10 Video Game Achievements That REALLY Needed More Thought

8. The Gold Spender - SSX (2012)

battlefield bad company 2
EA

The Achievement

Collect all Gold Global Events Badges.

Why It Needed More Thought

On paper this sounds simple enough - collect the various event-specific badges by simply playing the game, except that one of them is contingent on the number of players online.

One of the badges requires players to "compete in an event with 50,000+ players," per the game's massive multiplayer Global Event system.

It's a neat idea in theory, though like many ambitious multiplayer-centric trophies wasn't implemented with much consideration for the future.

Somewhat hilariously, EA optimistically assumed that 50,000 people would be regularly playing Global Events at the same time, but per the game's softer-than-expected sales, this was far from the case.

Within days of SSX's release, the online player count had dipped irreversibly below 50,000, and so many players were effectively blocked from getting an otherwise relatively easy Platinum trophy.

EA at least had the good sense to make things right, as a few months later they patched the badge to automatically unlock for all players. Even so, it's a rare achievement that threw a developer's hubris right back at them.

Contributor
Contributor

Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.