For the majority of the gaming community, Grand Theft Auto IV has come and we all own it. I had, for a long time, tried to figure out if I wanted the Xbox 360 version or the PS3 version. The temptation was that with the 360 version I'd get the episodic content (either early or at all, depending on what the future holds), more people online, and achievements. However on the PS3 I get the Dual Shock 3 (the preferred way to control a GTA game), better graphics, and quicker load times. For the 360 era players, it's a no brainer, the 360 is the way to go. I ended up going with the 360 version, and while I am very happy with it, I feel I may have made a mistake. Don't get me wrong, playing online with friends is something I'm very thankful I can do, as I don't have a single friend (yet) who owns a PS3 other than myself. Episodes will be cool as well, but this game is huge and I'm wondering if I'll be GTAed out by then. The final part, and what this blog is really all about (aren't you getting tired of HEARING about GTA IV instead of PLAYING it anyway?), is that the Achievments are no longer important to me. GTA IV taught me that I don't want to focus on achievements anymore, and since then, I feel like I've awakened from a trance. Let me explain.

I love achievements. i feel they add much to a game, either for a completist like myself (I found all the flags in Assassin's Creed and ENJOYED it), or just challenge you to go that extra step. The problem is that with an overall achievement score, you find yourself doing things (like a high school cheerleader) that you normally wouldn't do and are embarrassed to admit. Check out my gamercard (spydersvenom, it's on my web site and in my profile on this very site) and you'll see the gamer skeletons in my closet. Avatar...uh. Eragon...eeesh. Sports games....glah! Even King Kong, which I rather enjoyed more than others...meh. The only one I'll claim I'm, well not proud of, but also not ashamed of, is TMNT. I am an avid TMNT fan. I have all the movies on DVD, every cartoon episode on either DVD or VHS (I taped them, people), all the video games that EVER came out (even Tournament Fighting), and the new movie in combo format HD-DVD (is that love or WHAT?)! I'd have played that game to death regardless of the achievement points. Either way, I played games and did things I'd have never done (and didn't enjoy) just to boost my score. Now that I'm at nearly 30,000, people are either shocked or sickened when they see it, but within 10 minutes have completely forgotten about it. It's because at this point they no longer matter.

Additionally, there are games I have all the points for, like Assassin's Creed, COD2, or even Condemned, that I wanted to get all achievements because I loved the games and wanted to do everything I possibly could to get the points. I didn't use a cheat sheet, I didn't go to xbox 360 achievements, and I played through the game at least once without a guide (only using the guide for stuff like finding all the flags). In games like these, I love achievements because I may not have even noticed that there were flags, or dead birds, or that it's cool to fall from 33.3 ft without dying, which allow me to find new challenges once I beat the game on its hardest setting (especially if they have no online). Any good game that I have 1000 points for, I loved, rest assured.

The problem is when an achievement doesn't sound too hard, but it alters the way I'd play a game. This is where GTA IV comes in. There's an achievement for completing all the story missions in less than 30 hours. I'm only six hours into the game, so I don't know if this is hard or not, I just know that it alters how I'd play the game. In all GTA's I've liked to do side missions, screwed around, and explore. Going for this achievement prevents this and, what's worse, prevents me from being able to make the most of my gaming experience unless I (assumably) play the game through twice. I don't know about you, but for me on ANY GTA game, once was awesome, but once was plenty. I found myself (luckily I hadn't yet) planning on skipping parts (like the taxi missions, which I wanted to do) that I normally would have played. Trust me, people, 60 useless (and lets face it, they really are of no value) points are not worth ruining what is easily the best written game of all time.

This is when the overall gamerscore ceases to be valuable to me anymore, and thank god, because I was cheating myself. I'm out now, no longer addicted to the achievement points, and looking forward to starting a new life. I'm free when I play GTA, and no joke, enjoying it even more than before! I'm playing Wii games like Boom Blox, No More Heroes, and completing the basic story of Mario Galaxy (although you know the completionist in me is going to go back and get all 120 stars). I'm playing Uncharted, my favorite game on PS3, through again. I'm playing Ninja Gaiden Sigma, playing God of War I & II (first time through, too), and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (haven't played before and need to prepare for MGS4!). The air is fresher, the water is crisper, and my food tastes better. I am free and I love it.

Don't get me wrong, I'll still go achievement crazy, especially with certain games (watch for my 1,000 GS on Lego Indiana Jones, and if the other Lego Games are any indication, it's no short or easy task). I'll also be happy to see the trophy system, which is supposed to hit this summer (not holding my breath), because I now no longer care about the overall score, just the inner game achievements. It'd also be cool to make them universal (like the achievements on 360 will match the trophies on PS3 so you don't have to worry about which one you buy it on). Trust me, I love when people say, "You got all the flags in Assassin's Creed!" or "You are about to beat all the world tours in Rock Band!", but the overall score doesn't matter anymore. It's just a public way to show your dedication, but with achievements like this 30 hour one or GH III's requirement to beat each campaign on all 4 difficulties, you've got expert guitar players beating it on easy and falling asleep. Get with it, programmers, be more realistic about your achivements. I hope you all, like me, learn to evolve with achievements and see what's worth getting, what's not worth getting, and what's there just to get you to play a game that sucks (Iron Man...PLEASE GOD NO!).