RPGs & Achievement Whoring

Back in the Day
I remember, in the days of yore, when Microsoft first showed off the Achievement system for Xbox 360 and Xbox Live, I was curious, but not overtly excited. I wasn't opposed to the idea, but I was interested in seeing how it was implemented, and what effect it would have on the way we game. As it turned out, some of my good buddies instantly became what's now affectionately known as 'achievement whores,' and as I watched their Gamerscore tick up and up, almost minute by minute, I became concerned about their overall Xbox/life balance. This became a very real concern as I started seeing games like King Kong and Kameo pop up on their games list.

I wasn't into Elder Scrolls when Oblivion came out, which resulted in this weird period in time in which I never had anyone to play PDZ with. It was very isolating. I felt so alone.

Therefore, the first RPG that I really sunk my teeth into that had achievements was my beloved Lost Odyssey. Man, I loved that game. I think I said at the time that it was like reconnecting with an old flame, falling in love all over again, only to have it come to its inevitable end, one last time. Once the game was over, my heart was shattered again, but I didn't regret the time we shared. Not one bit. That was the last JRPG I really loved. It was that one last hurrah from Sakaguchi-san, the final Final Fantasy, and it was a showcaseof everything that was great about his games.

But then, it had DLC and achievements.

I remember, as I played through it, whenever I'd get that nice little Achievement pop-up, I got a nice warm feeling of artificial validation, but it was really neat, because it was for a game that was one of 'my' games. It was kinda cool seeing 'their' system applied to 'my' game. Sure, I'd racked up a few Achievements in other games prior to this, but it had rarely mattered much to me.

Shortly after Xbox Achievements became a big thing, both Steam and Sony scrambled to implement their versions of the Achievement system. I remember being really bothered that I'd beaten Uncharted before Sony had implemented Achievements, er, Trophies, and actually going back and playing through the game AGAIN after they were put in place, just so motherfuckers would know I could beat a game on easy.

Now
Through the years, I've found that I actually care more about Achievements in non-RPG games, like Uncharted and Dead Space than I do my usual BioWare/CDPR stable of games. I remember very distinctly, while playing each game in both series, I'd always pop into my Trophies on PSN to see how awesome I was, and to get a rough idea of my overall progress through the game. Oh, and you had to do that, since it was impossible for Sony to have that automatically sync otherwise (/facepalm. I sure hope that's fixed on PS4.)

I think I care less about it in my 'core' games, but then, I've always wished that my PC Mass Effect and Dragon Age achievements were tied to a bigger system than the BioWare Social Network (yes, it still exists, and could've been a cool thing), so that people could celebrate my love for playing through those games. EA, you have a big opportunity here with Origin.

Hell, the one thing I loved about the hated Games for Windows Live was that it tied PC games into my Xbox Achievements, so people could see my awesomeness in games like Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War 2 and Fallout 3.

Throughout the years, one thing has never happened. I've never Achievement-whored a game, and I wonder why. Lost Odyssey is the EXACT kind of game I'd do it on, too. There are Achievements for optional bosses, max-leveling, and all the great stuff we all used to do 'back in the day.' I know for a fact that Tony and I both still have saves on old PS1 memory cards that we treasure because they're so bad-ass (mine have since been transferred to my PS3, many moons ago. That fucker better never die. And it's one of the original models, that still has the ability to play PS2 games.)

I wonder, at times, if the nature of RPGs discourages Achievement-whoring, since they tend to be big, huge semi-linear games, and aside from save-reloads, it's generally very difficult to get every Achievement on the first play-through.

Additionally, at least for me, RPGs provide repeated moments of immense payoff, whether it be taking down a difficult boss, getting to a great cut-scene, or just getting immersed in the world. Achievements are inherently immersion-breaking, so maybe I pay less attention to them while I'm playing a big, bad-ass RPG. I'm not sure.

Actually, there is one game in which I really pay attention to the Achievements, and I think it's because I've exhausted so much of the content. SWTOR. However, MMORPGs are an entirely different beast, and a bigger topic than I wanna get into right now.

