Switch Lights

The lights are on

What's Happening

The Best Achievements And Trophies Of 2012

Whether you love them, hate them, or forget they exist until they pop on your screen and interrupt your game, achievements and trophies have become a (literally) required aspect of all PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 games.

I fall into the love camp, and these are some of my favorites from 2012. The achievements and trophies that I find most interesting aren't the ones that mark your progress in a storyline or reward you for attaining a certain number of headshots. I like the ones that force you to think outside of the normal functions of the game, or simply reward you for doing something weird.

Mass Effect 3
Mass Effect is a game that’s all about its story, and as such many of its achievements tie into specific  storyline moments. This is one that you have to go out of your way to get, and it's not easy. When you do pull it off though, it feels great.
Hijacker – Hijack an Atlas Mech

Journey
I actually have a very specific story as to why I like these Trophies so much, and you can read about them right here.
Ancestors – Find a mysterious creature hidden in the temple
Reflection – Sit and meditate with another player for more than 20 seconds

Dance Central 3
I got this achievement organically, and it made me laugh. Basically you get an achievement for being indecisive in your music choice.
Just pick something! – Skipped 5 songs in Party Time

Fez
This achievement, in a way, defines what is so amazing about Fez. It forces you to think outside of the traditional boundaries of video games in order to find an unlock everything.
Achievement unlocked – RTRTLTRTRTLTLTLT

Prototype 2
Born of an Internet meme, karate kicking a helicopter feels pretty damn good.
Arcade action – Karate kicked a helicopter

Read on for more of the best Achievements and Trophies of 2012.

Email the author , or follow on , , , and .

Comments
  • I don't have a favorite trophy this year, but best all time is Dead Space 2, after you kill a raptor like creature the trophy is "clever girl"  Awesome jurassic park reference.  Works perfectly

  • RE6 - I Prefer Them Alive

    Torchlight 2 - The Band Played On

    TWD - What Remains

  • One does not simply...make a Best Achievements List and not comment on it.

  • My favorite trophy would have to be the "Deep Cover" trophy for Far Cry 3. For those that have beat Far Cry 3 they will know why this trophy is so meaningful.
  • Great Achievements. One of my favorites is one from Minecraft : Xbox 360 Edition. "The Lie" requires you to make a cake, a nod to Portal's "the cake is a lie!"
  • How you like them apples?

  • Trophies and Achievements are great! It feels good getting them.

  • Nice, I didnt get a lot of trophies/achievements this year but I love the concept of them.

  • F1 2012

    Gold Rush - You have earned a gold medal in all of the Time Attack scenarios... this one was f-ing satisfying/Suzuka was hard.

    Hardcore - You have won the Drivers' Championship in Season Challenge on hard difficulty... this one was quite fun

    SR3

    It's not a 2012 trophy unless you count the "Full Package" release (but I did get it in 2012 :P) - Platinum Trophy... b/c it's the fastest trophy I got to date (1wk 5hrs). And every trophy was fun to get shooting for plat.
  • "Shoot him in the face!" Borderlands 2... Best one ever.
  • HIjacker was definitely the best of the year. Immensely satisfying, but took forever to figure out which gun to use to break the glass. As soon as I did, it felt great. On a side note, I was disappointed with how lame the mechs felt to use. Bioware should have taken a cue from the mech sequence in F.EA.R. 2. THAT was a good one.

  • Loved the walking into Mordor one just because of the name alone. One reason why the game was such a freaking easy one, probably gonna platinum it soon. Awesome that being indecisive could get you a reward! (lol)
  • The fish one from Sleeping Dogs was great.

  • I love it when games have fun and creative trophies like this.

  • Although it may not be funny, I loved the title of The Walking Dead's "Stay Close To Me"
  • I want to buy lord of the rings just to get that achievement

  • How do people leave out Max Payne 3 when it comes to achievements? Some of those achievements are hard to come by. I'm just saying!
  • I liked the achievement "A Slap on the face".... LOL

  • LEGO Lord of the Rings has the best trophies I've earned. And I should know, since I did all of them. Also you forgot the Taking the Hobbits to Isengard achievement for travelling to Isengard as every playable hobbit (except for derivatives of the same character).

  • These are all pretty funny or cool. I think the Mordor one is the highlight.

Previous 1 2 3 4 5 Next ... Last