Is It Time for Nintendo Achievements?

Overnight, Retroachievements launched its Gamecube support. More than 100 classic Nintendo games now support achievements when emulated, and thousands of fans turned out in support. 

When I woke up this morning, nearly 100 people were playing Super Mario Sunshine. Dozens more were playing other big hitters like Mario Kart: Double Dash and Super Smash Bros. Melee. I would expect those records to be broken again this evening, as more people get involved and the temporary teething issues of last night are overcome.

Within this small community of achievement hunters, within the larger but still tiny group of gamers who emulate, as part of the larger group of gamers who can stomach old games, the Gamecube has been the holy grail. The thought of Nintendo games with trackable achievements has real demand amongst those who enjoy tracking them down, and people will go to great lengths to get them.

With the Nintendo Switch 2 on the horizon, it’s time to ask again whether it is time for Nintendo to have an achievement system of their own. The answer can only be yes. While the naysayers will huff at the idea, they were never going to be on board anyway. Instead, you have to ask those who dedicate their time to both hunting and creating these systems. The idea of the next big Nitnendo exclusive having achievements on day one, officially, would be popular amongst fans.

I’ve always had a lot of positive things to say about the Retroachievements community. To me, they represent the best of what gaming fans can offer. They’ve seen a gap, and they’ve created an entire system dedicated to filling that gap. And they’ve done it over and over again, for system after system. The dedication is incredible.

Nintendo Achievements – On the Cards?

Naturally, the fan achievements are a little tougher than an official developer might choose to be. The fan sets are, after all, a show of what the player is capable of as much as the game. But it’s still very much about exploring a title in great detail, about playing in ways you usually wouldn’t.

For example, the first Gamecube game I’ve checked out is Mario Kart: Double Dash. The normal way to play, perhaps, is to pick a difficulty that you’re comfortable with, race as well as you can and hopefully get a gold trophy. Within a couple of hours you’ve probably seen everything.

But with Retroachievements, you must beat every difficulty, getting a full 40 points for each grand prix. You must beat the time trials. There are achievements for finishing a level without drifting, or  without picking up items. These stretch your skills as a player, but they also make you experience things you wouldn’t necessarily do on your own.

As if that wasn’t enough, official achievements help retain a playerbase. For those who play games with achievements in mind, their score becomes part of your ecosystem. I’ll never fully be out of PlayStation and Xbox, because I have trophies and achievements that I’m proud of and that I enjoy adding to.

If Nintendo are wanting to retain hardcore gamers, official achievements is one simple system to add that’ll do that job.

Retroachievements proves, yet again, that there is a community of people desperate for Nintendo to get its own achievement system. And while those that dislike them are never going to agree, it’d be much appreciated by those that really enjoy delving into a game.