Ctrl+Tab: Achievement Unlocked 2

[The Cheezy One]

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Achievement Unlocked 2

[a href=?http://www.kongregate.com/games/ArmorGames/achievement-unlocked-2?]

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Any of those who played Achievement Unlocked [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/editorials/alt-escape/5731-Alt-Escape-Achievement-Unlocked] will remember it as a short, fun time waster that is more of a satire of objective- and achievement-based gameplay then an actual game. Or maybe I'm over analysing. Anyway, it was fun. This sequel is nothing if long awaited, which makes it a total shame, as it loses a lot from the original. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

If you didn't play the original, Achievement Unlocked was based around a single room, and, for a reason that will hopefully never become apparent, a blue elephant. On touching an object, it would change colour. Achievements were awarded for doing standard things, such as finding the hidden areas, changing the colour of all the tiles, or, more 4th-wall-breaking, clicking on the game screen. You could, provided you didn't get completely stuck, unlock all the achievements in 2-3 minutes.

AU2 builds on that. As well as the original screen, you get a 'Home' screen, and a 'Shop' screen, where you can buy more levels. This is why I think it drops the ball ? it started to take itself seriously. The fun about AU was that you could do it ALL in one screen in the time it takes to microwave a lasagne, whereas in, for example, Gears of War, you still could unlock all the achievements, but it would take days of devoted playing to do so. The changes applied to AU mean that it is back to the long slog to get all the achievements, rather than the two minute blast. You can collect coins that only become visible from a certain distance and teleport between areas, and all in all, it is a bit too much of a step up from the original. It is almost as if the game has started to become like the subject area it is supposed to be aping.

On the other hand, it's fun, and nostalgic, and will burn some time while waiting for that lasagne.

{Achievement Unlocked - Read Entire Review}

 

[Da_Vane]

I somehow knew this was going to be this week's review...

While the review is well written, I must disagree with a key point of the critique. The "long slog" can actually be completed within less than 15 minutes if you know what you are doing - simply watch the walkthrough to see how this is done. It doesn't take a great deal of skill, just an idea of what all the achievements are.

Other than that, UA2 replaces a single level with 5 "unlockable" levels that each have a different theme. This is a simple case of more is better, and manages to successfully ape this aspect of the latest trend in games. I think this is quite a decent, and much expected, step up from the original, it makes the first look more like a proof of concept model than a game.

 

[The Cheezy One]

I somehow knew this was going to be this week's review...

While the review is well written, I must disagree with a key point of the critique. The "long slog" can actually be completed within less than 15 minutes if you know what you are doing - simply watch the walkthrough to see how this is done. It doesn't take a great deal of skill, just an idea of what all the achievements are.

Other than that, UA2 replaces a single level with 5 "unlockable" levels that each have a different theme. This is a simple case of more is better, and manages to successfully ape this aspect of the latest trend in games. I think this is quite a decent, and much expected, step up from the original, it makes the first look more like a proof of concept model than a game.

i guess it comes down to personal preferance and opinion
personally, i preferred the simplicity of the original, and its obvious from the games ive reviewed that simplicity is what i look for in a game
however, in retrospect, "long slog" was definitely an overstatement, and i was probably too negetive about the game as a whole
the themes were also imaginative and interesting. maybe i was too much in love with the original
i suspect portal 2 will garner much the same response, that its an improvement of the original, so its better, but on the over hand there was little wrong with the original
although im guessing valve wont let P2 out with even a single mistake, so its more likely ot appeal to everyone

 

[ohgodalex]

I played the original, and was excited to see that a sequel was out. Your review made me skeptical, so well done; it's clearly a well-written review. Since I haven't played AU2, I can't argue pointlessly over semantics, so I'll leave you to your well-deserved compliments.