitch, it's unlikely there's any sort of shadiness going on here. Congrats, Raymond! [Image: Microsoft]
All Xbox One games follow 'same policies' for Achievements [Update]
Update: A Microsoft representative gave Joystiq the following statement: "On Xbox One, developers can choose to award up to 1000 Gamerscore at release for any game, including downloadable digital titles. They can also choose to add more achievements and Gamerscore via DLC and new content releases, so many titles will eventually offer additional Gamerscore over time as the experiences expand and evolve." Xbox One games, whether purchased at retail or downloaded through the Microsoft Games Store, will adhere to the same standards for Achievements and Gamerscore. "On Xbox One games are games. All games follow the same policies for achievements and Gamerscore," a Microsoft spokesperson told XBLA Fans. The statement was spurred by a published Achievement list for the Xbox One version of Halo: Spartan Assault, which was announced for Xbox 360 and Xbox One late last month. Xbox 360 Achievements says the game will have 1,000 Gamerscore. The Xbox One, which comes with an improved Kinect sensor, controller, chat headset, HDMI cable and Quick Start guide, launches next week, on November 22, in 13 different markets. The console will cost $500 in the US, €500 in Europe and £430 in the UK.
Microsoft brings Xbox Live rewards to Android with Wordament game
Microsoft's plan to supercharge Xbox as an entertainment brand means that, no matter which ecosystem you live in, you'll have access to some of the company's first-party titles. In the same way that Kinectimals came to Android and iOS, today's free-to-play launch of Wordament sees another proprietary feature opening up: Xbox Live Achievements. Anyone with at least an Android 4.0 handset and a few friends should now be able to add up to 50G to their Gamerscore. Meanwhile, Windows Phone users should be happy to see that their version of the app has been re-written for WP8, banishing those odd letterboxing issues forever.
Xbox One not backwards compatible with 360 discs/XBLA purchases; Gamerscore does transfer
Microsoft's minty-fresh Xbox One will be unable to play Xbox 360 discs, nor will your multitude of Xbox Live Arcade purchases transfer to the new machine, our friends at Engadget have learned. The incompatibility is due to the fact that the Xbox One runs on x86 processor architecture, whereas the Xbox 360 ran on PowerPC. This fundamental difference in hardware architecture prevents the Xbox One from natively running Xbox 360 games, regardless of how powerful the thing may be. "We care very much about the investment people have made in Xbox 360 and will continue to support it with a pipeline of new games and new apps well into the future," a Microsoft representative told Engadget. Part of that investment will transfer, however: Your Xbox Live Gamerscore. Earlier this year, Sony also announced that its PlayStation 4 will make the jump to a processor built on the x86 platform.
Xbox Live rewarding Gamerscore with rebates and birthday gifts
Xbox Live Rewards is now offering players rebates on Marketplace purchases, based on their Gamerscore. Gold members with more than 25000 Achievement Points get 2 percent back (in Microsoft Points) on Xbox Live purchases made each month. Gold members with more than 10000 APs get a 1 percent rebate, while all Gold members with 3000+ APs get a "special gift" in the months of their birthdays. We do note the fine print says the gift has an approximate retail value of 25 cents. But it's the thought that counts, right?Microsoft teased a tie-in between Achievements and Xbox Live Rewards earlier this year, and now the company's made good on that tease. Still, we'd like to see those die-hard players with more than 50K or 100K worth of APs get some properly sizable rewards, something like 5 and 10 percent rebates, respectively. At that rate we suppose Microsoft would have to reward the guy working up to one million APs with everything on the Marketplace ... which he must already own anyway.Gold members must sign up to the Xbox Live Rewards scheme to get the bonuses. Otherwise the'll have to make do with measly real-life birthday presents.
Windows 8 built-in games now called Xbox Windows, Microsoft's naming synergy continues
Were you among those who jumped for joy when Windows Explorer got its new moniker? Good news, nomenclature fans, for Redmond has decided to label its new OS' built-in games and titles obtained from the Windows Store as "Xbox Windows." Along with the new branding, venerable Windows titles like Minesweeper, Solitaire and Mahjong will also offer Xbox Achievements, so you can bulk up your Gamerscore while wasting time at work. Full details of the achievement and point totals can be found at the source links below.
Soapbox: In defense of achievements
Disclaimer: The Soapbox column is entirely the opinion of this week's writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Massively as a whole. If you're afraid of opinions other than your own, you might want to skip this column. I've heard all the arguments before, trust me. Achievements are a waste of space. They're frivolous, meaningless numbers -- a Skinner Box within a Skinner Box for the weak-willed. They can be far too spammy. And then there's that hoary chestnut: They take precious development time that could be used for better purposes from something you personally want. Achievements are a blight upon our games, binding us to the most base of gamer crowds, the yokels on Xbox Live. We should cast off the chains of achievement oppression and live as free men, women, and Elves once more! OK, enough with the histrionics. Many of these points come down to personal preference, and that's impossible to refute. You like what you like, and I like what I like. Still, I'd disagree that the overall notion of achievements is useless. In fact, I fully embrace them in my gameplay and hope that they stick around for a good long while.