I like Achievements in games. I think they provide a cool meta-game for the social scene that surrounds gaming culture. They can provide instant points of reference for a discussion between two people that both like a particular game, and there is something that's very cool about looking at my own Achievements, and comparing them with someone else's. I can get idea of how they approached the game, and maybe that's something about which we have a great discussion, or I use that data to refine my own approach the next time I play the game. Or, even better, I see they did something nigh impossible in the game, and I wanna hear all about it.

I do think, though, that Achievements in RPGs, perhaps moreso than any other genre, can evolve. Because RPGs tend to be so insanely detailed and stat-based, a developer could really have some fun when setting up the Achievements for the game. There are some rich opportunities for Achievements that are tied to leveling single attributes, crafting, or even wacky choice-based Achievements (or wackier than what's already in play in some of the choice-driven RPGs.)

I also like shame-based Achievements, as well, in which you're granted an Achievement for doing something stupid or being a weak player. I've seen a few of those. I wanna say Dead Space and Fallout 3 both have them.

In any case, I may try to finally 100% a game for the first time this year. We'll see. I'm curious to see how Achievements continue to evolve. I look forward to racking up more this year in the avalanche of RPGs that will start raining down on us next month.

An Idea
Something's been rattling around in my brain for a bit, and since I like to just give away good ideas before I have a chance to implement them myself, it would be interesting if an entity like Raptr started implementing a 'Retro Achievement' system, in which PC games that lack Achievements were set up with a Raptr-based system that analyzed game progress in saves and granted Achievements for titles like KotOR, or The Witcher, or even older games, like Baldur's Gate. That would be something I'd enjoy, and could build quite a community, since there's so much passion for those old RPGs right now.

Just sayin'.

In Conclusion
Achievements are here to stay, whether you like it or not. I've seen interesting arguments both for and against them, and I see the merit in both stances. I like them, and hate to admit, but I've occasionally been more inclined to play one game than another because it has Achievements.

But, Achievements that aren't easily and very visibly displayed to other community members are nearly worthless. If you're gonna go to the trouble of implementing an Achievement system, give the user some control over displaying them. It'd be cool to pick a few really rare Achievements, and have them displayed on my profile, or my forum sig. Make them visible outside of the game, if the user wants that. It provides more community and user engagement, and really maximizes the value of the system.

Side Quests
 - I mentioned the reviews for this game yesterday, but Lightning Returns is looking more and more divisive. I may need to see for myself sooner than I thought.
 - Pillars of Eternity is now set for a 'winter 2014' release. In my mind, at least, I'm now moving this to 2015. And I'm fine with that, if that's what the game needs. I have some high hopes riding on this one.

How do you feel about Achievements? How do you feel about them, as relates to RPGs?

As always, thanks for reading!

-Blaine

Prepping For Dragon Age: Inquisition

I'm a HUGE BioWare geek. HUGE. Ginormous, even.

Quick note - this piece is written from the perspective of someone that has gloriously bathed in the awesomeness that is the PC versions of Dragon Age, not whatever the console versions turned out to be. Why one would subject themselves to such a vile taint is beyond me.

Dragon Age: Origins Origins
Dragon Age: Origins was the first game since the original KotOR to have me totally seduced, and I easily sunk 60-70 hours into my first play-through of it. I loved the origin stories for each type of character, and I loved the NPC party members, and I loved the world, and I loved the art style, and I loved the music, and on and on and on.

Since that game, we've seen two further releases that were still great, even if they featured design aspects that had me scratching my head. In Awakening, I was disappointed that even if my Warden sacrificed himself in DAO, he was still inexplicably the main character in Awakening. I wished for a save import that accounted for this, in which my world was imported, but a new character was at the forefront in Awakening, as would befit a save that a featured a man that was dead. As I understand it, the development for Awakening was done by a team other than the main DAO team, and was in development prior to the release of DAO. I don't know why this issue was either overlooked or ignored, but it always bugged me, and very much broke the point of having a save import feature.

This same issue stands for all subsequent DAO DLC.

