achievements
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Xbox 360's first 100,000-point gamerscore
Uh ... congratulations? The man known as 'StripClubDj' has surpassed the 100,000-point gamerscore milestone, becoming the first Xbox 360 user to do so -- and he's suffered through some pretty awful games to get there (twice!).StripClubDj is currently trailed by Southsidepimp24 on the worldwide leaderboard. What a world...[Thanks, Mike]
Let the Gears begin
Some lucky bastard named lamerla racked up four Gears of War achievements on Thursday according to his profile at Xbox.com. Anybody with a retail copy in hand start spilling your guts -- before we spill yours next week.[Thanks xBlaCkPlaGuEx]
Gears of War achievements reveal new game details
Gears of War's 1000 gamer points will be distributed throughout 49 achievements. To earn these points, you'll have to beat all three difficulty levels (Casual, Hardcore, and Insane), and then beat the game again in co-op mode (using Dom); and at some point collect all the hidden COG tags (like 'dog tags'), taking out some particularly nasty Locust-types along the way. You'll also have to perfect the game's reload system and then take your skills online where, if you really must have every last point, like "Seriously ...", you'll need to amass 10,000 frags in ranked play.Browsing the list of Gears achievements does reveal some little known tidbits about the game (without revealing major spoilers): Single-player/co-op campaign is five acts, plus training level (the prison break) COG tags will be hidden, collectible items "Berserker" and "Corpser" are two of the Locust classes General RAAM is a boss Weapon names include: Boomshot, Torque Bow, Longshot, and Hammer of Dawn Gears was inspired by Brokeback Mountain, hence the "I Can't Quit You Dom" achievement [Thanks, Baker]
Top 10 awful achievements
Let's face it, some 360 achievements are pretty difficult to get. Others are pretty easy. However, there are some that are too easy or too hard. And of course there are those that are just stupid (here's looking at you Kong). GamersReports has taken our distaste for crappy achievements and combined them with our love of easily digestible lists of information. The product of this peanut butter/chocolate creation? A top ten list of the worst achievements on the Xbox 360, of course! Even better, Joystiq went to the trouble of recreating this list, which we will delicately lift for our own personal gain. It's the American way. Behold: Mini-Games (Enter the Mini-Games mode); Madden 2007 Pyromaniac (Jack used fire to scare off enemies and get out of harm's way); King Kong The Graduate (Earn the highest score on every drill in Training Mode); Rockstar Table Tennis Tactical Instructor (Top marks in every Story Mode mission); Chromehounds Play Some Online (Compete in each of the online game modes at least once); Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2006 Food Bank; Feeding Frenzy Game Master (Finish the entire game without continuing while using default settings); Smash TV Complete 99 Stages (standard mode); Bomberman: Act Zero Transmissionary (Answer all calls from Otis); Dead Rising World Champion (Multiplayer: Climb to the top of the universal leaderboard); GRAW Do you agree with this list? Any others you'd care to throw up there?[Via Joystiq]
Wack Xbox 360 achievements, Top 10 style
GamersReports has posted a list of some of the more questionable Xbox 360 achievements. But points whores (a.k.a. those of us who pad our gamerscores) will quietly disagree with the claim that the Madden and King Kong achievements are among the "worst" -- heck, who wouldn't take 100 points for lighting a brush fire?And we're gonna argue that GRAW's 'World Champion' is one of the better achievements, in theory. After all, "achievements" implies hard work and a goal that isn't accessible to everyone. But we do agree that Ubisoft should have considered those who were able to play the game before its release -- we're looking at you Major Nelson -- ineligible to receive the achievement.But the other seven achievements on the list are downright tedious and offensive. 40,000 points in Feeding Frenzy? Do we look like we got a case of the OCD?
Entitle this! Sony names their own achievements
A wise man once said, "The merit of originality is not novelty; it is sincerity." Having said that, a recent EGM Live podcast revealed what Sony could be calling their own version of game Achievements. Enter... the Entitlements! At a point during the first third of the podcast, Dan Hsu spoke about how these Entitlements could be a key player in the next-gen cross-platform scene. Due to the infamously rising development costs, bringing the same game from one console to another is shaping up to be a very cost-effective alternative to exclusive titles (sad as it may be). So if you earn some Achievements on a certain ported game, chances are you will be able nab the same Entitlements on Sony's service just as easily. The editors also made a very sharp point: wouldn't it be great to see something tangible awarded to those gamers with high Entitlements? Perhaps a free retro game to download, or an honorary icon/avatar for your profile?