Xbox Live users report Gamerscores dropping to zero, MS aware of the issue [Update: potential fixes]
Some Xbox Live users are finding a nasty surprise today: their Gamerscores and Achievement lists showing up as totally empty -- an ironic twist after news of a Gamerscore increase for XBLA games. Tips are pouring in from concerned 360 owners.Microsoft is already working on it, noting on its support page "We are aware of the problem and appreciate your patience while we implement a solution." Joystiq is trying to determine the cause of today's issue, and will keep you updated as the story develops.Update: Microsoft says you should sign out and sign back in, and suggests you try re-downloading your profile if the issue persists.
Achievement policy changing for XBLA titles, raising Gamerscore allotment [update: confirmed]
Microsoft will allegedly raise the Gamerscore and number of Achievements allowed for Xbox Live Arcade titles shortly. Xbox360Achievements.org reports, via an inside source, the base Gamerscore allotment will be raised from 200 to 400, with a max of 30 Achievements available per title instead of 20. Downloadable content will also receive more flexibility, doubling the potential Gamerscore procurement to 100, with up to eight Achievements allowed per quarter, with a max of four packs allowed over time.The new rules will apparently go into effect between April 1 and May 31, with titles launching during that time having the option of going by either the old or new system. According to the site, all games after June 1 will be required to follow the new rules. We've contacted Microsoft for confirmation of the details.Update: Major Nelson just posted a notice of the new policy.
Top Gamerscore(r) crosses 600,000
You know, the word hero gets thrown around a lot, and in the process it's lost some of its meaning. Some of its power. But we're not sure the term has ever been more accurately applied than it is to Raymond Cox, whose record-breaking Gamerscore has just reached the milestone of 600,000. Cox crossed the last big hurdle -- 500,000 -- over nine months ago. When does a meaningless number become instantly meaningful? The moment yours is higher than every other person on the planet. That's when.
Achievements top on Xbox Live Indie devs' wish lists
Gamasutra rounded up six of the precious few standout developers of Xbox Live Indie Games (XBLIG) to discuss the continually promising but frequently embattled platform. Camille Guermonprez of Arkedo Studios praised XBLIG as "fast and easy to use" and Xona Games' Matthew Doucette noted that "development is essentially free in terms of fees" (just an annual $120 membership); before he warned that additional "developer and game content expenses can be massive to a start-up." Indeed, none of these indies has struck gold -- certainly not like the top devs are finding on the App Store -- and three of the six are at least temporarily abandoning XBLIG, while the others have expanded to multiplatform development. "[To] stay only on XBLIG makes no financial sense at the moment," Doucette said. When asked what improvements could be made to the platform, Luke Schneider of Radian Games' echoed the majority when he said that "the biggest issue is definitely Achievements" -- or lack thereof.
The guy with the half-million Gamerscore
The only slightly avid gamer Stallion83 (we can only assume Stallion1 through 82 died due to severe thumb inflammation) is half-way to his goal of achieving one million Gamerscore on Xbox 360, having hit the 500,000 mark in Achievement points on Friday. The (long) journey to the half-million milestone began in "early 2006," according to his blog, and ended by unlocking the "Tournament of Chumps" cheevo in Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures for XBLA. (In the fourth episode, "The Bogey Man," specifically.) You can see a replay of the moment in the video we've popped in after the break. As for one million Gamerscore, Stallion83 writes that, "It's going to be a long process getting to 1,000,000, but hopefully I can make it there someday." Best of luck, and we'll be sure to post about your descendant, Stallion166, when he makes it!
Bungie update images add 250 Gamerscore, 10 'Cheevos to Halo: Reach
This week's Bungie.net news update brought with it more than just info about Halo: Reach's Xbox Live stats -- it also featured a couple of screens showing an extra 10 Achievements and 250 Gamerscore for the just released title. In a segment explaining how to install the game to the 360's hard drive, two screens can be clearly seen with the adjusted Gamerscore and 'Cheevo count (1250 up from 1000 Gamerscore and 59 up from 49 Achievements). Bungie doesn't directly address the changes in its update, instead hinting at "some new stuff" being added in a "potential second October update." Unfortunately, this hint is dropped right after talk of the regular housekeeping performed on Halo multiplayer, so it's unclear what's being hinted at directly. Halo 3 was eventually lavished with an astonishing 1750 Gamerscore when all was said and done, so the idea of an extra 250 doesn't seem like much of a reach if you ask us. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
Windows Phone 7 Achievements to feature up to 200 Gamerscore points per game
We just got our hands on the Windows Phone 7 during an interview at GDC, and given our unnatural obsession with bolstering our online notoriety, the most prevalent question in our mind was: just how many Gamerscore points can we crank outta this thing? The answer: A beefy 200 Gamerscore points per game, which will be added to your total Gamerscore, as displayed on your Xbox Live Gamertag profile. We'll be writing up our impressions of the platform, as well as our interview with its creators, later today. For now, rest assured knowing that when you unlock an Achievement in a Windows Phone 7 game, it totally makes that satisfying "bloop-bloop" noise.
