50 Most Memorable Achievements in Gaming History

By Alex Turner / December 10, 2012

46. Halo 3 - Mongoose Mowdown

Splatter an enemy with the mongoose in a ranked free for all playlist (Online). Not only was it incredibly tough to run someone down in a mongoose a small, unarmed quadbike but it was made all the more difficult by the fact that the second you mounted one of these vehicles people knew you are attempting to get this achievement and would go to any lengths to avoid being the victim who provided it. Finally getting the kill only bagged you a measly five gamer points, but a lifetime of Halo multiplayer humiliation on the guy you ploughed.

47. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood - Strong Closer

Take the lead 10 seconds before the end of a session and go on to win. Assassins Creed Brotherhood had some of the most refreshing multiplayer Id played in a long time. It was an excellently crafted and well-paced affair, ranging from frantic rooftop cat and mouse chases to subdued moments of stealth, walking in crowds or sitting on benches. When you were suddenly spotted, or attacked your mark, all hell would often break loose for a few seconds and youd be forced to sprint away, dodging through crowds and thin alleyways, to avoid giving an enemy their much desired kill points and to keep the lead you just gained. When all this happens in the last ten seconds of the game and you end up winning, in addition to getting twenty gamer points and one more achievement to tick off, its utterly triumphant.

48. Left 4 Dead - Untouchables

No survivors take damage after contacting the rescue vehicle. Another multiplayer classic, this achievement took a lot of co-ordination and resulted in a heavy amount of fist-pumping upon completion. Seeing this pop up truly felt like youd won something against all odds and was all the sweeter for it.

49. Borderlands - Vincible

Kill Crawmerax the Invincible. Borderlands is a fantastic multiplayer experience and, like many of the most fun achievements on this list, Vincible celebrates what makes it so fun teamplay. Crawmerax is probably the biggest crab ever committed to a videogame and its certainly the most deadly. Finishing this guy off is a challenge that takes a lot of time, focus and teamwork. When you do, however, the rewards are worth the time investment hundreds of item drops and a sweet fifty gamer points.

50. Mass Effect 2 - No One Left Behind

Keep your team alive through the suicide mission.

Perhaps the ultimate full playthrough achievement in terms of the amount of work you have to do and the emotional and narrative payoff of completing it. In addition to all of the pre-final mission work you have to put in (upgrading your ship, completing loyalty missions) you really need to know your squad members, what theyre good at and what theyre bad at, and when to choose them for the right tasks. Up until the very last moment, you really have no idea if youve failed or succeeded, so theres really nothing quite like seeing that achievement pop up and knowing the last few days youve invested into the game have all been extra worth it.