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The Best Achievements And Trophies Of 2013
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, 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Steam games.
I fall into the love camp, and these are some of my favorites from 2013. 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.
To see 2011 and 2012's best achievements and trophies, hit the links.
The Stanley Parable is a hilarious and clever examination of the idea behind player-driven decision and behavior in virtual interactive experiences. It’s no surprise that the game’s Steam achievements are similarly hilarious examinations of the nature behind these meaningless bonuses. All of them are great, but there are two in particular that stand out, and the "Click on Door 430 Five Times" achievement stands out as one of the greatest achievements ever, not just of 2013. I would hate to spoil it for you by describing it in detail.
Click on Door 430 Five Times. - Click on door 430 five times.
Go Outside - Don't play The Stanley Parable for five years.
Grand Theft Auto V is a great with a huge open world open to exploration, but its achievements and trophies are fairly tame bonuses awarded for normal progression through the game. The “Altruist Acolyte” tasks players with using Trevor to take drunk characters in need of a ride home to a group of cannibals, continuing to prove that Trevor is a terrible, terrible person. The “Out of your Depth” achievement is awarded for getting eaten by a shark.
Altruist Acolyte - Deliver an unsuspecting victim to the Altruist Cult.
Out of Your Depth - You're gonna need a bigger boat...
The Last of Us is a game that doesn’t waste much time on humor, and wastes even less time on handing out trophies for players trying to explore beyond the main narrative. There is one trophy, however, for sitting around and listening to Ellie read you some jokes from a terrible joke book that she managed to track down.
That's All I Got - Survive all of Ellie's jokes
Most of Lara’s achievements or trophies come from leveling up your weapons and defeating enemies in certain ways. There is one that is very easy to bypass, and it involves killing a crab on the beach. It’s totally random, and there’s nothing else in the game like it.
Crab Cakes - FeeFee the crab killed
The name of the achievement/trophy says it all. As long as there’s Dead Space, there will always be Peng. There’s also one for shooting a deer’s head trophy for no reason.
There's Always Peng! - Find Peng
Under a Buck - Shoot the deer head trophy in the Admiral's Quarters
Read on for more of the best Achievements and Trophies of 2013.
Guacamelee is full of references to tons of video games from stuff as old as the original Zelda and Metroid (its main inspiration), to last year’s Journey. My favorite reference, which has a trophy associated with it, is for tracking down the character I AM ERROR, a clear reference to the bizarre character in Zelda II
I AM ERROR - Complete the I AM ERROR quest
Every one of Brothers achievements and trophies are awarded for doing something not related to the main game. It’s possible to beat the game without getting any awards, and this is by design according to the game’s director, Josef Fares. My two favorites represent two opposite emotions. “Wishing Well” has you stealing a ball from an unassuming little girl in town and throwing it down a well. “A Sad Tune,” on the other hand has you saving a character from committing suicide, and cheering them up with a found music box.
Wishing Well - You threw someone's ball down a well… Shame on you
A Sad Tune - You made someone feel better
NBA 2K14’s innovative story mode leads to some sequences that you wouldn’t normally see in a sports games. One of the best is a moment when your teammates invite you out to party. You can decline, but if you go, you might find yourself suspended from a game after some inappropriate photos show up online. Thankfully, you do get rewarded for your indiscretion, even if you have to miss out on a game.
I Smell Team Spirit - Get your teammates to invite you out on the town in MyCAREER
Did you know you can get arrested in Dragon’s Crown in the main town? Did you know if you do it 10 times you get a trophy? It’s absolutely worth it.
Crime and Punishment - You were thrown in jail 10 times. Poor impulse control leads to multiple incarcerations
Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag
You don't have to go after a killer whale, but you probably should. It's a killer after all, and as an assassin, you need to stop all the competition.
Killer Killer - Harpoon a killer whale.
Most of Resogun’s trophies are awarded for beating the game on various difficulties, with certain ships, or getting a certain number of points. There is one stand-out one that is awarded for chucking a human to safety. Turns out it's just way more fun to throw a human into a safe zone than it is to gently drop them off.
Let Fly! - Throw a human to the escape pod
Stan Lee shows up in the Marvel Movies and video games all the time. He’s a required staple of every piece of Marvel media. In Lego Marvel Super Heroes there is an achievement/trophy for saving him, but the more exciting reward is when you discover the unlockable, playable Stan Lee, has inexplicable Hulk powers.
Stan's Soapbox - Turn into Stan Hulk
The Star Trek video game didn’t turn out very well, but there were two achievements/trophies in the game that called out to the original series in humorous ways. The “Arena” achievement/trophy is awarded for letting Kirk get punched by a Gorn, like the iconic episode of the original series. The “I Shall Always Be Your Friend” achievement/trophy recalls the iconic scene from Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan where Spock dies. It’s super sad.
Arena - As Kirk, had a Gorn enemy melee you
I Shall Always Be Your Friend - As Spock, bled out during a downed state, leaving Kirk alone and failing the mission
Are there any obvious oversights here? Are there some achievements or trophies that we missed? What were your favorites of 2013?
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