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Microsoft targets Gears of War 2 cheaters, resets their Gamerscore
Major Nelson drops word that Microsoft has taken some very awesome steps toward those glitching Achievements in Gears of War 2. Microsoft was able to target a specific group of people who unlocked Achievements in the game using a specific hack and, as you read this, is in the process of resetting their Gamerscores. Yes, folks, they're having their Gamerscores reset back to zero.Is this too harsh a punishment, to have all of their Gamerscore reset? Should Microsoft just erase these individuals' Gears of War 2 Achievements?
MS 'actively working' on linking Gamertags to new Windows Live IDs
Is that Tilda Swinton in the middle? Having amassed an impressive Gamerscore by slogging through Cabela hunting games, forgettable anime beat-em-ups and the last Iron Man game, it's no surprise that Xbox Live users become agitated when their Gamertags are placed in jeopardy. Earlier this week, it was reported that Windows Live IDs linked to dormant email addresses were at risk of deletion, taking associated Gamertags with them.However, Microsoft has clarified the situation, noting, "People with dormant Windows Live IDs can continue to enjoy the benefits of their Xbox LIVE Gamertags on their Xbox 360 consoles, including earning Achievements; however, they will not be able to use their expired Windows Live IDs for activities such as account management on xbox.com." According to a company representative, "An Xbox LIVE Gamertag is unrecoverable from the system only when the associated Windows Live ID has become dormant and the Gamertag has been deleted from all Xbox 360 consoles." In other words, a dead Windows Live ID will prevent you from recovering your Gamertag online should you change consoles or attempt account management, such as renewing your Xbox Live subscription. Microsoft is "actively working" on a solution that should allow you to sever the dead weight of an expired Windows Live ID and link your Gamertag to a new one. In the meantime, Major Nelson recommends you log into your Windows Live ID (do it through xbox.com) at least once every four months. Think of it as an insincere pleasantry with long-term benefits -- like visiting your mother-in-law.
World of Warcraft achievements will expand to other Blizzard titles
It's no secret that World of Warcraft will feature an achievement system that will roll out with the Wrath of the Lich King expansion. The writing's been on the wall for a little while now. New details have emerged, revealing that the achievement system will not be limited to World of Warcraft alone. Ultimately, the achievements will connect WoW with Blizzard's other major titles, namely Starcraft II and Diablo III. MTV Multiplayer's Tracey John recently spoke with WoW Lead Designer Jeff Kaplan about the impending first incarnation of this system, which will be character-specific, as well as Blizzard's plans for account-level achievements that focus more on classes and professions. Hit MTV Multiplayer for more details on account-based achievements, WoW points, and the 'Blizzard Level' -- that all-important ranking which will soon command the attention of most Blizzard fans.
TripleTags.com gamercards to include trophy support
One of the best thing about achievements and Gamerscore on the Xbox 360 is the ability to show it off to the world through the use of gamercards. These embeddable image files (example, above) allowed players to show off their recently played games, and their ever-growing Gamerscores. According to a recent post on TripleTags.com, the popular (but unofficial) source for PS3 gamercards will be getting support for trophies too. Hopefully, this will mean that players will no longer have to manually edit their gamercards with new games. Instead, a new API should allow the gamercard to update automatically with your recent trophy-enabled games and PlayStation level.(Also, wouldn't it be great if PS3 Fanboy profile pages could show this kind of info? Maybe if you leave enough comments, we can bother our programmers to do exactly that!)
