Wii U to feature an achievement system?

Thophder

"Nintendo has put an Achievement-like system in the 3DS, mostly to reward people for feats involving the system’s Street Pass networking system. In other words, the system itself has Achievements. “We will have that,” Fils-Aime said. “Once you start getting into game-specific [Achievements] that’s developer driven.” Microsoft may require every game to have Achievements, but, Fils-Aime said, “That is not our philosophy.”

http://mynintendonews.com/2012/06/11/wii-u-will-feature-an-achievement-system/

Seems interesting, Rather than having it a mandatory thing like on the Xbox/PS3 They're now actually doing it on the Wii U but as an optional feature.. Your thoughts on this? I personally think achievements add more replayablity to the games.

jaydoxx

Thophder wrote: »

"Nintendo has put an Achievement-like system in the 3DS, mostly to reward people for feats involving the system’s Street Pass networking system. In other words, the system itself has Achievements. “We will have that,” Fils-Aime said. “Once you start getting into game-specific [Achievements] that’s developer driven.” Microsoft may require every game to have Achievements, but, Fils-Aime said, “That is not our philosophy.”

http://mynintendonews.com/2012/06/11/wii-u-will-feature-an-achievement-system/

Seems interesting, Rather than having it a mandatory thing like on the Xbox/PS3 They're now actually doing it on the Wii U but as an optional feature.. Your thoughts on this? I personally think achievements add more replayablity to the games.

What I'd really like to see is user submitted achievements. I know it'll never happen but that's what I want:p

Dozen Wicked Words

I have little to no interest in achievements. Getting little gongs for 25 head shots or the like makes a game no more enjoyable for me. Doesn't bother me seeing the little achievement thing pop up on screen, but never go after them.

jaydoxx

Actually having thought about it, I'd much rather have user statistics in every game. Distance jumped, swam, ran, how many enemies killed, average speed etc. I don't know what I want!

Thophder

dooferoaks wrote: »

I have little to no interest in achievements. Getting little gongs for 25 head shots or the like makes a game no more enjoyable for me. Doesn't bother me seeing the little achievement thing pop up on screen, but never go after them.

Achievements don't bother me too much either but personally they do add more playablity into games...

For example, I used to play game's on easy-normal modes because it was not worth playing on the hardest if there was no reward in the end.. now games give you unlocks & achievements for beating them on hard so that attracts players into doing things they'd never do normally

Myrddin

dooferoaks wrote: »

I have little to no interest in achievements. Getting little gongs for 25 head shots or the like makes a game no more enjoyable for me. Doesn't bother me seeing the little achievement thing pop up on screen, but never go after them.

Couldn't agree more, I don't mind them popping up during the natural course fo play or anything...but I wouldn't go trying to get them as to me they're utterly pointless Horses for courses I guess

robman60

dooferoaks wrote: »

I have little to no interest in achievements. Getting little gongs for 25 head shots or the like makes a game no more enjoyable for me. Doesn't bother me seeing the little achievement thing pop up on screen, but never go after them.

I can see your point, but I think achievements are still a worthwhile addition.

Personally, achievements add significant replay value. I'm one of those people who likes 100% completion though, which probably puts me in a minority. :pac:

Myrddin

robman60 wrote: »

I can see your point, but I think achievements are still a worthwhile addition.

Personally, achievements add significant replay value. I'm one of those people who likes 100% completion though, which probably puts me in a minority. :pac:

But arn't you replaying the game purely for a false sense of achievement? If the actual game offers nothing new on replay except for a digital pat on the back, whats the point?

Kinski

If I didn't imagine it, I played some game where was a joke achievement for successfully pressing start on the title screen. Which pretty much sums up how I feel about the whole thing. Challenges like finishing a level against the clock, or without taking damage, or whatever, are all good and add replay value, but the achievements system is just overkill, with way too many of them and a lot which are just things you have to do to progress in the game anyway. I'm not going to do them if I have to scroll through a massive list looking for ones which sound interesting.

robman60

EnterNow wrote: »

But arn't you replaying the game purely for a false sense of achievement? If the actual game offers nothing new on replay except for a digital pat on the back, whats the point?

I could argue that achieving anything in a video game is just for a digital pat on the back, as you call it.

I also fail to see why you call it a false sense of achievement.

Myrddin

robman60 wrote: »

I could argue that achieving anything in a video game is just for a digital pat on the back, as you call it.

I also fail to see why you call it a false sense of achievement.

