With that, now achievements are worthwhile right?... guys?...

Besides that, Nintendo are such copy-cats.

In all seriousness though, I don't understand th hate for achievements and/or trophies.

Nobody is forcing you to get them and they are a pro, not a con. Honestly, I don't see how anyone can successfully explain how they are a negative.

Some say "Keep them away from my fun Nintendo games!", yet you have Nintendo games that have in game achievements like stamps, high difficulty unlocks, etc...

A Trophy exists only so people can look and see how good you are at a certain game.

I never beat Ninja Gaiden on the NES and doubt I could beat it now, but if I could, I would 100% want something to prove that I did!!!

I think the only reason it is hated on is because Nintendo doesn't do it yet, but that will change and those fans too will eventually love it, just like Sony fans when they finally got trophies, or MS fans now that they have cloud saving, or Nintendo fans getting Netflix, or Nintendo fans when they got an analog stick on the 3DS, or when they get a fully featured online system, or just about anything else that someone gets that they previous found to be redundant.

The process will keep repeating, just like it has always done.

I play games my on PC the most out of all of my gaming systems....primarily using Steam. I also play A LOT on my 360, and decent amount on my PS3 (it finishes last after my Xbox, Pc, and Wii, though.) I am not a stranger to Achievments...and I mostly just ignore them. If you like achievments thats cool and all, but lets all atleast realize that they are just a clever marketing gimmick.

Achievments do three things:

1.) They create artificial content in games. The point of a game should be playing a game and beating it; there have always been "achievments".... high scores, speed runs, no death runs. Achievments now a days are often used to make games longer.... people will play that extra time to get a crotch shot on each boss or whatever other ridiculous unlockable the game wants you to do.

2.) They create an inflated sense of nerd cred (e-peen) that is linked to your account. Higher score = more self worth. This is important to companies because it creates brand loyalty. You might be more interested in buying Megaman 9 for the 360 then the PS 3 to increase your gamer score, even if you prefer the PS 3 controls (a friend of mine did this.) This is very important going into the next conosle cycle....if you can keep your gamer score you are much more likely to stick with the same company.

3.) They make you finish and sometimes purchase games you would normally not care about just to get the points.

I do not consider these to be positive points, but Nintendo would be wise to include an acheivment system on the Wii U just becasue that's what gamers expect. It won't effect my purchase one way or the other.

Nintendo does seem determined to pursue a "follow the loser" strategy with 3DS and Wii U, so one will likely appear

Having the option will not hurt anyone. I'll prefer some kind of reward like playing with Luigi in the first Galaxy Hopefully, in the next Zelda we can get a special sword or tunic.

A unified system that tracks rewards like achievments or trophies makes it easier for the player to measure their own personal progress/gaming history. I can look back on my Xbox achievment list with nostalgia ... it has nothing to do with "epenis measurement." No one cares about my gamerscore except me. When I do compare/meet people who have a high gamerscore/are big on achievments it is not to brag or boast about who has the better score, but, instead, it is a way to learn about another person's gaming habbits ... maybe you can see they really like the Halo franchise since they finished every single game in the series ... or you can laugh at the really bad games you played for points like Hannah Montanna or some awful kids movie game.

I have never encountered someone who sincerely attempted to suggest they were the better gamer because their achievement/trophy count was higher than my own. I am sure there are some people out there who think this way, but they are in the extreme minority. I was into achievements before I even went on Xbox live ... I don't care what anyone else thinks of my gamerscore. It has value to me and me alone.

I am also of the opinion that when they finally come to Nintendo systems in a unified fashion we will see little to no criticism of them ... it is a feature that we have all come to expect on modern game platforms just like voicechat.

In their current format achievements offer little value ...

I could see some value if Nintendo made an Animal Crossing like game that was built into the system (probably using Miis) and achievements in games unlocked features in this game. While this wouldn't be too interesting on day one, as you played more games and explored this world further it would start to represent your experiences with your system.

I think you're overestimating just how many people's purchasing decisions are affected by achievements. No, there is no harm in throwing in an achievement or two into your game, but I wouldn't describe it as a "golden opportunity".

I think this might be the thing that bothers me the most (maybe I'm just old and don't like where the industry is heading).  I can go out of my way to find a bunch of statues in Ninja Gaiden 2 and be rewarded with nothing but points, but if I want  a cool out fit or something I need to pay with real cash in the form of DLC.

There's still no value to achievements why bother doing that when you can unlock in game content for achieving something in the game, especially if you are not explicitly told what to do.

they do have achievements in place like you said but the while point in once they become displayed and become bragging rights people attach false value to them and it really stifles the game in the end. Say you achieve some super hard achievement, your still doing something you are told to do, there's no creativity or freedom in creating your own achievements because you only get "rewarded" for what the devd put in.

I realize there is this sentiment that nintendo should appeal to the hardcore more around here but then they lose their appeal which is fun and freedom. Like I've said, leave that bullshit on "hardcore" systems.