Rumor: Gamerscores transferring to next Xbox console
A rumor in Game Informer (full text from GI after the break) states that Gamerscores and achievements will be transferable to Microsoft's next console. As far a rumors go, this is one many Xbox 360 owners might pray Microsoft wouldn't prevent from becoming a reality.Achievements and Gamerscores are two features of the Xbox 360 that have developed a strong following, particularly among "ch33vo-holics." We can already imagine the internet hissy-fit temper-tantrum freak out we'll see if the Xbox faithful can't transfer their data. Although the next console is still years away, it would be unfortunate to envision Microsoft not allowing gamers to transfer their data effortlessly to the next system.[Via X3F]
Gamerscore cheaters get punished and branded
Fresh from his much deserved vacation, Major Nelson sends word that last night, Microsoft dealt with Gamerscore cheaters / boosters with a highly concentrated dose of punishment.Those gamers who Microsoft targeted as being the greatest Gamerscore abusers have just had their entire Gamerscore wiped to a more appropriate 0GS. This wipe also prevents abusers from being able to go back and earn Gamerscore from already unlocked achievements, but they'll still be able to live a pure life and earn new achievements in the future. But we have to say the best punishment of all is the fact that all Gamerscore cheaters will now carry a mark of shame (seen above) that's branded on the cheater's Xbox.com Gamercard. How fashionable. You can learn more about the punishment, how cheaters are targeted and what goes down over on Xbox.com. Also, be sure to heckle anyone you see sporting the mark of shame. Give it to 'em good, make 'em cry!
The Club nods at Gears of War's 'Seriously' achievement
For the thorough achievement hunter, there are an elite series of Gamerscore garnering goals that the softcore gamer is not likely to possess, such as Dead Rising's Zombie Genocider achievement, or, well, most of the achievements from Chromehounds. One stands out above the rest, though, requiring a great deal of time and skill to earn -- the "Seriously" achievement from Gears of War. Getting 10,000 kills in ranked multiplayer earns you 50 Gamerpoints, and hopefully, a concerned intervention from a few of your closest loved ones. Bizarre Creations' latest project The Club gives a hearty nod towards the life-consuming achievement with one of their own -- the cleverly titled "No, Seriously" requires you to kill 10,001 opponents in ranked online matches. Oh, we see what you did there. We'll have to wait until Feb. 19 to see if the game is good enough to merit that kind of time investment, and if Bizarre ripped anything else off of Gears -- such as a steroid-infused protagonist that speaks with the eloquence of Tourette's suffering sailor.
Old Spice Experience Challenge returns ... sort of
We're sure you all have fond memories of the Old Spice Experience Challenge, which tasked gamers with earning enough gamerscore points to qualify for Fusion Frenzy 2, which was comparable to sprinting to the top of a steep hill to pick up your complimentary knife wound. Now, the challenge has returned, and while you're still getting prizes for points, it's with a very different structure.This time, you're not just competing with yourself, you're competing with your friends, and the more of them you can get in on a competition, the better prizes will be up for grabs. You'll fight against all of them for a set period of time and the top earner gets the goods, which range from a $20 Best Buy gift card to an Xbox 360 HD DVD Player. Like last time though, prizes are limited, so you'll probably want to get your friends together soon if you want a showdown for the best swag.
