Has Capcom found a workaround to Microsoft's stingy achievement rules? To date, all retail games are awarded 1,000 achievement points, and all Arcade games, no matter their size, only 200. Capcom's upcoming Resident Evil: Code Veronica X HD and Resident Evil 4 games will both offer 1,000 achievement points, despite being download only. The reason for the higher points is that both games fall under Xbox Live's Games on Demand, not Arcade.

These games will have a retail presence in Japan, but stateside gamers will have to download them. This is a strange precedent for Microsoft. The only other similar case we know of is Death Smiles 2X, a shoot-em-up that was not localized for North America but was released via Games on Demand nonetheless.

So if you're a developer of an Xbox Live Arcade game, and want your title to have 1,000 achievement points, release at least one retail copy on Xbox 360 in a region somewhere in the world, and then tell Microsoft it should be listed under Games on Demand.

Here are the achievements for Code Veronica via Xbox360Achievements.org:

  • The Terror Begins (50g): Escape from the graveyard of terror
  • A Changed Father (50g): Liberate the changed man
  • Beyond The Shades (50g): Encounter a former S.T.A.R.S. captain
  • The Fallen Tyrant (100g): Flatten an unstoppable enemy
  • The Prisoner Who Lost Everything (100g): Defeat the nameless man and end his suffering
  • To The Frozen Land (50g): Begin the search for your sister
  • The Arrogant Queen (150g): Put an end to the Queen's reign
  • Duty And Humanity (50g): Deliver some medicine to a man in need
  • Weapon Crazy (150g): Get the Rocket Launcher
  • Battle Master (150g): Get the Linear Launcher from Battle Game
  • From The Young Lady (50g): Receive encouragement from a young lady
  • The Green Giant (50g): Say farewell to your fallen comrade