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[BuggeryBugz]

I know this has been brought up a couple of times and that there are people who are for and against the idea of Nintendo having an achievement/trophy system embedded into the OS rather than developers doing it on a game by game basis, but I have found my self missing them when playing the switch recently.

It doesn't make me enjoy the games I'm playing less, but it does affect the replay-ability of those games. For instance, I just finished until dawn on PS4 (great game by the way) and when going through the trophy list, it gives me an incentive to go back and play differently and make different decisions to get those trophies that I didn't get the first time around. I'm no trophy whore but it does give me an extra challenge to complete a task that I probably wouldn't do normally when just playing the game to completion.

Do people miss achievements/trophies on the Switch? and what does everyone think Nintendo's reasoning for not having it is?

 

[F34R]

I don't really care about having that on any system, but it's odd they wouldn't have it by now. /shrugs

 

[The God]

Why would anybody be against the idea of a totally optional achievement system?

But yeah, it's 2017 and it's dumb that the Switch doesn't have such a thing

 

[Slixshot]

I really liked the miiverse stickers you could unlock on the Wii U. I hope they add something like that

 

[onipex]

I never cared about it but I guess it wouldn't hurt as an option.

 

[luulubuu]

Gotta measure my digital weiner with my efriend in a dead social network, I need those non existant awards by just playing a game, I NEED THEM

 

[13ruce]

I could care less about those have not given a single fuck about trophies for years. Altho the option to have such a system for people that need some achievements would be nice, so why the heck not?

 

[Cheezeman3000]

Ok yeah, honestly, while I rarely try to go for all of the trophies in a game, I do enjoy trophies for one reason: it's proof to myself and to my friends that I've bested the game. It's a small way to compete and brag about my accomplishments. So I do miss it in Zelda, when I get all the shrines and have no ecosystem to brag about this accomplishment through.

 

[888eddyx]

I don't go crazy over trophies or achievements, but I definitely agree that they should be added. Like the OP said, it gives me incentive to go back and do more in games.

 

[Shambala]

I personally wish they had it. It’s not that I care to get trophies, it’s just I browse them at times n man it can bring back memories of playing a certain game just from seeing that trophy. I’d play more games on my Switch if it were implemented.

 

[IceDoesntHelp]

I'm glad there isn't one.

Trophies ruined how I played games, took a break from the PS4 and now I just try to enjoy the games I play.

 

[UltimaKilo]

I never understood why anyone would care about an achievement system, so it doesn't bother me at all.

 

[BuggeryBugz]

And that's the thing, it would be totally optional so I don't understand the decision not to have it. It only adds to an already great console.

 

[Nydius]

It doesn't make me enjoy the games I'm playing less, but it does affect the replay-ability of those games.

Ugh. IMO, this has been the single biggest deleterious effect of the achievement and trophy system: Trophies being treated as if they're content. It started with users viewing them as content but then developers jumped on board. It's made some developers lazy as they use the trophies as crutches to pad playtime rather than adding more compelling gameplay. You don't have trophy X, why don't you play through the same thing a third time for it?!

Meanwhile, too many users use it as an idiotic measurement of aptitude or interest, some going so far as to berate others for having lower gamerscore or trophy counts. Nevermind the fact that tools exist to cheat to unlock them (especially back on X360).

I guess the TL;DR here is:
Achievements were a mistake. Developers choosing to put in achievements on their own was one thing. Microsoft (then Sony) mandating them made the whole thing into a shitshow.

E:

So I do miss it in Zelda, when I get all the shrines and have no ecosystem to brag about this accomplishment through.

Yeah but you know the inevitable trophy for ALL the Korok seeds would be rage inducing.

 

[Occam]

There are apologists for every bad decision of Nintendo. I think there are even some who defend the lack of built-in voice chat of Switch.

 

[NeonBlack]

Still don't get the appeal. Those challenges are still there you just don't get a digital trophy for it.

 

[SinCityAssassin]

There are apologists for every bad decision of Nintendo.

I just don't really care.

 

[bounchfx]

nothing I care about with how achievements are handled (wow! you started the game! achievement unlocked)

but i don't see the harm in adding one

 

[Tank Jr.]

Achievements are meaningless unless they reward the player just like in The Binding of Isaac.

You want me to do something outstanding, I better get something for it. Give me a reason, not some dumb digital equal to a gold star sticker.

