So DO I care about achievements? Hm...
On PSN, I kinda did (well, not really) because they actually gave you higher rank on PSN. I cant remember if the rang actually gave you something or not, like more profile picture options or something like that (It's been a long time), but if you had high number next to your profile, it was a sign for others, that you play your games thoroughly. Which is funny, because I don't usually play games thoroughly. But it was nice.
On PC, however, I use Steam to game 95% of the time, and there I label achievements to three categories:
1) automatic achievement - usually everyone gets it, no effort whatsoever needed (except playing the game maybe). Examples: start game for the first time, (Gary's Mod, Zero Gear), complete tutorial, complete level/chapter/game
2) challenge achievements - typical achievements, I don't think description is necessary. Some are easy, some are hard to get, you need to complete certain action, or do something multiple times, or just take certain approach in playing the game to earn them. Some of them are funny, some of them want you to push your limits, so you can brag. Examples: pretty much all of Left 4 Dead 1 and 2 achievements.
3) playtime extending achievements - these are achievements usually require you to do certain easy action multiple times (multiple = almost insane number of times) or search for item collection through the game world, and have no sense other than make you play the game longer (in my opinion). Examples: achievement in L4D 1 requiring you ro kill 60k+ zombies (you usually do all of your other achievements with half of that number)
That being said, Steam doesn't really reward you for earning achievements, although you have option to display individual rare achievements on your profile for everyone to see.
I cannot really decide if I care about them or not. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. While I can honestly say I don't care about gametime extending achievements, at all (or automatic achievements, or even normal achievements on most part), It's really nice to have game with only a few of them - in that case I can really enjoy earning them and feel like they are meaningful (usually Visual Novel achievements - one achievement for one girl/route).
I would say, the more achievements the game have, the less meaningful they seem to me, and the less I care about them. (^u^) |