As part of my ongoing quest to please Beuli2, I am going to be doing a regular series of threads called "against the grain", bringing up news stories which are either overlooked or too big to miss...

However, I have received many messages from users who have commented on how much they enjoy this series. If I can just do that with this writing, then that's important to me. One day, I am to become a writer for this site, or another. I didn't really enjoy it beforehand, but I've been getting quite into it now!

Also, it should be noted that I may not be able to visit the site for long enough to create another thread for another month, BOO! So I hope you enjoy my final thread of the year, and I wish you all a happy new year

Now I don't know about any of you, but I've recently found myself obsessed with acheivements when I go on my Xbox 360, and I don't like it. I understand the concept, trying to attract gamers to complete a game, but what's the point?

For example, I recently read about a girl who has now racked up 500,000 gamerscore, over 515 games. Now, to me, that seems excessive. I think the best acheivements for these people is the one mentioned above...

My point is, have you ever found yourself, I don't know, addicted to acheivements? So much so that a quick 20 minute play has turned into a marathon event to see if you can obtain $1,000,000 or something?

If acheivements are going to stay (which I think is a good thing), then at least make them more difficult to obtain (I'm looking at you: Assassin's creed), or make them more worthwhile. I have yet to discover the importance of gamerscore when going online.

Perhaps a better idea would be to, for a high gamerscore, be able to obtain free demoes or DLC for the corresponding game (example? Free zombie map in COD), and make all game have a score of 1,000 or 500 (depending on the length). This way, all gamers who acheive 200,400,600, 800 and 1,000 points will be treated in-game, mutually exclusive to one another. Just a thought, but I think it could work...

Oh, yeah, I'm rambling again. So my point is this; 

1. Have you ever bought a game just for the gamerscore? If so, what was it, and do you regret the purchase?

2. Do you have any ideas, other than mine, of how gamerscore could be better implemented in the next generation of consoles? 

As usual, comment below...now

I swear, if you keep on doing this Google Chrome...

Achievements have to be easy for an important reason... they allow game designers to make better games. Achievements are basically data collected on how many people play the game, where did they stop playing, what parts of the game did they enjoy.

Most people don't finish games or even get closed to getting all of the trophies.

I personally don't care about achievements on ps3.

Although I do think they increase replayability depending on the game and how they are implemented. I think Star Craft 2 implemented achievements in a great way. They basically provide challenges to finish the mission a little faster on a harder difficulty, but they tell you what they are after each mission.

yea I bought King Kong and actually it wasn't half bad, just sometimes annoying with them always making me save everyone else. However I think achievements that are to hard ruin a game. For instance, GTA IV. Play the whole game and also do extra for 300 achievement points, what a joke. Some help to give replay value but some are just a joke how much you have to do. Some Tiger Woods is plagued with these achievement issues. I Think games like Oblivion got it right, knowing the game is very long you can get them all within the side quests and main quests in one play through

I think this can stop sales too, If achievements are just way to hard to get. I think that playing through the game should get you atleast half the achievements of the game. If you want to make them play it on hard fine but then it comes down to how good the gameplay is. If it is hard to control then this can ruin the game as well. So if your game is just ok, then make the achievements easier. The better the game the more you can raise the bar.

Like lost planet, I won't even play it because the achievements are just to hard for the game. Not really so much hard but they are a lot of online and if your online sucks then who wants to play to get them, no one. You are right though achievements are addictive and should be chosen wisely. If not, it can ruin the game or just make you feel ripped off.

OH YEA, secret achievements are just stupid. I go online and read them right away, so what the point? To get me online, that will happen anyway.

I bought prince of persia cause I heard the achievements were easy, and it was.

I got 900 Gs in about 5 hours.

But I liked the game, thankfully.

Achievements and Trophies are great. They add replayabilty to games and allow you to compare your gaming prowess to other gamers. Who cares if a select few are obsessed with them? People can become obsessed with anything.

I love them for the fact that they are great reminders of the game itself.  I can go back and look at achievements for any particular game and be reminded of many of the things I did.

To collect them as a "score" I suppose its one of the only things left in gaming today that represents a game "score"

No don't make them harder, they're already hard and time consuming enough.

I don't want to finish the same game twice just because the hardest difficulty was locked from the start. Not every game is worth that hassle.

@bannedagain

Usually secret achievements exist because they're mostly story related (so you cannot miss them) and therefore won't spoiler anything when reading through the achievement list.

I like trophies because I get "something" for completing a game, but I usually don't try to get a platinum. Only for easy games, or games that I like. Right now I have two platinums, one for MW2 and 1 for AC 2.

i agree achievments have changed gaming and not completely for the better but i think if theyre done right they can add alot to a game.

I think the best achievments in a game so far are borderlands, which gives you them for doing simple things that take a while so you never feel its too hard to get them but when you do u get a great feeling of accomplishment