 

[HeeHo]

I want it. I was hoping it would already be a thing with the Switch. I agree that it doesn't make me enjoy the game less, but my mind tends to drift when I'm playing Nintendo games that I could be earning trophies on my other systems.

 

[georly]

Gotta measure my digital weiner with my efriend in a dead social network, I need those non existant awards by just playing a game, I NEED THEM

Yup. Not only are achievements often used as just a mind trick to make you feel like the game is better than it actually is, but sharing images on actually good social media sites is way more rewarding than achievements ever were. You can have a greater variety of ""achievements"" with image sharing since you can share progress, a cool vista, a funny line of dialogue you found, and more than any little blip could ever do. No one checks each other's achievements anymore and games shouldn't be shackled by them either.

They were a fun gimmick and it's cool if you liked them like I used to, but i don't miss them at all and i ignore them completely on ps4/steam.

 

[DieAntwoord]

There are apologists for every bad decision of Nintendo. I think there are even some who defend the lack of built-in voice chat.

I hated it when steam introduced them, I hated when Sony introduced them and I'm happy Nintendo is sticking away from a terrible design choice. Since their introduction I swear game design has been built around achieving them .vs actual design to make games more naturally fun

 

[The God]

There are apologists for every bad decision of Nintendo. I think there are even some who defend the lack of built-in voice chat of Switch.

Facts

 

[Leafhopper]

This is not a big deal to be honest.

 

[MetalliCabombination]

Watch the thread turn into people telling others why nintendo did us a favor favor by not including them.

 

[dreamlongdead]

I strongly disagree about the lack of achievements affecting replayability of games. Many Nintendo games already have in-game achievements like Super Smash Bros, Animal Crossing, and many more. So this argument is extremely weak.

I won't pretend that nobody here cares about a system-wide achievement system, but most current and prospective Switch owners won't/don't give a damn.

 

[NJSlay]

I fucking love not having achievements. Their only value is to artificially extend the life of a game with mundane tasks and or reward for things like inputting a character name or starting a new game.

I turned them off on my PS4 after a lengthy stint as a hunter. When it came to games like Dragon Ball Xenoverse where completing the game 100% relies on random drops that never came, I started to realize just how ridiculous it was that I was spending hours and hours doing the same 5 things, in order, over and over again.

 

[BuggeryBugz]

Ugh. IMO, this has been the single biggest deleterious effect of the achievement and trophy system: Trophies being treated as if they're content. It started with users viewing them as content but then developers jumped on board. It's made some developers lazy as they use the trophies as crutches to pad playtime rather than adding more compelling gameplay. You don't have trophy X, why don't you play through the same thing a third time for it?!

Meanwhile, too many users use it as an idiotic measurement of aptitude or interest, some going so far as to berate others for having lower gamerscore or trophy counts. Nevermind the fact that tools exist to cheat to unlock them (especially back on X360).

I guess the TL;DR here is:
Achievements were a mistake. Developers choosing to put in achievements on their own was one thing. Microsoft (then Sony) mandating them made the whole thing into a shitshow.

E:


Yeah but you know the inevitable trophy for ALL the Korok seeds would be rage inducing.

There are some terrible trophy lists in games but a lot of developers have good lists which don't make you replay something just for the sake of it. Like the example I gave with until dawn, you can replay the game and make entirely different choices and have a completely different experience.

 

[evil monkey]

I'm fine with their inclusion as long as I can turn them off.

 

[exfatal]

yeah they should add it to their bare bone phone app. Not a fan of it personally, but every now and then i try to complete some if im bored. If you can turn it off that'll be ace

 

[E_Darkness]

It's not a deal breaker, but I do like to know how many people who bought the game did x thing.

 

[Jaded Alyx]

Would be nice. Don't really care though.

 

[Fuchsdh]

It's stupid that it doesn't exist, but Nintendo's got a lot more pressing stuff to think about actually integrating into their console before this. Which is sad, because asking for features from literally a decade ago on your new hardware doesn't seem like too much to ask.

There are some terrible trophy lists in games but a lot of developers have good lists which don't make you replay something just for the sake of it. Like the example I gave with until dawn, you can replay the game and make entirely different choices and have a completely different experience.

Yeah, achievements aren't a problem, bad use of achievements are. If you care a lot about that stuff, don't play the game, if you don't, than you can ignore them and enjoy the game as you want.