Still, I was able to grit my teeth, and somehow find a way to enjoy the hell out of the expansion and DLC (unlike the many motherless trolls that would have us believe that this issue caused them to fall on their mage staffs [ouch.])

DA2 had no such overt save import issues, even if there were some minor details that bugged out.

Still, I have two saves that feature every game, expansion, and DLC from DAO-DA2. I have my original warrior human dude (DAO) & whatever I chose for DA2, as well as a female city elf (DAO) & whatever I chose for DA2 (I think it was a mage.) My DA2 characters are one male and one female.

But I still don't have saves that account for some choices, such as letting Angry Dad (Tim Curry's character in DAO) live, so I'm wanting to prep some new saves, as well as see what that content looks like.

The Mass Effect Effect
As I stated above, I'm a geek. Because Mass Effect tends to operate off of a more binary approach to its choices, I actually have a spreadsheet I maintain that tracks these choices, so that I can track my saves and see what I chose where, and in what combination. Make fun of me, if it pleases you, but know that my ME shit is ORGANIZED.

I think I may want to crack open my Dragon Age saves, and do something similar.

Dragon Age Keep
I received some potentially terrible news a few months back.

The way that reads, it sounds like we have to manually enter the choices we made in the previous DA entries, rather than directly importing. I greatly dislike this for a number of reasons, but I'll distill it to two reasons.

1) I can't remember shit. I can't tell you how many times I've run into someone in either Kirkwall or the Citadel, have them start talking at me, and I'm like, 'oh, yeah, I do remember you now. Did we sleep together?' These are great moments, and I like the surprise of it.

2) I'm assuming that the number of choices I made in Dragon Age exceeds the number that BioWare is going to ask for. In the FAQ for Keep, it does point out that we can get as detailed as we want, so it may be alright, but if it does give me a metric fuckton of choices, I'll just point you back at #1.

However, rather than be your run of the mill BioWare Hater, I have a potential solution.

What about a means to extract our choices from our save into a file that can be fed into Keep? That would be perfect for me, and a decent compromise.

Of course, this could also be a chance to undo my accidental sex with Zevran, as well. I really didn't mean to do that. I really didn't. I just hope Leliana never finds out ...

Prepping For Dragon Age: Inquisition
When I play a roleplaying game, whether it be a classic single-player experience, or an MMO, I really roleplay the game. I create a character in my head, and really try to make choices as they would.

I have a current play-through of Dragon Age: Origins in which I'm roleplaying a very pro-Chantry mage, and that's been really interesting. I'm also planning on trying to kill Alistair at the end, or if I have to, that other Warden, but I've told Morrigan to fuck off, so I might be doomed.

I also installed Angry Daughter on the throne, which I've never done before, so I'm curious to see what ripples that creates.

I have some ideas about what I want to do in Awakening, but in DA2, I plan to continue my pro-Chantry crusade with a massacre of mages, since I've never done that before.

After that, I'll have three complete saves to import, so I plan to spend quite a bit of time with DAI later this year.

Side Quests
 - I finally spent some time with the Steam streaming beta, and I'll probably post a walk-through and some thoughts up here
 - the Lightning Returns reviews are coming in; about what I expected; yes, I picked it up and I don't want to talk about it
 - here's a couple cool videos for Thief and Kingdom Come: Deliverance:

I leave you with some questions, as always ...

How do you feel about Dragon Age Keep?

Did you pick up Lightning Returns? Either way, what are your thoughts on it, and the general health of the Final Fantasy series?

As always, thanks for reading, and I'll see ya tomorrow!

-Blaine

2014: The 'Maybe' Games

When it comes to unreleased games, I tend to veer sharply in one of two directions.

On one hand, I'm stupidly loyal to series that are long past their expiration date. I've been that guy that's chugging down a gallon of curdled Final Fantasy releases for quite a while now, to the point where it's easier to beg them to stop that it is me.

On the other, I'm also pretty good at reading the tea leaves, and knowing when a game is going to be shit. See: Aliens - Colonial Marines. I've been at this long enough now that I can typically get a good feel based on not only what the publisher let's us see in advance, but also what they won't let us see in advance.

