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.

Ok, which one of you whistled at me?

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 of the more common ways to unlock an achievement are:

• 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 us as we take a look at some spoiler-free in-game achievements and explore the many gameplay possibilities ahead of you.

Perfect Dark Zero
Joanna Dark needs little introduction. Her first game, Perfect Dark for N64, was the spiritual successor to another Rare® shooter classic, GoldenEye 007. Perfect Dark Zero takes place before the original game and chronicles Joanna's rise through the ranks. Packed with intrigue, espionage, and world conflict, the single-player campaign in PDZ is an exciting futuristic spy thriller.

Like my gun?

The achievements in Perfect Dark Zero are separated into two camps: online and offline accomplishments. You'll notice that in addition to completing the game on various skill levels in single-player, you earn gamerscore points for finishing up with a buddy. You also accrue points for playing multiple online matches as well as displaying skillful performance. Let's take a look.

Achievements

• Finish the game: There are four skill levels to choose from when you play Perfect Dark Zero. The hardest—Dark Agent—is only playable once you finish the game on Secret Agent (hard). Die-hard PDZ fans will want to play through all four times to earn these points.
• Finish the game on co-op: The same rule applies here. Each time you finish a co-op game you unlock the gamerscore achievement for that skill level.
• Multiplayer achievements: For each online game type, there are numerous goals you can satisfy. Here are the general ones:
  • Deathmatch: Play 10, 100, and 1000 DM games.
  • DarkOps: Play 10, 100, and 1000 DarkOps games.
  • Killcount: Score 10, 100, and 1000 kills in DM: Team Killcount.
  • Flag capture: Cap 10 and 100 flags in DM: CTF games.
  • Infection: Infect 10, 100, and 1000 players in DarkOps: Infection.
  • Territories: Score 10 and 100 points in DM: Territorial Gains.
  • Survival: Survive 10, 100, and 1000 rounds of DarkOps: Eradication.
  • And the list goes on …
• Skill achievements: Headshots, melee, and explosive kills are all counted in online multiplayer. See what mayhem you can pull off!

As meaty as that list is, there's even more for you to earn both on- and offline. Earning a high gamerscore in Perfect Dark Zero isn't easy, so hone your skills offline if you want to dominate on Xbox Live. Good luck out there.

Article by Franklin Beans