Devil May Cry 4 for PS3 gets achievements, required installation [update]
The German version of GamePro (via NeoGAF) has published its review of Devil May Cry 4 and revealed some interesting features for the PlayStation 3 - namely, achievements. Similar to the Xbox Live counterpart, you'll be able to perform certain actions and earn recognition, which can then be seen by your friends. From what we gather, this is only for DMC4, however, and not a console-wide feature, so don't expect to start bragging about your PSN gamerscore anytime soon. The idea of PS3 achievements, rumored once to be called entitlements, were denied by Sony leading up to the console's launch. The review also confirmed Sixaxis functionality in the form of tilting to adjust the camera, and noted a 5GB required installation before you can play the game. The 1UP podcast this week also confirmed this, saying it took 25 minutes to complete the installation process, so don't expect to play the game as soon as you get home from the store.[Update: Upgraded emphasis on 5GB installation][Via PS3 Fanboy]
New Avatar game awards 1K gamerpoints in 2 minutes
Gamerpoint addiction is a serious problem, people. Did you know that 1.2 million Americans buy awful games every day, just to harvest the sweet gamerpoint nectar that lies within? That's close to 60 million dollars a day that could be donated to charity, or, at the very least, spent on good games. We've got good news and bad news for these people. The bad news? You're going to be buying another bad game soon. The good news? You'll only need to play it for two minutes.Apparently, the creators of Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Burning Earth (Avatar: The Legend of Aang - The Burning Earth for our European readers) thought it would be much, much harder to rack up a 50 hit combo than it actually was. We wonder when someone will start up a Gamerpoint Regulation Council that will make the distribution of points between games like Avatar and games like Guitar Hero III a tad more uniform.[Thanks, jstroh]
Xbox Originals won't have achievements
C'mon, you can tell us. You're an addict, aren't you? You've got a 40K gamerscore and you simply can't justify any gaming time if, well ... you aren't being compensated for it. Bad news then, junkie. The recently announced Xbox Originals (downloadable versions of original Xbox games) won't have achievements. It all makes sense if you think about it: these are unaltered disc images. If they didn't see fit to go in and remove things like demos or trailers that could actually crash your 360 if you select them, it stands to reason they weren't going to add achievements.Now, the good news. Your gamertag won't be permanently sullied with achievement-related proof that you were playing Blinx 2: Masters of Time and Space. Seriously, what's wrong with you?[Via X3F]
Major Nelson: don't share accounts or cheat at Gamerscore
Major Nelson has posted a warning on his blog to all the folks out there thinking about sharing their Xbox Live accounts or using altered game saves to cheat at Gamerscore. In short, don't do either one. Major Nelson uses the example of giving someone your account so they can gather all the skulls in Halo 3 for you. If said person were to download XBLA games or movies onto that account, there is basically nothing Microsoft can do for you. The only recourse is for Microsoft to cancel the account altogether, and you'll still be out any MS Points spent by whoever you gave your account to.Major Nelson also lays down a warning to anyone using artificial means to increase their Gamerscore. He notes that such accounts may have their gamerscore removed altogether and any achievements earned on such an account will not be able to be reacquired. And, as you might expect, such an account (and the console on which it resides) could also be banned from Xbox Live entirely.We're not sure what prompted the warning (an increase in one or both activities perhaps), but we're sure it's good advice. Besides, what's the point of cheating to get Gamerscore? Where's the fun in that? Remember kids, if you cheat to inflate your Gamerscore, you're no better than a pro athlete.
Big Brother Microsoft is watching ... with portals
You may think that the guys handing consumer relations for Microsoft have it easy (discounting, of course, the occasional bout of scarlet unpleasantness). But we're not sure we could handle the kind of scrutiny they put their new employees under. Take this poor sap who was allowed to work from his home ... as long as he'd agree to a portal in his living room.Selfish as we are, we're less concerned about Nelson Rodriguez's plight than we are about the implications. Think about it for just a moment: Microsoft in bed with Aperture Science? Can that really be good news for anyone?
Study: More Xbox 360 achievements = better reviews, more sales
A new study by Electronic Entertainment Design and Research (EEDAR) suggests that the Xbox 360 achievement system (here called "accomplishments" for some reason) has an effect on the title's success. According to the press release, EEDAR found a "strong connection between a game title's diversity of Accomplishment types with that game's profitability -- pointing to the idea that the more diverse the Accomplishments available to the user, the more enjoyable the game, higher review scores, more units sold."We're hesitant to conclude that the number of achievements is a causality for gamer enjoyment, although we know of a few people who swear by their gamerscore (and a handful of games whose sales, but not necessarily reviews, were greatly increased because of their achievements). We wonder if the correlation is instead a sign that developers who spend more time ensuring the quality of their games also extend that hard-work towards the achievements, as well. If Valve's The Orange Box sells a bajillion copies, it's not necessarily because it has 99 ways to up your gamerscore.
