I thought I was done with Microsoft's achievements. I no longer hunted down games with easily obtainable points. No longer stuck with bad games just to get the big 50- or 10-point achievements upon completing them. No longer felt the desire to stay a good 100,000 points ahead of my friends, who clearly didn't take achievements seriously enough. And then those sneaky bastards at Microsoft decided to implement an achievement leaderboard onto Xbox One's dashboard.
I'm now back into achievements just as much as I was when Gearbox's Randy Pitchford threw down the gamerscore gauntlet in 2008. I haven't quite sunk to the level of playing bad games yet (as I have plenty of good ones to get to first), but I am no longer retiring games as soon as they are completed. I first dive into the achievement list to see if if any points are there for the taking, or what kind of effort is required to land the triple-digit lunkers.
The leaderboard is a stroke of genius on Microsoft's part. A feeling of satisfaction washes over me when I look at the rankings and see my name in the number one slot. Conversely, I start pulling out my hair when I fall out of the top slot, or, as I witnessed two weeks ago, fall to eleventh place. IN NO UNIVERSE SHOULD I EVER BE IN ELEVENTH PLACE FOR ACHIEVEMENTS!
I find myself plotting out ways to earn a couple of hundred points in a night. The leaderboard has also opened up a new line of dialogue between me and my friends. That dialogue is usually taunting and showboating. The leaderboard, which may seem as arbitrary as the points themselves, is breathing new life and fun into the hunt for points. I once again find myself grinning when I hear the achievement sound ring out. Thanks, Microsoft. I feel like I should punch/hug you for making achievements meaningful again.
Rather than keeping all of my achievement-unlocking secrets to myself, I decided to put together a list of the games that deliver the easiest points. Should you find yourself obsessing over them like I do, or locked in a gamerscore battle royale, I hope this guide serves you well. It'll be updated whenever I find a new game that you need to know about.
Another World
12 Achievements
1,000 Points
Time Requirement: 3-4 Hours
Price: $7.99
I played the living hell out of Another World when it originally launched in 1991 under the name Out of This World. To much surprise, time has not affected this game in the slightest. The cinematic visuals are just as stunning now as they were back in the day. The same goes for the gameplay. Yes, it can be frustrating and demanding of precision, but in a fair and challenging way. It's another game that can easily be digested in one sitting. And yes, you'll reach the required 100 deaths for an achievement well before reaching the game's final act. If you're aiming to get all 1,000 achievement points, you'll want to use this guide. A few of the achievements push you to do something at a specific time. Here they are:
Secret UFO: 100 Points
From the outset of play, when you
free yourself from the cage and grab the gun, wait around for a 15 to 20
seconds for a UFO to fly across the top of the screen and deliver 100
gamerscore.
Explorer: 50 Points
A little ways after freeing yourself
from a cage and downing a few guards, you'll find yourself in a small,
dome-shaped structure with a window on the right side. Walk over to it
trigger a cinematic view and the achievement.
Free Fall: 75 Points
During a chase toward the end of the
game, you'll be reunited with your companion. He'll throw you across a
large gap. Purposely drop into the gap to unlock the achievement.
Contrast
22 Achievements
1,000 Points
Time Requirement: 5 to 7 Hours
Price: $14.99
Contrast pumps out 100 point achievements when any stage is finished and delivers a huge 200 point gift when the game is completed. Smaller 25 point achievements are peppered along the critical path. The toughest achievements are tied to the collectibles. If you can find all of the collectibles in a level, you'll get a 50 point achievement. Here are some of the tricker ones:
To the Heroes Among Us: 25 Points
In Act 1 do not enter the Ghost Note Theater. Instead, walk past it down the road and activate the gramophone to create a shadow path up to the a switch that activates the Extra Life 2012 logo and achievement.
The Cyclops' Bottle: 25 Points
In Act 2 activate the carousel and then ascend to the rooftops using the shadows. Keep working your way to the left across the moving shadow path to the final rooftop and an opening that leads to a row of tables with umbrellas over them. The bottle should be glowing brightly on one of these tables.
Costume Quest
18 Achievements
1,000 Points
Time Requirement: 8-10 Hours
Price: $14.99
I'm having a good time with Costume Quest 2. The combat is repetitive (especially in the early stages), but the humor and charm keep the game interesting. The story is also a fun ride. Achievements don't necessarily come quickly, but are all in 50 or 100-point chunks. Most of them are tied to stuff you'll complete on the critical path. Only three should be difficult to get:
45 Card Pickup: 50 Points
You'll have to find all of the cards, many are hidden in chests, some are dropped by monsters, others are only obtained through trading with NPCs. You'll have to be thorough and willing to backtrack to get this one.
Creepy Card Shark: 50 Points
To earn these points you'll need to use every Creepy Treat Card in the game. You'll have to start doing this from the outset of play. This can be extremely difficult if you are going for the Hardcorn Mode achievement, as one of your characters won't be able to attack.
Hardcorn Mode: 100 Points
If you keep a character dressed in the Candy Corn costume for every battle you enter, you'll earn 100 points. The battles are balanced in a way that you can win every fight with just two people attacking. I recommend keeping the costume on the second character. Just make sure you don't accidentally change the costume in the overworld.
Read on for more easy achievements...