Nintendo Belittles Achievements As "Mythical Rewards"

Tom Goldman

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Aug 17, 2009
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Nintendo Belittles Achievements As "Mythical Rewards"



Nintendo isn't a big fan of achievements, so don't expect them to be integrated into a future Nintendo console.

The videogame achievement system made popular by Microsoft on the Xbox 360 and replicated by Sony with the PlayStation 3's trophies has caught on in a pretty big way. However, Nintendo won't be following the leader when it comes to achievements, because the house of Mario sees them as "mythical" and "artificial."

Speaking to Kotaku, Nintendo of America's head of product marketing Bill Trinen (often seen translating for Shigeru Miyamoto) said that Nintendo isn't "opposed to achievements," but that the company still doesn't have any plans to integrate them into a console. He reasoned that achievements are like a command from game designers that "tell you how to play their game in order to achieve some kind of mythical reward."

Trinen believes that Nintendo's games are designed so that players will explore and discover things on their own, sometimes coming upon "unexpected surprises." He finds that this type of game design "really encourages the sense of exploration rather than the sense of 'If I do that, I'm going to get some sort of artificial point or score that's going to make me feel better that I got this.'" Nintendo did include stamps that are similar to achievements in Super Smash Bros. Brawl [http://www.amazon.com/Wii-Sports-Resort-Nintendo/dp/B001COQW14/ref=sr_1_1?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1295711266&sr=1-1], but these types of mechanics are likely to be constrained to individual games based on Trinen's comments.

Even though Trinen makes a strong point, it seems like Nintendo is ignoring what has become a major part of the current videogame generation. Certain gamers [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/104447-Worlds-Biggest-Gamerscore-Breaks-500-000] have been known to seek out, borrow, and rent titles they wouldn't otherwise play just to get a quick boost to their Gamerscore. For these gamers, acquiring achievements and trophies is like a meta-game in itself. At the same time, when I'm awarded an achievement for beating the first level of a game, it makes me feel like an adult being complimented for putting on his pants properly.

Achievements are the most fun when they're surprising, like when you kill 5 enemies with a single explosion in Uncharted 2 [http://www.amazon.com/UNCHARTED-2-Among-Thieves-Playstation-3/dp/B002I0F5I2] and are given a trophy. Nintendo is very good at rewarding its players in ways such as this, so I'm not sure why it wouldn't want to Nintendo-ize the current achievement system and make it something of its own that's less "mythical," and more substantial.

Source: Kotaku [http://kotaku.com/5740114/a-nintendo-argument-against-achievements]


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Assassin Xaero

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I do agree with them, but at times I like achievements. With some games, they give it more value with more things to go for or different ways to do certain things (like Gravity Gun only through Ravenholm). Multiplayer ones are annoying though.
 
Apr 28, 2008
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Well, good for them.

Never cared much for achievements myself. Yeah that sounds incredibly hypocritical when you look at my gamerscore/trophy's, but I really don't care that much. I just play lots of games.
 

MikailCaboose

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Never cared for achievements either. If I want to do something in a game, I'll do it how I want to.
 

rokkolpo

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It helps keeping me interested in games at times, I loved the moment of getting everything in Oblivion,
and am actually willing to think I would have done every quest there if there was an achievement for it.
 

LTK_70

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They have a good point. New Vegas is rewarding me with achievements for completing the main storyline quests. I don't really see any reason for not completing the main storyline quests, seeing as you won't otherwise get anywhere, so how is adding an achievement adding any incentive?
 

Ordinaryundone

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I don't see why a game shouldn't have Achievements. The fact of the matter is, they don't detract anything from a game, and a lot of people like them (me included). They can add replay value, as well as letting you set goals for yourself in a game that you might not always think of.

Achievements have been around forever; they are not a new thing. Think of the obscure time requirements you had to meet to get the codes in Goldeneye, or the skill points in Ratchet and Clank. These days they just have an official system for them, both as a way of judging your completion against the standards of the developers, and just as a way of getting you to do something you might not have considered before.

Plus, I find it really damn satisfying when I go out of my way to do something difficult and get that little "beep boop". I do wish games had more focus on those kind of achievements rather than just getting them for playing the game, but I can't really complain.
 

JoJo

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Good, don't care for achievements much myself. I play games for the experience rather than trying to raise a number higher.
 