X3F Achievements 101: Pre-E3 lull
Welcome to another edition of the weekly Gamerscore whoring extravaganza, X3F Achievements 101. As usual, I'll discuss the last week in unlocking Achievements, or discuss any news that's especially pertinent to the Achievement obsessed. Unfortunately, this week was pretty light, with E3 just around the corner, there wasn't much spare time to grind through any games. I didn't rent anything this week, but I did get my feet wet with Rainbow Six: Vegas, as well as made a couple discoveries whilst playing some Arcade titles locally with friends.
Rumor: Sony to reveal massive changes to the XMB and PS Store at E3
It seems every couple weeks we get another rumored list of new features/changes for upcoming firmware releases. They rarely come true and are usually quickly debunked, but are kind of fun regardless. Still, this most recent rumor is pretty juicy and comes from a PS3 Forums regular. Supposedly Sony is going to be showing off a huge overhaul to the XMB and the PlayStation store at E3, with heavy Home integration and the implementation of several features that have been long request. We've broken down the info into tasty little bulleted tidbits: Folder support for all sections of the XMB including Games, allowing you to organize your plethora of demos/ps1 titles/PSN games. User Profile page accessible directly from the XMB that shows off the your gamerscore, profile info and trophies. The page will also be viewable in your Home apartment. PlayStation Store is getting completely redesigned to make it more console accessible and to pave the way for the additional content Sony plans to release by the end of the year (videos, movies, music, etc). You'll be able to select your trophies for use as a t-shirt graphic in Home so everybody can check out your Loco Roco skillz without having to go to your house. A lot of the things mentioned sound reasonable. For example, the PlayStation Store will have to be revamped if Sony wants to offer a wide range of content there. As it is, it's unbelievably slow and really isn't conducive to prolonged sessions of browsing through content. Also, Phil Harrison has previously mentioned increased integration between Home and XMB, and Eric Lempel recently commented that Sony is indeed working on a gamerscore type of system. But still, take this rumor with a big ol' salt lick -- at least we won't have to wait long to find out if it's true![Thanks Joe!]
X3F Achievements 101: Dragonriding Swashbucklers
So the previous week has come to a close and I'm back with another glorious edition of X3F Achievements 101. The past seven days had some serious grinding behind it as I finished off the amazingly tedious Eragon. Hopefully Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End be a third time's charm for film-to-game adaptations. I'll also give my interpretation of the release of the Halo 3 Achievements, which took the interwebs by surprise this week. Either way, there's a lot to cover from the past week, so let's get started.
New Gears of War achievements reward the dedicated
New Gears of War achievements are coming June 14 at 2:00 a.m. GMT, which for those in the US means tonight at 10:00 p.m. EDT. A newsbrief on the GoW page outlines the eight new achievements for the Annex gametype and the Hidden Fronts multiplayer map pack. These achievements are not for those looking for a quick way to upgrade their gamerscore, however, and are primarily for those who want to show off that they've logged in hundreds of hours of game time. Achievements are listed after the break.Also included in the download is a patch that fixes a number of bugs in the game and multiplayer. The Annex gametype is currently available for free. The Hidden Fronts map pack is 800 MS points now but will go free September 3.[Via Xbox 360 Fanboy; thanks to everyone who sent this in]
X3F Achievements 101: Bots, Bosses and Babalities
X3F Achievements 101 is back, and on its regularly scheduled time slot of Sundays. Initial response to our first edition was rather positive, so we're glad you like the concept and hope you enjoy reading, and even participating in the column. Emails with Achievement tips also came in at a good pace, and I look forward to playing and trading with you. One particular email stood out, which came from Casey over at brains-N-brawn.com, and the steps he took to get Achievements in one of the most time consuming Arcade games, Bejeweled 2.
Readers pick best webcomic: time to retire
Coming on strong this week is 2P Start, whose 1337 Gamerscore nets them the top honors as this week's best game-related webcomic.Coming in second place is Digital Unrest, while the third place trophy has been divided in half between Penny Arcade and VG Cats. Thanks to everyone who voted, and be sure to let us know of any game-related webcomics you stumble upon this week!
