From the article:
"Gaming ‘achievements’ tend to split opinion in the gaming fan-base. Some people don’t really care for them, others love them, and a few actively dislike them. Whatever your opinion, it seems clear that they’re not going anywhere, as more and more platforms embrace them. But have you ever considered what their true purpose is, and why they were introduced in the first place?"
Erren of TechRaptor writes, "We review the remake of Riven - a beautiful new imagining of the classic puzzle game and a worthy continuation to the legacy of the Myst series."
CCG writes - "From a technical standpoint, SMT: Vengeance is a much more solid, content-filled, and fun game than its unfinished first release. Morally, it has a lot of content only fit for mature audiences and may make those of religious faith (Christian and otherwise) uncomfortable. Overall, I rather enjoyed it as a polished and more complete version of the first Shin Megami Tensei V, and I recommend it highly if the religious themes and moral content don't trouble you."
"The San Juan-based (Puerto Rico) indie games developer SRG Studios are today very proud and glad to announce that they have just released the full version (v1.0) of their co-op action roguelike “Champion Shift“ (the full version of the game is available right now for PC via Steam." - Jonas Ek, TGG.
Wow... someone sure missed the point.
Why were achievements introduced in the first place? Instant company loyalty (If I switch to the next xbox, I lose 7,000 trophies... so I am more likely to be with Sony till they die / I find another reason to switch.), motivates you to play more, something most people have always wanted (People use to be able to claim whatever and we had to accept it as true. WIth achievements / trophies i can flat out see it and thus instantly discredit you in many cases.).
Also you're again mistaken about Playstation Plus and PS4 going P2P. Playstation Plus is another program that creates brand loyalty and motivates people to switch. Also the US Plus offers has been noted to have an increased focus on Mulitplayer, which is a subtile way of creating brand loyalty. If I make a bunch of friends on the PSN, get 12+ "free" games a year and have a bunch of trophies... why would I go back to the Xbox? Maybe for a social reason or an exclusive, but my desire will be lower because of what I listed above. Finally PS4 will most likely remain free, since that was a huge selling point for the PS3 this gen. Changing that now would result in a slower adoption rate and a loss of customers.
When I can use my achievements to get free games, I'll begin to care more. If other people value achievements, that's perfectly fine. But said achievements are not for me.
I enjoy getting PSN trophies/Steam achievements for games I care for; Uncharted platinum trophies... check... all 4 (including Golden Abyss). Something like a sports title doesn't deserve my time or effort as I play for fun and not achievements.
Latest full set is Hitman Absolution platinum and my best platinum is Gran Turismo 5 (mainly because it took forever), that was a b!tch!
Trophies and Achievements = The illusion of more content when we actually get less these days unless we pay for it in DLC.