I was expecting "Achievement Hunter" video game in that link.

YOU disappoint me this time.

I used to be annoyed by achievements. Always popping up and destroying the atmosphere. Over time I got used to it and by now I hardly notice them anymore.

Most of them are just useless or plain stupid. Sometimes amusing or hilarious in the best case. But some of them can indeed add value to the game by making you explore or experiment, and provide entertainment or satisfaction in this regard – at least for players who enjoy this kind of motivation. I personally don't care for most of these benefits.

One thing I came to appreciate is comparing them to your buddy's ones. Not in a way of who has the biggest e-cock, more like out of curiosity. Seeing what he played last, what he's playing right now and how successful he was. My friendlist buddy (yes, it's singular, because I only have one friendlist buddy) is mainly focussed on SP, so am I. But unlike me he's keen on getting achievements. So comparing them from time to time is a good way of staying in touch without really beeing in touch all the time. He does his thing, I do mine. But still we're linked. That's cool.

But as much as I accustomed myself to it, there are still cases when they completely fuck up the experience. When the developers corrupt their own game. Let me give you two examples - but be warned: SPOILERS AHEAD.

[SPOILER]

The first one is from Enslaved: Odyssey to the West. In one of the last stages, Pigsy sacrificed himself for the cause and died in an explotion. That's a quite depressing and touching scene, because he's a charming character you develop huge sympathies for. That makes his decease even more intense. Trip (one of the main characters) starts to cry, the screen goes black, the sound fades out. And then this abomination of an achievement pops up: Smoky Bacon.

I guess it's supposed to be funny. Pigsy, a pig, an explosion, smoky bacon. Ha ha. Actually it's not funny, not at all. Because all the emotions that were built up during this whole death scene go up in smoke (see, I can be phunny too) in a second. It's like the creators are sabotaging their own creation, just for the sake of putting a stupid pun into the achievement.

Another example is God of War. There is this scene when Kratos has to open the way by „making a sacrifice with fire“. He finds a soldier who is trapped in a cage, and there are flames coming out of some sort of device. We all know what cold blooded bastard Kratos is, so he grabs the cage and starts pushing it towards the flames. In fact, you, the player are. That's the whole quintessence of the scene. It's supposed to make you feel uncomfortable, because the trapped soldier suddenly realizes what Kratos is up to and starts begging for his life. And it really works well.

It takes forever till you finally reach the flames and the soldier keeps begging and screaming all the time. When it's finally done and the soldier burns to death, a new path opens. But instead of feeling like you achieved something by solving the puzzle and being able to continue the game, you feel guilty. And then the achievement pops up. You can guess it: Totally Baked. Again, they're setting up a depressive mood through the actions the player has to make and then instantly fucking it up with a bad pun.

[/SPOILER]

*bling* You earned a trophy: Destroying The Immersion

Go and be proud of yourself, idiots.

I am a a completionist in so far that I like to do everything that can be done in a particular playthrough (or the whole game, if I like it very much). But Steam achievements are too freaking many sometimes and I simply don't have the time - or will - to get them all for every game. Good thing I've got no OCD :D

Achievements that require you to experiment and do something that you usually don't do, are awesome. The ones that require you to open your inventory or move forward, are useless..

remind me to find that comic strip showing that!

a few of the Reach ones were awesome and a total PITA but most were the DLC Achievements from Reach that gave me problems.

I like them, but generally don't go after them.

The Simpsons have one that's...
Press Start to play
http://www.xbox360achievements.org/game/the-simpsons/guide/

Achievements can be a great way to increase a game's replayability, when they entice and reward players to/for replaying a game in a different way than before. Examples are achievements that reward outstanding skill ("cleared the level without losing a life"), handicapped playing ("cleared the level without using the supergun"), or alternative solutions ("used the magnetosphere ten times successfully").

Unfortunately, achievements are often implemented in a rather haphazard way that detracts from the game rather than enhancing it. "Alan Wake" is my standard example for this effect. I like that game a lot, and it successfully manages to create an eerie atmosphere and tell an interesting story - but every time when you're completely immersed in the atmosphere, you're stumbling upon a completely out-of-place coffee thermos, which (figuratively) yells at you "This is just a silly game, collect me to get your achievement!". This problem is exacerbated when games inform you about achievements with popups and sounds. Such things work in a casual game, but in any story-based game it's just wrong.