Xbox Living

[Updated for 2008] Ah, Gamerscore. The whole concept of Achievements is marketing gold, really. It’s enough to get anyone with some free time or obsessive-compulsive tendencies renting games or playing longer to earn achievements.

Yes, it’s just a number. No, it won’t do much for you. But let’s face it, it’s fun.

There are basically two ways to get achievements. Option #1 is to play games and earn them. Option #2 is boosting.

Boosting is basically conspiring with friends, using a second controller or doing anything else that allows you to get Achievements without legitimately completing their requirements (at least, their intended requirements). I’ve expressed before that I’m not a fan of boosting, and I’m not going to help you do it. Boosting makes your Gamerscore meaningless and makes you a lying hypocrite if you ever brag about it. Anyone can stand around in Halo 3 blowing up their friends, or beat their unused second controller at a sports game. It takes effort, practice and/or skill to earn achievements legitimately.

But of course, some achievements are easier than others. And that’s the purpose of this post — how to earn some quick Gamerscore without resorting to cheating or boosting. The following list presents some of the games that yield the most Gamerscore for the time you put in:

• Amped 3: This game gives you nearly 500 Gamerscore just for playing through the main game, which doesn’t take long at all.
• TMNT: This game is easy, and gives you the full 1000 Gamerscore just for playing through.
• Prey: Over 600 Gamerscore are yours for finishing the single-player game. Very early into this game, you gain immortality, so it’s quite easy. It may take 5-7 hours to complete, though. The game is OK, so play until you get bored. You’re not likely to get the online achievements anymore.
• King Kong: Notorious for being an easy-Gamerscore title. King Kong gives you the full 1000 Gamerscore just for playing. It’s a crappy game, though. Your call.
• Fight Night: Round 3: Get all 1000 points for punching through the single-player fights. Doesn’t take too long but you might need to practice a bit to win.
• Lego Star Wars II: This game is quite easy, although earning the entire 1000 will take some time as you’ll need to replay some levels.  Lego Star Wars: The Complete saga is a little harder to earn gamerscore with, since it’s about twice as long.
• X-men 3: A pretty easy game that will get you access to the full 1000 if you complete it and collect items on your way through. Some levels may require a few tries on the hardest mode, which is required to unlock everything. You won’t get many achievements in the beginning, though — nearly all of the Gamerscore is unlocked towards the end.
• NBA 2K6: Very easy — the achievements will pile up as you play just a few short games.
• NHL 2k6, 2K7: 2K6 only has five achievements, which won’t take long to get through. 2K7 is easy enough if you adjust the difficulty in your favor. Dynasty mode achievements can take more time, unless you sim your way through.
• NHL 07: Most of the achievements are pretty easy, if you give yourself enough time and practice to pull them off. If you make some good trades you can sim your way through most of the dynasty achievements without playing many games. I find actually playing more fun, though. If you want the 10-year achievement, you’ll do lots of simulations.
• CSI: Hard Evidence: Depending on how quickly you play through this game, it could take 6-10 hours, maybe less.  It’s a fun game, and a nice change of pace.  1000 Gamerscore is awarded just for getting through it.

Put in a decent run with those games and you can get around 7000 Gamerscore without too much effort.

Slower, but enjoyable

These games will give you a good shot of Gamerscore if you play them through. They’re not quick but they’re fun enough to keep you playing.

• Halo 3: Getting the full 1000 means playing through all the levels on Legendary difficulty, finding a hidden skull in each level and playing some co-op rounds. You’ll also need to spend some time earning rankings in multiplayer. Not quick, but very fun. The single-player campaign yields a decent number of points just for playing through on Normal, though. There’s a very good chance you own this game already.
• The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion: Oblivion earns you a full 1000 for completing the major quest-line as well as several side-quests. An additional 250 Gamerscore is yours if you purchase and complete the Shivering Isles expansion. You can adjust the difficulty to make the quests insanely easy if you want, but expect to spend dozens of hours just the same.
• Bioshock: Bioshock takes a while to complete, but most of the Gamerscore is earned as you go through. Collecting tape recorders as you go through the levels is important for one achievement — otherwise you’re stuck going back to look for them. This game is excellent, so you won’t mind putting in the time.
• Crackdown: It takes a while to get through everything, and many of the time-trial achievements are a challenge, but this is a very fun game.
• Viva Pinata: The achievements take a while to get, but they’re easy. If you like this game, though, you’ll be addicted anyways.
• Two Worlds: This game is a lot like Oblivion, although maybe not quite as good. The achievements are easier to get, and will take less time, though.
• Battlefield: Bad Company:  Out in June 2008, this game is lots of fun and the first bunch of Achievements are fairly easy to get.  If you’re one to spend hours on Halo 3 or Call of Duty 4, this is one game that won’t disappoint and will give you a decent amount of Gamerscore.

Bad for Gamerscore

Longer games, such as RPGs, will not give quick Gamerscore. Enchanted Arms is a good example — this game takes a long time to complete, although it does give the full 1000 Gamerscore for getting through. Unfortunately, it’s not a great game.

Some shooters can require lots of skill or online play to get much Gamerscore. F.E.A.R. and Battlefield 2: Modern Combat are examples of this. Call of Duty 2 put 800 of its points in its Veteran difficulty, which is quite difficult. Call of Duty 3 did a better job of providing more accessible Gamerscore, but completing Vetran difficulty and playing an insane number of online games is required to get the full 1000.

The absolute worst game for fast Gamerscore is most likely Final Fantasy XI. To earn all the Gamerscore, you need to level every job in the game up to 75. It can take a couple of months to a couple of years to get your first level 75 job, depending on how much you play. The remaining achievements come from doing long quest lines and difficult battles. I’ve been playing FFXI for about three years (although somewhat infrequently), and I’ve earned a total of 140 Gamerscore from it.

So there you have it — a few games you may have missed that will help you get your Gamerscore fix, all without resorting to boosting or glitching (which really destroys your Gamerscore completely). If you have any other Achievement/Gamerscore tips, let us know!