A History of Achievements

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If you dig into the games though, when you pull up the stats pages there were achievement (note the lower case) with set and specific goals that were required to unlock them... And the point behind unlocking them? Why to attain 100% Game Completion of course!

Some examples of these for San Andreas include:

-- BMX Challenges: a timed event where you must make contact with the 19 pink globes

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spread out around the course.

-- The Tag Collection: explore San Andreas and spraypaint your gang sign (tag) on designated spots.

-- San Fierro Photographs: using a camera your character needs to photograph specific landmarks.

-- Oysters: collecting the designated oysters from the sea offers Increased Lung Capacity and Sex Appeal.

-- EXPORTS/IMPORTS: acquire required cars for export. After you successfully export a car, it immediately becomes available for importing (if you have the money).

-- Buffing at the Gym: Workout at the gym to achieve set goals.

-- Auto Race Circuit: place first in every vehicle race.

-- Safe Houses: buy or receive the other safe houses.

-- Going to School: Boating School, Driving School, Flying School, Motorcycle School; attend classes to achieve the grades. The grading system is: 70%-89% Bronze Medal / 89%-99% Silver Medal / 100% Gold Medal.

-- The Shooting Range: There are four challenges you must complete to pass the Shooting Range.

There are more of these in the game, and similar challenges and achievements in GTA: Vice City and a huge number of pre-Xbox 360 / pre-PS3 titles that with activities in them that if they were made today, would have an Achievement / Trophy associated with them!

Now, we are not going to do all of the work for you, but if you take a look at games like GTA IV, Mafia II, LA Noire, or the Assassin's Creed series you will notice that there are Achievements for similar activities in them, and if there is any doubt that the above items would be Achievements if San Andreas were being made today, well, look at the Achievements for the games we mentioned above again, right?

In the older games each of the achievements was tracked by the stat system in the game, and just like the Achievements in modern titles, many of the activities result in unlocking special abilities, items, or bonus levels in the games.

Clearly the achievement existed long before Microsoft launched its Xbox 360, and would you be surprised to learn that many games used a trophy system of graduated colors long before Sony adopted the system for their PS3? It's true... Of course back in the day when we unlocked achievement and trophies (lower case) in the games we played, we were the only ones who knew it, because they were not a matter of public record, but that did not make us like them any less!

Microsoft did not invent the Achievement... Sony did not invent the Trophy... But they certainly did make them a whole lot cooler!

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