Tiny Diggers – An iPad Construction Truck Game for Kids Age 2-5

Here’s the scenario: A few nights ago, I finally completed Gears of War on Insane difficulty. I’m convinced that Insane is the best way to enjoy Gears’ excellent single player campaign. There were definitely a few frustrating moments at that difficulty level but overall, it was an excellent experience.

One such frustration was fighting the final boss, Raam. Anyone who’s had trouble with Raam on Hardcore difficulty shouldn’t look forward to him on Insane. Popping your head up for only a moment will often mean instant death and it seems Raam just so happens to take twice as much damage to kill. Two hours, dozens of checkpoint reloads and Anya’s “..gotta drop that data right now!” whines later, Raam was finally dead.

The familiar, “Achievement Unlocked” chimed through my speakers and the final scene plays through. As the credits roll, I am wholly unsatisfied. While I feel Achievements are a great addition to gaming this generation, I really would’ve swapped the achievement for an alternate ending any day. Sadly, the days of unique endings based on in-game achievements are almost completely extinct. While RPG’s still practice it regulary, action titles will rarely approach it anymore.

Alternate endings are a dying breed and I hope Achievements don’t contribue to that. I can see developers continuing to use Achievements as the sole reward to gamers for reaching a certain plateau in a game. With a game as excellent as Gears of War in mind, I’d almost expect it to be chock full of bonus content. I’d even settle for the ability to play through the same storyline but as a member of the Locust Horde. Hopefully, the promised downloadable content will make good on some of my wishes.