Achievement Highlights

Xbox Live® means different things to different people. For some, it is a perpetually raging battlefield where the world's toughest cyber soldiers can test their reflexes in tournaments, matches, and events ranging from real-world sports games to war simulations to fantasy escapes. For others, Xbox Live Marketplace is where it's at for music, video, and game demo downloads.

Go deep with Madden NFL 06.

Regardless of your leanings, there is one facet of the premiere online gaming service that can be used and enjoyed by all. That feature is the achievements system.

Every title published for Xbox 360™ has its own unique set of achievements laid out by the game's creators. Depending on the type of game, you can unlock and earn up to 1000 points through various feats of mastery. These accomplishments can vary greatly between genres.

Some common ways to unlock an achievement:

• Finish the single-player story mode.
• Complete the game on the hardest difficulty level.
• Play X amount of games, online or off.
• Perform feats of mastery (three-pointers in basketball, headshots in first-person shooters, etc.).
• Find every collectible or secret.
• Finish every optional side mission or quest.

Ultimately, it's up to the developer to break down the total number of gamerscore points and assign them to different achievements for that game. As you pass each in-game milestone and accrue more points, you may unlock secret achievements that are only revealed to you when a required action is performed.

This element of mystery rewards players of a persistent and adventurous nature and encourages them to explore every nook and cranny laid out before them.

Join me as I take a look at some spoiler-free in-game achievements and explore the many gameplay possibilities ahead of you.

Madden NFL 06
The game industry's longest running and most successful sports franchise blitzes onto Xbox 360™ with a vengeance. Madden NFL 06, the latest offering from publisher Electronic Arts and Florida studio Tiburon, puts you on the field like no other game before. Built from the ground up to take advantage of the console's new hardware, the action screams next-gen from the first coin flip all the way to the Super Bowl.

Put in some time and unlock gridiron achievements.

If you're a football fan, then the achievements found in Madden NFL 06 are second nature to you. Instead of hiding obscure goals from the player, the developers at Tiburon lay it all on the table. Here are the 11 objectives you should strive to accomplish when tossing the pigskin. They're self-explanatory, so you shouldn't have any issues figuring out what to do.

Achievements

• Win the Super Bowl: Win the Super Bowl with your franchise team.
• Pass for 350 yards: Successfully pass for 350 yards or more.
• Enter a history book: Enter any of the history book screens in franchise mode.
• Rush for 200 yards: Successfully rush for 200 yards or more.
• Activate RS card: Activate any of the RS cards.
• Four sacks in one game: Amass four sacks in one game.
• Win a franchise game: Win a user-controlled franchise game.
• Complete an offline game: Successfully complete an offline game.
• Get a first down: Gain a first down in any offline game mode.
• Score a touchdown: Score a touchdown in any offline game mode.
• Complete 30 years of franchise: Successfully complete 30 years of franchise mode.

Good luck on the field, and bring home that trophy!

Article by Franklin Beans