Well yeah, in the strictest sense you could be right in saying that. But in my opinion (as an old-school gamer) story/plot developments are far more rewarding than a little icon that tells me I did something.

If replaying a game offers something new, be it in game mechanics, plot/story, or anything at all that differs from the first time you play it...then yeah, thats what I'd consider replay value.

To me, an achievement/trophy is a total false sense of achievement. It doesn't change the game, nothing new is revealed, in fact, nothing about the entire game changes in any way except for the little trophy you have that tells you that you did something. I honestly don't get the appeal in any way shape or form.

That being said, I'm not out to criticise the reward others get from them, its just my own feelings on the matter. Given the choice between plot twists for replayability or trophies, I'll take plot twists every single time

robman60

I still fail to see why it's a false achievement. Of course unlockable characters or new mapsare a good addition to any game, but I still think achievements are worthwhile.

High score chasing is also playing the same thing over, but I doubt you think that's false achievement. If you do, then we have completely different views of what's worthwhile in a game!

Myrddin

robman60 wrote: »

I still fail to see why it's a false achievement. Of course unlockable characters or new mapsare a good addition to any game, but I still think achievements are worthwhile.

High score chasing is also playing the same thing over, but I doubt you think that's false achievement. If you do, then we have completely different views of what's worthwhile in a game!

As I said, I'm not out to criticize whatever people get out of achievements/rewards, it's just the way I see it.

High score chasing depends on the type of game, certain games whole mechanic is built around score building so yes in that sense, score matters. In others it's completely irrelevant to the game.

ríomhaire

I only care about achievements in they're interesting. Waste 200 hours doing the same rubbish over and over to get 100% and unlock all the stickers/statues/achievements/character art is something I generally don't care about. But sometimes achievements set up interesting challenges for the player that are hard to resist trying and feel very rewarding once you get them. Two good examples are Walk On Water in Sonic Generations which is for managing to complete Chemical Plant Zone without falling into the water once or One Free Bullet in Half-Life 2: Episode One where you have to complete the game while only firing a single bullet. I like those achievements. I want to see more of them.

Thophder

I like achievements that are fun and not too hard but not too easy to do such as say Kill 100 enemies with a certain gun (M4) But anything like Kill 10,000 players online (I'm pointing at you EPIC) Are most of the time not fun to do!

Banjo

@Enternow - the fact that you say Story/Plot development is an important part of why you play makes you at best a Middle School gamer Old school games don't have plots/stories to advance. They have a flimsy premise that puts a little tank defending the earth from very regimented alien attacks or a crazed disembodied mouth eating dots (unless there's a point in Asteroid where you split a large rock up and inside is your long lost father. Old School gamers (and I can't really put myself in that catagory being more of a child of Bubble Bobble than Donkey Kong) are all about the high score table and bragging rights, and that's what the achievement system is - I got this far in the game (the plot-driven "mandatory" achievements), I shot the last invader with a single shot, I jumped on 500 turtles, etc.

I'm not crazy about achievements myself but I don't mind them and they seem to work for some people. I prefer them when there's a point to them other than a badge, say unlocking content, though the badge is plenty when it's a real achievement like the playing the endless setlists on RockBand without using pause. Where they drive behaviour that forces you to master a certain aspect of gameplay they may even be a good thing as far as gaming goes.

The bigger picture though is that they're a step towards a coherent and persistent ID for the player, which is something the Nintendo platforms are sorely lacking - so bring it on.

Myrddin

Banjo wrote: »

@Enternow - the fact that you say Story/Plot development is an important part of why you play makes you at best a Middle School gamer Old school games don't have plots/stories to advance. They have a flimsy premise that puts a little tank defending the earth from very regimented alien attacks or a crazed disembodied mouth eating dots (unless there's a point in Asteroid where you split a large rock up and inside is your long lost father. Old School gamers (and I can't really put myself in that catagory being more of a child of Bubble Bobble than Donkey Kong) are all about the high score table and bragging rights, and that's what the achievement system is - I got this far in the game (the plot-driven "mandatory" achievements), I shot the last invader with a single shot, I jumped on 500 turtles, etc.

Well forgive me if I've being playing games since I was 5/6 & got an Atari 2600 when they were being retailed. If that's not quite old enough for you, call me whatever you wish. My point was, despite playing games for the last 25 years, my own personal preference is to get on with the game & not faff about getting psuedo trophies that mean nor do nothing.