360 : achievements :: PS3 : entitlements
Let's make this clear: we have no problem with Sony coveting, with lustful eyes, the better aspects of their competition. Adding Wiimote functionality to the Dual Shock is a-ok by us ... it's a value add (removing rumble, that's another story). Adding a robust online service, that's great for gamers. Fleshing out that service with a system similar to Microsoft's (addictive) achievement system, also good news for us. But naming those achievements "entitlements," not so hot. According to Dan Hsu on the July 19th EGM Live podcast, "Sony's looking into it and they want to call them 'entitlements.' They want to basically rip off the same idea Microsoft has and just giving you different rewards for playing through their games."Not only is the name a little close for comfort (how about PlayStation Life), but the definitional differences between the two words are irreconcilable! An achievement is defined as "the act of accomplishing or finishing," while an entitlement is defined as "the state of being furnished with a right or claim to something." I suppose the logic could be that if we trudge though a bunch of crappy launch games, we'll be "entitled" to some sort of reward. Hardly the message Sony's trying to promote.[Via Club Skill]Listen - "they want to call them entitlements" (.mp3, about 10:30 in)
PS3 entitled to mockery
In the July 19 EGM Live Podcast, editor Dan Hsu reported that Sony's new, yet oddly familiar, points system will allow gamers to pile up "entitlements" by achieving certain goals in PS3 games. Set aside, for a moment, the fact that this entire concept is a blatant rip-off of Microsoft. It doesn't even make sense. Last I checked, entitlements were something the modern welfare state sent your grandmother in the mail, not things that you earn through toil and tears. Microsoft calls them "achievements" because you're..um...achieving something. This is a hilariously awkward attempt by Sony to avoid using their rival's nomenclature that denotes both a lack of creativity and a failure to comprehend the English language. I guess "goals" and "accomplishments" were also taken. Leave it to Kutaragi & Krew to come up with a reward system that sounds like they're doling out government cheese to the indigent. Then again, if you plunk down $600 for PS3, you better be entitled to something besides a hefty credit card bill.I almost can't believe this will be in the final product. Is Sony as dense as they are shameless?[Thanks Geof]
Square Enix likely to introduce achievement incentives into FFXI on Xbox 360
According to GalbadiaX.com, the next update of Final Fantasy XI for Xbox 360 could introduce gamerscore points into the aging MMORPG. To date, FFXI is the only 360 title without points, which, technically, Microsoft requires publishers to include in Xbox 360 games, dispersed throughout at least five game-related achievements.If you view Final Fantasy XI details on an Xbox 360 gamercard, you'll notice that the game has been updated with 32 "secret" achievements. However, these achievements are not yet active, but are speculated to become fully integrated with the next FFXI update, which will also include changes to Besieged and chocobo breeding.
Secret NCAA 07 achievements explained
Paul from VideoGameJocks clues everybody in on the "secret"" achievements in NCAA 07: They are basically achievements that denote how much of a gamerscore you have in the game. There is one each for reaching 250, 500, 750 and a full 1000 gamerscore in the game. While each achievement actually comes with zero points they are needed if you want to complete the entire list, which you will obviously do by getting the known achievements.Necessary stuff for the collegiate completist.
Finding achievement difficulty ratings now effortless
Wondering which achievements are easier than a drunk prom date and, conversely, which ones will drive you to the bottle? Achieve360points.com has added an achievement difficulty rating to every title in their sizeable database. Games are rated from "effortless" to "near impossible," with three thumb-busters, Bejeweled 2, Ridge Racer 6, and Smash TV, garnering the latter controller-crushing status. Editor Kerry is looking for feedback, so if you breezed through RR6 like it was nothing head over and say your piece. While you're at it, you can explain to the rest of us why the hell you were playing Ridge Racer to begin with.
Video game merit badges; Tetris is the new archery
In this Worth 1000 Photoshop contest, entrants were tasked with creating a "real-life merit badge." Our favorites: this 2600 joystiq joystick, a Tetris badge, a Pac-Man badge, and a weird Half-Life lambda logo in a pink triangle ... though we're not sure that one's game related. While those are all really boss, I'm really wanting a Geometry Wars badge. Busting 1mln points certainly deserves something more than a simple XBL achievement![Via Boing Boing]
Earn 6,000 Xbox 360 points -- without trying
GameSpot has posted a "guide" for quickly accumulating a 6,000-point gamerscore. Wanna earn 400 points by pressing the start button for 30 minutes? How about the entire set of 1,000 points in a single game of College Hoops? Jeff Gerstmann will show you how, using these 7 games: Madden NFL 06 NBA 2K6 NBA Live 06 King Kong College Hoops 2K6 NHL 2K6 Amped 3 WARNING: While a 6,000-point gamerscore will look good on your gamercard, anyone that takes a closer look at your profile will be able to expose you for what you really are... Don't say we didn't warn you.
Sssshhhh! Secret Xbox 360 achievements revealed
CheapyD, from Cheap Ass Gamer, has posted a screenshot of some secret Xbox 360 achievements. I think most of us have managed to "collect" at least one of these achievements, though it may not show up on our gamercard. My favorites: "Feel the Love" and "Hard Core". On the other hand, my console hasn't overheated and, amidst the drone of electronics in my living room, is hardly audible. But if we can't laugh with them...For more on vulgarity and Xbox Live:Vulgarity, Halo 2, and you[Via Joystiq]
