Are You Addicted to Achievements?

Hello, my name is Will, and I'm addicted to achievements. Not the real-life kind, mind you, as I've pretty much given up on those (just getting out of bed in the morning feels like an achievement). No, I'm talking about the kind of achievements that you can only get by playing Xbox 360 games. At first, I didn't really pay much attention to them, although I did feel a slight sense of accomplishment every time I was informed that I had received one. Lately, however, I'm finding that I can't stop trying to get them. It's gotten to the point that I'll stay up late into the night just to get an extra 10 points added to my gamerscore. I ... I think I need help.

For those of you that don't know what the hell I'm talking about, support for achievements is one of the many things that Microsoft requires developers to put in every single Xbox 360 game (including the Xbox Live Arcade titles). Each game can dole out up to 1000 achievement points, split into whatever manner the developer sees fit. You might see 5 achievements of 200 points each, or 100 consisting of 10 point increments. Some games don't even offer up the full 1000 points, only allowing you to get a fraction of that number.


Although the achievement system is a nice touch when you're playing offline, it's not until you get onto Xbox Live that you'll find yourself becoming an addict. Essentially, you'll be able to check on the games that your friends have played, tracking the number of achievement points that they've received. It may not sound like much at first, but you'll gradually begin to check out their scores more and more, and it won't be long before you're spending more time comparing scores than actually playing games against them. Finally, a way to compete in both single player AND multiplayer games!

Of course, getting achievements isn't always that easy. Some games require you to find a number of undocumented secrets, while other set the bar extremely high. Kameo, for instance, features a lot of hidden achievements, as well as a number of levels in which you must receive a high ranking to get credit. Perfect Dark Zero only gives you 10 points for completing the single-player game on the normal setting, focusing most of its achievements on the multiplayer aspects of the game. NHL 2K6 is toughest amongst the sports games, requiring players to perform Herculean tasks on the harder difficulty settings (such as scoring a goal in less than a minute on All-Star).