Sadly, though, #2 never overrides #1. Maybe we can change that this year.

Fable: Anniversary (Xbox 360)
I really enjoyed the first two Fable games, even if they fell well short of Molyneux's promises that they were going to be full life-simulators and that real children were going to literally burst forth from the original Xbox (it was about big enough to gestate a human embryo.)

I enjoyed them, and then finished them, and never envisioned a world in which I would ever go back and play them. Yes, this looks neat, and it has ACHIEVEMENTS, and yes, as I said, I really did enjoy the original game.

However, it has two strikes right out of the gate. One, I've already played this. Two, I can't play it on my Xbox One. Yes, my 360 is still hooked up in another room, but I don't like playing consoles, especially retired consoles, and while this looks kinda interesting, between my backlog and the crush of new releases this year, I'm leaning toward 'no.'

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy: XIII: 3: Lightning Again (Xbox 360)
This whole Final Fantasy XIII franchising thing has always had me scratching my head. My two least-favorite non-MMO numerical Final Fantasy games (X and XIII) both got the sequel treatment, and I've never understood this.

I don't think either is outright offensive, nor a bad game, per se, but there are much better Final Fantasy titles out there with which to build franchises.

Rather, there are better Final Fantasy titles out there with which to make true JRPG sequels, and not horrible third-person shooters that make children and cute animals cry tears of anguished blood.

Either way, Lightning is apparently Returning, and it looks like they've revamped the combat to be more action-oriented after 25 years of success with a more menu-heavy system. Why, you ask, would they do this? Well, it's obviously, uh, hmm, I, uh, well, it's obviously the next step in further alienating a once-tremendous fanbase. And we'll all still buy this shit, so there ya go.

But, it might be great. After the horrid story & characters (but awesome combat) that was Final Fantasy X, Final Fantasy X-2 was a pleasant surprise.

Honestly, I'll probably end up being a sucker bitch and buying it, but my logical Vulcan mind says that's a potentially stupid decision.

South Park: The Stick of Truth (PC)
This is one that should be on the 'Curious,' or even 'MUST HAVE' list, given it's blend of pedigrees.

Here's why it's not. Too many delays + change in publisher. Sometimes, when something's allowed to have too many hands changing core concepts over a period of time, the game can end up having a ton of cool features, none of which is particularly polished. This isn't to say it's doomed. It might be great, but I have to wait and see.

Also, it's Ubisoft, so the PC version might get delayed until god knows when.

BUT, it is being developed by Obsidian, which is usually a great thing, and a lot of the marketing has suggested that Matt Stone and Trey Parker are heavily involved.

I actually have a better feeling about this than I do my next game ...

THIEF (PC)
Yeah, it's not really an RPG, but DXHR came close, so I'm counting it.

This game is supposed to be great. It's the same studio, Eidos Montreal, that made Deus Ex: Human Revolution, and you'd think this game would be right up their alley. But ... the tea leaves have me worried. Between the lukewarm previews citing very specific issues with the game, and the studio GM bailing last year because of irreconcilable differences with Squenix ... ya gotta wonder ... it's too bad, because I wanna buy this game and love it. I loved DXHR. I like the Thief series quite a bit, too.

At the same time, some of the issues presented in the previews sounds pretty fucking nitpicky, so it may be alright. We'll find out in less than a month.

Final Fantasy XIV - new content (PC)
My paid time is running out in Eorzea, and as much as I didn't hate my experience there, I'm not sure my subscription to this game is going to survive my summer purge of MMOs, in which only sub will be left standing.

I don't like the lack of voice acting, and while the game itself is actually pretty decent, I'm guessing that its lack of narrative hook will end up dooming it for me.

We'll see, though. A substantial story-based release for the game could keep me in. Anything they can do to make it more a true 'Final Fantasy' game, but online, will make it very hard for me to dump. I'd love nothing more than to immerse myself in a real Final Fantasy world, and this game already comes pretty close, but ESO and SWTOR already have made stronger cases for my $15/month.