Here are your Darwinia+ Achievements
Now that Darwinia+ has passed Microsoft's Xbox Live Arcade certification process, you likely have your passport ready for the upcoming trip to Darwinia's action RTS battlefields. According to Xbox 360 Achievements, lending a helping hand to your stick brethren in need won't just net you the warm fuzzies, but will also reward you with some Gamerscore. There's 200 to be had in total, rewarding players for things like saving Darwinians, crushing invading ant hordes and winning matches on every map in the game. It's a nice, varied list that doesn't look like it encourages too much grinding -- well, except for the Stick Man Slaughter Achievement, which requires you to kill 65,536 enemies.
Gamasutra examines Gamerscore and game completion statistics
In a new feature, Gamasutra looks at Xbox 360 Gamerscore and game completion statistics in search of a reason why some players stop playing games in their library.According to the feature, a game's overall difficulty is the biggest culprit from discouraging players from completing a game. Using data of 14,000 players regularly surveyed provided by Microsoft and the top 13 Xbox Live titles in 2008, it was concluded the group unlocked less than half of the possible Gamerscore on average. Gamasutra notes that the selected users in the survey tend to be more hardcore than the average player, so overall completion rates are expected to be even lower.Another point of the study was to determine the average completion of a game's campaign mode. Using data of games that award campaign completion Achievements, it was determined that only 30 percent of the surveyed group did not play games until the end. Gamasutra theorizes that the reason so many gamers neglect a game's campaign is due to frustration. Having experienced the -- sadly, often horrific -- world of Xbox Live, we'd also guess many of the hardcore gamers examined skipped the campaign in favor of pwnin' n00bs online.
Pitchford: Easy Achievements boost sales by up to 40,000 units
We knew that there was contingency of Xbox 360 owners who place a remarkable amount of importance on their largely unimportant Gamerscore -- however, a recent Official Xbox Magazine interview with Gearbox president Randy Pitchford has got us worried about our fellow man. According to Pitchford, developers who tweak their game's Achievements to make them a tad easier to obtain can boost sales of said game "by something like 10 and 40 thousand units." Yes, Pitchford claims that there are 10 to 40 thousand people out there who purchase games based on their capacity to bolster their e-peen. That represents around $2.4 million being spent on making an inconsequential number slightly larger. Our faith in humanity wasn't just shaken by Pitchford's report -- it was absolutely obliterated. We're gonna go watch Rudy a few times until that faith is restored. [Image]
Microsoft resets Gamerscores, Toulouse explains why
Correcting the "miscreants" can be an ornery task. Just ask Stephen Toulouse, Xbox Live's virtual bouncer, and the man responsible for resetting your cheatin' heart (er, Gamerscore) back to zero. A recent wave of Gamerscore resets have hit Xbox Live and Toulouse was on Major Nelson's weekly show yesterday to explain what happened. "A couple weeks ago ... we did a Gamerscore reset pass on several Gears of War 2 players who had illegitimately toggled the 'Level 100' Achievement for a map pack that had just come out," Toulouse told the Major.According to the show, the mathematics behind how quickly people were earning the achievement were, simply put, impossible. "Any time you earn an Achievement you don't actually have to earn, that's against the terms of use," Toulouse said of the official policing policy, something Microsoft has adhered to since the inception of Xbox Live Achievements. And to those of you who have a sibling or friend to blame on your Gamerscore reset, Toulouse feels little sympathy for you. He told the Major that you probably need to address that person and that it's ultimately "your responsibility" to take care of your console and online representation. Tough noogies, indeed!
1 vs 100 to feature seasonal Achievements
1 vs 100 just became You vs Your Gamerscore, as the upcoming game will feature Achievements, Kotaku reports. The game will run in 13-week seasons, with each season allotting 200 Gamerscore in Achievements to gamers that earn them. When a new season starts, new Achievements will be available, adding incentive for players to keep coming back.This news will surely excite Achievement junkies, since the game will most likely be free to them anyway. If they're a Gold subscriber, that is. %Gallery-51712%Essential reading: Joystiq hands-on: 1 vs 100 (Xbox Live Primetime)
Broken Steel Achievements not showing up on Live, fix incoming
Perhaps not realizing that the real achievement is the fun you have along the way, posters on Bethesda's forums are in an uproar about not being credited for the Achievements they earned in the newly released Fallout 3 DLC, Broken Steel.If you experience the same problem, take heart! Bethesda tells us, "The Xbox Live servers don't seem to be fully synched yet with the additional Achievements. Microsoft is looking into it right now so that the Achievements folks have gotten will show up properly on Live (the game awards them, they just aren't showing up right on Live for some reason). People won't lose any Achievements."Patience, friends. Sounds like this will be resolved soon.
