The Best Achievements And Trophies Of 2018

by Kyle Hilliard on Dec 27, 2018 at 10:00 AM

Whether you love them, hate them, or forget they exist until they pop on your screen and interrupt your game, achievements and trophies are (literally) a required feature of all PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Steam games. I fall into the love camp, and these are some of my favorites from 2018.

The achievements and trophies 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 reward you for doing something weird.

Follow the links to see 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017's best achievements and trophies.

Astro Bot Rescue Mission

Astro Bot had a number of goofy trophies that reward you for interacting with the game in novel ways. For the Spider Boss, you are removing a giant spider’s clothes as a way to defeat it, and I like that you are rewarded for averting your gaze. I also particularly liked that Shuhei Yoshida is called out in a trophy that you can earn while playing around with the credits. The other two are just silly ways to interact with the game that I had not considered.

Gentleman - Finished off the Spider Boss while looking away
Shoot the Shu! - Blasted the President's name in the credits
Blrgggbl!! - Splashed yourself with the water gadget
Space drift - Hit Astro with the controller in the VR menu

Detroit Become Human

Any game that rewards you for reading magazines should be highlighted because I heard reading magazines is good for your health.

BOOKWORM - Find every single magazine in the game

Fallout 76

[See Detroit: Become Human’s entry above.]

LITerally - Read 20 Magazines

Guacamelee 2

I really enjoyed Guacamelee 2 and got every trophy except for the one you get for replaying the game on the hardest difficulty (who has time for that!?). I like this egg one because I never did figure out if there was any use or advantage to laying eggs. If there is, please let me know in the comments.

These are not fertilized - Lay a dozen eggs

Lego DC Super-Villains

This is a nice call out to the relationship that can be explored between Batman and Joker in Telltale's Batman games.

The Enemy Within - Take a selfie with Batman whilst playing as The Joker

Mega Man X Legacy Collection 1 & 2

I like the incentive to check out the game in Japanese because it is something I had never done despite being a big Mega Man X fan. I include the “He Wanted You to Have This” trophy here because growing up and playing that game pre-internet, I refused to believe that was something that could be done.

He's Actually Called Vava (Curiouser and Curiouser) - Complete the opening stage of any game in both the English and Japanese versions.
He Wanted You to Have This - Receive Zero's beam saber in Mega Man X3.

Nippon Marathon

Nippon Marathon is a weird on-foot physics-based racing game. If you get yourself covered in enough crap, you might be declared that smelliest player, which is exciting?

Smelliest Player - Be declared the smelliest - Get away from me!

Red Dead Redemption II

Most of Red Dead Redemption II's achievements involv killing, studying, or killing and studying every creature in the game, but this one makes you the hunted instead of the hunter.

Grin and Bear it - Survive 18 bear attacks and kill the bear each time in Story Mode.

Sea of Thieves

Sea of Thieves was an underwhelming experience for me overall, but its insistence on making you a goofball with the achievements is something I can get behind. These are my favorite kinds of achievements – rewards for just doing weird, seemingly innocuous things in the game. Also, you’ve got to love the little Perfect Dark reference.

A Titanic Ensemble - Give your ship a Captain's send-off by playing a song aboard it while it sinks.
Tactical Chunder - Throw vomit on an opposing pirate while they're holding a sword.
Handbrake Turn - With the ship's wheel fully turned in a direction, drop the anchor.
Perfect Dark - Sail through a storm with no lights during the night.

Shadow of the Colossus

The 2018 remake of Shadow of the Colossus is fantastic and it really stayed true to the original in all the right ways. The trophy is a reward for discovering one of the few new additions to the game, which is a fun reference to The Last Guardian.

Boon of the Nomad - Find Barrel in Hidden Cave

Spider-Man

I liked being rewarded for climbing the tallest building in the game and just hanging out – something I would have done anyway. I also love the “With Great Power…” trophy because it’s a nice moment for Peter, and it’s something you can discover on your own outside of the main story or side missions.

Hero for Higher - Perch atop Avengers Tower
With Great Power... - Pay respects at Ben Parker's grave

Shadow of the Tomb Raider

These two trophies are basically opposites, but I like them both as weird, totally optional objectives.

Como Te Llama - Pet 5 llamas
Thanksgiving - Shoot a turkey with a Flare Round

State of Decay 2

Most of State of Decay 2’s achievements are rewards for doing a certain number of things a certain number of time. “Men Without Hats” is one of the few goofball ones and who doesn’t love The Safety Dance?