DustyDrB

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Agreed. Achievements mean nothing to me. I checked just the other day and the only games I've finished that I'm over 60%-70% with are Mass Effect 1 and 2. Thats just because I've played them like 20 times together.
 

nagi

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I like achievements... when they are funny, unexpectedor such, not the griiiiind ones. Like the proposed skillshots in Bulletstorm. (I know, those are not achievements, but still.)
 

Ridgemo

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almostgold said:
Yay Nintendo! Achievements are fucking retarded and every time I hear someone talking about trying to get one I have to resist the urge to punch them.
Wow, i'd hate to see your reaction when something bad actually happens.

As for achievements, it hardly matters. Obviously for some reason Nintendo feel that they need to jusitfy why they don't have them. Silly really.
 

Tharticus

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Achievements at times feel like completing a game 100%. There wasn't an achievements back then. Collecting 120 stars in Mario 64? That was an achievement.

*Unless you are psychotic people who are willingly to ruin their lives doing a complete 100% game plus speed run.

*sarcasm mode
 

Kapol

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I think that achievements can be a good way to add replay value to a game by giving it a little extra challenge to complete, such as doing something that's difficult (such as beating a game without firing a single bullet) or something similar. While what you get for them isn't that important, it's the fun you can have getting them that can add some extra gameplay for your dollar. I will admit that the games that just give you ones for 'kill 100 of enemy X' or 'beat the game' are fairly dull and pointless though.

And honestly, their reason that their games have 'surprises' to stumble on seems a bit off to me. Most Wii games I've played lately don't have much surprise in them. Some, like Metroid, have things like that data entries and such, but other then unimportant small side-notes, there's normally nothing too much to look forward to.

Also, I don't know why they say the rewards are 'mythical.' It's not like anyone (or anyone that understands the achievement system) is thinking they'll actually get anything for these achievements. They're basically bragging rights, which is fine by me. It's not like I expect someone to actually give me anything for having them.
 

mad825

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This is yet more evidence to the proof that the Wii (or Nintendo in general) are for causal gamers. Though many of you seem apathetic or disgusted by the sight of them, achievements do create a more competitive environment thus more 'hardcore' (or less casual) gaming.
 

TriggerHappyAngel

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Feb 17, 2010
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Valve does it, Microsoft does it, Sony does it.
Nintendo wants to be cool and unique and won't do it.

Wow, smart move guys.
 

deth2munkies

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Achievements are nothing but pointless collections of pixels unless done right. What they should do is add another layer to the game, either a harder mode (complete a certain level under a set of restrictive conditions), or a different way of doing things (kill X players with Y gun that you'd never otherwise use). Those kinds of achievements increase the value of the gaming experience by rewarding players for non-standard playing, and I think that's a great step forward in improving both replayability and depth without having to add a lot more expensive content.

Nintendo, however, has always been set in their ways and does their own thing often regardless of profit margin, so more power to them for being so successful yet inflexible.
 

Throwitawaynow

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Probably couldn't fit the achievement system so a company that deals with most extreme level of fantasy, mythic, or artificial points says that they won't do it.
 

Arkley

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Yeah, and people didn't want to play online with their video game consoles either, right Nintendo?

Anyone who's followed the video gaming world for a significant time will be aware of this: Nintendo always decries and belittles significant and popular innovations that Nintendo didn't implement first.

It happened when games started getting more mature, it happened when games moved to non-cartridge mediums, it happened when games started going online, and wouldja lookit that - Achievements and Trophies are widely popular, but Nintendo thinks they suck.

Here's the deal, guys: Achievements/Trophies are one of the best additions to gaming that came with this generation. Why? Because, aside from adding an easily accessible list of a player's in-game accomplishments for all to see, they add tons of potential replay value for those that pursue them. They add lots of extra goals to complete without putting extra pressure on the developer, and they add alternative styles of play that you might not explore otherwise. Replaying games on harder difficulties or attempting strange feats that are otherwise unnecessary seems like less of a waste of time when there's something to achieve - even if that is just a pat on the back in the form of a "beeboop" noise and a brief popup.

But best of all? They're optional. Developers can include an achievement or trophy for running up a wall and performing six backflips while gunning down precisely 20 enemies and landing on a moving car to encourage players to attempt this, without forcing them to do it in order to progress. And if players don't want or care about achievements? They don't have to worry about them.

Nintendo, guys, I love you. I'm one of the half dozen people who still regularly plays and buys games for the Wii. But get over yourselves. Achievements are, for all of the reasons listed above, one of the most important innovations of this generation. Accept that things don't suck just because you haven't implemented them. Alright?