Achievement Unlocked 06.13.08: The Changing Face

Posted by Rod Oracheski on 06.13.2008

Achievements have come a long way since the Xbox 360 launched. This week let's take a look at 10 games coming this year that might well change the way we look at Achievements yet again.



After looking at the past last week, listing 50 games that I'll probably love forever, let's look into the future this week. No, we're not going to do the same "On the next Xbox" thing I did not that long ago - let's look at games coming this year, or at least game that are currently slated to come out this year.

Let's do more than that, though. Let's look at games that stand a good chance at offering up Achievements that change the way lists are compiled in the future. Games that do what Gears of War, Crackdown, or The Orange Box did - make us look at Achievements in a whole new way.



Before looking forward, let's take a quick look back at how Achievements were changed by the three games mentioned. There were other influential games, like Mass Effect, which introduced the notion of Achievements unlocking in-game bonuses, but I only have so much free time...



The first big Achievement-changer was Epic's Gears of War. While 22 of the game's Achievements weren't that great, consisting of the 'beat level on [x] difficulty' style that very few people like to see, the remainder of the list - now grown to 35 with the release of extra content - were in a league of their own.

Not only was the remainder of its list filled with Achievements that actually sounded fun to go after, Gears was one of the first titles to use names that appealed to gamers - Achievements like 'My Love for You Is Like a Truck' or 'A Series of Tubes' were a hit. Epic showed that you can have a list that's fun to read through as well as play through.



Crackdown was next in line to take a shot at changing the way developers made their lists. The title was one of the first to use Achievements to get gamers to try new things and think outside the box. Achievements like 'High Flyer' made gamers find a way to the top of the Agency Tower, while 'Base Jumper' made them take that death-defying leap off the top once they'd made it.

Whether it was juggling cars in the air for seven seconds, killing crooks with a giant globe, or doing a pair of flips with your car - Crackdown's Achievement list made gamers take notice.



The Orange Box is the latest game to shake things up, and I'm not talking about the massive size of that 99-Achievement list.

Valve worked the list to the limit, there's no doubt about that, but they also took steps to make sure no gamer was ever left feeling like they weren't making progress towards Achievements. The simple inclusion of a progress bar on Achievements was a masterful stroke - keeping gamers engaged when they might otherwise have grown bored.

It also helps that Valve's list, like that of both Gears of War and Crackdown, was filled with clever Achievements that challenged players to actually achieve goals, changing the way they played the game if they wanted to get that elusive 1,000/1,000.



Now that we've taken a short look backwards, let's take a short look forwards. I looked through the list of titles that are, at least currently, slated for release at some point in the latter half of 2008. From that lengthy list, I trimmed the obvious candidates for pruning - licensed games, sports titles, etc... While it's possible that one of those games could come up with a clever new take on Achievements, I'm playing the odds here.

So here's the list of 10 games that might well change Achievements:

10) TNA iMPACT: TNA was formed to try and make a splash in the largely stagnant world of professional wrestling, and Midway is looking to do the same with the equally stagnant world of video game wrestling. They're pulling out all the stops to make sure this game, the first in what I'm sure they'd love to see become a series, catches on with gamers.

The Smackdown vs Raw series improved their Achievement list in the latest release, but there's definitely room to do something new and cool here. I'm willing to bet Midway is looking for that something.

09) Saints Row 2: When Saints Row came out, it was seen by some as a cheap GTA knockoff, but its sense of humour and irreverent attitude won over a lot of gamers. Now, in the wake of GTA IV, comes Saints Row 2.

It was delayed to add extra polish, and recent screenshots have indeed shown remarkable steps forward, but that extra time might also be put to use in polishing up the Achievement list. Where it was once Grand Theft Auto pushing boundaries, now it seems to be the Saints Row series that's taken up the reins. Hopefully that extends to the Achievements as well.

08) Fallout 3: Though Oblivion wasn't a stellar list, it came early in the 360's life cycle - before developers really had a good grip on how important the Achievement list was, along with how to create one. Fallout 3 is a title that has an overwhelming amount of attention on it, based just on the history of the series alone, and Bethesda will be feeling the pressure to deliver.

