Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, if Lyoto Machida deserved that decision over Shogun Rua, T-Mobile’s new pricing plans, or how awesome it is to have the Yankees in the World Series, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
First off, kindly vote in the Saved by the Bell poll. It’s important…like very. Now getting back to the topic at hand….
Achievements and trophies. Trophies and achievements. They’re essentially the same thing — a little pat on the back for doing something in a game. In some cases, the reward is for something you would have done anyway. In others, you’re coerced to play more of a game and/or play it in a different way just to get some meaningless points or symbols. Don’t get me wrong, I love these things. I want them. (Even if I don’t know why.) What I find curious is that some gamers greatly prefer one over the other.
Familiarity might have something to do with it. Microsoft wisely incorporated achievements during the early planning stages of the Xbox 360. By introducing the system on day one, it was able to establish achievements as the norm and get gamers hooked on the whole idea. Sony’s trophies came much later and support hasn’t been consistent. This has changed, but there are some early releases that don’t support trophies. All that aside, some people prefer trophies because they rather have a symbol than a number. Personally, I don’t care either way — I want them all!!! (Unfortunately, I’ve played so many games on debug units and/or under shared accounts that my personal scores suck *sniff*)
On this fine Monday Monday (so good to me), I want to know which system you prefer and why. Are trophies your bag? Or do you dig achievements?
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Oh… the Mamas and the Papas. Musical Guilty pleasure (among friends): I kinda like that new Miley Cyruss song. I'm nodding my head like yeah, she's movin' her hips like yeah. I would not be surprised if Billy Ray pulls a John Phillips on that.
Sports: EAT IT FAVRE!!!! My week has officially been made! My nails are bitten down to the nubs… but the Vikings fell short against the Steeler Nation and are no longer undefeated.
As if New York and Philly needed more reasons to hate each other during football season…. here comes the World Series. I think the Yankees really don't need another championship, but my hockey grudges forbid me from rooting for Philly sports team in any regard. I hold no stance on the Series.
I seriously thought Shogun won that fight. I was rooting for Machida, but I scored Shogun the victor on my card. I'm in high anticipation for the rematch. I also can't wait to see Velasquez v Lesner.
@N8R I also thought Shogun won. It sounded like most of the crowd did too.
@ R Pad
There must be some rule we're missing that earned Lyoto the victory. Hell of a good fight though.
I dont care about trophies and achievements that much. But if i do, i might be super obsessive compulsive for those things right now. I'm super OC on school and chores as it is.
what the hell are you guys doing up at 4 in the morning?
@Thundercracker Had a tough day yesterday and it was hard to sleep. I shall take a "nap" soon.
@thundercracker
im making breakfast for the family (is heating up rice considered making breakfast? lol) and reading rpad.tv on my new netbook.
its 754 AM here. and i just got off work, hey i dont care, im glad you guys got off to an early start
@ Thundercracker
I regularly suffer from insomnia.
you have the neil o donnell dream again?
I just can't shake '95.
what is the monster squad?
my psn name is taken from a movie called the monster squad
scary_german_guy
im not german, but i am awesome
That pic is a promo pic from that movie.
Wolfman got nards!
give me the amulet you bitch!
have i mentioned that ive also taken the names
hunk_golden and
raymond_padilla
I'm tryin' to get a PS3 again soon, I gotta raise the funds first though.
I'll definitely let ya'll know who I am on PSN when I get one.
I'm more broke than 36% of all 360's.
yeah but you dont have to go to texas
you guys are cracking me up with the broke jokes.
you guys are lucky enough to have jobs though.
True that…
I'm so broke, my reality check bounced.
@ rbee
I've been surviving off EBT and the odd music job here and there.
When I told the welfare people "I'm a musician" they laughed at me and called it the same thing as unemployed.