I grew up with Dodge'em, Jungle Hunt, Asteroids etc, & I'm aware old games had no plot or point in the strictest sense. But despite that, an achievement/trophy system would have been as pointless then as it is today.

Thats my opinion, & I'm as entitled to make it as you are yours

I'm not crazy about achievements myself but I don't mind them and they seem to work for some people. I prefer them when there's a point to them other than a badge, say unlocking content, though the badge is plenty when it's a real achievement like the playing the endless setlists on RockBand without using pause. Where they drive behaviour that forces you to master a certain aspect of gameplay they may even be a good thing as far as gaming goes.

Well I'd view unlockables somewhat differently. They do have an impact on the game, can change your perception of it & do add re-playability. A trophy thats just there though, well, if that works for some then fair dues to them.

The bigger picture though is that they're a step towards a coherent and persistent ID for the player, which is something the Nintendo platforms are sorely lacking - so bring it on.

Thats really it exactly, & its the same for 360 & PS3. They seem to build up a rep & add to your 'credence' somehow. Again, fair dues to whoever gets a kick out of that...I'd just rather get on with the gaming.

Banjo

EnterNow wrote: »

Well forgive me if I've being playing games since I was 5/6 & got an Atari 2600 when they were being retailed. If that's not quite old enough for you, call me whatever you wish.

If you're not sitting in front of an ivory-inlaid backgammon table, then no gamer you!
No insult was intended, there's nothing wrong with embracing the changes that came along in the mid-late eighties, where plot and progression became more important than scores and speed. Just that the Achievements system always struck me as a massive throwback to the early mentality of gaming.

Thats really it exactly, & its the same for 360 & PS3. They seem to build up a rep & add to your 'credence' somehow. Again, fair dues to whoever gets a kick out of that...I'd just rather get on with the gaming.

Well, there's more to it than that, or at least I hope and pray there is. A coherent online ID would hopefully mean that, for example, your friends list from your WiiU is the same as on your 3DS and you don't have to enter all 50 numbers in again a second time. You could receive Letterbox letters on your handset or home console depending on what's more convenient at the time. Your online purchases would be tied to a single account rather than individual consoles (especially important if your 3DS goes missing, for example). You could enable 3DS Streetpass activities for Wii / WiiU games, or share VC titles between your fixed and mobile consoles. Achievements could be used to alter the behaviour of sequels since they know how you played that game. If it also let's you brag that you killed the Giant Smorgozan in under 30 seconds using only a spoon, then so much the better, but I do hope it's more than just a badge-and-title system.

Myrddin

Banjo wrote: »

Well, there's more to it than that, or at least I hope and pray there is. A coherent online ID would hopefully mean that, for example, your friends list from your WiiU is the same as on your 3DS and you don't have to enter all 50 numbers in again a second time. You could receive Letterbox letters on your handset or home console depending on what's more convenient at the time. Your online purchases would be tied to a single account rather than individual consoles (especially important if your 3DS goes missing, for example). You could enable 3DS Streetpass activities for Wii / WiiU games, or share VC titles between your fixed and mobile consoles. Achievements could be used to alter the behaviour of sequels since they know how you played that game. If it also let's you brag that you killed the Giant Smorgozan in under 30 seconds using only a spoon, then so much the better, but I do hope it's more than just a badge-and-title system.

Well right you may well be, & as an exclusively offline gamer, it's where the trophy/achievement system shows its true colours. It may well have some use in the active multiplayer scene, but inside the games themselves, hmm, not for me.

No insult at all either btw, but your on your own there with backgammon

jayteecork

I love the achievements that make you go "above and beyond" the regular path of the game.

However ones like "Reach level 5" are pointless.

They're also a good way of maximizing the game. I've full gamerscore/trophies on only a handful of games.

That_Guy

I don't mind achievements. I personally don't go after them. It's the repetitive nature of a lot of achievements that grate on me.

I remember watching one lad I used to live with constantly do the same thing over and over again to gain an achievement. Seemed like an absolute waste of time to me.

CastorTroy

That_Guy wrote: »

I don't mind achievements. I personally don't go after them. It's the repetitive nature of a lot of achievements that grate on me.

I remember watching one lad I used to live with constantly do the same thing over and over again to gain an achievement. Seemed like an absolute waste of time to me.

I think there's a trophy in God of War for like a 10,000 hit combo or something crazy like that. I'm sure be fun at first trying to get it, but after you get to 9,998 hits then stop for whatever reason, it'd get annoying.

Myrddin

I've often got 'achievements' for beginning a new game, its ridiculous