Quote Originally Posted by gaelic cowboy View Post
Gamers really should ask does getting 200 kills with each weapon in mass effect really add to the game or am I being codded into hanging on to the game to prevent it turning up in a bargain bin to shore up price.
I didn't even know the first ME even had achievements until after my friend played it and asked how many I had gotten on my playthrough. So I think you guys are bringing up all the wrong examples to make your arguments.

All that said, I might agree that (with a few exceptions) games from major publishers/development houses are declining in quality (which I think is a distinctly separate issue from a supposed obsession with achievements in games). However, we're seeing I think a proportional increase in the amount and quality of games created by smaller or independent developers and those focusing on a specific niche market. I don't really care if the next seven installments of Call of Duty are all terrible or if the rest of the Total War games from here on out are dedicated solely to collecting achievements. I have lots of options for gaming outside of them, with publishers like Paradox and Stardock supporting niche games, and indies like the people in the UK trying to make a proper X-COM sequel. And even then there are major publishers/development houses like BioWare and Valve I can look to for high-quality games and top-notch support.

I think miotas hit the nail on the head - the good old days only seem that way because we don't remember the failures, except maybe for Daikatana.