In closing ...
I don't want to be a negative Nancy, but these are games I want to want, and something about them makes me cautious, or has diminished my interest.

It is worth noting, too, that these games are all coming out soon, away from the releases in which publishers typically have more confidence. If something hits about this time of year, it indicates either a just-missed holiday release, or it's being dumped, to avoid competing with better games. Bigger releases typically crank up from April to June and then September to November. Games released outside of those windows, due to observed publisher habits, typically bear a little more scrutiny.

These could all be fine games, but have all, for various reasons, incurred a 'wait and see' attitude from me.

What say you? What are your thoughts on these games? You gonna take a chance on them, wait and see, or just avoid them altogether? Let me know!

Tomorrow, I'll be back with my 'Curious' games, the games that I'm very curious about, and am somewhat inclined on which to take a chance.

Thanks for reading!

-Blaine

Those Other 2014 RPGs and the Time I Don't Have to Play Them

I've been avoiding doing individual posts about the remaining RPGs of 2014 about which I'm excited because, frankly, I hate writing previews, especially when there are so many skilled and paid writers out there already doing exactly that.

Instead, I think I'll just dump them all here, tell ya a bit about why I'm excited for it, and let you take it from there. It's not a matter of sheer laziness. Rather, I already won't have time to play all these games, especially with the backlog I have.

Consider this. I got no time with Morrowind this weekend because I was attending a wedding this weekend in my wife's hometown, and the setup there, from a gamer perspective, is much like camping, but indoors. The internet is something that is referenced in everyday conversation, but in a longing and 'someday' manner. My cell phones search frantically for signal when I attempt to tether either the Alienware or Surface, and on occasion, I can find that one perfect spot in my in-laws' house, as if the Maker himself is beaming down a beautiful one-bar LTE signal, just for me.

This is also assuming that I can resolve some of the power issues I run into up there, but enough of this.

The point is, I've lost a weekend of Morrowind play time, one weekend out of 52 this year, and that is a staggering loss, when considering that I'd like to play the following this year:

• Fable: Anniversary Xbox 360 2/4
• Bravely Default 3DS 2/7
• Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII Xbox 360 2/11
• Thief PC 2/25
• South Park: The Stick of Truth PC 3/4
• Elder Scrolls Online PC 4/4
• Pillars of Eternity PC spring/summer 2014?
• Wasteland 2 PC spring/summer 2014?
• Divinity: Original Sin PC late summer 2014?
• Age of Decadence PC fall/winter 2014?
• Dragon Age: Inquisition PC fall/winter 2014?
• The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt PC fall/winter 2014?

That's a lotta big-ass RPGs. Oh, and as I've mentioned before, I'm employed full-time, married, and have children. Yeah.

I've not had a list like this in years. Not even close. If anything, my list of annual game purchases has been diminishing year after year, and then bam, 2014 hits, and I feel like I'm back to being a fresh college grad with a bachelor pad, old Final Fantasy preorder posters, and furniture that's been acquired via dumpster-diving. All I need now is a case of Icehouse and some Doritos, and I'd be 'back in the day.' I don't see my wife or employer going for that any time soon.

So, what's a grown-up RPG fan to do?

Maybe we can break these down into three categories, 'Maybe,' 'Curious,' and 'MUST HAVE.'

I'd like to be able to play new games this year, but intersperse my continued play-through of Elder Scrolls 3-5. I know. I know. One could fill a year with just those three Elder Scrolls games, but I'm an ambitious fellow.

So, this week, I think I'll break them down into each category. Tuesday, we'll talk the 'maybe' games, Wednesday, the 'curious' games, and then, Thursday, we'll talk the 'MUST HAVE' games.

What about you? What am I leaving off that should be on here? What games are in those three groups for you? How would you break these games down into those groups? Leave your comments below!

No matter what I do, it's going to be a great year for RPGs, maybe the best we've ever seen. Lots of variety, and a strong blend of both quality AND quantity.

Thanks for reading.

-Blaine