 

[Qwyjibo]

I hated it when steam introduced them, I hated when Sony introduced them and I'm happy Nintendo is sticking away from a terrible design choice. Since their introduction I swear game design has been built around achieving them .vs actual design to make games more naturally fun

I'm not a mind-reader but I'm going to go with "no" on that one. I can't see any game designer basing gameplay decisions around an achievement system. That would be totally illogical and idiotic.

Achievements are a good thing. It's a fun extra "carrot" to chase that anyone can ignore if it doesn't appeal to them. As pointless as it may be to some people, it's fun to have some kind of tracking system for what you've done in games that you can share. A game like Binding of Isaac, for one example, is IMO greatly enhanced by achievement systems.

 

[AlexFlame116]

I don't like them. Especially when people start choosing nor to buy a game because it doesn't have a platinum trophy or whatever.

Besides, can you imagine a medal or something for obtain all 900 Korok seeds in BotW?

But that's just me.

 

[DieAntwoord]

I'm not a mind-reader but I'm going to go with "no" on that one. I can't see any game designer basing gameplay decisions around an achievement system. That would be totally illogical and idiotic.

Achievements are a good thing. It's a fun extra "carrot" to chase that anyone can ignore if it doesn't appeal to them. As pointless as it may be to some people, it's fun to have some kind of tracking system for what you've done in games that you can share.A game like Binding of Isaac, for one example, is IMO greatly enhanced by achievement systems.

Congrats on literally proving my point. Stupid pop-up telling you did something in a game isn't content.

 

[Fachasaurus]

Has Nintendo ever talked about why they don't want to include it?

 

[YesThatGuy]

I think is great.

You are playing video games.

A time wasters.

Who though on giving medal over time wasting?

 

[dancrane212]

I never understood why anyone would care about an achievement system, so it doesn't bother me at all.

I like having a unified system that details what I did in a game and when. Also enjoy when developers suggest different playstyles in their achievements for replays.

 

[Indelible]

I don't care to much but it would be cool for games like BOTW or Mario Odyssey to have that extra layer of completion that comes from achievements.

 

[Mentok]

I have yet to play a game that had me thinking "This trophy/achievement list is enhancing my experience with this game", so I don't really care that they excluded it. That being said, I think with Nintendo Points they have the potential to upstage Sony and MS with making game accomplishments meaningful (i.e. found every shrine and all korok seeds? Here's extra gold to redeem on a game).

 

[Zolbrod]

I love collecting Trophies, so this is a MAJOR reason why I tend to buy multiplat games on PS4 instead of Switch.

Hope Nintendo will turn around at some point, but I'm not holding my breath.

 

[Acorn]

Man 10 year old arguments against achievements have been brought back to life something fierce.

We even have a sarcastic post non ironically using epeen. It's like I'm in 2007 again guys.

 

[HeeHo]

I like having a unified system that details what I did in a game and when. Also enjoy when developers suggest different playstyles in their achievements for replays.

Yeah, I mostly care about having an official record somewhere. I do not agree at all with people suggesting that they only had an extremely shallow sense of satisfaction. I am not a trophy hunter, but if I really like a game, I will want to reflect that on my trophies as long as the requirements aren't totally ridiculous.

 

[Qwyjibo]

Congrats on literally proving my point. Stupid pop-up telling you did something in a game isn't content.

It isn't. It's an addition after the fact that can sometimes enhance the game content, depending on your preferences. Games aren't created with achievements in mind.

 

[Hugstable]

I don't really care for achievements so I really don't mind them not being on the Switch.

 

[pixelation]

Nintendo is waay to cool for that shit...

Spoiler

/s

I agree, if they had trophies they'd lock me into their eco system like Sony has. But Nintendo's gonna Nintendo!

 

[Izayoi]

Honestly, I think it's actually a huge relief.

They are constant reminders that I never completed a particular game, and have always bothered me to some degree because of that.

I know it sounds silly, but I love their absence.

 

[PrinnyBomb]

Why is there such a strong anti-achievements stigma?
And a strong anti-anti-achievements stigma?

Personally I'd love it if the Switch had some

 

[steveovig]

It seems like every so often, we always get a thread like this that turns into people either saying they are ok with achievements or how they are evil.

With that said, I'm ok with them and it's mind boggling that Nintendo chose to not have them on the Switch, considering every other competitor has them.