The series has a great sense of humour, and I bet we'll see that reflected in the final Achievement list. I'm hoping for a Mass Effect-style bonus system, something with a Fallout twist...

07) MK vs DC: The Mortal Kombat series has been trying to move away from the tag of 'simple' fighter, making a successful leap from 2D to 3D and incorporating new gameplay techniques that broaden its appeal. It's still the bloodiest fighter around, but Fatalities aren't the only reason to play anymore.

Fighting games offer a difficult challenge to developers. How do you create an Achievement list that's compelling, when the gameplay is limited to combat? That's a challenge I believe they'll answer in a unique way. After all, if they didn't want to do something different - why bring the DC boys to the party?

06) Mercenaries 2: Another 'open world' game, Mercenaries 2 will need something to differentiate it from the pack of open world also-rans. The destruction angle is interesting, but not something that no other game has done.

The multiple characters, each with different abilities, offers up some possibilities for the Achievement list. Let's see if they can follow through with that.

05) Halo Wars: The Halo series hasn't really been that good for Achievements. The list for Halo 3 was solid, but unspectacular - with a focus on multiplayer-based Achievements that was a deterrent for many gamers.

With the franchise venturing into the RTS genre, a move that's ironically taking it back to where it started, it's likely they'll be using the Achievement list to guide gamers along. This will, after all, be the first RTS for many gamers - drawn in by the widespread appeal of the Halo universe. Another plus for this title is that it's published by Microsoft Game Studios - and nobody knows Achievements better than they do, for obvious reasons.

04) Too Human: After a lengthy development process, Silicon Knights will be looking to garner positive press in whatever way possible. A solid Achievement list is a simple way to get some grass roots support going, and I don't believe they'll overlook that factor.

It also helps that Too Human will be published by Microsoft Game Studios, and that developer Denis Dyack has said the Achievement list will include a few secrets. Hopefully they're worth the wait.

03) Fable 2:Developer Peter Molyneux always - always - dreams big, and Fable looks to be delivering on his dreams for the first game. This time around he's even going to be releasing Xbox Live Arcade tie-in games, and allowing people to use any money they earn from those games in Fable 2. Hopefully Molyneux and his team are looking towards the Achievement list with that same kind of 'outside the box' thinking.

Once again, and this is a bit of a trend you'll pick up on, this is a game published by Microsoft Game Studios. As one of the big titles in the Fall lineup, this title will be getting every bit of polish available.

02) Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts: With an all-new look at the Banjo Kazooie universe, it's likely that Nuts and Bolts will have a fairly unique Achievement list to back it up. The incredible variety offered in the vehicle design offers glowing potential for the list, all by itself. When you include the platforming sections, this is bound to be a list that surprised.

01) Left 4 Dead: Valve has, outside of Microsoft, the best grasp on Achievements. The Orange Box shows that they can produce a quality list, no matter the size, and that bodes well for Left 4 Dead. The game has a big multiplayer component, which may mean the accompanying list won't be for everyone's tastes, but I believe if any company can make it work Valve will be the one to find a way.



As I mentioned last week, I've been hooked up with a high-def capture system and the bugs are being worked out of it. The Xbox 360 captured just fine, using HDMI to carry both the audio and video to the card. After a number of tests to find decent settings, I switched over to the PS3 and ran into roadblocks.

While the Xbox 360 doesn't have an HDCP requirement for HDMI output when you're playing games, the PS3 does. That left me with static flickering on my capture screen and no way to capture via HDMI. After confirming it was indeed an HDCP issue, I looked for solutions.

A pair of component cables came to the rescue and, after some fiddling with settings, I managed to get a 720p signal via component and capture some PS3 video as well. Unless someone wants to toss me a PS3 debug kit, that's the best I can do for the PS3 side of things - at least until they decide to let us toggle HDCP off for games output.

The first of those videos will be going up with our review of The Incredible Hulk, which should be up very soon. Once again, if you have any idea for video-related features, fire away with the ideas. The e-mail is down below.

Until next week, I'm out.