Mass Effect 2: Achievements and the RPG Experience

I can honestly and proudly say that I am not addicted to achievement points. I am not one of those poor souls who dedicates his entire playing experience to squeezing out every last point possible and doesn’t give up until every tedious, impossible task is done.

That simply doesn’t appeal to me in the least.

I’m not immune to the allure of the points, however. I know how satisfying it can be. I am aware of the double edged sword they can present. At their best, they give you incentive to play the game in fun ways you might never have thought or bothered to otherwise. At their worst, they lure you into wasting your time doing boring, unnecessary crap just for the increased achievement score.

Basically, my interest in points extends exactly as far as that line of boredom and insanity. I will happily chase a few points for fun, as long as it actually remains fun.

But I have recently realized that even my merely casual affection for the points can have a greater influence on my game playing than I thought.

The original Mass Effect contained a good number of fairly interesting cast members. This should have been a good thing, but the game’s structure combined with those blasted achievement points actually turned it into a negative for me.

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Molyneux's World

A great prophet emerged yesterday from his Palace of Creation and deemed the populace worthy of more of his divine revelations. With tender voice and many sweeping hand gestures, he gently ushered in a wave of new truths for the riveted audience that lie in wait.

Yes, one Mr. Peter Molyneux has again emerged with more of his words of self-aggrandizement, attempting to stun the gaming community with the powerful force of his sheer arrogance. 

This is a man who has uttered language in the past such that it is rather surprising that he has not yet been crowned King of All Game Creators. How can someone who so clearly brings so much unadulterated innovation into an industry desperately calling out for his divine touch not be hoisted onto the highest podium available for all to worship?

The answer, it seems, lies in the fact that The Great Molyneux seems to have what might be described as a tenuous grasp on that thing which we call reality.

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