Stubborn and rooted in my Old Ways as I am, I recall being moderately offended when XBox first unveiled their Achievements system a few years ago. The strange, obsessive things I always tried to do in games (like make it as far as I could through Streets of Rage 2 without taking damage—which, by the way, requires absolute mastery of Axel’s uppercut technique) seemed like a mark of pride: there are certain things gamers did because they love their games, not because they wanted to be rewarded.

Like a tantalizing piece of moist, delicious cake left on the counter, however, Gamers will not refuse a reward—particularly if it’s something that proves their dominance over other Gamers. I can’t say I’m any different, and if you present me with a list of difficult things to do in a game I enjoy, I will exhaust myself doing it.

Achievements and Trophies are a built-in part of any console game today, so why even raise the topic? Well, as classic games are re-archived and brought out for the new systems, there’s an interesting opportunity—to turn obsessive pleasures (and frustrations) from our youth into shiny Trophies and Achievements. Who am I to resist?

To wit: The Achievements/Trophies have been released for Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection, which is due to hit stores on February 10^th. The complete list is at the end of the post here.

Many of the achievements are reminders of what’s fun about these games in the first place: Talking to another dolphin in Ecco the Dolphin, for example, earns you “Communication is Key”. Ecco was one of those games that seemed otherworldly the first time I played it; gorgeous and eerie in a way that games are seldom allowed to be. Using sonar to get cryptic floating messages from your podmates was a part of this, and it does bring a smile to see that small act rewarded. Less connected to the eerie beauty of Ecco: an achievement/trophy that’s earned for eating 200 fish (“Tastes Like Tuna”). Now we’re talking!

Lastly: There is also a Golden Axe achievement for collecting 20 blue potions. In the Golden Axe games, one does not simply find potions lying around on the ground—one must take them from the gnomes who carry them. As I covered in a previous post, beating up gnomes and stealing their treasure is awesome.

I applaud the sensible game design that creates an official structure to acknowledge this noble pastime.

-Ed

P.S. : Check back tomorrow for a look at the unlockable games and features available in Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection!

Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection: Achievements & Trophies

Get Rich:Alex Kidd: Collect 1,000 in currency
Don’t Die: Alien Storm: Reach Mission 3 without losing a life
Enter the Beast: Altered Beast: Collect 100,000 pts or higher by the end of the first level
Holy Water: Beyond Oasis: Unlock the Water Spirit
Stealing Points: Bonanza Brothers: Reach 40,000 points on the first level
Easy as Pie: Columns: Get 20,000 points only on Easy Mode
Hardly a Hero: Comix Zone: Complete first episode
Get Ahead: Decap Attack: Collect 5 Bonus Coins
Communication is Key: Ecco: Talk to another dolphin
Taste Like Tuna: Ecco: The Tides of Time: Eat 200 fish
Suit up: E-SWAT: Obtain the Combat Suit (Complete Mission 2)
Don’t Get Lost: Fatal Labyrinth: Progress to the fifth level of the labyrinth
Getting Chicks: Flicky: Collect 80,000 points
Garden Gnomes: Golden Axe: Collect 20 magic power-ups
Tower Up: Golden Axe II: Complete Tower Level
Saved by Magic: Golden Axe III: Use magic 10 times
TGIF: Kid Chameleon: Collect Maniaxe
Twinkle Twinkle: Ristar: Collect 5 Yellow Stars
Yatta!: Dr. Robotnik’s M.B.M.: Complete the game
True Ninja Skills: Shinobi III: Complete first level without using continues
Complete Chaos: Sonic The Hedgehog: Obtain a Chaos Emerald
A Different Tail: Sonic 3: Collect 100 rings with Tails anywhere on Angel Island Zone
Flicky to the Rescue: Sonic 3D Blast: Rescue 20 Flickies.
Lots of Zeros: Sonic Spinball: Get 10,000,000 points in the first level
Get to the Chopper: Super Thunder Blade: Score over 1,500,000 points in the first level
Three Times a Charm: Streets of Rage: Complete 1st Level using all 3 characters
Good Day Mate: Streets of Rage 3: Unlock Roo the Kangaroo as a playable character
Super Charged: VectorMan: Collect 500 photons
Can You Dig It?: VectorMan 2: Reach Scene 11
Blast Processing: Play all Genesis Titles
Master the System: Unlock Everything
No Life: Watch Every Video
Critique: View all Artwork
Only in the ’80s: Play all Arcade Titles