If I could donate to RPad.TV with food stamps, believe me I would.
i never know when you are joking n8r
im hoping that was a joke, because you are one of the quickest people ive ever kind of known..if i lived in socal, i would totally bankroll you
@N8R
now that's a shame. at least SOME money is coming in. I only have $20 a week allowance. and i save up to buy new games, pay bills, and all the other crap debts. i cant qualify for the school's financial aid, or any aid at all, since my mom and dad are nurses. as for job hunting, im waiting a call from the USMC, it has been 2 months now since i went to a recruiting office
the job situation is scary over there
it really hasnt changed here, ups still hiring!
@thunder
eff yeah it is. even the local mall doesn't have any openings to their stores. and in schools, the stoopid california government is spending less money for major prerequesites classes in colleges and universities statewide. they're giving and spending more money to prisons and correctional facilities than schools, now that's a damn shame!
@ Thundercracker
No joke. Starving artist in the house. I met most of you guys at my old job where I worked at a co-op for medicinal marijuana patients. I got laid off because my bosses couldn't pay me. I'm not sure how they squandered the money, but they did.
I'd like to do more work at home with graphics and what not… but it's really not easy to make money off of it with no degrees. The music thing I have been slacking on because I just care less and less about it as time goes on.
@ rbee
Good luck with all of that. The Marines will definitely pay for school.
@Thunder – I showed Monster Squad to my step-son for the first time this summer while he was up with us. He loved the Wolfman's got Nards part but I think the rest might have been missed on him. He never really got the whole horror expoosure from his dad, so it's up to me I guess to make sure that he throughly wets the bed in fright at least once while he's with us. Gives me something to do while I am fighting my own insomnia at night lol. Besides, it's hard to be a kid's personal super hero with out monsters in the closet or under the bed to fight.
@N8R
wow, even LA dispensaries are having a hard time?
thanks. and good luck to you too n8r.
@topic
Achievement points please. You can see the points. I have to go look at the trophies. If you could see how many trophies you had like you do AP while on the sony "dashboard" then I'd have no preference. I want to see my points!
@Sports
Where's Iceman? Closer than I thought, but never in doubt. Where's RROD? LOL
@jobs
I am lucky enough to be starting a new job today. I won't be around much this week. I got laid off a month ago so I consider myself pretty lucky to have found something else. Building databases and excel sheets will help me keep some skills sharp, but it isn't accounting. Thankyou economy.
@ rbee
LA dispensaries are mainly Israeli Mob. I'm up in San Bernardino. We were always fighting a battle against the county.
I think the people I worked for either drank or snorted any profits we made but I can't be sure.
I'm completely straight now though. I don't even drink (never did). Caffiene and cigarettes are my only vices and cigarettes are the next to go.
@topic – achievements/trophies, just give me the damn carrot. I really love my PS3, so that's kind of where my preferrence lies, but I like that certain games allow for in game bonuses to go along with the achievements on MS' side.
@played this weekend – Holy Schmoly. I spent the weekend playing Uncharted 2 and was completely floored. The game is mind blowing and the story is like Raiders of the Lost Ark, just glorious in it's action set pieces and glowing in it's nuanced dialogue. Just the number of Oh Shite moments (jumping from trucks, dodging machine gun/missle/wtfcrossbowdartsbbq?) Naughty Dog, big ups sirs, big ups.
i mean look, i have a degree, but for the most part, i cant stand my job. I am kind of envious of you in a weird way…..
im packing it in early today guys, you people have a wonderful day
@thunder
you too man. take it easy
I track my achievement points on my 360 really well. I just haven't paid attention to the trophies enough to know how they work. I do think it's really good the PS3 added support for them though.
every time I buy a new game and figure out which achievements are realistic, and go from there. I'd say achievements is one of the reasons I prefer to buy 3rd party games on my 360. Maybe it's because it was first but I can tell you right now what my gamerscore is and I don't know how many trophies I've unlocked.
