Nope. I don't have time to play that much. The 30 day contest was supposed to present a relaxed atmosphere...but I guess that's out. :)

I think for most of us it still is. My score went up a little more than I expected because I've been sick the last 2 weeks, so I've not been able to do much else, but other than that, I think most of us have just been playing games in our backlogs or completing games that we started before (ie: a lot of people playing Mass Effect, COD4, etc)

That being said, I was under the same impression when I signed up.

I don't know about you, but I am pretty damn relaxed. ;)

Man, you guys really know how to whine! Everyone that gets into these challenges should fully know that someone is going to jump in with some older/easier games for some quick points. I've been guilty of it myself and would do it more if I hadn't already gone through most of the easier games.

So what if Flashburn wins? It's not like the contest cost you guys anything. And he's doing what he enjoys doing. Gaming! Some of those "easy" games are still time-consuming, and if he has a job that allows him to get in more gaming, then more power to him.

I actually think I am going to rent those 2K6 sports games just so you guys can whine about it some more. :lol:

That's the tough thing about these kinds of contests - you can never really get everyone to agree on the same terms and have them carried out.

If only there was a way that we could force flashburn to use his $100 gift card to buy Avatar, King Kong and Cars. :)

Oh, you don't need to force me, I'll DEFINITELY be getting those!

In reality if I do win, it will probably go towards buying a PSP.

No problem I understand. I was only going to enter for fun anyway with no real intention of winning. I pretty much only play Rock Band lately anyway heheh.

If a contest was just for members here, perhaps it could be done where only a certain group of games could be played - like pick 3 or 4 brand new titles and go from there.

For example - start a 2-week contest and only allow Burnout: Paradise, Turok, American Idol, and DMC 4 .. That would pretty much level the field, right?

Does 360voice allow you to section off titles like that? What if someone wants to play Rock Band or something during those two weeks and accidentally gets a 100% on a song and gets an achievement in a non-sanctioned game?

I don't think there's an easy way to do it. Any time there's money or prizes involved, someone is going to do their best to win. In this case, it means play easy games/playing all the time. It's the nature of the beast. The best way to do it is to just have fun with it, and spend some time with some games you may have been neglecting. You may not win, but at least you got some enjoyment out of it.

Hey, at least you didn't have to play through Open Season!

That is actually next in my pile of games I borrowed from a friend. Is it that bad? I heard it was actually pretty fun for a kids game.

It wasn't terrible. Much better than Meet the Robinsons. To me, just unlocking achievements is a fun time, even if the game is rather lackluster. Therefore, I can sit through a snore-fest knowing that I'm working towards something and still have a decent enough time with it.

I have Open Season here as well...starting it or Enchanted Arms after I finish up LSW.

I'm with Shagrath...unless I absolutely can't stand the game, I'll play for achievements. My only justification for 1000/1000 on Cars. :lol:

Why not just limit it to people who only want to play 10-15 minutes per day? If you want the prizes, earn them! If you just want a laid back, relaxed casual competition, do it for bragging rights.

http://www.360voice.com/challenge/1330

This challenge got posted on the 360v homepage, apparently it's the closest challenge they've had on the site between #1 & #2

I'm starting up another challenge (this time for 8000 points). In order to keep it to members here, please send me a message and I will respond with the link.

our current challenge still has 13 days left on it. So it may be a while before you get messages from 15 of us.

I just thought of something. How about for the next challenge we do only games rated at 80% or higher according to gamerankings? Of course it would be up to the individual to monitor that, but seriously if it weren't for gamer points would you play games like Open Season otherwise?

Geezus! Anything to make things go your way, eh? I started the "Avatar Veterans" challenge last night, and someone played NBA Live 07 and is ahead by like 600 points right away. Do you hear me bitching? No. You have just as much of a chance of winning if you busted out Open Season, Cars, Pimp My Ride (which was fucking amazing!) as anyone else does.

Not complaining, just trying to figure out ways to get more enjoyment for everyone. I'm in 9th place right now, so there's no chance of winning. I was just thinking that if you had the choice between playing a 50% rated game or 80% rated game, wouldn't you play the better rated one?

Unless it's Rock Band, I'm more than likely playing for achievements. I'm so ingrained in that mindset that I've had some AAA titles like God of War II for over a year, and haven't even put them in my PS2 yet, as they don't have achievements. I've got hidden treasures like Rogue Galaxy and Odin Sphere as well that I haven't touched for the same reason.

I'd say that most people are playing the games they want to play, and people like myself actually get enjoyment out of hearing that "achievement unlocked" sound and message that pop up. I can play a complete turd, but have fun doing it, because I know I'm getting these meaningless points.

I feel you. The achievements are so addictive. But after selling my soul to the devil waiting hours online in Fusion Frenzy just to get those online achievements I figured I'll make sure I'm playing games I actually enjoy. I'm now enduring COD4 again on veteran difficulty. I'm sure one day I'll be able to do the Endless Setlist in rock band as soon as I can play on expert difficulty.

There's an article in the new EGM about "Achievement Junkies" who are hooked on that pop up and sound effect that goes with it. It's a decent read.

I had problems with Fuzion Frenzy as well. I won it via the original Old Spice challenge and could never find anyone online for those achievements. I ended up putting in my GNF queue and running through with a friend when it finally came through. That's the nature of not jumping in on online achievements as soon as the game comes out. One of the reasons that I don't really care for online/ranked achievements.

Yep. Still haven't even finished Mario Sunshine (only 20 stars in) or even started Final Fantasy XII for this reason.

I'm going the exact opposite. Between the Wii and getting a PS3, achievements have kinda lost their appeal. If it's a game I'm really enjoying, yeah, I'm going to go for them, but lately, I'd much rather play a great game for fun than a shitty one for some goofy points.