That said I'm a fan of both. I've been working hard at Uncharted 2 in order to unlock everything. I've been using different weapons just to get trophies. Although in Uncharted 2 like uncharted 1 they have a unique 'Reward' system which I actually like a lot more than trophies. I think in game rewards would be better than Achievements and Trophies personally
@shockwave
what you said. uncharted 2's reward system is satisfying, same thing goes for the multiplayer, the game gets more addicting when you earn medals.
@rbee and Shockwave
Absolutely. Uncharted rewards are great, and the multiplayer with the medals/money/unlockables are the perfect little way to keep me coming back. It really keeps me in to multi-games that are kind of one sided too, knowing that atleast I am accruing money for the rank move up and unlockables. Good times all around though.
Mass Effect had a really good set up for their rewards too.
kinda off topic
i never thought of buying brutal legend, since im getting borderlands this week, and dragon age next week (there goes my savings, chase will be calling me anytime soon about my overdraft, probably after assasin's creed 2 will be released)
Just so you guys know I'm still trying to figure out if the Best Buy 3 for 2 deal will count if you pre-buy. earlier this year they ran a similar deal fir Xbox and allowed pre-buys. I think that was to encourage sales when the Slim arrived if I'm not mistaken.
I've got a friend that works there but he said he won't really know until he goes to work today. if anyone finds out I will give you an internet cookie. I would really like to get a hold of Borderlands and either Demon's or Brutal Legend. and picking up Dragon Age for free next week would be icing on the cake
@shockwave
demon's souls should have addicting game warning sticker on it. I thank uncharted 2 for supressing my demon's souls addiction
@rbee – I have a few local friends that warned me away from Demon's Souls. a couple of them haven't even beat the first level yet. they said you don't get a checkpoint until you beat the first level or something?
looks like smartguy figured out the best buy deal. the 3 for 2 deal is online only and excludes pre-orders… bummer
@topic i really dont have that much exposure to the trophy's system, but it just doesnt look as good as the achievement system, and here is why. it divides the trophys up, and if someone does not finish their games on a regular basis they cannot get the higher up trophy's. whereas gamerscore achievements all combine for one total number, if you dont finish games all the way (im thinking mostly in terms of a game like bioshock where you can get a good portion of gamerscore from a completion of the game) then it is still possible to have a good melting pot of achievements mixed in to get one gamerscore. the lack of division seems like a better way to go than dividing trophy's up and saying, well i have X amount of gold trophy's, but tons of bronze trophy's. it doesn't feel as braggable (yes i think i just made that up) that way.
I like Achievements. I admit it. I know they're kinda pointless, and it's not like I go out and brag about my 40,000+ Gamerscore to all my friends. But I enjoy seeing the number go up on a routine basis. Might not make any sense, but there it is.
@R-Pad: I know you're a soccer guy. MY FIFA review went up over the weekend. It's REEEEEAAAAAAALLLLLYYY good. Hoping to have a SDvsR'10 review up early this week as well.
I have both systems and I perfer achievements over trophies. The gamerscore is really the difference. Makes you feel pretty baller when you hit 10,000.
I cant compare as I do not yet have a PS3, but they both seem the same to me.
I prefer trophies. On the 360 every achievement is just an achievement. They are worth a different amount of points though. I guess I like the PS3 better because you can go straight in and see how many games people have unlocked all of the trophies for just by counting up there Platinum trophies. Sadly I only have one and it was a meaningless victory over Sega's Classic Collection. Also since my 360 broke I quit buying games for it. I mean I know it was fixed for free but it still left me with over 20 games just sitting there unplayable. I'll only buy exclusives I really want. But I haven't even looked at my gamerscore in a year or so.
@shockwave
like i said b4, its for patient gamers, but keeps you satisfied. once you defeat the first demon, you'll be like, "wow, i need more souls"
@rbee. I should probably rent it, something I never do.
The problem with Demon's Souls is that if you're a certain personality type it sounds like you'd love it but other people seem to hate it. I should spend the 7 bucks to find out which category I'm in.